Something's Gotta Give

Chapter 2

Penny waited until she no longer heard the murmur of voices before deciding that the coast was clear and she could begin to clean up the remnants of dinner. She packed her books back into her bag and stored them in her room before grabbing a tray that she used to bus the table after dinner.

Deciding to start with the drinks tray, she moved through the dining room and into the living room but stopped short at the sight of Dr. Evers. He was standing in front of the fireplace, looking into it as if there was a roaring fire instead of a cold and empty grate.

"I'm sorry, I thought you were through," she said and turned to leave. She must have startled him because his head jerked up as he heard her voice.

"No, it's all right. We're done. Sydney and Cole went out for drinks and to sample some of Savannah's nightlife."

Penny moved past him, aware that he hadn't moved, and had gone back to staring into the fireplace grate. She looked at his lean, solid back, liking how it looked as it tapered into a narrow waist. He had his hands in his pockets, which were pulling his pants tight against his rear, and she forced herself to look away. Admiring her boss's rear end was not part of her job description.

Deciding it was best that she make quick work of the drinks tray, she set it on the larger one then moved back through the dining room and out onto the porch, where she stacked as many dishes as she could on the tray before hightailing it back to the kitchen. She would wash what few dishes she could grab and then return for the others. He should be gone by then.

She was up to her elbows in suds when Dr. Evers brought in more dishes. She was so shocked that she almost dropped the glass she had in her hand but was able to grab it just in time. "Is there something you need? Would you like me to bring some coffee up to your study?"

"That would be nice." He looked around at the spotless kitchen and then at the mess around the sink. "Why don't you use the dishwasher?"

"On your family's best china and glassware? Reagan would shoot me." She shook her head. "If something broke, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself." She kept washing the dishes hoping he would leave.

"Why do you call Regan by her first name but call me Dr. Evers? Why don't you call me Sam?"

Because it was too familiar, she needed the reminder that he was not her friend; he was her boss. "I've never been asked to call you anything else, and you're my boss."

"I would like you to start calling me Sam? After all, I call you Penny."

Penny turned to look at him, her green eyes meeting his brown ones, but his eyes didn't stay on hers for long as they slipped to the rest of her face and then back to the glass in her hand. "You've been washing that same glass since I came in here. It's probably clean enough."

"Probably," she agreed, rinsing it and picking up another one.

"Am I making you uncomfortable?"

"Yes," she said, almost before he could finish.

"Why?" He moved closer to the sink, leaning against the counter.

"You never come into the kitchen, I'm not used to having an audience." She cleared her throat. That had sounded reasonable enough. There was no way she would admit the truth; that his nearness made her heartbeat erratically, her stomach roll, and gave her goosebumps.

He was silent as he digested what she said then moved over to the desk, looking down at her books. "Is what we deposit into the housekeeping account still enough?" He flipped the page looking at the total that was in the account. "This can't be right."