Read Online Penelope by Bernadette Marie - Free Book Online Page A

like that as if you think I’d do that.”
    “Oh, lighten up. I was kidding.”
    Sam rested a hand on Vivian’s shoulder. “I carried an enormous box down there today,” he stressed his words. “Maybe you should take a walk.”
    Penelope clapped. “Oh, goodie! It came.” She stood from her chair nearly knocking Amelia back.
    “What is going on?”
    Vivian walked past her and opened the basement door. “Shut up and come see where your grave is.”
    “ My grave? You’d rather bury me in the basement than Adam’s mother?”
    “Oh, you two.” Penelope stepped between them. “Will you ever stop?”
    It frustrated her when they went at each other. Though sometimes she couldn’t tell if they were fighting or messing with her.
    She reached for the switch to turn on the light for the staircase and then took her first carefully coordinated step.
    Going down the stairs had already become a balancing act with her body.
    Penelope cleared the last step and could hear the girls barreling toward her. How Amelia had no idea what was down here was beyond her. Those girls had been so excited she was sure they’d never get the last piece there before Amelia knew what they were hiding.
    She looked up the steps and Sam walked in front of Amelia as if to shield her.
    “C’mon. Let me down there,” she scolded.
    “You’ll get there,” he argued back.
    Vivian stood at the bottom of the steps looking up at Amelia. “I don’t plan on always being nice to you.”
    “Obviously,” Amelia retorted.
    “But, you’ve selflessly made changes in your life to keep my family intact and to take care of Penelope and her baby. We can’t repay you for that. You didn’t have to leave us with anything. You could have walked away.”
    “I never would have done that.”
    “I know that now,” Vivian said, her voice soft and sincere. “You only ever asked for one thing.”
    She stepped aside and stood with Penelope and the girls as Amelia turned the corner and saw what had been planned out just for her.
    “Oh! You built me a gym.” Her voice rose in pitch as her eyes grew wider and brighter as she took in the sight of barbells, dumbbells, and big rubber balls.
    “It was the least we could do for you,” Penelope added.
    “This is great.” She moved toward the heavy bag. “I’ve needed to punch something.” She let loose a punch into the bag.
    “Yes, you’ve been doing that in your sleep,” Sam joked.
    Amelia narrowed a stare at him and then quickly looked around again. “You all put down a sparring mat. Who wants me to take them down first?”
    Penelope wondered why she’d turned and looked right at her. But a moment later the girls were right by her side punching and kicking the bag with laughter.
    “I guess I should have bought them one of those years ago,” Vivian said. “I could have used it too. I certainly would have liked to kick the crap out of a few people. This would have vented that better than me holding it in.”
    “Now you can come down here and let it out,” Penelope gave her a smile.
    Sam leaned up against the basement wall and crossed his arms over his chest. “I guess other than assembling the furniture, the last item we have to address—now that this is done—is the attic. We’re going to need storage space and maybe extra office space, even if we keep the room across from Penelope’s as an office.”
    “Are you sure you want to go up there?” Amelia laughed as she landed a roundhouse kick into the pad and the girls giggled. “Remember last time you tried to open the door.” She grinned. “It knocked you on your ass.”
    Sam rubbed his chest where the set of stairs had come down and hit him. “Oh, I remember. That’s why you’re going up first.”
    Amelia gave him a wink. “That’s why I love my man.”
    Penelope rested her hands on her stomach as the baby kicked. “I’m beginning to wonder if this kid is going to take after Amelia. I’ve done some reading and I don’t think he