Even though I'm mad at him, I still have an obligation to Buddy to bake desserts for the bar. It's still early and I know Colton will be sleeping off a hangover, so I go to his house and let myself in. Mack jumps up from his cozy bed and slobbers on my legs and feet as I scratch him behind the ears.
The house is quiet, and I do my best to keep it that way. "Be quiet, Mack," I tell him, and he tilts his head as if he's trying to understand what I'm saying.
I don't want to wake Colton up. In fact, I don't even want to see him right now. I'm still mad as hell at him for destroying my gift. My intentions behind the present were good. I was trying to bring him back to me. I've been waiting for Colton to come back on his own, but I don't see that happening in the foreseeable future. All I wanted to do was try to help him along, but my plan backfired. Big time.
I only have myself to blame, though. I haven't given Colton enough time to adjust to having me back in his life. And I certainly haven't given myself enough time to learn about all of his obvious anger issues. He always seems so damn angry, and I just wish I could help him. He won't let me in, though; and it's frustrating the hell out of me.
Sighing, I wash my hands and set to work in the kitchen baking pies, cakes, cupcakes and cookies.
* * * * *
COLTON
I WAKE UP with a hangover from hell and a lot of regret. The devastated look on Penny's face haunted my dreams, and it seems like I didn't sleep a wink. I feel like such an asshole for treatin' her like that last night. I make a promise to myself to stop actin' like an asshole with her and give her the benefit of the doubt. If we were close once, I let her into my life for a reason. Buddy told me the other day how the three of us were always together. She had to have been pretty damn special to me. That's why she's tryin' so hard to make me remember her. I may never want to remember my past, but I will give her a chance to be in my future. She deserves that much at least.
I slip on a t-shirt and pajama bottoms and make my way downstairs. I walk into the kitchen just as Penny drops a bowl on the sink. It clatters loudly, and she curses under her breath as her hands reach out to quiet any further clatter. She slowly and quietly backs away from the sink, tiptoein' around the kitchen; and I realize she's tryin' to be really quiet for a reason.She didn't want to wake me up. That makes me sad and pisses me off at the same time. The highlight of my day is havin' Penny right here every morning. I have become quite accustomed to her bein' in my kitchen when I wake up.
I'm her official taste tester, and I find myself wantin' to taste more than just her cakes and pies. It drives me insane when she dances through my kitchen on her toes, blendin' and mixin' and concoctin' the most delicious things I have ever tasted. I never thought bakin' could be so damn sexy. And I especially enjoy the view I get when she bends over to pull somethin' out of one of the ovens. I always have to sit behind the island so she can't see the evidence of my enjoyment.
"Penny," I say forcefully.
Penny jumps and screams when she realizes I'm standin' there. She turns, places her hand over her heart and yells, "God, Colton! You scared me half to death!"
"Sorry. You are inmyhouse, after all," I say in a sarcastic tone. Her placid mood instantly changes to annoyance, and I force myself to back off. This is not the way I'm goin' to fix things between us. I need to stop usin' all my old tactics and try somethin' new. "Penny, we need to talk about last night."
She shakes her head as she starts to roll out a piecrust. "Colt, I don't want to talk about last night." I can see her bottom lip tremblin' as she attempts to concentrate on the task at hand.
"Well, I do," I say, stubbornly. I want to talk about it, and, damn it, she's gonna listen. I step closer to her. When she doesn't look at me, I grab her arms and whirl her around to face me. "Penny, I'm sorry. Okay? I'm sorry for what I did. I was drunk and stupid and ---."
She puts her fingertips against my lips to stop me. Her touch sends a jolt of electricity ricochetin' through my entire body. "You don't have to apologize, Colt. The scrapbook was a stupid idea." She takes a step back, and I instantly miss her touch.
"It was a good idea. I…I'm just not ready for that. Yet."
Her eyes widen at my words, and she gives me a small nod. "Well, I hope when you are ready that you'll let me know. I have so much to tell you."
Penny walks back over to the counter where she had been rolling out piecrusts. She has flour all over her apron again and even a few smudges on her cheeks. In an attempt to lighten the mood, I tell her, "You look like you rolled around in a flour sack. How do you manage to get it all over yourself all the time?"
She stops rollin' out the crust and glances to a small pile of flour beside her. "It's pretty easy actually," she says with mischievous grin on her face. I watch as she scoops up a little bit in her hand and throws it in my direction.
My dark blue t-shirt is suddenly splattered with white. I look down at my shirt in disbelief. When my eyes meet hers, I growl, "You're gonna pay for that, Penny Lane."
She gasps when I say her first and middle names together. I don't even know why I said them. It just came out. I use her surprise to my advantage, and it only takes three big steps before I'm scoopin' her up in my big arms. "You wanna play dirty? Let's play dirty." While holdin' her tightly with one arm, I pick up a big scoop of flour and hit her in the face with it.
She squeals as she struggles against me. "Colton James!" she screams. "I can't believe you just did that!"
"Oh, there's more where that came from." I grab a bag of shredded coconut and dump it into her hair. As I'm reachin' for somethin' else, she uses the opportunity to scramble out of my grip.
She grabs a spatula, which is covered in vanilla cake batter. She comes towards me with an evil grin, and it makes me laugh. She looks so damn cute.
"You wouldn't dare," I say with a menacin', yet playful tone. I can't help but smile. This is the most fun I've had in years. Penny brings out this lighthearted, playful mood in me like no one else can.
"I never turn down a dare," she smirks as she runs towards me with the spatula outstretched in her hand. At the last second, I grab her arm, twist her in one swift motion and hold her back flush against my front. I slowly move the spatula towards her face. She squeals and laughs and tries to hold my arm at bay, but the spatula eventually smacks her cheek. Then I drag the batter down her cheek, neck and chest for good measure, thoroughly enjoyin' every moment of our little game.
Mack comes boundin' around the counter, barkin' and jumpin' on us. "Down boy!" I chuckle. It's almost like he's tryin' to break the two of us apart.
"Truce! Truce!" Penny screams.
Laughin', I let her go. My eyes study her as I smile. "You got a little somethin' right there," I tease as I point to her entire face.
