Thanks for the reviews and follows, they are all appreciated
I would like to apologise to the Lenny fans that are reading this and I am very aware that this story may have upset you but do not despair, I am doing something the show is not going to do and that's show Penny as an independent woman and eventually without giving too much away, Leonard and Penny will find a way back to each other
Thanks again to INWHATUNIVERSE for her very helpful tips and advice which I will try to implement here in this chapter
Late on Monday afternoon after everybody gets home
Penny had a couple of hours until Raj arrived for their meeting, so she set out her plans on the kitchen table, made herself a sandwich and a cup of tea, then got busy writing ideas down and drawing pictures of the clothing range to show Raj just what she was thinking of, she had also put some soft background music on to help her concentrate
Remembering to Skype her sister, Penny set up her laptop and rang her sisters skype
Natasha was 2 years younger than Penny and looks wise was very similar and while Penny was slim, Natasha was a bit bigger but also taller with the same long blonde hair, she also had a feisty attitude to go with it
Penny had to wait a while before Natasha picked up
'Hi Natasha, how are you doing?
'Fine, apart from being out of work and having no money, Nebraska kind of sucks at the moment' said Natasha scowling at Penny
'Well how do you fancy leaving Nebraska and coming to California and working for me? Asked Penny
'Depends what its doing' said Natasha not even looking interested
'Ok you know I am selling the Penny Blossoms? Penny waited for an acknowledgment but got nothing so continued
'Well I am expanding out into the accessories and clothing market and I would like you to manage the store, its going to be an exclusive range though where we treat the customers like they are very special and offer a personal shopper service' said Penny
'Me? A manager! Are you sure Penny, I don't know the first thing about managing' said Natasha looking shocked at the thought
'I know but its going to be a while before we open up, we can both go on managerial training courses, I wont be able to manage the store because of my web series but we can also go to some of the stores on Rodeo Drive to pick up ideas on how they treat their clients, remember they expect personal service' said Penny
'When do you want me to come over? Asked Natasha
'Does that mean you are interested Nat, because you were the first person I thought of and I wouldn't be asking if I didn't trust that you could do this' said Penny
'Yes of course' said Natasha looking happier
'Well I am going to talk to my business partner Raj tonight and we can make some plans then I will let you know about coming over, if you like you can come over this week, you can stay with me until we get you somewhere' said Penny
'I can't afford the flight though' said Natasha
'Don't worry about it, I will pay for it and I can try and get you a waitresssing job if you want to earn some money beforehand' said Penny
'Ok I have nothing to lose then by coming, if you can book me a flight for Wednesday then I will come'
'Good I have to go now as I have a meeting in a few minutes, I will book the flight and forward the details on to you and Natasha I know you wont let me down' said Penny
'Thank you for thinking of me' said Natasha looking tearful
'No problem' said Penny smiling at her
Penny made herself another drink and went on to the internet, booked a flight for Wednesday and emailed her sister the details then carried on searching the internet for ideas of how to stock her store
Raj arrived shortly afterwards with his laptop and a real estate brochure
'Hi Raj come in, you don't know how excited I am about this' said Penny
'Ok you may have to reel in the excitement a little, I shall have to start off with a bit of bad news, you know I mentioned going to see the empty shop on Rodeo Drive that was for sale? Said Raj
'Yes what about it? Asked Penny
'Well after seeing how much it cost, we can rule that out, some of the stores were selling for $50 million plus dollars last year and the one I was looking at was $25 million but after doing a bit of digging around, I have found a store that is available for rental so I have made an appointment for tomorrow morning at 9am' said Raj showing Penny the details of a pretty white painted building
'Ok thank you, the outside of it looks beautiful, but at $30,000 a month how are we going to afford it though? Said Penny as she noticed the price
'Well if we are going to give with the high end of the exclusive range then we will more than be able to pay for it' said Raj
'Of course I want to go high end, I have seen some of the things in the Rodeo Drive stores selling for thousands and I would like to offer the Personal shopper service' said Penny
'Well you will be able to do that as well, we just need to find top end seamstresses and suppliers and as for the rent, I can afford to pay for one years worth of rent from my own money, think of it as a gift to the business and if we are successful in this project Penny then I have no doubts that we can start paying rent out of the profit we will make
'Thank you Raj, that is very generous of you, do you want to see what plans I have? Asked Penny
'Sure but first I should tell you we had 7500 sales just over the weekend and Kelly is processing them all now' said Raj
'Oh that's fantastic' said Penny feeling even more happier than before
'Yes and I don't know why I didn't think of this before but I have also set up Twitter and Facebook accounts linking to the Penny Blossoms website, once the store is up and running we can advertise the opening of the store on there, but I think the type of client may be a lot different, so we can have a separate Twitter and Facebook accounts for them but they can have be linked together' said Raj as he showed Penny the accounts on his laptop
At their little workshop they had a computer set up with daily orders that were coming in and Kelly who was the assistant manager was tasked with checking it regularly and making sure that the deliveries went out on time, thanks to them making excess blossoms before sales started coming in, they were ready for anything
'Do you want to show me your plans? Asked Raj
'Yes I have done some rough drawings for the clothing range, we can have trouser suits, skirt suits, blouses, jackets and evening dresses with the Penny Blossom printed on them discreetly' said Penny showing Raj the drawings
'Yes I like that, oh by the way I have registered the Penny Blossom trademark so we can use that, have you thought of a name for the store?
