Remember Me Always: A Contemporary Romance (11 page)

"So you're working at Crawford's Bar now?" Ruby Sue asks in an attempt at small talk.

I nod.  "Yeah.  I needed a job and a place to stay, so Buddy helped me out."

Her eyes widen.  "Oh!  Are you and Buddy…?"

I raise my eyebrow, and then realize what she's trying to imply.  "Me and Buddy?  Oh, no," I say with a chuckle.  "No, Buddy and I are just really good friends."

"And you and Colt?"  She asks the pointed question without flinching.

"Friends," I force out.

She nods as if she's satisfied with my answer, but there's a hint of an expression on her face that tells me she doesn't totally believe me.  "I've been with Colt on and off for about three years now.  More on than off, though."  Then she quickly adds, "And on right now."

Three years.
  My entire world feels like it's crashing down around me.  He's had a girlfriend for three years and never bothered to tell me about her.  I've seen her in the bar a few times, but I just figured she was a customer, a stranger.  Never in a million years would I have imagined she would be dating Colton.  She's not even his type.  But then the realization hits me that maybe I was never his type.  Let's face it.  He has changed a lot over the past few years.  I stare at the tattoos on her arms and wonder if she's the one who got Colton into tats.  He sure as heck never liked them when we were together…but a lot has changed since then.

"That's really, ah…that's really nice," I manage to say.  My fingernails bite into the palms of my hands to keep me from losing it.  I'm ten seconds away from breaking down and crying in front of this girl.

Colton joins us in the kitchen.  He looks nervous as his eyes dart between the two of us.  Ruby Sue slowly struts over to him.  She drags her hand down the front of his shirt, before bunching the material in her hand and pulling him in for a slow, wet kiss.  When they part, Ruby Sue looks over at me with a smirk.

If she's trying to stake her claim on Colt, she's doing a hell of a good job.  Feeling flustered, I begin to gather the pies and cakes that I had finished and quickly say, "Well, I better get going."

"Nice meeting you," Ruby Sue calls after me as I hightail it out the front door.

Tears blur my vision as I practically fly down the porch steps.  Mack races off the porch after me.

"Penny!  Wait!"

I stop at the sound of Colton's voice, but I don't dare turn around.  I'm seconds away from a breakdown, and I don't want him to know that.  The realization that he has moved on without me is almost too much to bear.  Why has he been kissing me if he's seeing someone else?  Is he intentionally trying to hurt me?  If he is, he's doing a great job at it.

Colton walks around to face me, but I stare at the ground, unable to look him in the eyes.  "Penny," he says before gently putting his fingertips under my chin and forcing my gaze to meet his.

I keep the tears at bay and give him a watery smile.  "She seems really great," I say, forcing my voice to stay as steady as it can.  "I'm happy that you found someone, Colt."

I pull away from him before I completely lose it and start towards the bar down the hill.  Mack follows me, but I stop in my tracks and quickly tell him to go home.  He listens and immediately turns back the way he came.  Colton stares at me with a weird look on his face, but I tear my gaze away and continue walking.

Steeling my emotions, I manage to make it to the bar and open the back door without dropping any of the cakes and pies in my arms.

Buddy turns to see me and hurries to help.  "Did you roll around in the batter before you got here?" he asks, joking.

I can't even crack a smile at his joke.  I stand there, feeling numb and devastated.  And when he asks me what's wrong, I confess, "I just met Colton's girlfriend."  I look up at Buddy with tears in my eyes.  "She's really pretty."  I shake my head and quickly correct myself by saying, "No.  She's not pretty.  She's freaking gorgeous," I say, my voice cracking on the last word.

Buddy walks over to me and pulls me into his arms.  I hold onto him like he's my lifeline.  And right now, he is.  His mouth is at my ear as he whispers, "She can't hold a candle to you, Penny."  I scoff at him, but he holds me tighter and shakes his head.  "I'm serious, Penny.  You're naturally beautiful while she's all smoke and mirrors.  I'm sure she looks like the Loch Ness Monster under all those gallons of makeup and false eyelashes she's got on."

