Penelope quickly closed her bedroom door. How had he figured it out so fast? And what was in that terrible coffee? She wondered as she started to get dressed.

Either way, it didn’t really matter. Nolan had effectively declared war. So what was Penelope’s next move? How was she going to claim this place—her place?

One word came to her: Flo.

Of course, the quickest way to secure the apartment would be through the owner. And Penelope was great with people (Nolan aside). She just needed to make friends with Flo and convince her that she should pass the apartment along to another woman. It was only fair.

Another word floated into Penelope’s brain: muffins.

Yes! I’ll bake! Penelope thought. Older women love baked goods…right? At least Penelope’s mother did. She was the one who taught her to bake in the first place. I’ll bring her muffins. Like a very caring neighbor, thought Penelope.

Penelope reached into her purse to find a pen and paper in order to start making an ingredient list. As she started writing, the sounds of a guitar began to drift through the wall.

Eggs, butter, sugar, flour…what else? Penelope thought. She was having a hard time tracking ingredients while the music got louder.

Penelope cracked the door open to find a shirtless Nolan strumming the guitar, singing to himself.

“Hey could you—” Penelope started to say. But she could tell the way he looked at her and started strumming harder that he was in no mood to be polite.

“Whatever,” she said, mostly to herself. I’ll figure it out at Food Emporium.

Penelope pulled on her boots and grabbed her purse. She quickly checked her wallet and found…two dollars. More for the credit card, she thought, trying to shake off the dread.

She opened the bedroom door and headed for the outside world.

As her hand touched the doorknob she heard Nolan ask, still strumming away, “Where ya headed?”

She looked at him. “Nowhere.”

He kept his gaze on her.

“Ok, I’m going to the store—do you want anything?” Penelope asked, sensing he did.

“Since you asked, can you grab me some eggs?” Nolan said with a smile, flexing his bicep. “Protein.”

“Sure, whatever,” Penelope replied, sighing. “But you’ll owe me one.”

“No prob,” Nolan said, turning back to his guitar. “And if I’m not here when you get back, can you just throw them in the fridge? I’m going out in a bit too.”

“Great,” she said. “Have fun…playing with yourself.” She shook her head and exited, not waiting for a response.

***

About an hour later, Penelope returned to a blissfully quiet apartment with a bag full of groceries. She had decided to make blueberry muffins, always a crowd pleaser.

Penelope wasn’t sure how long she had until Nolan returned from wherever he was, so she resolved to work as quickly as possible.

She pre-heated the oven and put on her favorite holiday jazz playlist. Sure, it was still almost two months before Christmas, but it was never too early to get in the mood.

Penelope paused for a moment and looked around the kitchen. She wanted to be sure Nolan hadn’t sabotaged her in some way, the way she had done to him.

She poked her head under the sink to check the water still looked intact. Suddenly, she noticed something bright yellow in the small trash can: discarded lemon rind.

So that’s why the coffee was so sour, she thought. I almost admire him. Almost.

But, Penelope wasn’t about to let the rinds go to waste when she could use the remaining lemon zest for her muffins. She rinsed them off and started pulling all of her supplies out of her shopping.

These are going to be the best “give me the apartment” muffins ever, Penelope thought to herself, starting to hum “Santa Baby.”

***

An hour and a half later, Nolan still wasn’t back, but the muffins were done and packed in a small gift bag for Flo. The smell of fresh baked goods filled the apartment and Penelope was in a great mood. She had tasted a muffin (or two) for quality control. And they were good. The lemon really added an extra kick.

If this doesn’t win her over, I don’t know what will, Penelope thought, as she rang Flo’s doorbell and put a smile on. She waited…and no one came to the door.

Penelope hadn’t prepared for the scenario where no one was home. She peered through the window, which had a curtain drawn, but she could see a light and a figure in the back moving?

Penelope tried the bell again. Still nothing. Penelope put her ear to the door…and heard the faint sounds of guitar strumming.

“No, it can’t be,” Penelope said out loud, shaking her head.

She used her fist to knock on the door. Loudly.

After a moment, Flo appeared.

“Oh, hello, dear,” Flo said, looking surprised. “I hope you weren’t out here long! Nolan was just playing his new song for me, and I must not have heard the bell.”

Penelope peeked over Flo’s shoulder to see Nolan waving with one hand…which turned into a middle finger raised in her direction.

“What a sweetheart,” Penelope said, forcing herself to keep smiling. “Well, I brought you these muffins—”

“Oh, are they gluten free? My stomach can’t handle bread anymore,” Flo said, looking at the gift bag Penelope had spent so much time preparing.

“They’re not, I’m sorry,” Penelope said, feeling defeated. “I apologize for bothering you.”

Flo reached out for the bag and brought it to her nose. She inhaled deeply and smiled.

“Well maybe one won’t hurt,” she said, winking at Penelope. “Come on in, join us!”

Flo stepped back from the door and gestured for Penelope to enter.

Penelope looked Nolan in the eye across the room. “I’d love to,” she responded, stepping inside.