Dear diary, Penelope made us pie.

Danny joined us for the tutoring session this afternoon so Penelope thought it’d be a great idea to bring us an apple pie. Dad was a little sceptical at first. He eyed the pie like it was about to grow wings or something. I couldn’t even get him to relax when I made that joke. It was like all of a sudden everything Penelope did was under a microscope. I didn’t think whatever they argued about mattered so much. But Penelope was obviously trying to make up for it and Dad wasn’t seeing that.

I made sure he did.

“When did you make it?” I asked.

Penelope glanced up from her textbook. “This afternoon, after I got back from uni.”

“Do you like baking?”

“I thought it’d be a good treat considering how much you’ve improved lately.”

Danny frowned. “You didn’t answer the question.”

“I’ve been cooking for myself and others for almost my whole life. I’m not sure if I like it, but I don’t dislike it either, if that makes sense.”

“You could’ve bought a treat instead,” I said.

Penelope shrugged. “It wouldn’t have been the same.”

Dad finally looked up from his laptop. He seemed to consider Penelope, then the apple pie, and then me. But he didn’t say anything as he returned to his work. That just made me want to try harder.

“Thank you,” I said.

“You don’t know if you like it yet,” Penelope said.

Danny and I leapt from our chairs and darted to the kitchen bench. “We’ll just have to try it then,” I pointed out.

Danny grinned. “Half each?”

“You can’t have half of that!” Dad shouted.

“Did you want some?” I asked him, hovering my hands just above it.

Dad looked conflicted. Then his stomach growled. He sighed. “Okay, let me serve it up, you greedy kids.” Dad turned to Penelope. “Would you like a slice?”

“No, thank you. It is a gift.”

“Are you sure?” I asked, passing Dad three plates.

“Yes.” She raised an eyebrow. “Though I did intend to have you two finish your homework before you had any.”

I shrugged. “You can’t just put a hot pie in front of us and expect us not to want it.”

“Plus, we can work and eat at the same time,” Danny said, bringing their plate to the dining table.

“Try not to get food everywhere,” Dad said, moving his laptop aside for his plate.

I sat back down and pulled out my math book. “We’re not that messy.”

“You once managed to get sauce on top of a ceiling fan,” he said. “And Danny has gotten pastry crumbs out the door without anyone moving from their seat.”

“It was windy that day,” Danny said.

“Wasn’t I five when the fan thing happened?” I asked.

Dad shrugged. “I remember changing both of your nappies like it was yesterday.”

“We’re trying to eat,” I said. Then I noticed Penelope supressing a grin. “What?”

She shook her head. “It’s been a long time since I was last around typical family antics. I didn’t realise I had missed it.”

“There you go acting like you’re older than you are again,” Danny mumbled. “This is why Mum thinks you’re suspicious.”

“She does?” Penelope asked.

Dad stood up suddenly, leaving his slice of pie unfinished. “No, Danny’s got the wrong idea.”

“It’s alright, Zachary,” Penelope said. “I know Janette doesn’t like me. Maybe she’ll like the pie better if she thought it was store bought.”

“Probably,” Danny said. They grinned. “Of course, I’ll be telling her you made it the second she says she likes it.”

Penelope shook her head. “I swear the two of you are a couple of troublemakers.”

The look on Mum’s face after she finished her own slice after dinner, well I’m just sorry I didn’t have my phone to take a picture. At least it means more pie for the rest of us.