His words make me laugh at first, but then it quickly turns into a sob.  "Why didn't he tell me he was dating someone, Buddy?"

"I don't know, Penny."

I pull back and look him dead in the eye.  "Why didn't
you
tell me?"

"It wasn’t my place to tell you.  It was his.  And besides, I've been rooting for you guys to get back together.  I figured Colt was going to cut all ties with Ruby Sue since you came back to town."  He shakes his head and mutters, "He's such an idiot."

"I second that opinion," I say with a sigh.

CHAPTER 8

PENNY

FOR THE NEXT hour, I'm on autopilot and trying desperately to keep my emotions in check.  I feel utterly drained and defeated.  I've been doing everything I can think of to bring Colton back, but it's all proving to be futile.  My mind is telling me to move on, but my heart is frantically clinging on to the love of my life and begging me to not give up on him.

"You know, you're going to rub a hole right through there if you keep that up," a voice says.

I look up from the cloth that I had been rubbing over the same spot on the countertop for what seems like hours.  A handsome guy with dark blond hair and piercing blue eyes is staring at me.  I instantly recognize him as the guy from the fundraiser, the one who was in line for the dunk tank right before Colton got into a fight.  Once again I'm struck with a strong sense of familiarity, but I can't place him other than seeing him that day.

It's almost closing time, and he's one of only a few customers left in the bar.  It's been a slow night, unfortunately, and I've had way too much time to dwell on things and keep running them in my mind over and over again.  After seeing Ruby Sue kiss Colton and finding out they've been together for
years
, I feel like I'm dying inside.  It's going to take me a long time to recover from the shock of seeing them together.

Desperate for the distraction, I ask the guy, "What can I get you?" I put the cloth away and flash him a fake smile. 

"Miller Lite."

As I'm popping the cap off the bottle, the man tilts his head and smiles.  "You don't know who I am, do you?"

I pass him the beer.  As his fingers graze over mine, a little flicker of electricity passes between us, sending hot sparks down my spine.  Hastily, I withdraw my hand.  "Sorry," I mutter, staring into his piercing, blue eyes.  "Should I know you?"  He had stuck out in the crowd the other day at the fundraiser, and I'm beginning to feel like I know him from somewhere.  "You do look familiar," I confess, flashing him another phony grin. 

"Here.  I'll give you a clue."  He puts his hands in front of him like he's praying.  "Please, Penny.  Please go out with me," he says in a nasally tone with a wink.

My mouth falls agape. 
That voice.
  I do know him.  "Tucker.  Tucker Hayward?" I ask in astonishment.

"The one and only," he says in a seductive voice that causes a chill to run through me.

The Tucker Hayward I knew back in the day was a scrawny, nerdy teenager.  The man in front of me is anything but.  He's built like a brick shithouse, and I can't stop my eyes from roaming over the bulging muscles threatening to burst through his t-shirt.  "You…you've grown up," I stammer.

He laughs a hearty laugh, and it makes me smile a real, genuine smile this time.  "Yeah, you could say that.  No more awkward high school days."  He runs a hand over his short hair and grins, showing off his perfectly white smile.  "You look exactly the same, Penny," he says.

The way he says my name sends another chill through me.  "I'll take that as a compliment," I hesitantly tell him.

"Oh, it definitely is."

I can't help but grin from ear to ear.  It's nice to see that Tucker Hayward has finally come out of the shell that he was stuck in for so long.  I remember him in high school always carrying a book, usually Hemingway or Tolstoy, and always shyly telling me hello in the hallways.  Tucker always carried a torch for me.  That's what everyone told me anyway, but I was too blind to see it back then.  My heart beat for Colton and only Colton.  I only had eyes for him.  That's just the way it was.  Tucker knew that, but he never gave up.  He asked me to every party, every homecoming and every prom.  And without fail, I always turned him down.

Suddenly, however, I feel as though our roles have been abruptly reversed, because the longer I sit here with Tuck, the more flustered I'm getting.  He's hot.  Incredibly so.  And I know for a fact that he's brilliant.  I'd been competing with him all through high school for the highest GPA, but Tucker had me beat hands down.  He was valedictorian for our class, and I couldn't have been prouder of him.  Tuck was a good friend and a great study buddy, but I never let things go any farther than that between us.

