The moment she got in the car, Penelope launched into an animated retelling of the afternoon's events.
It turned out that after Patrick learned the honey bread Hilary brought had become a huge hit among the preschoolers, he rushed over with several more bags. The result?
The parents discovered he was behind the tainted treats and immediately tore into him.
They demanded compensation.
Patrick, unaccustomed to such treatment, started arguing back.
The argument escalated, and several parents gave him a thorough beating.
"Were you and Hilary okay?"
Wilfred didn't care what shape Patrick was in. Frankly, after he'd called Marjorie, he'd expected something like this.
"We're fine. I protected Hilary. I didn't let her get hurt."
Penelope said it matter-of-factly.
"Good girl."
He reached over and ruffled her hair, then drove her to get fried chicken.
Kids loved fried food—though of course, not too much of it.
After their meal, Wilfred took Penelope back to the Pruitt villa.
He still had some belongings there.
The drive was quiet.
Twenty minutes later, the car pulled into the parking spot in front of the villa's courtyard.
"Mr. Dickerson is back."