Stevie let out a deep sigh as she set her purse down on her kitchen counter, eyes falling right to the stack of mail that had been waiting for her.
She had just gotten back from Hawaii early that morning and even though Dan had tried to convince her to just stay at his house, where she spent quite a bit of her time anyway, she insisted that she needed to go make sure her house was still standing.... She hadn't been there in two weeks and even though she enjoyed her time with her fiancé, she also really loved her time alone as well.
Besides that, the girls had been arguing the last few days of their trip, Dan was so sun burned- he was just totally miserable, and Stevie's mind had drifted so far away, it was hard to put her brain to rest when all she thought about was her daughter... Her daughter and Lindsey, who had left a few days earlier.
She kept wondering if Penny had gotten her note- the one that she had spent all day trying to write and then had to figure out how to slip it into her bag without it going noticed... She was so thankful that Penny didn't find it when she was still in Hawaii, even though she knew it was wrong to feel that way.
Stevie really hoped that Penelope had read it, thought about it and then though about what she wanted to do. She didn't want her to feel like she had to jump into trying to start up a relationship with Stevie in the sense of mother and daughter... She wanted it to be on Penelope's terms, always.
"All boring stuff." She whispered to herself, flipping through the envelopes before she tossed them back down on the island.
It was quiet at her house, which is something she wasn't really used to when she was at Dan's home, where chaos was common when his daughters were there... Sometimes she just loved her own space, mainly because she'd been alone for so long- it wasn't easy to have someone rely on her.
Anyway, since it was just her, everything was exactly how she'd left it, which was spotless. The counter was clean, the single lamp she'd kept on was still lit, the curtains were closed and all was right in the world, except for the light flashing on the telephone.
She leaned into the counter, pressing the button to listen to a couple of mundane messages- her perception was ready for pick up, she had library books waiting for her, the lawn boy mailed her a bill... all the typical things.
However, just as Stevie was getting ready to wander away from the phone to start putting her things away, that sweet voice filled the air around her, causing her heart to instantly sink.
"Hi..." she was nervous- it was very obvious by her soft, quiet tone of voice. "Um, this is Penny and I got the letter that you wrote for me..." she lingered, not exactly sure what she was supposed to say after that. She didn't expect to get the answering machine. "I don't know how this is all going to work or anything like that," Penny had no clue what happened next, but she still wanted to make an effort. "I would like to meet with you sometime and..." she paused for a moment and it was very clear, even though it was through the phone that she was crying. "And if you want to call me back, this is my number." She added, waiting just a moment before she set the phone back down on the cradle, ending her message.
Stevie quickly reached out, not giving it a second though as she pulled her home phone off the hook and began to redial that number.
She didn't know what they were going to talk about, but she knew that she needed to speak to her... Penelope was so brave to call her the same day she found that note and Stevie knew she had to do the same.
She needed to reach out to the girl she longed to know.
"Hello?" Her voice filled Stevie's ears after the third ring, followed by some music that was quieted down just a moment after she'd answered the call.
Pausing for a second, Stevie's heart nearly skipped a beat, so happy to hear from her. "Hi, Penelope." She replied, biting down on her lower lip when she heard the sound of girls giggling in the background...
It was a Saturday night, which Stevie knew probably wasn't the best time to give her call, but she couldn't wait... She had already had that voicemail sitting on the machine for four days.
"Hi," Penny repeated as her heart began to beat a mile a minute and her eyes fell down to her vanity, where all her makeup was sprawled out on the glass top.
"I am so sorry that it's taken me so long to call you back, sweet girl." Stevie could not refrain from calling her that, even though she knew it probably wasn't the best time. "I just got home..." she added as she sank further into the counter, practically letting it hold her up as this hint of nervousness washed over her.
She wasn't exactly sure what Penny wanted to talk about. She had a lot to tell her and wanted to listen to everything Penny had to say, but she feared that there might be more angst than anything else... She was worried that her daughter wouldn't want to form a bond and instead, just be angry with her and the choices she'd made along the way.
She wasn't sure what to expect but she was willing to handle it as it came.
"Don't be sorry," Penny shook her head as the tone in her voice almost shrank to a total whisper. "I'm glad you're back home, safely." She added, which caused her mom to crack the softest smile on the other end of the phone... Penelope was everything. "But I'm getting ready to go out for awhile tonight," she announced as she casually glanced around the room, where three of her closest friends were gathered.
They were doing their makeup, listening to music, while they chatted and laughed about everything under the sun... They were far too engrossed in their eyeliner process to worry about who Penelope was on the phone with.
"Oh," Stevie couldn't help but chuckle, kind of embarrassed but kind of not at the same time... It was worth hearing that voice. "Well, I hope you have a really good time." She did, even though they weren't able to get very far in their conversation.
Penny paused for a moment, chewing on the inside of her cheek as she nodded her head lightly. "I'll be out to LA next week and I would really love to sit down with and talk about all of this." She was so mature and so soft spoken... it actually amazed her mother.
But the thing was, since she'd called and left a message a few days earlier, Penny had enough time to come to terms with everything.... She wasn't mad, or sad, or anything like that.
No, she was happy. She was happy to have experienced the presence of Stevie, even if it was under odd circumstances...
"I don't think this is something we should talk about over the phone." She added, shaking her head lightly.
"I totally agree." Stevie admitted, feeling a weight immediately lift off her shoulders. "I am always here, so whenever you're ready, I'll take you to dinner, or you're more than welcome to come to my home, or whatever you want." She was anxious- it was clear, but she wanted to make sure Penny knew that she was more than willing to bend over backwards to make things work.
She would have even driven out to Arizona if that was more convenient... and that said a lot.
With a soft smile, the younger woman felt a hint of emotion begin to linger. "I'll call you when I get out there and we'll figure something out, okay?" She was so reassuring and calm, making Stevie feel so much better than before.
"I can't wait." She brought her free hand up to her face to catch her tears.
"Have a good night, Stevie." Penny told her, already having heard the soft crack in her moms voice.
Nodding lightly, the blonde couldn't help but smile once more. "Good night, baby."
