“That’s the rumor,” Penny told him. “Are you really not interested, or are you playing hard to get so you can have her full attention?”

Walker’s expression shuttered. “I don’t play games.”

“Ha! It’s hard-wired into your gender. Okay, go find a seat. I’ll bring out food.”

“I don’t get to pick what I want?”

“Oh, please. On what planet?” She glanced at Cal. “Are you hungry? I can get another plate together.”

“Thanks.”

She returned to the kitchen and Walker looked at him. “Yours?”

Cal figured he meant the baby. “She would be my ex-wife.”

“You wanted to punch me out when she launched herself at me.”

Cal didn’t see how Walker could have known what he was thinking. He would have bet money it hadn’t shown. “No idea what you’re talking about.”

“Right. So you just hired your ex-wife because she’s a great chef?”

“Have you forgotten the year she cooked our Christmas dinner?”

“Good point. So how’s it going?”

“Good. Better than I would have thought.”

“And the baby?”

“She decided it was time. Went to a sperm bank. There’s no guy.”

Walker’s dark gaze locked with his. “Lucky break.”

THE THREE OF THEM SAT at one of the tables by the kitchen. Penny served two different salads, her famous fish and chips, a poached salmon dish, smashed potatoes, green beans with a mustard sauce and she promised something special for dessert, although she wouldn’t say what.

“Do you have any idea what you’re going to do now?” Penny asked after all three plates were full.

“Get my own place,” Walker said. He looked at Cal. “Not that I don’t love living with you.”

Cal chuckled. “You’re welcome to stay as long as you like.”

“I appreciate that, but I want my own place. An apartment at first. Until I figure out where I want to live.”

“Are you rich?” Penny asked.

Cal and Walker both looked at her.

“What?” she asked. “It’s a serious question. I’m curious. Didn’t you invest in The Daily Grind?” she asked Walker.

“Uh-huh. Cleaned out my savings account for my big brother.”

“And you made a fortune,” Cal reminded him.

Five years ago Reid had been on his second multimillion-dollar contract and had offered to bankroll the whole thing. Cal had refused and instead had taken on multiple investors. Walker had been one of them.

“I did okay,” Walker said, then shrugged. “I don’t have to go to work anytime soon.”

“Will you get a job?” Penny asked.

Walker nodded.

Cal figured he had to. Walker wasn’t the kind of guy who enjoyed sitting around doing nothing.

“But first I have to find someone,” Walker said.

“Who?” Penny asked.

“A woman named Ashley.”

Cal looked at his brother. “A girlfriend?”

“Yes, but not mine. One of the guys in my unit was killed. Ben. He was a good kid. Not a great marine but he had a lot of heart. Ashley was his girl. He planned on marrying her when he got out. I have a letter to deliver to her, so I have to find her.”

Penny set down her fork. “You have more than just her first name, right? His family can help you locate her.”

The darkness returned to Walker’s eyes. “Ben didn’t have any family. He grew up in foster care. Four high schools in four years. I know she lived in the Seattle area when they were in high school and that her name is Ashley.”

Cal leaned back in his chair. “That’s not enough to go on.”

“Sure it is.” Walker picked up his glass of wine. “I can go through high school yearbooks until I find where Ben went to school, then get the names of all the Ashleys.”

“Couldn’t you hire a private detective or something?” Penny asked. “That’s a huge amount of work.”

“I have time,” Walker told her. “I want her to have the letter.”

Cal knew his brother well enough to recognize his stubborn expression. “Don’t argue, Penny. His mind is made up.”

“Good luck,” Penny said.

“Thanks.” He cut off a piece of the battered fish. “Great meal. The best I’ve had in nearly a year.”

“Thank you. I thought you’d like it. So why did you turn down Naomi?”

Cal winced. “Very smooth transition. Subtle.”

Penny shrugged. “I’m curious. You’ve been away a long time. I’m guessing there wasn’t a lot of, um, well, you know.”

“Sex,” Walker said calmly. “You’re saying there wasn’t a lot of sex to be had on my tour.”

“Something like that. Naomi is attractive and from all accounts, very skilled.”

“You’re offering me your friend?”

“No. I’m curious. Is it because she’s older?”

Walker shrugged. “She’s what? Thirty-eight? Thirty-nine?”

“Forty.”

“Perfectly seasoned,” he said. “It’s not the age thing.”

“Then what?”

“Then none of your business.”

She held out her fork like a weapon. “I’m pregnant. You have to be nice to me.”

Cal decided his brother needed rescuing. “Mariners should have a good season this year.”

“I heard that,” Walker said.

Penny rolled her eyes, then said, “The infield looks promising. Now if only we can come up with the hits.”

Conversation shifted to baseball, then the success of the restaurant, then to possible neighborhoods for Walker’s apartment.

Cal watched his brother skillfully dodge any personal questions. Walker might love Penny, but he wasn’t going to share more than he wanted to.

Secrets, Cal thought. They were a family who kept secrets.

CHAPTER NINE

FRIDAY MORNING Penny found herself pulling into The Waterfront shortly before seven.

“This is just plain wrong,” she muttered as she climbed out of her car and hurried toward the rear of the building. There hadn’t even been time to shower. As she wasn’t allowed caffeine anymore, due to her pregnancy, a shower was the only thing that perked her up in the morning.

“I know, I know,” Naomi said from her place just outside the open back door. “It was your turn to sleep in. I’m sorry. I thought you’d want to see.”

Penny and Naomi traded off predawn times, alternating who had to get in to go over the delivery.

Penny stared at the water pouring out the back door. “Shouldn’t we be able to turn that off?”

