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a solid form, surely it would be a pastry. Preferably one with chocolate.
    â€œThat good, eh?”
    Penelope choked on the éclair, then coughed, sending a fine spray of pastry cream through the air. “Colin,” she gasped, fervently praying the largest of the globs had missed his ear.
    â€œPenelope.” He smiled warmly. “It’s good to see you.”
    â€œAnd you.”
    He rocked on his heels—once, twice, thrice—then said, “You look well.”
    â€œAnd you,” she said, too preoccupied with trying to figure out where to set down her éclair to offer much variety to her conversation.
    â€œThat’s a nice dress,” he said, motioning to her green silk gown.
    She smiled ruefully, explaining, “It’s not yellow.”
    â€œSo it’s not.” He grinned, and the ice was broken. It was strange, because one would think her tongue would be tied the tightest around the man she loved, but there was something about Colin that set everyone at ease.
    Maybe, Penelope had thought on more than one occasion, part of the reason she loved him was that he made her feel comfortable with herself.
    â€œEloise tells me you had a splendid time in Cyprus,” she said.
    He grinned. “Couldn’t resist the birthplace of Aphrodite, after all.”
    Penelope found herself smiling as well. His good humor was infectious, even if the last thing she wanted to do was take part in a discussion of the goddess of love. “Was it as sunny as everyone says?” she asked. “No, forget I asked. I can see from your face that it was.”
    â€œI did acquire a bit of a tan,” he said with a nod. “My mother nearly fainted when she saw me.”
    â€œFrom delight, I’m sure,” Penelope said emphatically. “She misses you terribly when you’re gone.”
    He leaned in. “Come, now, Penelope, surely you’re not going to start in on me? Between my mother, Anthony, Eloise, and Daphne, I’m liable to perish of guilt.”
    â€œNot Benedict?” she couldn’t help quipping.
    He shot her a slightly smirky look. “He’s out of town.”
    â€œAh, well, that explains his silence.”
    His narrowed eyes matched his crossed arms to perfection. “You’ve always been cheeky, did you know that?”
    â€œI hide it well,” she said modestly.
    â€œIt’s easy to see,” he said in a dry voice, “why you are such good friends with my sister.”
    â€œI’m assuming you intended that as a compliment?”
    â€œI’m fairly certain I’d be endangering my health if I’d intended it any other way.”
    Penelope was standing there hoping she’d think of a witty rejoinder when she heard a strange, wet, splattish sound. She looked down to discover that a large yellowish blob of pastry cream had slid from her half-eaten éclair and landed on the pristine wooden floor. She looked back up to find Colin’s oh-so-green eyes dancing with laughter, even as his mouth fought for a serious expression.
    â€œWell, now, that’s embarrassing,” Penelope said, deciding that the only way to avoid dying of mortification was to state the painfully obvious.
    â€œI suggest,” Colin said, raising one brow into a perfectly debonair arch, “that we flee the scene.”
    Penelope looked down at the empty carcass of the éclair still in her hand. Colin answered her with a nod toward a nearby potted plant.
    â€œNo!” she said, her eyes growing wide.
    He leaned in closer. “I dare you.”
    Her eyes darted from the éclair to the plant and back to Colin’s face. “I couldn’t,” she said.
    â€œAs far as naughty things go, this one is fairly mild,” he pointed out.
    It was a dare, and Penelope was usually immune to such childish ploys, but Colin’s half-smile was difficult to resist. “Very well,” she said, squaring her shoulders and