The silence in the car started to feel a little awkward. Was Penny also thinking about that assumption the staff of the Baby Supermarket had made? What did she think about it? Had she—even for that tiny moment of time—thought about what it would be like if it had been true? Something like alarm prickled in Joey's spine. He’d already overstepped a boundary falling for someone who would never see him the same way. But it didn't change the fact that he cared. That she had touched his heart in a special way. But it seemed as if something entirely dif-ferent was bothering Penny. She was so quiet. "I’ll pay you back," she said, finally. "Please you have to let me. You didn't come with me so you could cover all the expenses"  "That’s not necessary." Joey replied.  She shook her head. "Of course it is. You’ve already done far more than most p

Mia’s smile was all the response needed. Her mother was smiling, too. "I can’t thank you enough," she said. "I don’t know what I would have done if you two hadn’t found me."  "It was our pleasure," Joey said. Wasn’t it, Penny?" "Sure was." Penny's smile lit up her face and Joey's heart gave a curious little extra thump. He turned away from that smile to say goodbye to Mia and her mother. It wouldn’t make any difference because he couldn't act on that attraction. He wasn’t even going to be in the same house with her soon if everything went well, which was a good thing for him  With the passion she always displayed with Howard and to keep her independence, he knew that Penny was the type of woman who would fall in love and be just as passionate about being a loving and loyal partner. Just as she had been with Jeremy.  The guy that wo

Joey got to his feet but he made no sound other than a grunt Penny couldn’t interpret.  Maybe he was relieved at the interruption. Maybe he was disappointed. Or maybe he just had stiff muscles from all that physical work in the garden. He offered Penny a hand to help her up and she took it but it didn’t feel anything like the hand that had been caressing her skin only moments before. And still, Joey didn’t say anything. He opened his mouth as if he wanted to, but then he closed it again, uttering nothing more than another uninterpretable sound as he bent over to pick up the garden fork. Penny picked up the baby monitor. She glanced over her shoulder as she went to collect her shirt. He was turning over earth as if his life de-pended on making this garden look as per-fect as possible.  ----------------- A foot on the fork. A pile of

What if she and Joey got together and something happened and they had to break up. Audrey would obviously have to be on her brothers side. As she should be, Penny thought truthfully. She couldn't bear to come between two wonderful siblings. And if that happened, their friendship and relationship would be ruined. Penny didn't want that.    But it didn't matter now, obviously. Because Joey was leaving, and he didn't even bother to say anything about it to her, and maybe soon she'd get her own place and leave with her baby. He'd obviously given up the idea of them being together, because now he was moving on. And she couldn't blame him. He'd gone through a lot with her. Stayed with her and loved her even when she didn't return his feelings. She had rejected him so many times and now he he'd finally let her go.    It was all her fault. Penny knew that, but it didn't stop her from being mad at him. He should have at least told h

Penny loved every inch of the house. And as he showed her around, she understood more why he loved it. A home for a family... As he had said. She wanted the same thing too....she always had. There was a time when that dream included Jeremy.... Not anymore. Right now, she could almost picture herself, Joey and Howard being a real family. Maybe with two other babies... Maybe twins. She loved twins. Always hoped she'd have them someday. Once she heard the twins were never born to women who wanted them, but that was probably another old wives tale, she thought.  Joey's voice snapped her back to reality.  "Thank you for coming, Penny" he was saying, "You have no idea how much I have missed you. Missed hanging out with you"  "I have missed you too. Howard too. The house is really not the same without you" Penny replied softly, and seeing the way his eyes darkened with desire as he stared at her, she moved away a