"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 theold Coltonthat 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.
His attempt at making a joke makes me even more infuriated. "Thanks, Buddy," I huff before making my way out the back door. I don't want to go through the front and risk the chance of bumping into Colton's girlfriend…or whatever she is.
As I make my way up the stairs, I decide that it doesn't matter if she isn't actually his girlfriend. Three years is a long time to be with someone and have it still considered a fling. It has to be more than that. And it all comes down to the truth --- he found someone else. Suddenly my guilt over saying yes to Tucker disappears. After all, Colton shouldn't be the only one who gets to move on with his life.
* * * * *
COLTON
I WATCH PENNY leave and swear under my breath. I'm such an asshole. And the first step is admittin' the problem…right?
If only I could rewind the past four hours, I would. I would have broke things off with Ruby Sue and told her I needed some space while I got all this shit sorted out with Penny. But now it's too late, and I royally fucked up things with her.
It makes me mad that Penny is so insistent that Ruby Sue is my girlfriend, but I suppose Ruby did stake her claim on me earlier. Ruby always was a jealous one. But she shouldn't be jealous since we're friends with benefits and nothin' more. Sure, we've been messin' around for years, but I haven't even met her parents…or any of her friends. It's not like it's one-sided. Ruby Sue also sees me as nothin' more than an occasional fuck.
"You punched a bag of flour?" Buddy asks in disbelief.
I glare at him as I attempt to shake off some of the white powder from my clothes. Penny drives me crazy…and not in a good way. That girl can get under my skin like no other.
Buddy stares at the floor with a frown. "You're making an even bigger mess, Colt. Why don't you just go home, man? I'll close out for the night."
"You sure?"
"I'm sure."
Before I can step outside, Buddy says, "Hey, Colt, a little word of advice."
"Yeah?"
"One girl is a handful. Two is just plain old crazy."
I roll my eyes at him. "Night, Buddy."
"Night, Colt."
I trudge up the hill to my house, strippin' off my t-shirt on the way. I run my fingers through my hair to get rid of the last of any flour remnants. Buddy's words haunt me as I walk. I'm not stringin' both girls along. First of all, Ruby Sue and I are just friends with benefits. And Penny and I ---. Well, I don't even know what the hell Penny and me are. It's not like I'm datin' both of them or havin' sex with either of them. All in all it should be uncomplicated, but it's anything but. I need to figure this shit out and quick. I feel like I'm danglin' on the edge of the cliff and waitin' for somebody to push me over.
I don't know what the hell got into me tonight. Why should I care if Tucker takes Penny out on a date? It's really none of my business. But then seein' them together tonight got my blood boilin'. I just wish I could understand why. There must be some dormant anger inside of me when it comes to those two. I didn't know Tucker Hayward until he started comin' into the bar recently. I don't even remember the guy from high school, but every time I see him I just wanna punch his lights out. Maybe we have some unspoken hatred towards one another because of somethin' that happened in the past. Hell if I know.
I hop onto the porch and scratch Mack behind the ears. He follows me inside as I go to the kitchen for a beer. I take a long swig and shake my head. I just want things to be the way they were before Penny got back into town. And I know there's only one way to make that happen.
