She shuddered. "I know it"s inevitable, but I don"t want to see them."
"I"ve got a great exterminator."
"You"d better. I hate rats. It"s the tails. They"re so scaly looking. Why can"t their tails be furry?"
"Not my department."
He crossed to the freezer and stepped inside. The carton Reid had brought earlier was right where Cal had left it. Orange sherbet didn"t sound the least bit like anything Penny-the queen of fussy eating-would want, but Naomi was too happy with Reid to lie. So he pulled out the container and slapped it on the counter.
"I heard you had a taste for this," he said. "It"s my way of saying thanks for doing a h.e.l.l of a job tonight."
Penny took a step back. "Who told you to buy this?"
"Naomi. I think she felt bad because I heard you planning to kill me."
Penny grabbed a bowl and a spoon. "I only threatened to take out your liver. There"s a difference."
"It"s a subtle one."
"Want some?"
"No, thanks. Not my favorite flavor."
"More for me."
She scooped out the sherbet and pushed the carton toward him so he could put it away. When he stepped back into the kitchen, she"d raised herself onto the stainless-steel counter and was happily chowing down on sherbet that was a very 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 h.e.l.l 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 changed since he and Penny split up, she was dead on in her a.s.sessment.
"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."