Penny carefully arranged the large second helping on top of the folded brochure and picked up her pen. “Thanks for the snack.” With a glance at the dark window, she strode to the door. “I want to hit up the Myrtles before supper.”
Alice followed. “What are you raising money for?”
“A trip.”
“Where to?”
“Vermont.”
Alice bit her lip. That sounded like fun. As she flicked on the porch light and swung open the door for Penny, she gave the sash one last admiring glance. Camping, singing, hunting, sewing, fishing, hiking, baking, traveling... so many achievements. Why had she ever thought giving a manicure and straightening her hair were good skills to master? Maybe she should have joined the Girl Scouts. “When does your troop leave?”
“It doesn’t.”
Alice frowned. “This isn’t a Girl Scout fundraiser?”
She shook her head. “Not every adventure needs the buddy system. This is a Girl Scout Penny fundraiser.” She stepped onto the back porch. The breeze had died, and moths had joined the party of insects. They climbed the sullen air to beat themselves against the porch light. But a single moth stayed put, pressed against the screen, and Penny touched its splayed wings before waving, skipping down the stairs, and springing toward the driveway.
Alice turned off the light and lingered in the open doorway. What did she mean “a Girl Scout Penny fundraiser”? Penny was fourteen. She couldn’t go on a trip like that by herself. Could she?