Page 81 of Positively, Penelope

Izzy’s followed.

Love you big, birthday girl! I hope your day is fantastic. Will call this evening.

Both must have stayed up late enough to send them so that shewouldn’t receive them until morning. Her grin spread as she walked downstairs and munched on a breakfast bar while she packed her backpack for her day.

It wasn’t so bad spending the day alone. After all, she’d been with people all week long. And there were plenty of things to do alone on a beautiful island. She slipped down on the stool and sighed.

She’d never spent her birthday alone before, so it was a rite of passage, so to speak. Wasn’t it? Very grown-up and mature. She reread the texts and then, without hesitation, ordered the shoes she had saved in her cart for two weeks. Both pairs.

Happy birthday to her!

She’d just slung her backpack over her shoulders when a knock sounded at her front door.

She glanced at her phone. Barely nine o’clock. Who could possibly visit her at nine in the morning in the middle of the week?

A massive bouquet of all sorts of flowers greeted her as soon as she opened the door.

“Happy birthday!”

Behind the lovely bouquet of various flowers appeared the adorably grinning face of Iris Gray.

“Oh my goodness,” Penelope exclaimed, taking the flowers into her arms. She looked over at Matt, whose wide grin paused her thoughts a moment. Had he gotten a haircut? He looked... well, rather handsome. Maybe it was the smile. Or the navy turtleneck. There was something academically swoony about men in turtlenecks and jeans. “How... how did you know?”

“Gwynn mentioned something about it, so I checked your paperwork to confirm the date. Iris wanted to surprise you or I would have rung first.” He gave a one-shoulder shrug and winked. “PerhapsI would have rung. Though youarerather fond of surprises.”

A rush of warmth spread through her chest, like an internal hug. She stepped back so they could enter, and Iris smiled up at her as she passed.

“Daddy let me choose the colors and I said all of them.”

Penelope laughed and placed a kiss on Iris’s cheek. “They’re perfect. In every way.” Her gaze came up to Matt’s. “This is such a wonderful surprise. I... I don’t remember telling Gwynn about my birthday.”

“She can be rather tricky at sussing out information from people.” His expression gentled in a way she’d never noticed before. It made her keep staring for some reason.

He cleared his throat. “So Iris and I thought we’d make a day of it in your honor.” His gaze landed on her backpack and his smile faded. “Did you... already have plans, or were you wanting to be alone?”

“No!” She softened her quick cry with a smile. “I mean, I was planning to spend the day alone, but I’d much rather have company.” She lowered to Iris’s level. “Especially this kind of company.” She ran a hand over Iris’s head and the little girl vaulted forward to wrap her arms around Penelope’s neck. Penelope breathed in the sweet scent of strawberries from her hair. Oh, how she loved this little girl!

And Penelope hadn’t realized how very much she’d wanted company on her birthday until just now. The idea of it being Matthias and Iris only made everything better.

“Well, then—” Matt gestured toward the car. “We have a rather lovely day planned, if you’re up for it?”

“A picnic at the Vandermeer and then a walk by the beach,” Iris added, bouncing up and down with a little clap.

“Vandermeer?” Penelope looked up at Matt for clarification as she stood, but he merely shrugged again.

“You’ll just have to trust us.” He held out his hand and Iris imitated him on Penelope’s other side. “Do you, MissEdgewood?”

She burst out with a laugh, taking each hand in one of hers. “I certainly do.”

Matthias opened the door for both of the “ladies,” as he called them, and then took his place in the driver’s seat.

“I knew she would say yes, Da,” Iris announced when he started driving, and her chin tipped with her smile. “Penelope loves us.”

“I do,” Penelope said, glancing back at the little girl and then catching Matthias’s look as she turned back around. His gaze held hers for a second before she pulled her thoughts back together. “Sweet surprises and company are two of my favorite things. The very best of birthday presents.”

Jazz marked the background music. Sinatra and Bublé. Matthias probably did that for her too.

They drove in a direction Penelope hadn’t gone before, away from Mountcaster or Ansling. To the south. And their conversation consisted of Iris recounting all her favorite birthday memories and then her favorite parts of the parade until she grew quiet, humming to the music.

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