Playing at Forever

by Michelle Brewer

  “It was my script.” Tommy replied, his teeth clenched. The other man sighed, shifting his weight so that he was now holding the door open with his hand rather than his shoulder. It seemed to Tommy an act of frustration.

  “Look, man—Fox is willing to take it.” He spoke to him almost as an annoyed parent would speak to a spoiled child.

  “But not as long as I’m lead.” Tommy closed his eyes, trying to maintain control of the anger that was raging through him.

  He’d come to Hollywood looking for an escape. He’d come looking for happiness—a new life, a new future. He’d even found both, and he was grateful.

  He had struck gold when he was given the lead role in what would become one of the biggest action series to hit theaters since Die Hard. He’d reprised the role several times, reveling in the stardom and fame that came with each progressive film. Everyone around him had encouraged him to keep going—to keep bringing in the money and the celebrity.

  But he was tired of the same roles. He was tired of the same characters. Even when he took roles in other movies, they were all the same—the tough macho man out to save the day.

  Was it too much to ask for something different?

  Apparently so.

  “It isn’t just you.” Of course Graham was lying. It was the one stipulation from every studio he’d offered the script to. They would make the film, but not so long as Tommy was the lead.

  He’d worked hard on this. It was his chance to prove himself—to remake himself. Everyone just assumed that he was a mindless drone, carrying on without an original thought of his own.

  “Look, Tom. They just don’t think you’re right for the part. You’ve written something really deep here—intense. They don’t think you can pull it off.” Graham took a step closer and the heavy glass door swung quietly closed behind him. “I’m not saying I agree with them—but, I mean—really, can you blame them?”

  “They should give me a chance—”

  “It’s not just your acting they’re doubting, Tom.” Tommy narrowed his eyes. “You’ve been all over the tabloids—the drinking, the fighting, the accidents. They’d be nervous to cast you even if it wasn’t a challenge.”

  “Isn’t it your job to make that a nonissue?” The anger was boiling to life inside him. Who was Graham to say anything? He’d been right there alongside Tommy throughout all of it! Graham knew the tabloids exaggerated—shouldn’t he be defending him?

  “Hey, I can only spin so much. You’re out there fighting with paparazzi and driving recklessly, acting like you don’t have a care in the world. Then you show up with this dark, depressing manuscript—”

  “You said it was good!” Tommy paced across the room, throwing his arms in the air in frustration. “You told me to shop it around—”

  “I didn’t think you were going to take me seriously, man.” It was like a sudden emptiness flooded through Tommy. He stopped dead in his tracks, staring blankly in front of him.

  He was so fed up with everything this life had to offer. He was sick of his so-called friends walking all over him, using him for nothing more than a paycheck. He was sick of feeling so uninspired.

  How had things gotten this way? He remembered a moment that seemed like eons ago when he’d been so filled with hope.

  Her eyes danced into his view, then—such a warm brown, so inviting and comforting, revealing to him her optimism for the future. She’d had faith in him—known that he would make it.

  She’d always believed in him—his Penny Lane.

  Tommy remembered how she would smile and roll her eyes any time he called her that.

  The memory of Penelope Lang was one he could never forget, even if he wanted to. He knew—he’d tried.

  Suddenly he was struck with an overwhelming desire. It passed through him in waves, growing stronger with every passing surge and washing away the anger.

  “I have to get out of here,” Tommy heard his own voice as if from some far away place, his mind already crossing the distance. He felt his feet carrying him forward, moving through the large, lifeless home as if on autopilot.

  There had been an emptiness inside him, growing deeper and deeper every day. And he’d been trying so hard to fill the void—to find something to make it stop. He’d tried everything.

  Well, almost everything.

  He knew that Graham was following behind him, calling out to him, but he didn’t care. He had to leave. He had to get away from all of this—it was suffocating him.

  Memories of a time similar to this danced through his mind. He’d just moved for what seemed like the millionth time. His father had been berating him—as usual. Telling him he was worthless—that he would never amount to anything. To his father, the Colonel, Tommy was nothing more than dead weight.

  He remembered the way the walls had closed in on him. His chest had tightened, his vision blurred. He’d darted out of the house and kicked his dirt bike to life, speeding off down the street. There was nowhere to go, though—he hadn’t known a soul, and he knew he couldn’t make it on his own yet.

  So he wandered aimlessly, letting his bike guide him toward whatever destiny had planned out for him.

  And then he saw her.

  Penelope Lang was a beautiful girl—he’d seen that right from the start. Tommy had never told her, but he hadn’t accidentally wandered into the movie rental store, looking for a job.

  What had initially brought him there was her. He’d caught just the briefest glimpse of her long, fair brown hair, her soft coloring, her bright smile. She had been walking down the street, making her way to work, lost in her own thoughts. He’d become mesmerized in just a matter of seconds.

  He could still remember the way everything seemed to melt away the moment their eyes met. He walked into the store, coming up with the excuse of looking for a job at the last minute—really, all he’d wanted was to meet her. He’d never expected anything would come of it.

  But it had.

