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“No kidding. I felt a lot better about Alyssa going away to college after I found out Penny was there.
Relief was an understatement at the time. Letting my little girl off to college without me there to guide and protect her was difficult. I made it my commitment over the years to raise Alyssa to be as self-dependent as possible, but it helped that Penny was there to help her navigate through potentially challenging situations in college life. They were now inseparable and coming back to Chicago on my private plane to stay for the entire winter break, so we could all celebrate Christmas together.
I didn’t blink at Alyssa’s request to bring Penny back to Chicago to stay with us. The only bit of explanation Alyssa provided was a side comment: “Her mom’s been dating sleaze bags. She doesn’t want to deal with this new one.”
Gary Marshall’s death had hit me hard. We’d been friends for a long time. From what I gathered through Alyssa, over the past several years, things hadn’t gone well for Nikki and Penny - especially since Nikki apparently adopted a bad taste in the men she spent time with.
I learned that Penny made it a point to keep going forward with her life because that was what her father would’ve wanted her to do. That made me proud of her. A part of me wished I’d kept in touch with the girls when they announced their move from Chicago to New York. My concerns at the time were for Penny’s well-being. At least now I would have the chance spend time with her over the holiday break and see how she’s doing myself.
“It’s a bit strange that Penny isn’t going home to her mother,” Maria interrupted my thoughts. “I can’t imagine Nikki letting her daughter come back to Chicago for Christmas without an argument.”
“I’m not sure,” I said with a shrug. “I’m sure Penny has her reasons - not that it’s any of our business.”
Maria waved an airy hand. “Yes of course. I’ve just been worried about Penny for a long time after she left. Her mother is the only family she has, and Mr. Marshall’s death shattered both their worlds.”
“It hit everyone hard.”
The rest of the morning ticked by slowly as I kept one eye trained on the clock above the fireplace. The airport was at least forty minutes away from my condo in downtown Chicago, and that was if traffic cooperated. An hour had passed since my private pilot texted to let me know they had landed safely at the airport. Both girls were getting into one of the SUV’s I had assigned my driver to pick them up in.
All that apprehension melted away the moment the front door to the condo opened. The sound of laughter spilled into my home, followed by the heels of boots clicking down the marble hallway in the direction of the living room. I rose up from my chair with a full and bursting smile when Alyssa came into the living room.
“Hi, Dad,” she said, rushing into my arms for a fierce hug. “It’s so good to see you!”
I kissed the top of Alyssa’s cold head. I could feel the winter chill clinging to her clothes, and it was a stark contrast to working in front of a fireplace all morning.
“Thank you for getting us a plane,” Alyssa continued, reaching up to undo the buttons of her jacket while I followed her out of the hallway to the foyer. “It was nuts trying to find a flight out before this winter storm. It’s a good thing your pilot knows how to fly in this crazy weather, too.”
I smiled broadly down at Alyssa. “Well, he’d better be a good pilot, considering how much I pay him to get my precious cargo back and forth across the country.”
“You don’t have to worry about his abilities. The man knows how to work a plane. That’s for sure. Speaking of that,” Alyssa arched a coy eyebrow at me. “Is he single? He’s kind of cute to be honest.”
I shook my head at her in exasperation. Dating had been a very tender subject with Alyssa. Even as early on as when her mother, Michelle, and I found out we were having a little girl my dread began to grow. Prior to Michelle I was a complete ass with women. Womanizer would be putting it lightly, and the thought of my daughter meeting a guy like me someday all but made my skin crawl. I was determined to steer my little girl clear of those kinds of guys when the time came.
Of course, I had also thought that I’d have the support of her mother behind me when it happened. Instead, Michelle hooked up with my ex-business partner, stolen my original research for my very first government contract, and split when Alyssa was nine.
At first, I was reeling at the betrayal, but soon realized that we were both better off without her. When I looked back at Michelle, without the haze of love clouding my vision, I could clearly see the warning signs had been there from the beginning. She’d always wanted the most expensive clothes and jewelry, the newest and best of everything. In the end, she wanted money more than she wanted a family. As far as I was concerned, I got the way better end of the bargain in the divorce. She could have my ex-partner and best friend, my research - she could have it all, as long as I got Alyssa.
So no, the thought of her dating anyone wasn’t particularly appealing to me.
“Don’t even try,” I said. “He has a wife and two kids. Set your sights on someone else.”
Alyssa pouted at me. “Fine. I will. Anyway, I’m sure you remember Penny Marshall.”
“Hello, Mr. Bradley.” The young woman speaking took my breath away.
The Penny Marshall I last remembered had been only four feet tall, with blonde curls and wide blue eyes full of innocence. Now the sexy woman squeezed into tight blue jeans that highlighted her killer curves and a tight, maroon-colored sweater that hugged her ample chest. Her blonde hair was long and thick as it swung about her shoulders. Freckles dotted her face as she turned to face us from where she had been studying a few photographs of Alyssa and me hanging on the wall near the door.
An unexpected heat coursed straight through me at the sight of Penny gazing at me, with nerves sparkling in her blue eyes. She adjusted the hold on her purse, obviously sensing some form of tension we both shared in that moment.
Fuck. What just happened?
I tried to keep my composure against the guilt I felt brewing, for finding my former friend’s daughter hot as hell. She wasn’t the little girl I pictured her to be like before. That much was evident.
“Good to see you, Penny,” I managed to say. “I barely recognize you. The last time I saw you was—”
“After Dad died,” she finished for me with a small sad smile. “I know. It’s been a while since I’ve been back in Chicago. Thank you for letting me stay here with you for Christmas break. I appreciate it.”
“You’re always welcome here,” I said. A frown graced my face then because I was burning with curiosity. I knew how close Nikki and Penny had been back then. “How is your mom doing these days? I haven’t heard from her in years.”
