Penney's POV
I walked into the front door of Torres Brazilian Market, the small Brazilian grocery store my younger sister Clementine owned. I've been there before- Clementine used to work at the market as a teenager when it was under a different owner but now she owned the place.
As the bell cheerfully jingled, I saw Clementine standing at a back counter, cutting what looked to be like steak. Clem looked up when she heard the bell ring and smiled at me.
"Hey Pen. I would go into my usual spiel but you've been here thousands of times." Clem said with a soft smile. "Pastry? Pick anything you want, it's on me."
"Clem, it's fine, I'll pay for it. I know money's a little tight for you right now." I said.
"Yeah." Clem said. "I'm just working until I can't anymore, given, y'know-"
"The baby?" I asked, cutting Clem off. Clem put her hand on her stomach and nodded.
I smiled and sat up on the counter, pulling a stick of gum out of my pocket and popping it in my mouth. "You know, Clem, if you want, I could take over this place when the baby comes."
"It's your kid." Clem said. "It's not like I have to be at home raising it."
"I have two wives. Well, technically fiancées, but still. I'm sure Lacey and Asia won't mind taking care of the kid for a bit." I said.
"Also, aren't you a teacher?" Clem said, smirking a little bit and laughing.
"Maternity leave is a thing that exists, Einstein." I said, gently elbowing my sister in the shoulder.
"Alright, you win." Clem said, laughing. "Hey, off topic, but do you mind doing me a favor while you're here?"
"Yeah, of course, what do you need?" I asked, sliding off of the counter.
Clementine smiled and pointed to a large cardboard box in the corner. "Do you mind putting that stuff away? It's just water and milk, the refrigerated section is on the left side of the store near the front door."
"Of course!" I said cheerfully, heading over to the cardboard box Clementine was talking about. "Hey Clem, do you remember when we were kids and you first started working here? And my brothers and our dad would come in and bother you nonstop and I had to make them an entire Google Slides presentation to get them to stop?"
"Oh my God, yeah!" Clem said, laughing her ass off. "I remember telling them 'if you're not going to be helpful, then respectfully, get out of here.' And I think they could tell I was serious because when I'm pissed, my accent gets ten times stronger. And Alex was just like 'what?' and then he bolted. Best moment of my life."
"Better than when you got adopted?" I said teasingly.
"Oh, shut up!" Clem said, giggling a bit as I started to put the groceries away. Clem and I started talking for a bit, talking about our childhoods and our lives and planning the baby shower and all good stuff, when suddenly, the door jingled.
"Gotta go, that's my cue. We can pick up on this when this person leaves. Hi, how can I help you today?"
YOU ARE READING
The Past and the Future: After the Adoptions
FanfictionThe kids adopted by Broadway stars aren't quite kids anymore. They're adults, with a life, love, and a job of their own, but they've still found a way to be together despite it all. And it all started with a dinner.
