Penny turned and saw Dani walk into the bar.

She claimed the seat next to Penny. “Hi. How’s it going?” She peered at Penny’s float. “What is that?”

“A root beer float with hazelnuts.”

Dani winced. “Does that fall under the craving category?”

“Nope,” Reid told her. “It’s just plain gross.”

“Men don’t appreciate these sorts of things,” Penny said.

“I’m not sure I appreciate them either,” Dani told her. “How are you feeling?”

“Good. Getting a tummy.” She tugged at her sweater to show off her bump.

Dani eyed her stomach, then looked at Reid. “Can I get a Diet Coke?”

“Sure. Want anything to eat?”

“No, thanks. I just need the caffeine.”

“Busy day?” he asked as he handed her the glass of soda.

“Oh, yeah. Lunch was standing room only.”

She didn’t sound very happy about the fact, but Penny couldn’t blame her. Dani had only ever wanted to be successful in the family business and Gloria had stood in her way at every turn.

She remembered what Cal had told her, about Gloria threatening to tell Dani the truth about her father if he didn’t toe the line. Penny knew it wasn’t for her to decide, but a part of her thought it would be better if Dani knew the real reason Gloria wasn’t on her side.

She looked at her former sister-in-law. Dani was short, with light-brown hair and hazel eyes. Her features were more delicate than her brothers’ and completely feminine. She looked enough like them that no one would ever guess the truth, yet there was much that was different.

Her lighter coloring, her petite build. Dani wore her hair in a short, stylish bob. Her tailored slacks and cropped jacket suited her slender body. Looking at her, Penny felt like a cumbersome giant.

Dani sipped on her drink, then smiled at Reid. “I’m going to change the subject to something very girly that will probably make you uncomfortable.”

He instantly took a step back. “Thanks for the heads-up. You two have fun.” He quickly moved to the other end of the bar.

“Men are so predictable,” Dani said. “I really like that about them.”

“It does help. What’s up?”

“I wanted to talk to you about the in vitro fertilization you went through. Not now,” she added. “But would you be comfortable talking to me about it at some point?”

“Sure. You can ask me anything you’d like. Are you thinking of doing that yourself?” she asked, not sure if she was treading in dangerous territory.

Dani nodded. “Because of his injury, there are some things Hugh can’t do and that’s one of them.” She wrinkled her nose. “We do other stuff you probably don’t want to hear about.”

Penny grinned. “I’d like to be drunk first and I can’t drink right now.”

Dani laughed. “Fair enough. Anyway, that’s in our future, so I thought if you wouldn’t mind telling me about it, that would be great.”

“Sure. I’ll give you the name of my doctor, too. She’s fabulous. Very easy to deal with and completely understanding of the panic that goes with the whole process.”

“It’s expensive, right?”

“Oh, yeah. The cost seriously cut into my ‘open my own restaurant’ fund, but I knew I wanted a baby before my eggs turned to raisins.”

“Good plan.”

Penny fished out another hazelnut. “You have a few years before you have to worry about the eggs to raisins thing.”

“Not that many.” Dani rubbed her fingers against her glass. “Why didn’t you…” She glanced over her shoulder as if checking to make sure Reid was still at the other end of the bar. She lowered her voice. “Why IVF? You could have picked some guy to sleep with you. It would have been cheaper.”

“The very question my mother asked me,” Penny admitted, remembering her parents’ distress when she’d first told them what she wanted to do. “But with IVF I could get more information about the father’s family, see how the various traits looked, that sort of thing.” She thought for a second.

“I didn’t want the hassle,” she admitted. “I didn’t want to risk the father coming back to lay claim on his child.”

“You could have had him sign papers,” Dani said.

“Sure, but he could change his mind. What if in ten years he came back and said he wanted some visitation? I didn’t know how the courts would rule and I didn’t want to deal with it.”

“What about Reid?” Dani asked. “He wouldn’t have come back for visitation rights.”

Penny stiffened. “Sleep with my ex-husband’s brother? No, thanks. Talk about a giant ick.”

“Is that how you think of him? As Cal’s brother?”

“Only when someone talks about us having sex. And I believe he’d agree with me on that.”

Dani laughed. “Okay. Fair enough. Hugh and I talked about waiting a couple of years to get our lives in order before we started a family. He’s doing well at the university and I’m…” She sighed. “Anyway, I think this might be a good time. Maybe having a baby would distract me from other things.”

