5
Los Angeles, California
“WHAT BRINGS YOU here so early, Penelope?” Lance Martel held the back door to the restaurant open for her.
“Just stepped off a plane at LAX. It’s good to see you.” Penelope gave him a hug. Lance was wearing his white chef’s jacket and smelled of a delicious mixture of spices—rosemary, garlic, and oregano—which reminded her that she hadn’t eaten since New York.
“My best girlfriend and Scarlett are at a table in the back. Go on through. I’m making breakfast for you all now.”
“You’re a sweetheart, thanks.” Penelope walked into the dining room of Bow-Tie, a popular bistro in Beverly Hills that her friends Lance and Johnny had started. She wore a gray scarf over her hair and dark sunglasses. Her face was scrubbed clean of last night’s makeup, but she still wore St