“We’re working on it.” Naomi gave a half smile that didn’t look the least bit convincing. “First the pipe cracked, then the shutoff broke. That’s when I made the executive decision to rip out part of the wall to see if we could get to any other kind of shutoff.”

Penny had a bad feeling there wasn’t a happy ending to the story. “And?”

“Rats.”

Penny took a step back and shuddered. “This isn’t your attempt not to use bad language, is it?”

“Sorry. No. There’s not a lot. Obviously the exterminator has been doing his job, but still, there was a family of them.”

It was too early to deal with rodents. “Great.” Penny started for the kitchen.

Naomi clutched her arm. “There’s more.”

“Because a broken pipe, no ability to turn off the water pouring through my kitchen and out into the alley and rats in the walls isn’t enough?”

“We haven’t had the produce delivery. The truck was in a big pileup. Three cars and the truck. No one was injured but…” Her voice trailed off.

Penny shook her head. “Something tells me my lettuce didn’t survive.”

“That’s what they’re saying.”

“Great.” She had special orders due in today for her new chef’s special. “You know we have three parties of ten in tonight.”

Naomi nodded.

“And I would kill for cilantro, which we’re now not getting.”

“You mentioned that,” Naomi said. “I’m really sorry.”

Penny stepped close and hugged her. “None of this is your fault.” She reached for her cell phone. “Time to call in the troops.”

She punched in Cal’s number. “You’ll never guess what’s happened here,” she said and told him what was going on. “Naomi has already called the plumber, but we have to do something about the rats. They’re going to totally gross me out.”

“I’ll call the exterminator and then be in.”

“Yeah. You wouldn’t happen to have any cilantro, would you?”

“No. Want me to stop and get some?”

“No. I’ll call the produce company and see what they can do about delivering something to me. Although it won’t be their best. That’s in the pileup.”

“Gotta love the business,” he said.

“At least it’s not boring. See you in a bit.” She hung up and looked at Naomi. “Cal’s on his way. He’s calling about the rats.” She glanced at the door. “Do I have to go in there?”

“The rats are all scattered. You don’t have to worry about them.”

“Okay.” Penny tried to tell herself they were just really big, ugly mice and she liked mice. They were small and cute and reminded her of Cinderella. But rats? She shuddered.

She stepped inside and immediately found herself ankle-deep in the raging river that went right through her kitchen. “The plumber’s on his way, right?”

“Shouldn’t be too long.”

“Good.” Because there wasn’t going to be any prep work while this was going on. And even after the water was turned off, the floor would need some time to air out. And there were those three parties of ten, not to mention a full house, tonight.

At least her office was dry, she thought as she shrugged out of her coat and moved back into the main area of the kitchen.

“We have fish,” Naomi said helpfully. “That’s something.”

Penny put a call in to the produce company. They read off what they had available and she checked it against her order. “Send it,” she said, then hung up. She quickly scribbled out another list and handed it to Naomi. “I’ll need this stuff by one. But before you go, let’s brainstorm a new special for tonight.”

An hour later they had a special and a modified menu. Edouard strolled into the kitchen. Her sous-chef looked especially male and self-satisfied as he surveyed the flowing water.

“There is a broken pipe,” he announced.

Naomi grinned. “Gee, Eddie. Thanks. We weren’t sure what all this water was.”

Edouard smiled. “You are crabby. Should I ask why? Man trouble? I, of course, have no trouble with the men in my life. They adore me.”

“Of course they do,” Penny said. “We’re all delighted you had a good night. Now let’s talk about what’s going on.”

Naomi moved next to Edouard and rested her chin on the top of his head. “I never have trouble with my men, either, my little friend.”

Just then, a strange man stuck his head in the back door. “I’m the plumber,” he said with a grin. “Looks like you have a broken pipe.”

As he was well-muscled, young and good-looking, Penny wasn’t surprised when Naomi hurried toward him.

“I’ll deal with this,” she said.

“Of course you will,” Edouard told her. “He looks innocent. Be gentle.”

Penny glanced at the clock. It was barely eight in the morning. She didn’t want to think about how the rest of the day was going to go. Was there a chance she could sneak home in the late morning for a nap? Just a couple of hours of sleep. Not like she’d be doing anything else in bed. Yup, that was her. Sexless girl.

She tuned out Edouard and Naomi’s banter as she realized she couldn’t actually remember the last time she’d been with a man. As in na**d. As in skin on skin, kissing, touching and the ever thrilling moment of cl**ax.

“So unfair,” she said, still caught up in the revelation. “Everyone is ha**g s*x but me.”

Her two assistants stared at her. The plumber shifted uncomfortably. “Ah, maybe someone could show me that pipe,” he said.

Naomi patted her shoulder in sympathy, then led the guy out.

“You could be getting some,” Edouard said.

Penny accepted the comment in the generous spirit in which it was given. “I’m pregnant. Trust me. No one wants to see me na**d.”

“Au contraire. Many men find the lushness of the flower at full bloom most appealing.”

“Who’s blooming?” Cal asked as he walked into the kitchen. He had a grocery bag in one hand and a huge pet carrier in the other.

“Penny. She’s upset because she’s not getting any,” Edouard said, staring at the carrier. “What do you have in there? A dog? There will be no dogs in my kitchen. Go. Shoo.”

He waved his hands toward the door, as if that would make Cal retreat.

No such luck, Penny thought, knowing her cheeks were on fire. Kitchens were rowdy, randy places where no one had secrets and every weakness was a target. She knew that and accepted it. But why did Edouard have to announce her lack of sex to Cal? And why was her ex-husband grinning at her?