Penny touched her arm. “You mean being stuck at Burger Heaven?”

“Yeah. Gloria’s driven away the third president in about fifteen months. The thing is, I’m willing to deal with her. But does she ask me? Does she even give me a chance? I’m not saying I should run the company, but there has to be another way for me to contribute.”

“Like running The Waterfront?” Penny said, feeling sympathetic.

“Not to take away from Cal, but yeah. I could have done it.”

Penny smiled. “He’s only there for four months. Why don’t you start a campaign now to take over when he’s gone?”

Dani’s eyes widened. “But you’re the chef there-we used to be related. Wouldn’t you be more comfortable with someone else as general manager?”

“I think we’d work well together,” she said. “I know you’d do a terrific job.”

“Really? Wow. That’s great. Maybe I’ll talk to Cal and see what he thinks.”

“Cal will think it’s a fabulous idea,” Penny said. The real problem was going to be Gloria.

“Then I’ll start campaigning,” Dani said. “I swear if I didn’t need the incredible medical insurance for Hugh I would have quit Burger Heaven years ago. As soon as he gets tenure, I’m leaving the company. Well, unless I’m running The Waterfront.”

“So you have a plan.”

“Pretty much.” Dani sipped her drink, then put the glass on the bar. “I know it’s none of my business, but how are you and Cal working together?”

“We’re doing really well.” Penny shrugged. “I guess we had to get divorced and spend three years apart before we could become friends. How twisted is that?”

“I’m not sure. It’s just too bad you couldn’t work things out before.”

Penny nodded as if she thought so, too, but it wasn’t true. There was no way she and Cal could have remained married. Not when he’d broken her heart so completely.

Before getting married, they’d agreed to have children. The only fight had been over how many-three or four. When she’d first gotten pregnant, he’d been as delighted as she. They’d held on to each other, excited, scared and determined to do the best for their baby.

Over time, Cal had changed. By her fourth month, she’d started to wonder if he wanted children with her at all. He wouldn’t talk about the baby or even come with her to the doctor. And then she’d miscarried.

The first cramps had terrified her. She’d rushed to her doctor, but by the time she made it to the examining room, it was all over.

Cal had said all the right things, he held her while she cried, but she hadn’t believed him. In some ways, he’d seemed more relieved than sad.

She’d told herself it was wrong to judge him-that people expressed grief in different ways. But her suspicions had been confirmed a few months later when she’d suggested they try again.

She still remembered how he’d sat at the other end of the sofa, staring at the wall rather than looking at her. He’d told her flat out he didn’t want children. Not now, not ever. And he wouldn’t say what had changed his mind.

Wondering if he still loved her, she’d done all she could to get his attention. But somehow he slipped further and further away until she couldn’t reach his heart. In a last-ditch effort to get him to admit he still cared, she’d left. Her hope had been he would come after her and beg her to return. Instead he’d told her it was for the best.

CAL RAN THE TOTALS for the day. They were still ahead of projections and the reservations showed no signs of slowing. He wanted to claim the new dining room or advertising was responsible, but he knew it was a whole lot more about Penny’s menu.

“Got any leftovers?”

He glanced up and saw Walker in the doorway to his office. “Sure. I’ll have Penny get you something.”

He buzzed the kitchen. Naomi picked up.

“Why are you calling?” she asked by way of greeting. “Because you’re too important to walk the twenty or thirty feet from your office to the kitchen?”

“Exactly. Ask Penny to come out, would you?”

“It’s not like she works for you,” Naomi said.

“You might want to check the contract. She does and you do, too.”

“Oh, fine. Throw your authority around. Penny. You’ve been summoned.”

The phone went dead. Cal looked back at his brother. “She’ll be right out.”

The door to the kitchen opened. Penny walked out, a dishtowel in her hand. “You’re buzzing me?” she asked as she turned toward his office. “There’s nothing in the contract about buzzing-”

She broke off when she saw Walker. Her face lit up, her mouth curved in a wide, open smile and she ran as if being chased by wolves.

“Walker! You’re back!”

She launched herself at him with the confidence of a woman who knows she’s going to be caught. Walker grinned and wrapped his arms round her.

“Hey, Penny,” he said and leaned his head toward hers.

She did the same, so their foreheads touched. “You’re back. My favorite ever marine is back.”