Page 39 of Positively, Penelope

Penelope:I’ll sort it out.

Alec:You’re a doll.

From: Penelope Edgewood

To: Izzy Edgewood, Luke Edgewood

Date: September18

Subject: The knight just fell off his steed

I won’t go into all the details, but Alec just told me he couldn’t show up for a television interview I’d secured for him. If he’d just let me know sooner, it wouldn’t be such a big deal, but it’s in an HOUR. What was he thinking? He’s supposed to believe this is even more important than I do! And if he doesn’t, he should at least give his best for his family, if not for me! Argh!

I’m parked in front of the Gray House, and I have an idea. An impossible idea. But I’m going in with my very best smile, a whole host of promises, and some cookies. Please pray for a miracle or two. I’m losing confidence in confidence alone.

Penelope

Text from Matt to Penelope:How on earth did you convince my grandfather to join you for that television interview? I am certain, now more than ever, that you have some sort of magical power.

Penelope:I think he saw my desperation and felt sorry for me. I’m not sure I’ve ever felt so desperate, except maybe when I thought I was getting laryngitis before my debut as Belle inBeauty and the Beast. Didn’t he do a fabulous job? I was so proud of him. We went out for ice cream afterward to celebrate. Some men just know how to wear a derby!

***

Penelope’s phone went off in her hand to the ringtone “I Could Have Danced All Night.” She’d changed Matthias’s ringtone from “Don’t Worry Be Happy” after she learned he was a dancer. Her smile spread so wide, it stretched across her face and she dropped back against the couch as she answered.

“An actual phone call? This must be my lucky day.”

He huffed a response. “You say that as if we don’t communicate almost daily.”

“Not by phone calls.” There was something different about hearing him over the phone. A focus on just his voice, his style of speaking. And she hadn’t expected his voice to sound so... well, wonderfully delicious. Like he needed to break out in a rendition of “Some Enchanted Evening.” She rolled her gaze heavenward. She was ridiculous! “But if taking Grandpa Gray out for ice cream will encourage spontaneous phone calls, then it’s a huge win for me. Your grandpa’s company, ice cream, and a fun conversation with you. How can that be bad?”

He sputtered for a second and then seemed to find his voice. “How did you convince him to go to the television station and engage in that interview? I can barely get him out of the house.”

“Like I said, I must have looked pretty desperate, so when I offered to tag-team the interview with him, he agreed.”

“Just like that?” His skepticism was not heartening at all.

“Well, I promised to make him carrot-cake cupcakes.”

“And?”

She frowned. How did he guess so well? “Help him find some more of Granny Gray’s photos that are packed away in the theater.”

Silence followed for a few seconds and she twisted her finger through the little threads at the corners of the pillow in her lap. Should she tell him about her mole concerns? Could she trust him with her fears? What if he was the mole?

She shook her head. That didn’t seem right at all! What would his motive be for The Darling House’s fall?

“Thank you, Penelope.” His quiet gratitude caught her off guard. Gentle. Sincere. Not that he wasn’t usually sincere and, well, gentle with Iris. So gentle. And kind. But the way he said it left a sweet swell of warmth in her chest. “You were fantastic. Not just getting Grandfather on camera, which was a huge boon for the theater, but the way you added this positive energy to the entire conversation about The Darling House. Alec never could have done what you did today.”

“I hope it helps.” She squeezed the pillow close to her chest, his praise sinking deep. “I may never rescue a princess from a tower, or fight dragons, but I love showing people their potential, watching them... I don’t know...”

“Believe in themselves, perhaps?”

She hugged the pillow tighter, a mist blurring her vision, so she closed her eyes. Men didn’t usually see her that way. Not all the way to her heart. She often wished they did—former dates who took her for a silly, easy conquest, just a pretty face without a brain. But Matthias had just voiced a little piece of her heart that those men never took the time to figure out, and she realized that was exactly something that a friend was supposed to know. She drew in a quivering breath, not realizing how badly she’d wanted to hear a live person’s voice until that moment. And he’d become a friend. “I’m really glad you called. I wasfeeling a little bit lonely for some reason, and your voice was exactly what I needed.”

“You know that if you ever need personal contact, I could send Iris down for a massive princess fest, the likes of which we have never seen in Skymar.”

A laugh burst out and Penelope sank back into the couch. “And I’m always happy to have her. Who knows? If you keep sending her, we might even convinceyouthat fairy tales aren’t all that bad.”

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