The next Thursday Ellie tries to break down her door. Or at least that's what it sounds like with all the banging.

Penny sleepily stumbles to the door, "What is your damage, Heather?"

The noise she gets in response sounds a lot like happiness, but involves a lot of e sounds.

Penny makes herself comfy on the couch and once Eloise finally calms down she announces that Doug got fired, and she gets to trial run as the new bartender.

"That's great, sweetie! What? What's with the face?"

"Well I actually don't know how to make drinks," Ellie admits.

"Phew, I thought it was something serious. You go get a book or two of common cocktails and I'll stop by the liquor store after dinner and we'll figure it out. Meet back at, say 8?"

"Okay, yes," she stops part way out the door, "Dinner? With who?"

Penny bites her lip from correcting the who to whom, the small smile that follows apparently gives her away.

"Tell Sheldon hello for me."

Penny nods and tries not to blush, and shuts the door behind her. ~

Penny wasn't even sure she really was having dinner with him, it was more an assumption. An accurate one. He showed up promptly at 6:30, and back to Big Boy they went.

Dinner was pleasant. They got seated at the same table, and he paid again while she had driven. He told her about Raj's potential date and she was surprised. She couldn't help but wonder how Ellie would react. She told him she was going to need some guinea pigs after dinner, plotting to get them in the same room. She held up a hand when he started explaining the best place to get a live guinea pigs and recommending white mice instead.

Sheldon wasn't totally into the idea (of playing customer, not the scheming, she didn't mention the scheming.) But he went in with her to the liquor store and he picked out some nonalcoholic things that would create some interesting virgin drinks.

Back at the apartment Ellie was waiting with books filled with sticky note bookmarks. Sheldon unloaded all the bottles onto Penny's counter and managed to make it look like it was always meant to be a bar.

Penny ran across the hall asking for volunteers, it was almost a no go until Raj whispered into Leonard's ear that he'd like to take up drinking.

Leonard was the only one surprised that Sheldon was sitting comfortably on one of Penny's bars tools ordering an Atomic Cat. Raj was too shocked to see Eloise being the friend that needed help mixing drinks. And she was pretty sure Howard was working out which sex related drink to order first. He went with "Care to make some sex on the beach?"

Raj takes a seat and whispers into Howard's ear that he'd like whatever she felt like making, and quickly downed the resulting drink.

"Another grasshopper please, oh Eloise, everything is a mess. My parents are trying to get me hitched!"

Everyone freezes where they are in shock.

Raj continues, "I don't even want to go out with little Lalita, I'd rather go out with you. But I can't! I can't even get out one measly little sentence whenever you're around."

"Ah Raj..." Penny starts, but she's cut off by Howard saying they should wait until he figures it out himself.

Ellie obviously can't wait, "Raj, you're taking to me!"

"What?! Oh, I am! Hello Eloise! You're very pretty," Raj exclaims, "Oh and Hi Penny, look Penny, I can talk to women!"

"Great job, sweetie!"

Ellie starts making drinks for herself too and gets almost everyone pretty drunk. The last thing Penny remembers is Sheldon tucking her in and Ellie whispering on the couch while sitting next to Raj.

She smiled herself to sleep, marveling at her matchmaking skills. And maybe, that smile was partly due to the kiss on the forehead she received, signaling the end of their date.