32
Missy got into her car for the first time in it seemed like forever and Junior got into the passenger seat.
"So what's goin' on with that Penny. Somethin' seems off with that girl."
"Poor thing's got a lot of stuff going on and she's only just starting to get a handle on it."
"Is our brother part of the problem?"
"Not really. I think he's more like the answer."
"Yer kiddin'."
"I'm not. Somethin' changed with Shelly. You saw it at home when he was helpin' me with the baby. For some reason all that crap falling down on him did something. Oh, he's still crazy with all the science but he's making room for others in his life, and not just because they can do things for him."
"So what's his deal with Penny?"
"I'm pretty sure he's in love with her. Momma and Meemaw agree. I don't think Shelly's figured it out yet. But he wants to get her away from Leonard. He thinks Leonard is really bad for her."
"Well, considerin' what Leonard did to Shelly, I ought to just throw him in the trunk, drive him out into the middle of the dessert and leave him there."
"Much as I like the sound of that, right now Penny would probably drive out to rescue him and then go Junior Rodeo on your ass."
"Junior Rodeo?"
"She used to rope and castrate cows. Won a couple of ribbons accordin' to Shelly."
"Sounds like the perfect woman. Just not for that whiny little backstabbin' weasel."
"I know. But Shelly thinks it's real important that Penny reaches her own conclusions and makes her own decisions. And I agree with him. If Penny doesn't figure out Leonard and her situation on her own she'll never be ready for the next step."
"Yer plottin' something. Yer plottin' something that Shelly don't even know about."
"Yeah. But if you say a word to anyone, we'll be goin' round 'n' round. And you won't like it one bit. And you will never see your nephew again."
"Fine. Play Cupid. I just can't believe that my little brother would ever want to be with any woman, let alone a spitfire like Penny."
"Junior, he's already in love with her. Has been since almost the moment they met. Leonard's just been cock blockin' him and every other guy that ever came close. Went and made himself look like the only viable candidate. And as long as Shelly thought Leonard was his best friend he wasn't gonna do a damn thing. He even started seein' that awful woman Amy. Y'all saw what she did to him."
"I still can't believe that Shelly dated someone for years."
"I ain't sure you could really call what they did datin'. I think he was her science project and she was messin' around with his brain. And I'm not sure she's done. She's been tryin' to get me to leave since I got here so she can move in with him. Hell, when we first got back she'd already moved all her crap into the apartment."
"If I know Shelly, he did not take kindly to that."
"No he did not. And since then she tried to make friends with me to convince me to leave and the other day she offered to pay my rent on another apartment so I'd move out."
"That little girl doesn't know the Coopers."
"I know. She thinks that Shelly's the only one with a stubborn streak a mile wide. She don't realize that every one of us is like that."
"Missy, I see Shelly wavin' us over to pick him up."
"Do not say a thing about what we've been talkin' about to him. Okay? He's in a good place right now and he's doin' a good thing for his friend Penny. He don't need you confusin' things."
"Fine. But I was really lookin' forward to havin' some fun with that Leonard."
"You can still have some fun. Just don't do anything that makes Penny want to defend him, okay?
"I'll try," Junior replied with a sly wink.