  By now, Tommy was putting his helmet on, no longer paying any attention to the people who were coming to watch him leave. The motorcycle beneath him roared loudly as he brought her to life and he closed his eyes, letting the memory of Penny wash over him once more.

  From that day forward, she had always been his refuge. Whether she knew it or not.

  And now, more than ever before, he needed to have that back.

  The gates in front of him opened slowly, but he sped through—careful to avoid the toes of the crowd of paparazzi that was constantly perched just outside his property.

  With a deep breath of fresh air, Tommy once again let his bike guide him to his destiny.

  Chapter Two

  It had been another long day. She had, as she’d almost always done, been at the restaurant from open to close. That alone was enough to wear a person out—but add in the additional stress of having to deal with working alongside her ex and his current flame—and it made for an almost impossible day.

  Penny looked around, taking in her surroundings. She had worked hard to make The Seaside into everything it was. An older building, it possessed an air of history—one of it’s most endearing qualities, Penny thought. There were lots of windows, allowing the cool breeze from the ocean to mingle with the scents of the food. It was a comfortable atmosphere, suitable for both family nights and special occasions.

  It was everything she’d ever wanted it to be.

  Well, all except the part that half of it belonged to her husband.

  As if knowing she was thinking of him, the man appeared in the doorway.

  “I’m about to lock up,” he announced.

  “I can do it. I’m not quite finished up here.” She couldn’t even look at him.

  “This is the reason why our marriage failed, Pen.” She immediately tensed, gripping the pen tightly in her hand before she turned around in her stool.

  “Actually, Kevin,” she heard the anger in her voice. “The reason our marriage failed was your infidelity.”

  “You�
��ve always put this place first, Penelope. Our marriage was never a priority.” Her head was spinning. How could he even suggest such a thing? Especially considering the fact that she had done everything she could to try and make things work.

  “I hired Gina so that I could concentrate on our marriage! You were the one who decided to put work first then.” She remembered the many late nights he began putting in at the restaurant. How obvious it had all been. How oblivious she had been.

  “Too little, too late, Pen.”

  “Give me a break, Kevin. You were just waiting for your chance to walk out. Luckily for you, I provided it.” Sometimes, she wondered what her life would be like if she hadn’t hired Gina Myers on to manage the restaurant.

  “Luckily for me.” Penny couldn’t stand it—how self-righteous he was. Why did he have to be so smug? Why did he have to rub salt in the already-aching wound? What good did it do him?

  With tears in her eyes, she shoved passed him, stepping out into the cool night air. She breathed in deeply, letting the scent of the ocean wash over her as the sound of the waves lapping against the coast calmed her nerves.

  Kevin Gagnon was not the man she had thought he was.

  She remembered him best from high school. He had been a nice boy—somebody who looked forward to the future. He’d treated her well—always a gentleman. They had been a good match, everyone had said. They wanted the same things—a strong business, a happy family. A pleasant future.

  She’d thought they’d had something special.

  Now she could only wonder if she had been lying to herself.

  The memory of the night she’d caught the two of them flashed before her eyes. She’d taken the day off—a rarity for her, but she’d wanted to have a special night with her husband. She’d spent the day shopping for something sexy and stepping out of her comfort zone to be pampered. Penny was ready to start trying for a family—and she thought Kevin would be too.

  He had stayed late at work again—to make up for her absence, he’d said. But when it was nearly midnight and he still hadn’t come home—she’d gotten worried. She’d gone to look for him.

  And it was there in the parking lot—just across the way from where she stood now—that she’d seen them. Leaning against Gina’s car, wrapped intimately around one another. She remembered the pain she’d felt—the embarrassment. A fresh wave of tears stung her eyes now and she shook her head, willing the memory away.

  She thought it strange now, though, that it hadn’t been her most heartbreaking memory. No—in fact, it hadn’t even been close.

  The memory of Tommy Davidson jumping on his bike and taking off into the night fluttered across her memory. She remembered the sudden, terrifying ache that had flooded through her as she realized he was gone—not because he had left, but because she knew that she would never see him again. Her best friend—her other half. The only one who had ever really understood her.

  She remembered the tears that had overwhelmed her as she sunk to the ground and pulled her knees to her chest. She’d been almost completely debilitated by that moment.

  But the night she’d caught her husband in the arms of another woman, she’d been completely calm. Upset, yes. Hurt—of course. But completely functional. She had driven back to the house she’d shared with him, packed up a few of her belongings, and then she’d gone straight to Amy’s.

  Penny sighed, running her hand roughly through her hair. She sniffed quietly, pulling herself back together. Behind her, she heard the door open.

  “Make sure you don’t forget to lock up.”

  “Like I ever have?” Penny couldn’t help the harsh tone in her voice—the annoyance she couldn’t deny whenever she was around him.

  “Have a good night, Penelope.” She almost thought she heard a mocking tone in his words, but she couldn’t be quite certain.

  “You too, Kevin. Tell Gina I say hello.” If he was going to be childish, she felt she could afford a few jabs here and there.