I watch as Tucker takes a swig of his beer, his Adams apple bobbing in his throat.  My mouth is suddenly dry, and I quickly reach for my ice water.  Who knew that one day I'd have a crush on Tucker Hayward?  Stranger things have happened I suppose.

Movement from the other side of the bar catches our attention, and we both turn to see Colton standing there, shooting daggers into both of us.  Tucker furrows his brows and meets my gaze once more.  In a low voice, he asks, "So, you and Colton are…?"

"Nothing," I whisper.  "Not any more."  It pains me to say that out loud, but it's true.  If he has a girlfriend, then there is no possibility of us being together.  It's heartbreaking, but the truth.

"Wow.  I guess things
do
change after high school."

Oh, he has no idea.

Tucker takes another drink of his beer before setting it down.  "So, Penny Preston is back in town, and nobody told me."

"Nobody tells me much of anything either," I grumble.

"Oh?" he asks, curiously.

I shake my head, dismissing his question.  I'm not ready to share with Tucker all the heartbreak and betrayal I've experienced since high school.  I'm actually enjoying the distraction he's providing me right now, and I want to continue our nice, easygoing conversation.  It's taking my mind off of…other things.  "It's nothing," I say softly.

"Ah," Tucker says, nodding in understanding.  "So…how long have you been working here?"  He's quick to change the subject, for which I'm grateful.

"Not long.  I've only been back in Willowbrook for a couple of weeks now."

His fingertips peel at the label on the bottle of beer.  He seems awkward and shy all of a sudden, and it reminds me of the Tucker I knew back then.  "Staying long?"

"Maybe.  I haven't decided yet," I say, while wringing a washcloth nervously in my hands.  My future is so uncertain right now that I don't know which way is up anymore.  I thought I knew what I wanted, but then I met Ruby Sue, and my plans changed in an instant.  If Colton has a girlfriend, I don't know if I can stay here.  However, a part of me wants to stay and fight for him and win him back…if that's even possible.  Maybe he wouldn't even choose me no matter what I did.  I hate not knowing what's going to happen next, but I'm afraid I'll be in the dark for quite a while until Colton and I can work out some things.

"I'm visiting the folks for a while before I go back to my apartment in New York," he tells me.

"Oh, how long have you lived in New York?"

His tongue darts out to lick his lips, and I'm suddenly fascinated with the movement.  "Since we graduated high school."

"I wish I would have known.  I went to college in New York right after graduation, too."

He nods and flashes me a timid smile.  "Yeah, I knew you were going to be living there at the same time I was, but I was always too afraid to look you up."

"Now, Tucker Hayward, I would have hung out with you in a heartbeat," I tell him honestly.  Tucker was always such a good friend, and he would have done anything for me.  "Hell, I could have used my study buddy."

He shrugs nonchalantly.  "I'm sure you did just fine without me in college.  You were always so smart in high school."

"Me?  You were the brilliant one.  I was just trying to keep up."

My compliment makes him smile.  After a few long moments of uncomfortable silence of Tucker shifting in his chair and looking around the room at anything and everything but me, he finally says, "So, Penny Preston, since you're not dating anyone…"

I look up at Tucker and feel like I've been transported back in time.  All those times I turned him down come flashing back to me, and I feel horrible that I never gave him a shot.

He chuckles and nervously runs his hand over the back of his neck.  "I'm probably pressing my luck, huh?"

With a big smile, I confidently ask, "Tucker Hayward, would you like to go out on a date with me?"

The look on his face is priceless, and it's almost like I asked him if he would like a million dollars.  "Penny, it would be an honor to take you out," he says with his old-fashioned Southern charm.

I grin as I write my cell phone number down on a piece of paper.  He takes the number and stares at it for a few seconds.  "I feel like I'm in high school all over again."  He smirks at me.  "But this time I didn't strike out."

