Page 25 of Inked Temptation
“Well, Hook. It seems that Cora brought us a nice surprise.”
“Hook?” Archer asked as he raised a single brow.
Why did I like that look? Because he could arch it so perfectly, as if he had practiced in the mirror a thousand times?
He probably had.
“I like to call him Hook sometimes. He’s like a blond Captain Hook to me. You know, the one from the show?”
“You even have the same name now that I think about it,” Archer said, that smile on his face a little devilish.
“I was named far before the show ever came out. And Captain Hook isn’t blond.”
“He could be. You never know.”
“Now I’m picturing that particular Captain Hook and that actor blond. It could work.”
Archer and Penny shared a look and she sighed.
“Do you know, Archer? You remind me so much of my son sometimes.”
I nearly tripped over my feet as I went to Penny, surprised she’d even said anything.
Penny never mentioned her son, just like I never mentioned my past. It was what we did. We circled around it, never actually having to say it out loud until things were better.
Or they weren’t better at all, and I was just pretending. But I was good at just pretending.
“Oh really? What’s his name?”
Penny smiled softly, and I wanted to punch Archer for daring to even bring this up, even though Penny was the one to say something in the first place.
“His name was Reggie. My Reggie. He was very handsome, like you. All dark looks but with light eyes. He smiled often, like you do, but he had a little secret spice underneath that always surprised people.”
Archer’s eyes went sad as he reached forward and gripped her hand softly.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you sad.”
“It’s okay. I lost my son the same way I lost my husband. In war. Reggie wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps. And so much like when my husband passed, I had to stand on my doorstep as a military chaplain and another serviceman stood there to tell me that they were gone. It never gets any easier, no matter how you learn to deal with it.”
Archer was up in a second, moving faster than I could. He wrapped his arms around her. He hugged her tight and, to no one’s surprise, Penny hugged right back.
“You’re a good boy, Archer Montgomery.”
“I’m sorry that I remind you of him. That’s got to be difficult.”
“No, no. I like to be reminded. Hiding away my pain day-in and day-out does me no good. It’s good to let it out.”
She didn’t have to look at me for me to know that she was talking directly to me.
“Anyway, I need to go back and work on my loom.”
“What are you working on?” Archer asked, and he seemed interested.
“Just a commission piece. I sell my wares at local festivals and in any shop that will take me. It’s nice to keep my hands busy, even as the arthritis hits.”
I leaned forward, past Archer, and kissed Penny on the top of the head. “Let me know if you need me to move anything around. I know you’ve got that huge shipment coming in, you don’t have to do that alone.”
“What would I do without my handsome, strong, and virile neighbor?”
