Page 126 of The Nanny and the Nerd
“Yes, we’re talking about Queen Bea,” Claudia answered, followed by an exasperated sigh.
“Penny, you know she literally drives us to drink,” one of her sisters said. She honestly couldn’t make out who was talking. She was still stuck on the fact that her perfectly perfect high-achieving sisters weren’t co-presidents of the Bea Fenn Fan Club.
“But you guys always did everything she wanted you to do. Di, you’re a fancy-pants doctor, and Claud, you’re a big-time physicist. You guys live fantastic lives in Switzerland and New Zealand. Mom can’t stop talking about your accomplishments. It’s always been that way,” Penny said, the words coming out in a gush.
“Penn, why do you think we each put an ocean between ourselves and Mom?” Diana asked.
Stunned, she’d never thought of her sisters’ exodus as an escape!
“Because that’s where your prestigious fields led you,” she answered. Ten minutes ago, she would have been rock-solid sure of this. Now, something completely different had revealed itself.
“Penny, we love, Mom. We do,” Claudia began.
“But the woman has two modes, be the best and be the best,” Diana added with a chuckle.
Penny waved her hands around, trying to find the right words to reply to this whopper. “I’m totally shocked. I never knew you guys felt that way. I thought you liked doing everything Mom made you do.”
A beat of silence passed, then two. Penny met her friends’ gazes as they waited for the Fennimore twins to reply. A high-pitched squeal followed by a raucous roar of laughter cut through the air. She tried to turn down the volume. But her stupid flip phone’s stupid flip phone buttons were hit or miss when it came to the volume control working. She scanned the coffee shop to find all eyes on their table.
Crap!
But Charlotte came to the rescue.
“A little privacy, please! My friend is having a moment with her sisters! Go about your business drinking your iced lattes and chugging your chai, people! We’re living life over here and making memories! And you’re damned lucky I don’t have a salad,” her usually demure friend chided, staring down the coffee shop patrons in a very un-Charlotte way.
“I’m not sure you’re the nice one anymore, Char,” H murmured. “That whole yell at strangers, then threaten them with vegetable retribution is more my MO.”
“If you worked for the celebrity chef douchebag, Mitch Elliott, you’d be yelling, too,” Charlotte replied. She dusted off her hands as every pair of angry eyes averted, afraid of the redhead’s wrath.
“Penn, are you still there?” Diana asked as the laughter coming from the phone died down.
“Yes, I’m here. Charlotte’s yelling at people,” she answered as her BFF blushed.
“Isn’t Charlotte the nice one?” Claudia questioned.
“She is, and she’s wonderful,” Penny answered, chuckling as she patted Charlotte’s hand.
“Here’s the thing, Penny, and I want you to listen carefully,” Claudia began, her tone taking on a serious edge. “Di and I probably should have told you this sooner.”
“Okay,” Penny replied cautiously.
“We’ve been envious of you since you were a little kid,” Claudia finished.
Did she hear that right? The wonder twins were envious ofher?
Penny looked at her friends. Their wide eyes and gaping mouths indicated that she’d heard her sister loud and clear.
“Me? Why would you be jealous of me? I wasn’t winning science fairs and gymnastics competitions.”
“No, you weren’t,” Diana replied. “You were doing what you loved. You were writing. It didn’t matter what Mom said or how she tried to steer you away from it. You did it. You knew what you wanted, and you didn’t let anything get in your way.”
“You’re kind of a badass,” Claudia added. “I think my favorite story of yours was the one about the twin gymnasts who succumb to peril on the uneven bars.”
“For sure!” Diana chimed, but Penny could hear the smile in her sister’s voice. “That part when they broke their ankles was pure poetry. Dark stuff, little sis.”
“How did you even know about my stories?” she pressed. She’d never shared them with her sisters.
“Dad. He’d photocopy them at the office and mail them to us,” Claudia replied. “He could have emailed them or taken a picture with his phone and texted, but he liked to do things the old-fashioned way.”
