It was just before 6 p.m. and I nervously paced back and forth in front of the Cafe while I waited for Penny. Had she changed her mind? I would be able to understand it. She had taken me so much by surprise with her offer that I had to get my racing heart under control again. The prospect of being able to treat Penny like my girlfriend for one evening, perhaps more often in the next few days, to be able to hold her hand and be close to her, made my emotions go completely crazy and still made me nervous. I never expected that she would make me such an offer and yet she did, solving two problems at once. Maybe I could use the time to prove to her that I could be a good partner and win her heart?

Now all she had to do was to come and...

"Hey, Sam. Are you waiting for someone?" I turned to look at the owner of this angelic voice and immediately smiled when I looked at her. She was dressed casually instead of the uniform she was supposed to wear to start her shift in two hours, but I didn't want to complain. I rarely saw her in anything other than our uniforms - rarely but very much.

"For you, of course. I didn't want to let you go in there alone. You don't know what to expect," I replied embarrassed.

"Is there anything I should know?"

"What do you mean?"

"So what did you tell them about your girlfriend? What should I be like? What do I like to do professionally or privately?"

"Just be natural and yourself, it will be fine. They will love you." I quickly hooked her arm in mine and led her to the door before she tried to discuss any more details. I studiously ignored her skeptical look. I just hoped my mother held back and didn't reveal that she already knew everything that was to know about Penny. I didn't know how to explain this to Penny.

We entered the restaurant and I spotted my parents sitting in the corner. Charlie had obviously pushed up a second table so that we could all find space and had already set the plates.

The twins walked past us armed with a bowl and greeted us both happily. Children were simply wonderful. They accepted everything as it came without asking any questions. But her greeting also made the four adults look up and I heard a loud clatter behind the counter as the cutlery fell from Charlie's hands. His eyes widened as if to ask what was going on and I shook my head subtly. I should have called him.

"You must be Penny. It's so nice to meet you," my mother called out excitedly, grabbed Penny's hands and looked at them with a smile for a moment before she hugged her, which obviously took Penny completely by surprise. "I'm Jenni. Sami, my darling. How nice to see you again as well," she said and threw her arms around my neck while I saw Penny watching us grinning. She would definitely tease me for a long time with my mother's pet names.

"I'm very happy to see you too, Mom. You look stunning."

"Oh, you. A flatterer, like his father. But I think you get the benefit of it all the time too, don't you, Penny?" she turned to my companion, but didn't give her time to answer. "Oh, you're such a lovely couple!", said my mother happily as she literally pushed us together and I automatically put my arm around Penny, hesitantly at first, but she didn't seem to mind, so I placed my hand on her waist. From the corner of my eye I saw Charlie observing my hesitant gesture and now raising a questioning eyebrow as he looked into my face, but I only shook my head imperceptibly.

"Come sit with us. Penny, this is Padrig. Ignore his grumpy face. He always looks like that when he's hungry."

"It's nice to meet you," Penny greeted him with a smile and held out her hand. To my amazement, my father even stood up before taking her hand.

"Me too. The girl definitely has a good handshake." He winked at me with a smile before he hugged me and we sat down opposite them on the bench against the wall, while Bronwyn came over with another bowl and sat down with us.

"Now tell us about yourself, Penny. We want to know everything."

"I don't think there's much of interest to tell," she replied hesitantly, and I sensed how uncomfortable she was with everyone's attention on her. My guilty conscience immediately stirred, but was immediately reinforced by my mother's loose mouth.

"Oh I don't think so, the way Sam always raves about you." Penny gave me a questioning look before my mother's words caught her attention again. "Sam has always been the heartthrob in our family, but he's nowhere near as hot-headed as our Charlie."

"MOM!" Charly and I shouted at the same time, but my mother just waved us off.

"However, Sam would have been more successful than Charlie if he had only wanted to," she whispered behind her hand, but unfortunately not quietly enough and my brother and I blushed up to the tips of our ears, while Penny smiled at me and Bronwyn looked at Charlie admonishingly."Sam has always been shy when it comes to girls. So forgive my curiosity, but I would love to know how he wooed you."

"Oh yes, I would love to hear that again as well," Charlie teased as he sat down next to us and curiously rested his chin in his hands. I shot him a death glare, which only made his grin grow wider as my head spun about how to rush to Penny's aid.

"Well... he didn't actually needed that," Penny began hesitantly, surprising me. "Sam is just a great colleague and an even better friend. I can't talk to anyone and laugh as well with as I can with him. The better I got to know him, the more I fell in love with him." Wow, that hit me right in the heart and I couldn't stop myself from grabbing her hand. I wished so much that it were true.

"How romantic," my mother gushed. "How did you find together?" Holy sparks. She bit down like a terrier.

