“It smells good, I can’t wait.” I drum up enthusiasm from the living room.
Penny points a wooden spoon my direction, hand on hip, looking like her Nan. “No really, it’s decent, not great. Lower your expectations.”
I can’t helpbut laugh.
“Okay, the roast has five minutes left.” She ticks off her fingers. “I got a bottle of white wine, we have cookies. Fia, can you pull the Christmas records from the stash and get Nan’s player going?”
Fia looks up at her sister, and without replying, walks to the cabinet.
Andy Williams’s voice fills the first floor of the house minutes later as Penny pours the wine, handing us each a glass stem—Fia gets a pour of sparkling juice—and we cheers.
“To all being under one roof,” Fia says, and my gaze meets Penny’s.
A soft smile tugs at her lips, her hair messy on top of her head, and there’s more food on her clothes than the kitchen counter, but she looks at peace.
“Well, let’s dig in,” I say, smiling at them.
Penny was right, it’s decent.
Not great.
But we eat every last spoonful. The house is warm from the fire, Tank lies under the table, getting scraps from Fia that she thought I wouldn’t notice. It feels good, like really good.
Halfway through dinner, Penny puts down her fork, stealing a look at me before turning her focus to her sister.
“Hey, Fi, I wanted to talk to you about the house.”
She stops chewing, peering up at Penny, bracing for bad news.
“I never got a chance to tell you what Danny and I discussed yesterday. But the house was brought up, and...” Penny sighs but nods to Fia. “I’m giving it a rest. I’m not going to try to convince you to sell the house. Not yet, at least.”
Fia lets out an audible sigh, and tears fill her eyes. “Thank you. What made you change your mind?” she asks, her fingers wrapped around her glass.
Penny clears her throat. “Danny, actually.”
She twists her hand on the sweating water glass. Talking about Danny is still uncomfortable for her, but she’s doing so well. I place my hand on her back and rub small circles.
“He said he wants to move back in until he’s on his feet again. And Jesse’s paid rent through May, so Danny and I thought that in a year, when the dust has had a chance to settle, we’d revisit the topic together. We’ll collectively decide what’s best.”
My heart swells, and I lean over, laying my lips on the side of Penny’s head.
“Okay, I can live with that.” Fia offers Penny a soft smile. “So, does this mean you’re talking to Danny again?”
This time, I look at Penny, waiting for the answer I don’t know.
She considers it, nodding slowly.
“There’s a lot to repair there…” She swallows. “And since I don’t live here, it won’t be that easy to visit him until he gets out. But the lines of communication are open.” Penny wears a hopeful look, and as much as those words stitch a piece of me up, selfishly, I know that if Penny can’t visit Danny often, that means I also probably won’t see much of her either.
It’s a cut that I have to learn to live with, and it also makes the Christmas gift I got her even more vital. I don’t want to waste any more time.
The three of us all help clean up dinner, washing, drying, putting away dishes. Like old times. Fia lies on the sofa with Tank,A Christmas Storyon the TV, and Penny curls up in the chair next to the fire.
“Penny, want to take a walk? Look at the lights?” I ask before she gets too comfortable. It’s cold and dark out, but this might be my last chance.
My heart thrums loudly against my ribcage, and I sigh a little relief when she agrees.
“Yeah, sure. Let me grab a coat.”
