Kalliope herself was there to assist them, and there was no doubt about which of the dresses would become Penny’s. After hugs, kisses, and small talk about mutual friends in Athens, the designer listened to Penny describe her dream dress. And then she disregarded the bride’s wishes for simple and sophisticated. Instead, she brought out a stunner from the back room. It was a silk and lace confection with a skirt of many layers of flowy fabric, gentle pleats, flutter sleeves, and a deep V neckline. The color appeared to be cream at first glance, but as Penny moved around the room, layers of various shades of blue, seafoam white, and blush peeked through, giving the skirt the effect of rolling waves. Hints of lace highlighted the bodice, including the deeper V back of the dress. Scattered around the bottom of the dress were handsewn crystals in rose, blue, and silver. It was a completely unexpected choice by Penny, who favored tailored clothes and neutral colors. It was a romantic but modern mix with nods to both her Greek heritage and her beachy California upbringing. It looked like it was made for her, save for a few alterations.

“You’ll never guess what it’s called,” Penny said, stepping up on the riser after allowing Kalliope to add a pearl and silver accent belt at the waist and then a similar headband with a veil that put Alexa over the top emotionally.

“Penny’s dress?” Alexa guessed through tears.

“Practically. It’s called the Penelope! Can you believe it?”

Alexa could. In Greek mythology, Penelope was the loyal and clever wife of Odysseus, the Greek hero who took his sweet time coming home from the Trojan War. During the decade of her husband’s wandering and philandering, Penelope held down the home front, staying loyal to her husband while fending off young suitors with a clever trick. She vowed to marry again when she had finished weaving the funeral garment for her late father-in-law. She wove by day and unraveled her work by night, thus delaying another marriage indefinitely. Eventually, her scheme was revealed by one of the servants.

While Penelope was often written off by readers and scholars as too loyal and faithful of a wife, Alexa admired her steadfastness not to marry again and her clever way of staying single. Creative, gentle but firm in her resolve. That’s how Alexa thought of her daughter, who had made her way in the world through her gentle manner, her creative brain, and her firm resolve to get exactly what she wanted out of life.

As Alexa stared at her daughter in her creamy sparkling ocean dress, she knew that she must want every bit of the life she had described last night—as Chase’s wife, his political partner, a Queens dweller, and a weaver of dreams. There would be no talking her out of that, she knew now. Loyal, faithful, clever, creative Penelope. Her Penny.