Free Delicious by Susan Mallery

unnatural color of orange.
    “Couldn’t you just drink juice?” he asked.
    “Not the same.”
    “If you say so.” He leaned against the counter opposite hers. “You did good tonight.”
    “Thanks. You did okay, too.”
    He chuckled. “Gee, thanks. You still mad?”
    “Not so much. Everything worked out.” She raised her head. “I’m good at my job, Cal. That’s why you hired me.”
    “I know.”
    “Then stay the hell out of my way. Do I come into the dining room and tell you how to fold napkins?”
    “There’s more to my job than that.”
    “You get my point.”
    “I do and it’s well taken. The kitchen is your responsibility.”
    “Except for the rats.”
    “Fine. The rats are mine,” he said.
    She licked her spoon. “Gloria didn’t come. I thought she might.”
    “She was here last night.”
    “Oh, I know.”
    He frowned. “Did she bother you?”
    Penny shrugged. “Was she breathing?”
    “Want to talk about it?”
    “Not really. She’s a cold old woman. That hasn’t changed. She didn’t exactly scare me when we were married, but I never wanted us to be best friends.”
    “She’s not my favorite person.”
    “That makes me sad,” Penny said.
    “Why?”
    “Because she’s family. Your folks are gone. She’s the last living member of a previous generation. It’s too bad she makes it so hard to love her.”
    As nothing about his family situation had changedsince he and Penny split up, she was dead on in her assessment.
    “I think she needs to get laid,” Penny said.
    Cal winced. “Tell me you’re not talking about Gloria.”
    “It’s true. When do you think was the last time the old bird got any?”
    “I am not going to think about that.”
    “I’m not asking you to stand in the room and watch. I’m saying she’s lonely. It’s sad.”
    “You’re being nicer to her than she deserves.”
    “I have very little to do with her, so it’s easier for me. Although last night she really got on my nerves.”
    “What did she say?”
    “What did who say?” Reid asked as he and Naomi walked into the kitchen. “Dani and Hugh bugged out. They said to say good night. We’re heading home, too.”
    “Thanks for coming, baby cakes,” Penny said to Reid.
    He walked over and kissed her cheek. “You, too, knife girl.”
    Penny laughed. “Night, Naomi. See you tomorrow.”
    “Bright and early.”
    Reid put his arm around her. “Early, at least. I don’t think your assistant is going to be getting any sleep tonight.”
    Naomi smiled. “I like that in a man.” As she passed Cal, she patted his arm. “Want to know how many times we did it last night?”
    “Not even for money.”
    Reid made a fist. Cal did the same. They bumped them together.
    “Later,” Reid called as they left.
    When the front door of the restaurant closed, Penny grinned. “So do you think they’ll wait until they get back to his place or do you think they’ll do it in the car?”
    “What is with you? You’re on a roll with the sex talk tonight.” Was she feeling an itch? He would admit to a need to scratch. After all this time, Penny could still get to him just by being in the same room. “Someone else might think you were issuing an invitation.”
    She narrowed her gaze. “Don’t go there. This is my kitchen and I know where all the knives are. It’s just interesting to speculate. Okay, not about Gloria, because I don’t want to think about her naked. But with Naomi and Reid. Come on—you have to wonder. They’re both out to break the land speed record for most partners in a lifetime.”
    “Doesn’t it get old after a while?”
    Penny’s eyes brightened. “Are you saying sex gets boring? How interesting.”
    “No. I’m saying switching partners all the time would get old. I gave up counting conquests about the time I turned twenty-two. The sex is more fun when I’m in a relationship.”
    He hadn’t had any complaints about Penny. She’d been caring and responsive and just adventurous