'Yes I want to call it "Penny for your thoughts" said Penny showing Raj her design of the store name which she had done in a colourful Italic style
'Good choice, what else do you have?
'We can stock handbags, purses, scarves and shoulder shrugs said Penny
'Ok have you thought about a manager for the store, because you know you won't be able to be there all the time' said Raj
'Yes I know, I have asked my sister Natasha who lives in Nebraska, she has said yes and I have bought her ticket to come over this week, also I haven't done it yet but we need to book a managerial training course because neither of us know anything about managing such exclusive stores with the sort of client they attract'
'Actually that's a good idea, have you thought about hiring other staff? Because while it may take up to a month to get the store ready for opening, you need to get people in trained up and ready especially so if you are offering a personal shopper service' said Raj
'Yes Alex has also mentioned she would like to work there if we open at weekends and I could always advertise' said Penny
'Penny do you think you could ask your manager to hire a Publicist because we are going to need one, also perhaps you could make an advert and have it on one of the main TV networks, HSN could help you out I am sure' said Raj
'Ok I can do that' said Penny but she was also thinking about something else and wondered whether Raj would go for it
'Raj would you consider renting an apartment for my sister? It just until we get the store opened and she starts earning a wage'
'Of course Penny, she wont need anything bigger than a one bedroom place though will she?
'No and hopefully the closer it is to here the better' said Penny
'Ok perhaps we can have a look tomorrow afternoon' said Raj
'Oh thank you Raj you are a star, I couldn't of done any of this without you' said Penny
'Penny its fine, I am happy to do something like this'
'Let me look on the internet now and see if anything is available and we can make an appointment for tomorrow afternoon' said Penny
'Sure' said Raj
Penny began searching and after much looking found an apartment on Magnolia Avenue only 3 miles away and with Raj's approval made an appointment to see it Tuesday evening
Meanwhile over at 4a
Sheldon and Amy were very happy to see each other after 4 days apart and after a very long make out session in the bedroom had decided to go out for dinner, so they booked a table at their local Italian restaurant and had dressed up, with Amy wearing her blue dress and Sheldon in a grey shirt and black trousers
They left the apartment building and were walking to Amy's car when Amy heard a whimpering sound, looking around she saw a German Shepherd puppy on a lead tied up round a lamp post on the other side of the road, crossing over they noticed the puppy had a note attached to its collar saying it had been left there for anybody to take
'Sheldon what do you think we should do, we can't leave it there and it looks like it's only a few months old' said Amy worrying about it
'You are right, maybe we could take it to the local rescue centre' said Sheldon
'Yes but look at her, although she is whimpering a little she is very quiet and if we take her there it could take a long time before she is re-homed' said Amy walking closer to the dog and putting her hand out for the dog to sniff it which it did by licking Amy's hand
'See Sheldon she is very friendly, we can train her up as well' said Amy
Amy could see Sheldon was thinking about it very hard, she also knew Sheldon wasn't keen on dogs but then Sheldon got closer to the puppy and could see nothing to be scared of
'Ok lets take her to the vet and we tell the truth about how we found her but that we are going to keep her, also we don't know if she has been micro chipped, vaccinated or neutered yet' said Sheldon
'Oh thank you Sheldon' said Amy standing back up and kissing and hugging Sheldon
'It's just as well she isn't a Pit-bull because all those things would have to be done by law in the state of California' said Sheldon
Amy looked confused
'How and why would you know that Sheldon?
