Penny arrived downstairs to find Susan putting the finishing touches on her birthday breakfast. Penny simply stood in the kitchen doorway for a moment, goggling at this unexpectedly domestic scene.
“Susan, you’re late for work.”
Susan turned in surprise, a momentary look of guilt on her face, then she smiled.
“Look who’s awake!” She scooped the last of the freshly cooked bacon onto a plate, then dropped her tongs into the sink and rushed toward Penny with open arms. “No worries. Jenny’s covering my shift.”
Penny had to brace herself, the urge to retreat from Susan when she swooped in almost too strong to deny without her morning coffee. She’d lived with Susan, her mother’s childhood friend and Penny’s godmother, for almost a year now, but she still wasn’t used to Susan’s open and
