“Don’t do that!” she gasped in horror. “Chip’ll get out.”
“Chip?”
“Penny’s pet tortoise.” She sounded surprised the name didn’t register.
“Right, got it.” He made a mental note to learn all there was to know about Penny during their date on Saturday. With the way he felt about her, he should be intimately acquainted with details like having a pet tortoise. “I’ll make sure it’s closed.”
Satisfied, Bree turned to face the entrance, keeping her eyes peeled for Penny.
As Colt made his way through the back of the shop and up the narrow staircase, his pulse quickened. While he’d prefer not to visit Penny’s apartment for the first time without her, the opportunity was too serendipitous to pass up. He only hoped his efforts paid off.
After finagling his way through the finicky front door with an exaggerated nudge, his jaw dropped. The interior of Penny’s home mirrored her personality—warm, vibrant, and completely captivating—from the boho-chic style to the inviting scent of sweet tea leaves that lingered in the air. He longed to explore every inch of the enticing space, but time—and his anti-snooping conscience—kept him on track.
He needed to find the photograph.
After ensuring the front door was latched securely, he quickly scanned the walls of the tiny kitchen, finally landing on a framed photograph of two young girls building a sandcastle on the beach.Bingo.
Gently lifting it off the wall, he laid it facedown on the tile counter.
He froze when he heard a faint rustling of leaves.
Following the sound, he marveled as a large tortoise emerged through a thicket of house plants.
The curious animal seemed to glare at him through narrowed eyelids.
“You must be Chip. Sorry, pal. I’ll be out of your hair in a second. I’m just—” He paused. Why in the world was he explaining himself to a reptile?
Exhaling a jittery laugh, he returned his attention to the task at hand.
His fingers tingled with hopeful expectation as he turned the tabs holding the backing in place. As he removed it, he flashed back to the afternoon in the storage room when Penny showed him the inscription, regaling him with the bewitching story about the woman in the picture. He could still envision the shimmer in her eyes as she discovered the hidden message.
Colt peeled back the flimsy sheet of cardboard, holding his breath as his eyes strained to locate the object of his search.
Eureka!
There, in the lower right-hand corner, he found exactly what he was looking for.
But before he could whoop in triumph, a vibration in his back pocket disrupted the moment.
Slipping out his cell phone, his heartbeat stalled at the text on the screen.
Good news! The opportunity you’ve been waiting for has just opened up….
* * *
Gazing across the counter at Cassie and Eliza, Penny licked a smear of chocolate sauce off her bottom lip. “This is incredible! But what exactly am I tasting?”
“It’s a chocolate peanut butter pie with a mochaccino mousse.” Eliza’s dark eyes glowed with pride. “It’s for the Fourth of July pie contest.”
“If it were up to me, I’d give you the blue ribbon right now.” Penny dug her fork into the creamy filling, eager for another bite.
“That’s what I told her.” Cassie smiled, turning from her copper espresso machine with a fresh latte in hand. “But she wanted a second opinion.”
“Cassie loves anything with coffee in it, so she’s biased,” Eliza explained with a good-natured grin. “But ifyoulike it, even as a non-coffee drinker, I know it’s a winner.”
“I love it,” Penny told her sincerely. “The coffee flavor is subtle and pairs perfectly with the sweetness of the peanut butter and chocolate.”
“Hooray! I’m so happy to hear that.” Eliza clasped her hands together, bouncing on her toes. “I’m determined to top Frida Connelly’s cinnamon pecan pie. Although, I’m pretty sure she bribes the judges since she wins every year.”
