"That isn't a uniform. That's a Halloween costume that Buddy had special ordered for one of his exes."
The look Penny gives Buddy makes me chuckle. If looks could kill, he would be droppin' dead on the spot.So much for their comradery.
Buddy shrugs his shoulder and tries his best to look innocent. "You look way better in it than she ever did," he says in an attempt to save face. Penny throws a towel in his face and continues to give him the death stare. Buddy turns to glare at me before he says to Penny, "I think we have some other t-shirts in the back."
When I look at Penny, she has an expression on her face I can't decipher. She mouths the wordsthank youbefore goin' into the back to change.
A warm feelin' slowly slides down my spine, but I quickly push it away. It might have felt good helpin' her out, but I still don't want her around. I decide I'm gonna keep my distance.
Out of sight. Out of mind.
I just hope it works.
CHAPTER 4
COLTON
IT'S A WEDNESDAY night, and Penny has been workin' at the bar the past few days. Buddy has been showin' her the ropes while I've kept my distance. I can't help but smile when I hear Penny laugh or when she tries to crack a joke to Buddy. They have a friendship that's so effortless, and I envy it. They're comfortable with each other, and in a way it makes me oddly jealous.
I know they've been friends for a while because I hear them talkin' about things that happened in the past. Sometimes Buddy will throw my name in there, but then they both get really quiet and stop talkin' about it as if they're afraid I'll overhear. I know they don't want me gettin' angry, which I'm sure I probably would. Buddy knows I don't talk about the past. And I intend on keepin' it that way.
"Hey, Colt?" Penny calls from the back room.
I peek my head around the corner and see her standin' on her tiptoes, attemptin' to reach a box of straws from the top shelf. "Yeah?" I ask, even though it's obvious what she needs.
"Can I get some help here?" she asks.
"Sure," I mutter before walkin' over to her. I stand behind her and reach up, easily grippin' the box that was so far out of her grasp. She really is short. I pull the box down as she turns to face me.
Her petite body is pinned between the shelvin' unit and me. I stare down at her, and there's somethin' that passes between us. My heart is beatin' fast, like I just drank five cups of coffee. I watch her slender neck as she swallows hard. I want to reach out and touch her, but I force myself not to. I don't know why I always have the urge to touch her, but I do.
Shakin' my head to clear my thoughts, I hand her the box. "There you go," I say gruffly.
"Thank you," she whispers before pullin' away from me and walkin' out of the room.
I blow out a long sigh after she leaves, grippin' the shelves as if my knees could give out at any moment.Why the hell does this keep happenin' to me? I'm not one to get all googly eyed and awkward around girls, so for me to be this way with Penny just boggles my mind. Why her? Sure, she's gorgeous with a great personality, but I have no interest in bein' with her. Maybe I'm just so sexually attracted to her that it's makin' me act stupid. All I know is that I've never wanted to kiss a girl as much as I want to kiss Penny. And if just thinkin' about kissin' her makes me this crazy, I can't imagine how I'm goin' to keep my hands off of her.
Feelin' confused and extremely irritated, I walk out to the main area. My eyes immediately land on Penny. She abandoned the Halloween costume after the first day. Now she usually wears shorts or short skirts. The summers are hot in Alabama, so I can't blame her wardrobe, but her choice of clothin' distracts me. Her long legs drive me insane and clearly every other man that walks in this bar, because she racks up tips like crazy.
"Hey, stud," a sexy, sultry voice calls from the right of me. I turn to see my on-again, off-again fling, Ruby Sue King. Ruby Sue has her jet-black hair pulled up in an old-fashioned style with a colorful bandana. That was the first thing I noticed about her when I met her three years ago. She came into the bar looking like a '50s pin-up model, which is actually what she does when she's not being a tattoo artist or hairstylist. Ruby lives in the next town over and, thus, knows nothin' about my life before the accident. And I like to keep it that way.
For some reason, I don't want Penny to find out about Ruby Sue and me. I'm nervous and worried about her reaction, and I have no idea why. I quickly make Ruby's favorite drink, a screwdriver, and glance over at Penny. She's lookin' the other way, so I set the glass in front of Ruby Sue with every intention of keepin' my distance. But before I can step back, Ruby Sue grabs my shirt and pulls me in for a quick peck on the lips. Then her mouth is at my ear when she says, "I need you tonight, Colton." She pulls back a little and kisses me again, softer and slower this time to make a point.
Ruby Sue and I have an unspoken agreement. We don't date. We just fuck when we need it. We're exclusive, though. It's a complicated situation even though it shouldn't be, because the more time that passes, the more attached she gets. I have feelings for her too, but I'm not in love with the girl. There's always been somethin' holdin' me back, but I never quite figured it out.
I watch as she takes her drink and walks off to mingle with other patrons. My eyes then immediately move to Penny, and I let out a sigh of relief when I see that Buddy is keepin' her busy. I don't know why Penny catchin' me kiss Ruby Sue would make me feel guilty and like the world's biggest asshole, but it would. Even though Penny isn't my girl, there's somethin' between us that I can't explain. I feel like I need to keep Ruby Sue a secret for now until I figure out exactly what that somethin' is.
* * * * *
PENNY
COLTON PRETTY MUCH avoids me the entire night, keeping on one end of the bar while Buddy and I stay on the other. He looks and walks and talks like his old self, but thisnew Coltonis a complete stranger. I'm having a hard time comprehending thatmy Coltonis gone. I just hope he's not lost forever.
I'm mentally and emotionally drained, and I've only been in town less than a week. I want to ask myself if I can keep this up for much longer, but I already know the answer. I don't know. I don't know if I can keep doing this dance with Colton. It's hurting me more than I'll ever let on. Even though I can't change the past, I wish more than anything that the past five years didn't exist. If I had known what would happen while I was gone, I would have never left.
I regret more than anything not keeping in touch with my friends while I was in college. I had Buddy and Shelby Rae Hall back home along with a handful of other great friends. But after Colton broke my heart --- or I thought he broke my heart, I severed all ties with Willowbrook, Alabama. I was stubborn and bullheaded and just wanted to wallow in self-pity. If I had kept up with my friendships, I would have found out about Colton. But life is full ofwhat ifs. It's incredibly easy to dwell on mistakes that can't be fixed.
Shelby Rae was my very best friend; but after we graduated high school, we pretty much lost touch. We had a lot in common, including falling in love with a boy at an early age and dreaming of marrying our high school sweethearts some day. Her plan had a little bit of a hiccup when she got married and pregnant right after we graduated instead of the four or five-year plan we had always talked about. I guess that was part of the reason why we didn't keep up with our friendship. She was busy with a new marriage and a baby on the way. And I was off in New York studying, working hard and completely and utterly miserable.
