Penny was waiting for Susan when she walked through the door, a fresh cup of jasmine tea in hand—Susan’s preferred after-work drink—and lasagna cooling in the kitchen. It was not going to be a pleasant night for either of them, but it was going to be harder on Susan. Penny would do anything she could to make it a little easier.
“Hi, Susan,” Penny said, stepping from the kitchen as Susan shut the door.
Susan jumped, startled by the unexpected greeting. Penny was almost never around when Susan came home from work, and if she was, she was usually upstairs. It wasn’t her habit to greet Susan at the door.
“Penny, you startled me.” She laughed and kicked her shoes off, then regarded the tea with surprise bordering on suspicion. “Thanks.”
“Dinner’s done, too. Lasagna.” Penny gestured
