"Trouble aways comes in threes" aunt Ann said tactlessly and with a worried frown. "I wonder what the next one will be?"

'My baby' Penny thought with a twisted smile.

She spent the afternoon in a fever of impatience. The hours dragged themselves away and everytime she gazed at her watch, she was certain that the hands had not moved since last she looked at it. By five o'clock she knew she could not wait another moment.

She went outside to call Jeremy herself. When he finally picked up the call, Penny breathed deeply.

"Hey," she said. "I'm sorry I couldn't wait for you to call. I know you said...