Part 19 (2/2)
Probably the latter, he thought. Penny could forgive a lot, but he doubted she would have understood why he'd been unable to risk loving another child.
Penny pulled a sheet of paper out of her pocket. ”I can meet with you tomorrow morning about the group bookings. I'm open to the idea, but I want to start slow. We have to be up and running in the kitchen, with all the kinks worked out before we start feeding fifty at the same time.”
”I thought we'd start with a very forgiving crowd. The Daily Grind has an awards luncheon every year in July. We can have that here. I've had calls about a few other things. Two more over the summer and three in September.”
”Get me the details on everything and I'll let you know what we can do. The summer ones are fine, and I'll cook for the Daily Grind event as long as I can stand in the back and watch.”
”Why would you want to?”
”Professional curiosity. It's your other life.”
Why would that interest her? ”Sure.”
”But we can't schedule anything in September.”
He frowned. ”Why not?”
”I won't be here.”
”For the whole month? You can't do that. We'll only have been open five months.”
”I know, but I'm still going to be gone and you can't stop me.” She held up a hand to silence him. ”This isn't by choice, Cal. Well, technically, I guess it is. I'm not going on vacation. I'm going on maternity leave. I'm going to have a baby.”
CHAPTER SIX.
CAL'S EXPRESSION DIDN'T CHANGE, but as always, his mouth gave him away. His lips thinned into a line of displeasure while a muscle in his jaw twitched.
”Congratulations.”
There was a world of anger in that single word, Penny thought, doing her best not to react. She'd known the news would throw him. The smart thing would be to give the guy a couple of minutes to get used to the idea.
”Thank you.”
”I didn't know you were seeing someone.” His mouth tightened. She had a feeling he was thinking about their kiss.
”I'm not. There isn't anyone in my life right now.”
”What about the baby's father?”
”He isn't involved.”
He looked both angry and disapproving, which really annoyed her.
”My condition doesn't have anything to do with you,” she told him. ”I'm fully capable of doing my job while pregnant. It's been a couple of centuries since women had to disappear from public life while in a delicate condition.”
”Doing your job is the least of it.”
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