That girl can push my buttons quicker than anyone. My body trembles as even more anger courses through my veins. "Well, if you weren't too busy flirtin' with the customers, maybe you would have gotten your work done." She worries her bottom lip between her teeth, and I can't tear my eyes away from her pretty little mouth. "I'm here for the list. You wanted me to get groceries. I need the list. I don't have all day to wait around for you to do somethin' you were supposed to do hours ago!" I'm yellin' at her over somethin' trivial, but I can't seem to control myself around Penny. I'm either runnin' hot or within the deepest depths of Hades with her. There's no median, and I don't know why. I'm just so damn angry that she's givin' this asshole the time of day, but she won't even let me talk to her about me screwin' up. I need to apologize, but how can I when she won't even hear me out?
Penny storms into the kitchen, and I stand at the end of the bar, waitin'.
"You don't deserve her," Tucker mutters under his breath, but loud enough for me to hear.
I take a few steps towards him. He stands, our chests only a few inches apart. I clench my hands into fists, but keep them at my sides. "You got a problem with me, Tucker?"
"Yeah. Yeah, I do actually."
Tucker's a few inches shorter than me and doesn't have the kind of muscle mass I do, but I give him credit for not backin' down. He stands tall, not flinchin', his eyes borin' into mine. "You wanna say something? Say it," I spit out.
"You probably already know Penny's leaving with me at the end of the summer. But what you don't know is I plan on proposing to her shortly after that. I'm going to marry that girl. Because I deserve her."
His words slice through me like a knife in my chest, twistin' until it's hard for me to breathe.
He continues, "I just want you to know that I will make her happy. I will cherish Penny, and I will give her the life she deserves."
"And why the fuck are you tellin' me this?" I ask.
"Because the only thing that is stopping her from leaving is you." His finger pokes me in the chest, and I have the sudden urge to break it off. He withdraws his hand as the waves of anger roll off of me. "She is having second thoughts about leaving because of you. And I don't want to risk the chance that she'll come running back here shortly after we're in New York. You need to let her go, Colt. Let her be happy. I love Penny. I have always loved her. And her future should be with someone who loves her as much as I do." He throws his hands up in frustration. "You don't even remember her, Colt, but yet you let her hang around, letting her make a fool of herself. She can't see it, but I do. In fact, everyone sees it….except for you, of course."
"Why don't you let Penny decide what she wants?"
"Why don't you?" He lets out an exasperated sigh. "Don't you see what you're doing, Colt? You can't have the best of both worlds. You either love her or you let her go. And I'm asking you to let her go since you obviously don't love her anymore. She just needs a little push in the right direction, because I know she feels guilty as hell for not coming back sooner. But as soon as you cut her loose of this hold you have over her, she'll be free to make a decision." He hesitates. "And I know she will choose me."
I clench my fists in anger. Who knew Tucker would have the balls to say all of this to my face? I close my eyes as I try to reel in my frustration. His words replay in my mind over and over, and slowly my anger extinguishes and is replaced by sadness. "You're right," I say. Tucker's eyes widen. He probably expected me to yell back, maybe hit him. I don't know. But I can't do any of those things, because what he said is true. "I don't deserve her."
"So you'll stay away from her?"
The thought of stayin' away from Penny makes my chest hurt. And the thought of her leavin' New York and marryin' Tucker makes my head pound with a ferocious headache. A quick burst of panic surges through me, and I have no idea why. It's in that moment that I realize that I can't let her go. I won't. "No. You have until the end of the summer to convince her to go with you. Penny will decide what she wants. And if she wants me, well, then you're just shit outta luck, bud."
"You have a girlfriend," he spits out.
"Why does everyone keep sayin' that?" I ask, exasperated.
"Because you do!" Tucker exclaims. "You've been with Ruby Sue for three years, Colt." His face contorts with anger. "Or is she just another one of the girls that you like to string along and fuck with no hope of a future with you?"
His words slam through me, and I raise my fist to slam through him.
Penny rushes out into the room and latches onto my arm before I can connect with Tucker's face. I use my free hand to shove Tucker away from me. I'm tired of his shit. He stumbles, but keeps his balance.
"What are you two fighting about?" Penny yells, steppin' in between us. Her head turns back and forth to look at each of us with a raised brow, waiting for an answer to her question. "Well?"
"It's not important," I say through gritted teeth.
Tucker's eyes narrow into slits as he glares at me. "Not important, huh? I guess we'll see what choice is made then. I think we both know who it's gonna be."
Penny's head whips around to me. "What? What choice?"
I shake my head, silently askin' her to just drop it. "Don't you have a job to do, or do I pay you to just stand around all day?" I snap. The moment the words are out of my mouth, I regret them.
Penny's face falls. She slaps the grocery list against my chest. "You don't have to be such an asshole all the time, Colt," she hisses as she brushes past me and walks away.
Tucker's lips turn up into a wide smile. "Oh, yeah. I think we both know who she's going to choose." He claps me hard on the shoulder before sittin' back down in his seat.
My hands tremble with anger. I want to scream. I want to punch somethin'. But moreover, I have an overwhelmin' sense of dread. Penny could be walkin' out of my life forever in the matter of several weeks. And the way I feel about that fact scares me, because I don't want her to leave. I didn't realize it before, but that empty spot I had inside of me for so long after the accident was suddenly filled when she came back into town. And if she leaves again, that spot will be empty once more. She's the only one who can make me feel whole. I can't let her leave.
Tucker wants me to push Penny right into his open arms. Well, that's not gonna happen. Ever. And if that means competin' with Tucker Hayward to win her heart, then so be it.
Let the best man win.
CHAPTER 22
PENNY
IT'S SATURDAY NIGHT, and Buddy decided to close the bar early. There's a country dance on the outskirts of town, and Shelby Rae and I decided to double date with Tucker and Buddy. I'm looking forward to a night out. The past week with Colt has been terrible. He's so up and down that I'm having a hard time keeping up with his mood swings. It doesn't help that I'm having second thoughts about New York. I have voiced my concerns with Tucker, but he assures me that I'm just getting cold feet and that once I'm in New York those feelings will go away. I'm not so sure about that. But the more erratic Colton acts, the easier it is for me to think that New York is where I need to be.
Shelby Rae comes over two hours before the dance is to start. She's rifling through my closet looking for a suitable dress for me to wear while I sit on the bed, moping with a glass of wine in my hand. My third glass of wine.
"You have nothin' country in here," she says with a huff. She pulls a pantsuit out with a look of disgust on her face. "You couldn't pay me to live in New York. I would miss the country too damn much." Shelby Rae puts the pantsuit back in the closet and sits down on the other side of the bed. She picks up her own glass of wine and takes a sip, grimacing at the taste. "You don't have any beer?" she asks. When I shake my head, she says, "Fancy wine, fancy clothes, fancy purses. You turned into a city girl."
"A city girl?"
She nods her head emphatically. "Uh-huh. You even lost your twang."
"My twang?" I ask, confused.
"Yep. