She gasps. “Can I go? Can I? Is Max gonna be there? And Zela? Can Gus come? Can I bring a penguin? Which penguin?”
“Slow down,” I tell her, but she’s already halfway down the hall.
“Sleepover!” she whoops.
Penny wipes her hands on the tea towel, trying to look neutral. “Do you want me t—”
“We’re going out,” I say. “On a date.”
It comes out gruff, and her eyes flick up to mine with a jolt, so I try again.
“Please. If you want to, I mean. Would you like to? Go on a date?”
Elle reappears with an armful of stuffed animals before Penny can reply.
“I need three,” she announces. “Because Max only has two.”
“You only have two hands,” I point out.
“I can hold all of them.” She looks up at me, vibrating. “Daddy, did Remi say we can have pizza?”
“Yup.”
Elle cheers. “She orders the good stuff. She says it’s better than the weird stuff you get.”
Penny laughs, and it fills the room. I push off the counter and guide Elle back toward the hallway.
“Go pack properly, bug. Pajamas. Toothbrush.Onepenguin.”
“Two!”
“One.”
When I turn back, Penny’s still standing there, biting down on her lip.
“You don’t mind?”
I step into her without thinking about it, close enough that I can see the faint freckles dotting her nose. “Mind what?”
“That they’re doing this.”
I hold her gaze.
“They’re doing it because they want to,” I say. “And because they like you.”
Her breath shifts at that, and she nods.
“And because Remi likes meddling,” I add.
That gets a smile out of her, but she hesitates again. “And… doyouwant to?”
My hand reaches out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. “Do I want to take you, my freshly labeledsomething, out on a date?”
She nods.
“Yes, Pen. I really”—I lean in, my mouth brushing her ear—“reallywanna take you out on a date.”
Our eyes meet, and she tilts her head up, her lips a breath away from mine, but then Elle’s voice rings out from the hallway, and we snap apart just as she barrels back through. She’s dragging a backpack behind her that seems heavy enough for an expedition to Antarctica itself.
