A/N: Thanks for the reviews for last chapter!

~Angie

There was no doubt in her mind that he'd kept his eyes on her throughout most of the game. She'd felt his stare on her more than once, and she'd had to force herself not to turn around again.

Derek Morgan.

Now there was a name she hadn't heard in some time; she hadn't thought about him in just as long. He'd been significantly older than she was and insanely attractive. Not to mention way out of her league. And like her mother had always said…'No use shooting for the moon.'

In a town that hadn't had much in the way of hope, they'd had their 'hometown hero,' Derek Morgan. It had been big news when he'd blown his knee out at Northwestern…a devastation to the entire community.

Penelope shook herself from her reverie, not sure why she was even contemplating his history. After all, she'd just been his little sister's friend whom he'd only met a few times. He probably recognized her, but couldn't quite place her. That was why he'd been staring. No other reason, she told herself.

"Oh, there's Penelope!" Desiree said excitedly, before walking in the direction of her old friend. "Oh…and there's Carter." She came to a halt and turned back around. "Can you give him a ride to Mom's? Penelope and I have lots of catching up to do. I think we'll probably go out for coffee."

Derek nearly went into a head spin at the thought of not seeing the young woman who'd quite effortlessly stolen his heart years ago. "What about dinner?" he asked. It was typical for them to have dinner as a family after Carter's football games since he was always so nervous and queasy beforehand.

"I'll grab something while we're out," she assured him.

"It's tradition, Des," he pointed out. "Carter will be devastated. Why don't you invite your friend over? You know mom. She probably made enough lasagna for the entire block."

"That's true," Desiree agreed.

Derek nodded. "OK," he said satisfied. "I'll get Carter and we'll meet you at Mom's."

"Did you ever meet my brother?" Desiree asked curiously in the car as she and Penelope rode to her mother's house.

"A time or two," Penelope answered.

"Hmm…he doesn't remember any of my friends from high school, but I think he remembers you," Desiree mused.

"Really?" Penelope asked, cursing her foolish heart for skipping a beat.

"When did you first meet?" Desiree asked.

"Umm…I don't really remember," Penelope lied as visions of Desiree's older brother in his torn blue uniform flashed through her mind. She suddenly remembered his eyes wandering over her bare legs and tank top clad breasts; his stare had been so intense she'd practically felt it rake over her skin. That was something she'd forgotten until this moment.

Desiree grinned slyly as she looked at her friend. "Something tells me he does."

She'd never say anything, but ever since Derek had mentioned Penelope earlier this evening, Desiree's heart had leapt. Her brother was thirty-eight years old and still hadn't settled down. And Desiree knew that Penelope hadn't, either. If her friend was similar to the person she'd been years ago, they'd be perfect for each other. But she definitely wasn't going to say a word…no sense in jinxing anything. And she would especially not say anything to her mother!

Penelope couldn't believe how big Carter was, or that almost fourteen years had passed since she'd graduated from high school. It really put time into perspective to see the young man—all six feet of him—sitting across the table from her wolfing down his lasagna.

"Easy, Kid," came the deep voice beside her. "You tryin' to make yourself sick again?"

"No," Carter said, taking a long drink of his milk. "I'm starving! Did you see how many yards I covered tonight?" he asked with a broad grin. "Couple of more games like that, and I'm gonna break every record you ever set," he goaded his uncle.

Derek mirrored his nephews grin. "I hope you blow every one of them to smithereens," he said sincerely. It was clear from the look on his face that Derek adored his nephew…that certainly hadn't changed over the years.

"Don't worry. I will," Carter assured his uncle, and then turned to his mother. "May I be excused?"

"Excused?" Desiree asked. "Do you have hot plans tonight that I don't know about?"

Carter grinned. "Test on Monday."

"Yeah. On Monday. It's Friday night," Desiree reminded him.

"Gotta get into WestPoint, Mom," he reminded her.

"Isn't your backpack at home?"

"Nope. Brought it with me."

Desiree shook her head. "You're excused," she told him.

He jumped up from the table, took care of his plate, and then headed upstairs.

"I got the weird kid," Desiree explained. "A few weeks ago, seven boys from the football team were caught drinking in the locker room…Carter was on the bleachers studying."

Penelope laughed. "Good kid."

Desiree nodded. "He sure is." She grinned. "But that's not where I would've been."

"Time to clean up," Fran interrupted, standing up.

Desiree stood as well. "Yes," she said, and then turned to Derek and Penelope. "Why don't you two go on into the living room while we take care of this? We'll be in when we're done here. It shouldn't be long."

"I can help," Penelope insisted, picking up her plate. But Desiree shook her head as she plucked it from her hands.

"You and Derek are guests," she said firmly.

Derek seized the opportunity and disappeared into the living room, leaving Penelope to follow.

"What was that all about?" Fran asked when she was alone with her daughter.

"What was what all about?" Desiree asked innocently, thankful for her mocha colored skin. It hid her red cheeks so very well.

Fran gave her a pointed look and Desiree sighed. "Penelope's single," she told her mother.

Fran grinned. "Enough said."

Penelope studied the pictures on the mantle for a moment before turning around. When she did, Derek's gaze was on her, unnerving her again. This needed to be cleared up right now. "You probably don't remember me," she started. "I—"

"No," Derek interrupted her. "No, I…I remember you."

"You do?" Penelope asked.

He grinned at her. "You were Desiree's hot friend with the rockin' bod," he informed her.

"Oh," Penelope said in a small voice, her cheeks turning all kinds of red. While she certainly hadn't let herself go over the years, the body she'd had as a teenage girl was long gone. She had a sudden urge to cross her arms over her chest and cover up the rest of her body. That is…until he spoke again.

"I was glad to see that hasn't changed."