"I know. I know," I repeat over and over again. I swallow hard past the lump forming in my throat. I couldn't have known what would happen while I was gone. My parents practically forced me to go to New York. I didn't want to go. I didn't want to leave Colton, but we had a plan. He called me every day, twice a day, sometimes more. And then he just…stopped. I had no idea why other than the lies my mama was spinning. But now I know the truth. I dash the tears from my eyes and make my best attempt at a smile, failing miserably in the process. "Well, thanks for helping me out, Buddy. I really appreciate it"
He nods once. "Sure thing." He walks to the front door. "I'll see you tomorrow, Penny."
The front door closes, and I listen to Buddy's footsteps disappear down the stairs. Our conversation replays in my mind a million times while I sit alone in the kitchen. My parents would have done anything to keep me in New York, to not ruin my so-called dreams. And so they told lies to keep me apart from my one true love all this time. If I had come back right after the accident, I could have been there for him. Maybe things would all be different now. I could have made him remember me and all the times we had together and how much we loved each other. But now that opportunity is gone, and I'll never get it back. And deep down I don't know if Colton will ever be able to forgive me.
I can't even forgive myself.
CHAPTER 3
PENNY
I'M STILL REELING from everything that has happened in the past forty-eight hours. My world has completely flipped upside down in the matter of a few days, and I don't know if it will ever right itself again. Colton has no idea who I am, but I'm still in love with him. If that doesn't sound like a tragic love story, I don't know what does. What do you do when the person you love doesn't love you back? Let them go? Let them move on without you? If only it were that easy. I can't make myself let Colton go. He means too much to me. Maybe with time, if I see that he's happy without me, I could part ways, but I'd have to make damn sure of that first.
I spend the day organizing and cleaning my new apartment. Buddy brings by my uniform and tells me that my shift starts at four. I thank him for the millionth time this week and continue unpacking and putting away my things. I'm in desperate need of groceries, and I make a mental note to go to the market down the road at some point tomorrow.
It's three o'clock when I decide to stop cleaning for the day. I'm feeling extremely nervous and anxious. I have new job jitters that almost everyone gets. And as if that wasn't bad enough, I finally try on the uniform…much to my dismay.
I stand in front of the bathroom mirror, gazing down at my newuniform. I'm not sure uniform is quite the term I would use for the scraps of material that are barely covering me right now.Crawford's Barstretches across the front of the deep V tee that looks like it might be a 5T instead of a small, as indicated on the tag. Then theshortsare a whole other matter. I don't even think they can legally be called shorts considering they almost look like a pair of panties, cutting off right under myassets, so to speak. They show off my long, tanned legs, and I'm guaranteed to get a lot of tips, but I don't know if I feel comfortable wearing something that I'm not even sure I can bend over in.
Feeling frustrated, I blow a few strands of my hair out of my eyes and change into something more comfortable. Then I make my way downstairs to the bar to confront Buddy. "You call this a uniform?" I ask Buddy as I enter, holding up the scraps of material.
He stands in the doorway to the back room wearing a shit-eating grin. "You want the job? That's the required attire."
I narrow my eyes at him. "Where's your uniform?" I ask.
He looks down at his black t-shirt that has a Crawford's Bar logo on the chest, jeans and sneakers. "You're lookin' at it."
I mutter under my breath about him being a sexist pig. When he asks me what I said, I just flash him a big smile and say, "Nothing. You better be glad I need this job, Buddy Lawson." I turn and then throw over my shoulder, "I'll be back down later to start my shift."
He chuckles. "That's what I like to hear. See you in an hour, Penny."
Taking my time to get ready, I shower, shave my legs and curl my long hair into soft, loose waves. I apply some makeup and don the so-called uniform. I smile at my reflection in the mirror. Even though I look like I won a competition for the world's sluttiest bartender, I decide to rock that outfit like I own it. "Knock 'em dead, Penny," I tell myself before leaving my apartment.
* * * * *
COLTON
BUDDY CALLED ME earlier to let me know he hired a new bartender. Anxious to see exactly who it is, I go into the bar earlier than I'm scheduled to be there. I enter through the back of the bar, go through the storage room and lean against the doorjamb of the entrance to the main bar area. My eyes immediately settle on a petite blonde behind the counter. She's turned away from me and bent over restockin' one of the coolers. My eyes greedily peruse her tight body and her round ass that is barely contained in the tiny shorts. She has legs for days, and I could literally spend days starin' at her backside. Her long hair cascades down her back in soft waves, and I desperately want to run my fingers through it.
She moves onto her tiptoes as she bends even further down into the cooler, and I can feel my erection strainin' against my zipper. If she keeps bendin' over like that, I'm pretty sure my hard-on is gonna rip right through the seams and bang against the wall. My eyes dart around the bar, and I can see the male patrons enjoyin' the view as well. In fact, one slack-jawed guy is even leanin' over the counter to get a better look.
The girl suddenly stands and turns, and my heart stops. Penny?
Her step falters as she timidly walks over to me. "Hey, Colt," she says with a nervous grin.
I take in her uniform, which isn't actually a uniform. It was a slutty Halloween costume that Buddy had special ordered for a girl he used to date.I'm gonna kill him. I storm into the back room and pull my soon-to-be-ex-best-friend to the corner of the room. "What is she doin' here?" I hiss at Buddy.
"She's the new bartender. We haven't had anyone apply since Sheila left." He grins and then adds, "Oh, and she's livin' upstairs in the apartment."
I stare at him in disbelief as he shrugs out of my grip and walks away. No. This can't be happenin'. I can't seem to get away from this girl, and now she's gonna be here at the one place that feels like home to me, a place where I spend most of my time. No. No fucking way.
I storm out of the room and point my finger at Penny. "You. Out. Now!" I yell.
Penny puts her hands on her hips and stares at me. "Did you revert back to being a caveman all of a sudden?" she asks with a perfectly arched brow.
She looks so damn cute when she's tryin' to be mad, and I can feel my heart stutter in my chest. My reaction to her makes my blood boil. Glarin' at her, I shout, "You're fired!"
Nervously, she glances at Buddy peekin' around the corner and the rest of the patrons that have shown a sudden interest in our conversation. Then she turns her attention back to me. "You didn't hire me. Buddy did. So the way I see it, if Buddy says I'm working here, then I'm working here."