"Mom, it just happened when the opportunity arose," I replied, hoping that it would be enough for her. She looked up at me from the bowl from which she was scooping vegetables onto her plate and passed them to Dad.

"It was definitely on another dangerous mission, if you don't want to tell me about it. Sami, I've already told you a thousand times that I can't stand knowing you're in danger."

"That's why I'm not telling you," I murmured quietly, just glad that she explained it like that and let it go.

"Do you do dangerous things like our son, Penny?"

"If you know your job and are as well trained as we both are, it's less dangerous, Mrs. Jones."

"Don't call me Mrs. Jones, dear. I'm Jenni!" she replied with a raised finger.

"The same goes for me," my father said with his mouth full, which immediately earned him an elbow in the ribs from Mom.

"To get back to the topic: Less dangerous, but not without danger, or am I looking at that wrong?"

"I don't think there is any job that is really safe, Mrs...Jenni. Life isn't safe. It's statistically proven that most accidents happen in the home and it's the case everywhere that accidents only happen through lack of caution. We are always careful and know what we are doing."

"Good answer." Penny surprised me again when she received this praise, along with a smile and a wink from my father. "What do you do when you're not on duty? So, when you're not dealing with Samuel." I rolled my eyes in annoyance and took the plate with the fish from Charlie and put a piece on each of Penny's and my own plates.

"I like reading," she replied with a shrug.

"Penny has explored the caves in Pontypandy Mountain and always takes us on excursions. That's really exciting," Sarah called in.

"And she teaches the children in Pontypandy to sail," James objected with his mouth full, for which he received a reprimand from his mother.

"Why don't you do that, Samuel?" my father asked me seriously.

"Penny enjoys it. Then why should I do it? Plus, she can sail very well. She's generally very safe on and in the water."

"A sailor, then?" my father asked her with interest.

"To be honest, I loved the sea very much as a small child. There was a fisherman in Newtown back then who took me out with him. I helped him fish and he taught me everything he knew." I looked at her in surprise. I hadn't known that yet.

"Honestly? What was his name?"

"I always just called him Al or Albert. Everyone does. I never asked him what his real name was. But I'll ask him next time I go to Newtown."

"Old Al? I don't believe it!" My father laughed loudly. "That's where we come from. He's an old friend and has always been a good comrade at sea. Then you're the little girl he had with him from time to time?" My mouth fell open. What just happened here?!"I like you. How about you go out with me on Charlie's boat tomorrow and we'll see what else you can do?"

"Um, Dad. Penny has to work."

"I mean, even if she had slept. Only two or three hours. What do you mean, or did all the fires burn out your energy from back then?" he turned to Penny and to my greatest surprise she smiled and had the same flash in her eyes as when I challenged her. That couldn't go well. Why did everything slip away from me like this?

"It's still there and I'm happy to prove it. Bronwyn, make room in the freezer."

"Padrig, woe betide you if you make her work as hard as you did with your sons back then."

"Believe me, I saw her sailing and fishing back then. I won't blame her if she is still able to do it like that."

"Oh, it's going to be a wonderful day. I'm really looking forward to it. When you get home from work tomorrow, we'll have breakfast together in peace. Sam, you'll probably get some rolls before you go to work, right?"

"Rolls?" I asked confused and alternately looked at her and Penny, who now also had a slightly help-seeking expression in her eyes.

"Well, the little things made from wheat flour that you bake in the oven..."

"Thanks Dad, I know what rolls are. Of course I'll get you rolls, but what does Penny have to do with it?"

"Yes, Mom, what does Penny have to do with this?" Charly asked innocently and I kicked him in the shin under the table. "Ouuuysters? Does anyone want oysters?" he then saved himself and lifted the bowl to put them in to pass the round.

"Don't you live together? I assumed we would have breakfast together tomorrow before you lay down?" My mother raised a skeptical eyebrow in Penny's direction and I felt Penny nervously squeeze the hand I was still holding, struggling for words.

"I actually thought that I would spend the night in my house during your visit so that you could enjoy the time with your son in peace?!" Penny objected and I breathed out a sigh of relief.

"Oh, nonsense. You certainly don't have to go through such trouble because of us. We don't want you to grow apart because of it. You belong to Sam. No, no, you can just carry on living your life normally. So tomorrow after work we will have breakfast and then Padrig and I will go visit our grandchildren so that you can sleep in peace." I watched Penny as Mom spoke and saw that she got paler a bit, only her cheeks darkened. I had to help her. This was clearly going too far and I couldn't ask her to do that.

"Mom, Dad, I have to..."

"It will be my pleasure," Penny interrupted me quickly. "But you don't have to leave the house because of me. I sleep like a log after the night shift."

"No, no. We promised the twins. What did you want to say, Sami?" I had just stared in disbelief at Penny, who gave me an admonishing look, when I turned to my mother in horror. What did I say?