  He said nothing more—and she remained exactly where she stood until she heard his car pull away, when she finally turned around and returned to the restaurant, knowing she could spend another couple of hours going over paperwork.

  What reason did she have to hurry home now?

  It had been a long drive—yet somehow, he’d managed to go undetected. He’d driven almost straight through, stopping only once for a few hours of sleep before jumping back on his bike and continuing on.

  The desire to find something familiar was undeniable. It fueled him, pushing him even through exhaustion.

  And when he’d passed by the “Welcome to Ravenside” sign, the fuel only burned brighter. He was so close—so near to his destination.

  That was when he actually stopped to think about what he was doing.

  What was his plan? Was he going to track Penelope Lang down and hope that, after ten years of silence, she’d be willing to even talk to him? What if he couldn’t find her? What if she’d left Ravenside?

  He’d stopped himself then, knowing that the small North Carolina town was her home. Penny would never leave her home—not for good, anyway.

  It was late by the time he arrived and he had no idea where to even begin. He racked his brain, trying to pull up any memory that might give him a clue.

  It was at that moment that he saw it.

  A small white building, just off the coast. The lighting was dim inside, but still visible through all of the windows. He saw a patio off to the side, for seaside dining he recalled. “Seaside dining at The Seaside,” she’d told him. It was her dream.

  Her dream—right there, right in front of him.

  And then he saw her. She was leaving the restaurant through the front door, locking it behind her. There weren’t any cars left in the parking lot and he realized that she would be walking. Tommy watched as she walked over to the railing of the dock and paused, staring out into the ocean. She reached up to her face, as if to brush away a tear—and he remembered the feel of her cheek beneath his thumb.

  He took his helmet off then, needing to really see her.

  It was almost as if he were breathing fresh air for the first time in a very long time—even just seeing her was refreshing.

  Tommy lifted himself from the bike and kicked the stand down, allowing it to remain in place. He took a step toward her, feeling his heart pounding erratically in his chest.

  Was it strange that he was taken back almost fifteen years in this moment? That catching even just the briefest glimpse of her captivated him in such a way he had only once experienced it before—and even then, with her?

  He hesitated for a moment, running through the possibilities. What would he say? How would he explain himself?

  Penny turned then, the light from the streetlamp casting down directly over her, illuminating her in the darkness.

  And much like she had done all those years ago, Penelope Lang took Tommy Davidson’s breath away.

  For a moment, Penelope thought she was hallucinating. She thought she had slipped back into her earlier fantasy, imagining the dark, handsome hero coming to her rescue.

  It was a recurring daydream, the players always the same. Kevin, the neglectful husband, and Tommy, the passionate protector.

  Reality, however, was so much more complicated.

  And so when she felt an odd tingling sensation raising the hairs on the back of her neck, Penny looked up—her eyes landing on a very familiar figure, dressed head to toe in black, leaning against the motorcycle he had no doubt ridden into town. She had to pinch herself in order to determine whether or not she should believe her eyes.

  She closed them tightly together and held them so for a long moment, only to find the same sight before her as a moment before.

  The moment she heard his cocky little chuckle, she knew.

  “It’s me, Penny.”

  “Tommy?” her voice was heavy with doubt.

  “It’s been a long time since anyone has called me that.” And before she could stop
herself, she was running forward, throwing her arms around his neck and breathing him in.

  For the briefest moment, she allowed herself to enjoy her reality.

  She felt him wrapping his arms around her and pulling her closer. Heard him breathe in the scent of her hair.

  It felt like coming home after a long, horrible day. A sense of relief. Of completion. Penny closed her eyes as they filled with tears—not of sadness, no. But of joy. And she sighed quietly, her heart pounding to life for what seemed like the first time in a decade.

  “This is exactly what I was hoping for.” She felt his breath against her ear.

  Of course, he had to ruin it by reminding her that this was not what he deserved. Penelope sighed as she slowly opened her eyes. The moment had passed—she could see it in Tommy’s eyes as well. The last ten years rushed over her, bringing with it a wave of emotion she found difficult to navigate.

  “You look great, Penny,” she stared at him, her eyes suddenly guarded, her mind rushing. “Won’t you say something?”

  It took her several long moments to speak. “What are you doing here?” It was the most neutral ‘something’ she could manage. Part of her wanted to lash out at him for waltzing back into her life after ten years of silence. Another part wanted to hear that cocky little chuckle again—see the arrogant grin she’d always loved to hate. And another part wanted to run away out of shame.

  It had been ten years, and what did she have to show for it? Especially in comparison to Tommy. Ten long years—Tommy had made a life.

  Penny had sacrificed one.

  No, she thought to herself. That wasn’t accurate. She loved The Seaside. It was her dream—her baby.

  “I came because…” Tommy breathed in a haggard sounding breath, running his hand through his already-messy hair. She could tell that he didn’t know how to reply, and it took him several moments to compose his response. “I needed to get away.”

  “So you chose Ravenside, of all places?” she crossed her arms over her chest so that she would be less tempted to pull him into another embrace. The instinct was just so natural. Having him here, right in front of her, brought it all back.