'Amy you know me, I am full of thousands of facts and at anytime they can be used' said Sheldon
'I see, lets get the puppy in the car' said Amy
'I have to ask Leonard if it is ok as well though Amy so don't get too excited yet' said Sheldon
'That's fair enough Sheldon, come on little puppy lets get you into my car and Sheldon will go and see Leonard' said Amy as she picked her up and walked to the car with her
'Perhaps the puppy could be like training for when we have a family' said Sheldon
Amy looked at Sheldon in surprise and nodded before he went back in the building
Sheldon walked back into the building and cursing the broken lift quickly walked up the stairs to his apartment, and upon seeing Leonard working on his laptop he asked Leonard for a moment
'Leonard, Amy and I have just found a little puppy tied up outside, it looks like she has been dumped, but Amy has fallen in love with it, how would you feel about us keeping her here? Asked Sheldon
'I have no problem with it Sheldon, can I see it first though? Asked Leonard
'Yes Amy has put her in her car ready to take to the vets' said Sheldon
'Ok let's go' said Leonard as they left the apartment and walked down the stairs
'You know it's about time the Landlord sorted the elevator out, I don't see any reason why it's still broken after all these years' said Sheldon
'I agree, though as I was the reason for it being broken, I think I will stay quiet about how it happened' said Leonard
'It can't cost that much to repair it surely, maybe I will speak with him about it' said Sheldon
By now they had got outside and seeing Amy in the car playing with the puppy Leonard agreed they could keep her
'Thank you Leonard, Sheldon and I have not eaten yet, could you order us our usual Chinese, we can have it when we get back, we wont have time now to go to the Italian restaurant we had booked' asked Amy
'Yes that's not a problem Amy' said Leonard as Sheldon passed him some money to pay for the Chinese
They arrived at the local vets and after a short wait, where the puppy made friends with another dog, the vet vaccinated and micro chipped the puppy then told Amy and Sheldon they would keep her in overnight just to make sure she was well hydrated and fed and told Amy to come back tomorrow at 3pm after he had neutered the dog, he also estimated that the puppy was likely to be only 5 months old
'Come on Sheldon there is a pet superstore open in Pasadena town centre, we can get a bed, a collar with a name tag and a proper harness lead rather than them horrible collar leads which choke their necks' said Amy as they got back into the car and drove to the store
'Ok have you thought about a name for the dog? Asked Sheldon
'Well as Leonard has agreed to us keeping her then I think he should have a say as well, perhaps we could suggest some names when we get in' said Amy
They entered the store and found a suitable harness lead, two soft beds, one for the living room and one in the bedroom and some toys for the puppy also and a selection of puppy food that the vet had recommended she has
Upon arriving back at the apartment block, Sheldon noticed Steve the landlord caretaker sweeping the foyer and stopped to talk to him
'Excuse me Steve but when are you going to fix the elevator? Asked Sheldon
'Well as nobody has complained about it, I have not bothered' said Steve
'But its been broken for more than 7 years, perhaps I should call Pasadena City Council to complain about the lack of maintenance in the building' said Sheldon looking pointedly at Steve
'Oh Sheldon you don't need to do that, I can arrange for it to be fixed by the end of the week, I may have to lie a little bit though, I don't want lose my job over this' said Steve
'Thank you Steve' said Sheldon as he started to move upstairs before being stopped with a question from Steve
'By the way, do you know anybody that would want to rent 5b? The tenant was evicted this morning for non payment of rent, it's available straight away and it's fully furnished' said Steve
Amy remembered the conversation she had with Penny about her sister and spoke up
'Yes, Penny's sister is coming over to work with her, perhaps she would be interested, I can ask her if you like' said Amy
'Thank you' said Steve as he continued to sweep the very clean floor
When they got to their landing, Amy told Sheldon she was just popping into see Penny and she wouldn't be long
Knocking on Penny's door she waited a moment before Penny opened the door
'Hi Ames, you ok? Come in' Said Penny
Raj was still there with Penny and Amy noticed the plans on the table