"I have to...go to the toilet," I replied in a scratchy voice and gave Penny an apologetic look before I pulled away from her and disappeared.

When I got to the bathroom, I walked up and down twice before splashing cold water on my face, drying myself off and leaning heavily on the sink when Charlie came in.

"What's going on down there, Sam?" He crossed his arms over his chest and looked down at me mercilessly.

"Penny plays my girlfriend," I sighed.

"She's doing what?!"

"I told her about my plight this morning, but I left out the part about telling our parents about her as my girlfriend. Nevertheless, she offered to play my girlfriend as long as she could."

"Why didn't you tell her how you felt about her? Wouldn't that have been easier?"

"Man, Charlie, just think about how Bronwyn would have reacted: Bronwyn, I love you and in less than 10 hours my parents will be here who want to get to know you?! What do you think she would have done?"

"Smacked me for sure."

"Well, you see," I replied grumpily. "She offered it to me on her own initiative and I couldn't resist. But then we both just assumed that dinner was the only option. She works the night shift. Neither of us thought of more. "That Mom might question where she sleeps. That's going too far."

"Then clear it up!"

"What do you think I was doing when Penny interrupted me?" I snapped at him, clutching my head in disbelief as I realized the magnitude of it. "Holy sparks, she's going to be to sleep in my bed. Charlie! In my bed! And if she's on my shift the day after tomorrow, I'll be lying next to her! I..." I was on the verge of hyperventilating.

"Okay Sam, come down first. Take a deep breath. In, out, in, out..."

"Are we doing prenatal gymnastics here or what?" I growled at him.

"I hope you'll be a better help to Penny than, as you are now," he laughed quietly.

"I hereby solemnly swear to you that I will sink your boat the next time you get into distress again."

"Now get yourself together. The child has fallen into the well now anyway and she obviously wants to support you, so enjoy it and who knows, maybe you'll really be a couple before the week is over," he replied with a shrug .

"Do you really think it would be that easy?!"

"Sam, what she's doing down there for you is something hardly any simple friend would do for another and when she just told Mom how she fell in love with you, it was so beautiful. You can't even put that down to her quick suck from your fingers. Stay cool. Mom's thrilled with Penny, and Dad just has a huge crush on her. Better make sure he doesn't run away with Penny on my boat tomorrow."

"Ha, ha, ha," I laughed sarcastically, but noticed that I was much calmer. "Thanks, Charlie."

"It's okay, brother. You're on the right track. That comforts me a little." He opened the bathroom door and let me go out first. "Still, I'm very excited to see what's going to happen this week," he chuckled quietly behind me when we had gone down the stairs so far that I could no longer turn around and yell at him or I could give a blow to the back of his head without attracting everyone's attention.

From now on the conversations were more harmless, but after about half an hour it was time for Penny to say goodbye. She thanked Bronwyn and Charlie for the food and my parents for the lovely evening before I accompanied her out.

"Penny, you don't have to do this tomorrow," I turned to her as soon as I closed the door behind us.

"It's okay, Sam. If you say A, you have to say B. I just hadn't thought that far."

"Me neither and I've known them both my whole life. I should have suspected it. I'm really sorry, Penny," I objected ruefully.

"It's okay, Sam. Everything went pretty good in there. I think we're well on the way to convincing them both." She always looked forward in such a positive way and didn't let anything spoil her mood. How much I loved her for that.

"Pretty good? You've got them both wrapped around your finger," I replied and we looked at each other for a moment, smiling.

"But you still have to do me a favor," she said hesitantly.

"Every."

"It seems pretty stupid if we try to make your parents think that I live with you but don't have a change of clothes." I had to agree with you, but how were we supposed to solve the problem by tomorrow morning?" I'll drive with Venus over to my place tonight in a quiet hour and getting a bag. Leave the garden gate open so I can smuggle it somewhere there before Ellie discovered it. Maybe you could somehow smuggle them past your parents in?"

"Sure, I can do that. Just put it in the shed, I'll take care of the rest and hide it under the bed in the bedroom," I replied with a smile before I thought of something. "By the way, that's the second door on the left. The bathroom is opposite. My parents will sleep in the guest room at the back on the right. I'll give you the key when I come tomorrow morning." She nodded and smiled and was about to leave when I held her back again on her arm.

"You tell me immediately if something goes too far for you, please! Then I will clear it up immediately."

"Everyrhing is fine, Sam. You know I love a good challenge," she replied with a grin.

"Thanks Penny. I can never make this up to you."

"There's nothing to make up, Sam. Now have a nice evening and sleep well afterwards."

"I wish you a peaceful night too. I will think of you."

"Just like I'll of you," she replied with a smile and disappeared into the darkness.

To be continued...