AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I chuckle. “She already is.”
A few minutes later, I pull into the driveway but don’t open the garage door. I don’t want the noise to wake Penny or my parents. With Swank’s car locked inside, I have little choice but to offer him the small cottage on the property.
“I’ll let you stay in the guest house tonight on one condition,” I tell him.
“Name it.”
“You give it your absolute best tomorrow in front of the guys. If they see us slacking, then they’ll think it’s okay for them to do it. Neither of us is a spring chicken anymore, but the other guys look up to us. The last thing I want to do is let the team down.”
Swank raises his hands in a placating gesture. “You have my word. At least tell me this. Is there beer in the fridge since I can’t convince you to go out?”
I wave him off. “Goodnight, Swank. Breakfast is at 8:00 am sharp. Angela might not be here to make her pancakes, but you know my mom’s cooking is even better. I’m not saving a plate for you if you sleep in.”
I don’t hear what he mumbles, but I know my friend. The way to his heart is through his stomach, and he’s never missed one of my mom’s meals.
The next morning comes far too early for me, but I wouldn’t miss breakfast with Penny for all the sleep in the world. I put on my fuzzy slippers—a gift from my daughter—and slip into my robe before heading downstairs. The aroma of fresh-brewed coffee is the first thing to tickle my senses, and I can’t wait to down a cup.
“Here you go, Sleepyhead,” my mother says, handing me a mug of pure heaven.
“Thanks, Mom. You’re the best.” I kiss her cheek and sit down at the table. “Where’s Penny? Is she with the new nanny?”
Mom places the homemade biscuits in the oven before grabbing her coffee and joining me. “No. Anna isn’t scheduled to arrive for another hour, and Penny is upstairs getting dressed for school.”
I look at my mom, confused.
“Why are you looking at me like that, Aiden? Anna will be here in…an…hour.” She says as if that’s the reason I’m perplexed.
“It’s not that, Mom. Why is Penny getting dressed for school? She has a tutor; a tutor I pay good money for to come here and educate her, I might add.”
“Oh, that! Penny read an article and saw something about ‘dressing for the job you want, not the job you have.’ I guess she thought she should be dressed as if she is going to school.” She chuckles, but I don’t laugh with her.
“Hey, Mom. Do you think this is Penny’s way of saying she wants to go to a regular school?”
She places her hand over mine and squeezes it gently before giving me her honest opinion. “That would be my guess, but I understand your dilemma. Penny won’t be challenged in public school, or even private school for that matter. But I think what she craves most is interaction with other children. She needs to learn how to play and be a child, Aiden.”
I look toward the stairwell to make sure Penny isn’t in earshot. “I don’t know what to do. That last note I got was the first one to make me really nervous. Threats against me or my teammates are a dime a dozen from fans of other teams. But that was the first one to threaten my daughter. They called her ‘Penny,’ not ‘Penelope.’ I’ve never used her nickname outside this house. I’m not sure how safe it is to even let her out of our home, yet I don’t want this place to feel like a prison. What do I do?”
My mom looks at me with sad eyes. “You do the best you can, Aiden. You’ve hired security who are patrolling the grounds as we speak, but maybe let Anna take Penny to the zoo or the playground if that’s what she wants. The only way you’ll know is if you ask Penny directly. You’ll have plenty of people guarding her, and if they do their jobs right, no one should get close to that little angel.”
“Ask who, what?” Penny questions as she jumps the last three steps. My eyes widen when I see what she’s wearing. I almost burst out laughing, but I know she wouldn’t appreciate it. My daughter is dressed in green tights, a neon yellow sweater, a purple belt cinched around her waist, and pink sparkly tennis shoes. If that wasn’t bad enough, it looks like she got into my mom’s make-up because she also has ruby red lipstick painted on her mouth and rubbed into her cheeks. Penny’s eyes are caked in blue shadow all the way up to her eyebrows.
“Nothing, Pumpkin. What’s with the fancy get-up?” I ask instead.
“Don’t I look pretty, Dad?”
“You look…”
“Like a peacock in heat,” says Swank as he comes through the back door. I scowl at him, and so does my mother. Penny only smiles and twirls around. She walks the rest of the way into the kitchen, pretending to be a model.
“I know you meant that to be mean, Uncle Stanky. But peacocks are beautiful, and I’m going to take that as a compliment. Did you know that peacocks are only males and that females are called peahens? Or that the circles on the feathers are called ocelli?” she asks.
“Um. No. But did you know that peacocks use their feathers to make themselves bigger and more attractive? Or that the males can have more than one partner?” he asks.
I palm my face, seeing this getting out of control very quickly.
“I did. Does that make you the peacock then?” my daughter asks, well aware of Swank’s dating habits.
“Penny! That was rude!” I tell her.