'Yes I won't take long, I can see you are both busy, the landlord just mentioned 5b has become available if you want it for your sister'
'Oh that would be better than the apartment we just found as that's 3 miles away' said Penny
'Well he is downstairs in the lobby if you want to catch him, by the way we are getting a puppy'
'How did that come about? Asked Penny
'I found it tied up outside, Sheldon and Leonard agreed we could keep her and she is at the vets now ready to be neutered tomorrow'
'Oh Cinnamon will have a play mate' said Raj clapping his hands excitedly
'That will be nice but this puppy is going to grow a lot bigger and stronger than Cinnamon will probably be able to cope with Raj' said Amy
'What do you mean? Asked Raj
'Well it's a German Shepherd puppy but I will take it to training classes and its not going to be one of those mad crazy out of control dogs you see, she will be gentle and loving' said Amy
'Cinnamon loves all dogs so they will get on fine, perhaps after we get back tomorrow from Rodeo Drive, they could be introduced to each other' said Raj
'Yes that sounds ok, how are the plans going by the way? Asked Amy
'Well my sister has said yes and is coming over on Wednesday and we are going to view a store tomorrow for rental and we shall go from there' said Penny
'Ok I will let you get on then' said Amy
'Perhaps on Wednesday when my sister gets here, we can all have dinner next door?' said Penny
'I will let Sheldon and Leonard know or you could come over after you have finished?' said Amy
'Ok I will do' said Penny
As Amy left the apartment Penny got up and addressed Raj
'Raj come with me and we can see Steve about the empty apartment'
Penny found Steve in the laundry room cleaning the machines and asked him about 5b
'Steve I hear that 5b is available? Could I rent it for my sister?
'Yes, as long as she pays her rent on time, I don't see a problem with that' said Steve
'I can pay you 3 months rent upfront now, said Raj
'Ok that works for me, let me finish up here and I will drop the key off later for you Penny and a tenancy agreement, if you give me her details I can add all that on' said Steve
After confirming to meet at 8am the next morning Raj left and Penny skyped her sister again
'Hi Nat, I have good news, the apartment above mine has become available and I have secured tenancy for you' said Penny
'Oh wow, that's fantastic, thank you so much' said Natasha looking happy
'Raj has paid three months rental on it, so once you are working and earning then you will be able to pay for it yourself, the apartment is fully furnished so I guess in time you can get your own stuff but it will do for now' said Penny
'Ok I will see you on Wednesday then, by the way dad is very proud of you, mum made him watch the HSN channel to see your broadcast and he was very impressed as are the rest of us' said Natasha
'Thank you, I will pick you up from LAX at 11am when your flight lands ok? Said Penny
'Sure see you then' said Natasha
Penny signed off and went over to 4a where they were eating Chinese and watching TV
'Hi Penny, we are just in the middle of a discussion about dog names, what do you think? Asked Amy showing her a picture she had taken of the puppy
'Oh she's very cute, maybe something like Rosie' said Penny
'Funny enough that's just what Leonard suggested' said Amy looking at them both in surprise
Leonard and Penny looked at each other and smiled while Sheldon jumped into the conversation oblivious of them staring at each other
'I do like Fudge but that's not really a girl's name' said Sheldon to nobody in particular
'Amy what name have you thought of? Asked Penny
'Daisy kind of suits her I think' said Amy
'Why don't you put the 3 names into a hat and the first one that is drawn, you will name the puppy that' said Penny
'No its ok, Amy you found her, you can choose' said Leonard affably
'Ok Daisy it is then' smiled Amy 'Penny didn't you want to ask the guys something?
'Yes, I'm sure Amy has told you about my plans' said Penny as the guys nodded in acknowledgment 'But my sister is coming over to manage the store and will be renting 5b as it just became available today, also I would like to introduce you all to her on Wednesday when she gets here' said Penny
'Yes that's not a problem Penny, we can have Pizza or something' said Sheldon as Leonard nodded in agreement
'Ok great I will see you all then' said Penny as she got up to leave the apartment
'Ok good, see you later Penny' said Amy
Penny went to bed later that evening feeling excited about the following day
Next Chapter will follow shortly