I stop mid-pour of my third glass of wine. "What?" I ask, my voice suddenly finding itself.
"Ignore him. Guys hate that. Go out with Tucker and show Colton how much he's missin'. I promise you he will come crawlin' back."
I consider her suggestion. There's nothing to lose by ignoring Colton except for the obvious reason --- not making any more progress. But considering the progress is pretty much at a standstill, I won't be losing much.
"Remember how much Colton hated when you gave him the cold shoulder? That boy would have done anything to get you to talk to him again. Maybe a part of theold Colton, as you call him, will come roarin' back to life."
I finish pouring my glass, and then I sit back on my couch with a smile. "It might just work. What do I got to lose?"
"That's the spirit!" Shelby Rae says enthusiastically. She stands and puts her glass in the sink. "I better get home. I want to snuggle with my Lilly bug tonight."
"Your mama is watching her?"
"Yeah. She'll watch her while I work a few nights a week at the bar." She grabs her purse from the floor and hooks the strap over her shoulder. "Mama doesn't mind. She's missed her granddaughter terribly. And now that dad and Matt are gone, they both could use some much needed time together."
I set my glass down on the coffee table and walk over to Shelby Rae. "I'm really sorry about what happened to Matt." Tears well in my eyes against my will. "He was such a wonderful guy."
Shelby Rae's eyes begin to shimmer with tears, mirroring my own. "Yeah, he was." She wraps her arms around herself. "I miss him. I miss him so bad. It's insane how much."
I walk over to her and pull her into my arms. "If you ever need to just talk, you know I'm here."
She nods against my shoulder. "Thanks, Penny. It's so nice to have you back in my life. You have no idea how much I need a friend right now."
"Probably as much as I need one," I whisper.
She pulls back and dashes away her tears with a watery smile. "Must be the wine making me into such a crybaby," she says with a roll of her eyes. "We'll have to do this again real soon…except with more wine and less tears."
"Definitely," I agree.
"Night, Penny. I'll see you later this week."
"Night." I walk out onto the porch and watch her leave. Sighing, I turn my attention to the house on top of the hill behind the bar. The lights are on, which means Colton's probably still up.
I wonder if he gets lonely in the big old house all by himself. My best guess would be yes. He's lost so much, and I can't even imagine what he's gone through over the past several years. I guess that's part of the reason why I've given him so many chances. I know the boy I love is in there somewhere. I just don't know how to get him back…yet.
I think back to Shelby Rae's advice.Ignore him. Ignoring Colton might just be the solution I need. Only time will tell if it works or not, though.
CHAPTER 12
PENNY
THE NEXT COUPLE of weeks go smoothly. Colton keeps his distance, and I do the same. I take Shelby Rae's advice and try my best to ignore him…which proves to be pretty dang easy considering he doesn't even want to be in the same room as me. Colt and I have a few friendly conversations, but otherwise we pretty much avoid each other.
I go out on two more dates with Tucker, but we never take it past first base. I know I'm holding back, but I can't help it. My heart just won't give up that last string of hope that maybe someday Colton will come back to me.
The only thing that seems to have changed is that I haven't seen a glimpse of Ruby Sue. My hopes are that her and Colton finally broke things off and that Colt and I can pick up where we left off five years ago, but I'm not counting on anything just yet. Because it seems like whenever I get my hopes up, I get let down. So for right now I'm just holding onto what little hope I have and praying that it's enough to get me by.
It's late at night or early in the morning, depending on how you want to look at it, when my cell phone rings. My fingers fumble to find the receiver on my nightstand. "Hello?" I ask with a throaty voice. I don't hear anything for a few seconds. It's at that moment that I realize I said hello without even checking the caller ID. I pull my ear away and look at the screen.Unknown contact. I put the phone back to my ear and say hello again.
"Penny."
It's Colton, and his voice sounds strained. He sounds upset. I sit straight up in bed, wide awake and concerned. "Colt? What's wrong?"
"It's…it's Mack," he mutters, his voice cracking with distress.
Oh no. "I'll be right there," I say in a rush before ending the call. I don't even bother changing out of my PJs, which consist of shorts and a tank top. I simply slip on a pair of sneakers and take off running out of the apartment, down the steps and up the hill to Colton's house. I don't bother knocking, as I burst through the front door. There, on the living room floor, is Colton with Mack lying motionless in his lap. Colton is sobbing as he gently strokes the dog's head.
Tears instantly blur my vision. I slowly walk over and sit down on the floor beside them. My fingertips tenderly comb through Mack's fur as I repeatedly say, "I'm so sorry, Colt. I'm sorry."
