Penny turned around, threw the heavy oak front door wide open, and rushed out onto the grand wraparound porch, absolutely determined to get a closer, uninterrupted look at the roaring beauty as it pulled up the driveway.
The rumble of the powerful V8 engine vibrated right through the soles of her sneakers as Martin expertly guided the heavy sedan along the curved gravel path, bringing it to a smooth halt right in front of the porch steps. The engine gave one last, satisfying throaty growl before he turned the key, leaving a beautiful, gentle hum hanging in the fresh morning air.
"Good morning!" Sophia called out cheerfully, throwing the heavy passenger door open as she, Lily, Emma, and the boys spilled out of the spacious interior like an energetic wave.
"Hey, Penny!" Jake yelled, waving his hands as the teenagers practically bounded up the stairs toward her, their faces lit up with massive, radiant grins.
"Good morning, guys," Penny managed to reply, though her eyes were still glued to the lines of the car, entirely missing thehighly calculated, deeply smug looks the teenagers were rapidly exchanging behind her back.
The kids were practically vibrating with victory, their eyes flashing with sheer glee as they silently congratulated themselves on the absolute perfection of their plan. Thanks to Emma knowing Penny so well, they’d discovered all about Penny’s deep childhood love for vintage car restoration and her dad's old auto repair franchise.
And thanks to Sophia’s sharp observations back at the hotel, they knew that Martin shared that same secret passion, keeping his prized muscle car tucked away in the private garages like a hidden treasure. Bringing him here in this specific vehicle was the ultimate matchmaking masterstroke, and watching Penny stare at the car with total, unadulterated awe meant their trap was working flawlessly.
Penny walked right past the kids, blissfully oblivious of their silent high-fives as she descended the porch steps, her eyes scanning the perfectly aligned panels of the Cutlass.
"Martin," Penny breathed, her voice filled with shock and intense reverence as she approached the driver's side, watching him step out of the vehicle with a quiet, slightly embarrassed smile. "Please tell me you didn’t just pull up to my house in a fully authentic, numbers-matching 1970 Cutlass Supreme. Look at the condition of this chrome. This is absolutely unreal." Her wide eyes looked up at him. “Where have you been hiding this?”
Martin rubbed the back of his neck, a bit flustered by her intense scrutiny but secretly thrilled by the passion shining in her eyes. He cleared his throat, looking down at the gleaming gold hood of the Cutlass before meeting her gaze.
"I keep it locked away in the hotel's private storage garages to keep it out of the salty coastal air," Martin admitted, a soft, deeply emotional warmth creeping into his voice. "I don't take it out much these days. It was actually a milestone birthday present from my late wife, Suzi, six years ago. She knew exactly how much I loved classic cars, especially this specific model, and she spent months tracking down a numbers-matching Holiday Sedan in pristine condition just to surprise me."
For a brief second, a thick wave of raw emotion flared in his eyes, a quiet testament to the heavy memories attached to the vehicle. Penny stood there, awestruck, her heart doing a strange, sympathetic flutter at his vulnerability. She looked from the pristine chrome of the car back to the subtle sadness lingering on his face, seeing a completely different side to the structured wealth manager.
"You should absolutely take Penny out for a drive, Martin," Sophia piped up suddenly, breaking the quiet moment with a thoroughly helpful, bright grin.
"Yes, definitely," Emma added instantly, stepping forward to lean against the porch railing. "Martin, you have no idea. Penny absolutely loves classic cars. She actually took me to her father's massive classic car restoration business back in Miami when I was only eight years old, and it was the coolest thing ever."
"What?" Martin’s brows shot up in absolute surprise, his gaze snapping back to Penny. "Your father used to restore classic cars?"
Penny let out a soft, nostalgic laugh, her shoulders dropping as she leaned her hip against the driver's side door. "Oh, yes. He had a sports car sales franchise and an auto repair business, but vintage restoration was his absolute life's passion. I practicallygrew up under the chassis of old Mustangs and Corvettes, helping him turn wrenches and trace electrical grounds. When he passed away five years ago, it broke my heart, but I had to sell the corporate franchise side of the business because the legal work in Miami was just too demanding. I kept all his old personal tools, though. That's where I learned how to do all my own wiring and bodywork."
"You should really have a ride in it right now, Penny," Lily encouraged her, practically beaming as she gave her cousin a subtle, victorious nudge.
Martin looked at Penny, the corner of his mouth tugging upward into a warm, genuinely inviting smile. "Do you want to go for a quick drive down the coastal road?"
"Is that even a real question?" Penny said, a bright, excited grin breaking across her face as she immediately started walking around to the passenger side of the car.
"You can actually drive it if you want to," Martin called out over the roof, jingling the keys in his hand.
"Wait, what?" Jake choked out, his eyes widening in total disbelief as he stared at his uncle. "Didn't you strictly tell Uncle Michael and Owen last week that absolutely no one ever gets to?—"
Jake didn't get to finish his sentence because Penny missed the sharp, aggressive nudge Sophia slammed right into her brother's shoulder, accompanied by a fierce glare that silently told him to shut his mouth.
"I think that is a truly great idea," Lily said smoothly, stepping in front of Jake to block him from view.
"Yeah, Penny is a really great driver, Martin," Emma chimed in with a decisive nod.
"I’d absolutely love to drive," Penny told him, her excitement overriding her usual cautious nature as she walked right back to the driver's side. Martin stepped forward, holding the heavy steel door open for her with a chivalrous nod, and she smoothly slid into the low, pristine vinyl bucket seat, the nostalgic smell of old leather and gasoline instantly wrapping around her.
Martin walked around the front bumper, opening the passenger door and sliding into the seat beside her. He glanced back out the window at the teenagers standing on the gravel. "You kids coming along with us?"
"Uh..." Jake said, getting aggressively nudged forward by Sophia again. He let out a loud, thoroughly fake cough, rubbing his stomach dramatically. "I don't think I can get back into a car for a while, Martin. I am suddenly feeling a little car sick from the drive over here."
"Me too," Lily agreed instantly, holding her stomach in solidarity.
"Yeah, we will just stay right here and start unpacking some of the tools in the dining room," Emma suggested with a bright, entirely innocent smile.
Penny’s eyes narrowed in deep, sudden suspicion as she looked at the five of them through the windshield. It was glaringly obvious. This was, undeniably, another massive setup orchestrated by a pack of teenagers. But as her fingers gripped the thin, classic steering wheel and she looked over at Martin’s handsome, smiling face, she realized she really didn't care about their plotting at all. She turned the key in the ignition, and thepowerful V8 engine roared to life with a satisfying, deep growl that drowned out the kids' giggles entirely.
