Part 65 (2/2)

”What? But they're early by a day! They weren't coming until tomorrow.” She sat up and fought panic. ”I'm not ready to see my parents. I was going to use tonight and tomorrow morning to brace myself.”

”I don't know what to tell you. They're here now.” He leaned over and kissed her bare shoulder. ”At least they didn't get here fifteen minutes earlier. That would have been a real drag.”

PENNY ARRIVED HOME to complete chaos.

”Penny!” her mother cried as she walked into the house. ”I know, I know. We're early. But we were sitting at breakfast this morning thinking there was nothing we would rather do today than drive over to Seattle. The hotel had rooms and your sisters were eager to make the drive, so here we are.”

Before Penny could respond, her mother, a pet.i.te woman with curly dark red hair and blue eyes, covered her mouth with her hands. ”Oh, look at you. You're showing! My baby's having a baby.”

Penny stepped into her mother's embrace. ”Hi, Mom.”

”Joe! Joe, get out here. Penny's home.”

Her father walked toward them and swept them up in his arms. ”Hey, kid. How's it going?”

”Good, Dad.”

Emily and Julie, Penny's sisters, hurried out of the kitchen, their children running after them.

”Penny!”

Dani came out last, holding a bottle of water in one hand and a bowl of pretzels in the other. ”I managed to get them fed and watered,” she said. ”I'll head out now. I have an appointment downtown.”

”Don't go,” Fay, Penny's mother, said. ”We've put you out enough. We really have to get settled in our hotel.” She cupped Penny's face. ”It's so good to see you. You're happy. It's right there in your eyes.”

Penny held in a wince. Hopefully her mother wouldn't figure out any glow came from her very recent close encounter with Cal.

”I have an idea,” Joe said. He wrapped an arm around Penny. ”Let's go to the restaurant. We can have a look at that fancy place of hers, then go to the hotel.”

”Great idea,” Fay said. ”We won't keep you too long. We know it's one of your busiest nights.”

”Don't be silly.” Penny did a quick head count. ”Sure. We can go to the restaurant now and look around, then you can come back for dinner at, say, seven.” She looked at her sisters. ”Is that too late for the kids?”

Emily, her oldest sister, grinned. ”No. It's perfect. Sean's mom lives in the area and she's taking all the kids tonight and tomorrow for the day. Isn't that the best? Julie and I will each have a room completely to ourselves. I know that doesn't seem like a big deal to you-you get to be alone whenever you want. But for us, it's heaven.”

”Unheard-of heaven,” Julie added. ”I plan to close the bathroom door and not worry about anyone trying to call me or get in or need something. I may even take a bath.”

Penny grinned. ”Okay, I'll make sure to cook fast so you can have a maximum of bathroom time.”

”You don't have to do that,” her mom said as she slipped her arm through Penny's and hugged her close. ”Your sisters are exaggerating about wanting to be alone.”

From behind Fay's back both Julie and Emily mouthed, ”No, we're not!”

BY SEVEN THAT NIGHT, the kitchen was in its usual Sat.u.r.day night pandemonium.

”Shallots,” one of the cooks yelled. ”Who the f.u.c.k took my shallots?”

<script>