I take his hand into mine and gently squeeze.  "If I wouldn't have been involved with Colt back then, Tucker, I would have said yes…every time."

His smirk turns into a full-on, heart-stopping smile.  "I kept asking on the off chance that you would say yes, Penny.  If anyone had a chance with you, I wanted it to be me.  I didn't want to miss out on an opportunity to date such a beautiful and wonderful girl."

I blush at his words instantly.  It's been so long since I've had a smooth talker trying to woo me.  Ever since I got here I feel like all I've been doing is fighting with men.  And now this man is making me feel like I'm on top of the world.  Such a turn of events, and I couldn't be happier about the distraction.  Maybe Tucker is just the person I need to get over Colton since he sure as hell got over me.

Tucker pulls my hand to his lips and places a kiss on top.  "Are you free Saturday night?"

Buddy had scheduled me for Friday night and not to be here on Saturday, so I answer with a yes.

"Then it's a date," he says with a wink before releasing my hand.  "Where can I pick you up at?"

"Well, I'm living above the bar right now."

He smiles.  "Then I'll be waiting outside at six."  He finishes off his beer, throws some bills on the counter, stands and walks out the door.  And I can't help but watch him walk away.  He looks damn good in jeans and a t-shirt.

I'm on cloud nine when he leaves, but a storm rumbles over my good mood as Colton suddenly grabs my arm and hauls me into the back room.  "What the hell was that about?" he hisses, seething.

"What?" I ask innocently.

"Do you even know who that is?"

"Yeah.  Tucker Hayward.  I've known him most of my life, Colt."  I shrug off his grip and shake my head at him.  He's jealous? 
Now
he's jealous?  Colton has no right to be jealous.  He's the one with a girlfriend.  "What's it to you anyway?" I ask, poking him in the chest.  Now I'm the one who's getting upset.

"What's it to me?"  He hesitates.  His eyes dart back and forth as if he's trying to recall something, and his brows bunch together in confusion when he can't.

I take a few steps away from him.  I need space.  I can't think when he's close to me.  "So it's okay for you to make out with your
girlfriend
in front of me, but I can't give a guy my phone number?"

"Girlfriend?  She's not my girlfriend."  He rakes his fingers through his hair and narrows his eyes at me.  "You gave Tucker your phone number?" he asks, angrily.

"Yeah.  And we're going out Saturday night on a date," I add before my brain can stop my blabbering mouth.

Suddenly, he turns and punches his fist into the closest thing he can find, which just happens to be a fifty-pound bag of flour.  White powder floats up out of the hole in the bag and instantly covers everything in the surrounding area…including him and me.  I stare down at my clothes.  "Great!  That's just great, Colton!  Thanks a lot!"

I storm off to the women's bathroom.  I still have a half an hour left in my shift and I'm covered in flour.  I take the scrunchie out of my hair, bend over and shake the white dust out of it over the trashcan.

I feel something bump into me from behind, and I scream.  Hands grab me and turn me so fast the room spins.  I come face to face with Colton, and he's looking at me like he wants to…kiss me?  His anger has since dissipated and has been replaced with lust.  That's the
old Colton
that I know.  He always got a kick out of getting me all riled up.

Colton's hands knead into my arms as he pulls me closer to him.  I can feel his muscular chest pressing against me as it rises and falls with his desperate pants.  Our lips are almost touching, and I stare up at him with angry tears in my eyes.  "Stop, Colt," I demand.  As much as I want Colton, this is the worst timing.  I'm so mad at him that I can barely think.  "You have a girlfriend," I whisper.

"She's not my girlfriend," he whispers back.

"Then what is she, Colt?" I demand.

He hesitates, and I suddenly don't want to hear the answer.  I struggle against him, and he finally lets me go.  I walk away from him just as Buddy comes through the doorway.  "What the hell happened here?" he asks, his eyes darting between Colt and me.

I shake my head, dismissing his question.  "I'm not feeling well.  Is it okay if I just go home?"

He nods.  "Yeah, sure.  Go get some sleep, Penny.  You're lookin' a little…pale," he says with a crooked grin.