this cleaned up.”
“I’ll help,” Matt said softly.
She turned to him. He seemed about ready to drop.
“Oh, Matt, you don’t have to. You look exhausted. Why don’t you go home and get some sleep?”
He nodded. “I will, but I’ll just help with this.” He walked toward the stairwell.
Penny followed, admiring the view as he ascended the stairs. Her lips curved in a tickled smile. He still had the same curves she’d always admired. Age hadn’t flattened any of his assets.
They retrieved broom, dust pan and plastic garbage can from her apartment and returned to sweep up the glass from the surrounding area and inside the car. Matt carried the garbage can over to the dumpster and tossed in the contents.
“You’re going to have to call your insurance company first thing in the morning. You’ll want to get that window replaced as soon as possible.” Matt nodded in the direction of the car as they turned and headed back up the stairs.
“I know,” Penny sighed. “Do you...do you want some coffee or something, Matt? I know you’re tired.”
Matt peered at his watch. Penny noted her own watch showed four twenty-five a.m. “I doubt if I’m going to get a lot of sleep tonight. Sure! That sounds good. Do you mind? I don’t want to keep you up.”
She unlocked the door of her condominium. “No, not at all. I couldn’t go back to sleep now anyway.”
Penny moved into the kitchen and flipped on a small stove light while Matt stood uncertainly in the living room. He moved over to the sliding glass door and tried to peer out, but moist sea air fogged the window. He turned and strolled back to the couch.
“So, do you lose a lot of sleep on this job? How do you catch up?” Penny asked as she spooned coffee grounds into a filter.
“Not usually,” he called from the living room. “The town is pretty quiet. I can’t imagine why all of this is happening in one day.”
Penny looked over her shoulder. She’d forgotten to turn on the lights in the living room, and Matt looked quite forlorn sitting on the couch in the dark.
“Turn on the lamp,” she urged and returned her attention to the coffee.
She poured water into the coffeemaker and watched the coffee begin to drip while she retrieved two mugs from the cabinets and set them on the counter.
“Do you still take your coffee black, Matt?” she called.
There was no answer.
“Matt?”
Silence.
Chapter Five
Penny looked over her shoulder. Matt still sat in the dark on the sofa. She came around the kitchen counter and approached him. His head lolled against the back against the sofa and his eyes were closed. She leaned down to peer into his face. Steady breathing indicated he’d fallen asleep. She reached to touch his face--something she’d dreamed of doing for fifteen years--but she pulled back, unwilling to awaken him. His face was drawn and haggard. Dark stubble covered his chin, and his full lips looked dry.
Penny had dreamed of many things over the past fifteen years but having Matt fall asleep on the couch in her apartment was not one of them. Somehow, her fantasies had always involved the bedroom. She returned to the kitchen and turned off the coffee maker, then headed for the bedroom closet to pull a blanket down from the upper shelf. She returned to the living room and covered Matt. Though she longed to creep up onto the couch and lay her head in his lap while he slept, she resisted the insane urge and returned to the bedroom, shutting the door behind her. She undressed and crawled back into bed...to lay awake for a long time wishing the man in the room next door loved her as much as she apparently still loved him.
It seemed only a few hours later when Penny opened one eye against the bright sun flooding the room through the open curtains. She turned to look at the bedside clock. Eight fifteen.
Matt! Matt was out in the living room!
Penny rolled off the bed and tiptoed to the door, an unnecessary maneuver since the thick pile of the
“I’ll help,” Matt said softly.
She turned to him. He seemed about ready to drop.
“Oh, Matt, you don’t have to. You look exhausted. Why don’t you go home and get some sleep?”
He nodded. “I will, but I’ll just help with this.” He walked toward the stairwell.
Penny followed, admiring the view as he ascended the stairs. Her lips curved in a tickled smile. He still had the same curves she’d always admired. Age hadn’t flattened any of his assets.
They retrieved broom, dust pan and plastic garbage can from her apartment and returned to sweep up the glass from the surrounding area and inside the car. Matt carried the garbage can over to the dumpster and tossed in the contents.
“You’re going to have to call your insurance company first thing in the morning. You’ll want to get that window replaced as soon as possible.” Matt nodded in the direction of the car as they turned and headed back up the stairs.
“I know,” Penny sighed. “Do you...do you want some coffee or something, Matt? I know you’re tired.”
Matt peered at his watch. Penny noted her own watch showed four twenty-five a.m. “I doubt if I’m going to get a lot of sleep tonight. Sure! That sounds good. Do you mind? I don’t want to keep you up.”
She unlocked the door of her condominium. “No, not at all. I couldn’t go back to sleep now anyway.”
Penny moved into the kitchen and flipped on a small stove light while Matt stood uncertainly in the living room. He moved over to the sliding glass door and tried to peer out, but moist sea air fogged the window. He turned and strolled back to the couch.
“So, do you lose a lot of sleep on this job? How do you catch up?” Penny asked as she spooned coffee grounds into a filter.
“Not usually,” he called from the living room. “The town is pretty quiet. I can’t imagine why all of this is happening in one day.”
Penny looked over her shoulder. She’d forgotten to turn on the lights in the living room, and Matt looked quite forlorn sitting on the couch in the dark.
“Turn on the lamp,” she urged and returned her attention to the coffee.
She poured water into the coffeemaker and watched the coffee begin to drip while she retrieved two mugs from the cabinets and set them on the counter.
“Do you still take your coffee black, Matt?” she called.
There was no answer.
“Matt?”
Silence.
Chapter Five
Penny looked over her shoulder. Matt still sat in the dark on the sofa. She came around the kitchen counter and approached him. His head lolled against the back against the sofa and his eyes were closed. She leaned down to peer into his face. Steady breathing indicated he’d fallen asleep. She reached to touch his face--something she’d dreamed of doing for fifteen years--but she pulled back, unwilling to awaken him. His face was drawn and haggard. Dark stubble covered his chin, and his full lips looked dry.
Penny had dreamed of many things over the past fifteen years but having Matt fall asleep on the couch in her apartment was not one of them. Somehow, her fantasies had always involved the bedroom. She returned to the kitchen and turned off the coffee maker, then headed for the bedroom closet to pull a blanket down from the upper shelf. She returned to the living room and covered Matt. Though she longed to creep up onto the couch and lay her head in his lap while he slept, she resisted the insane urge and returned to the bedroom, shutting the door behind her. She undressed and crawled back into bed...to lay awake for a long time wishing the man in the room next door loved her as much as she apparently still loved him.
It seemed only a few hours later when Penny opened one eye against the bright sun flooding the room through the open curtains. She turned to look at the bedside clock. Eight fifteen.
Matt! Matt was out in the living room!
Penny rolled off the bed and tiptoed to the door, an unnecessary maneuver since the thick pile of the
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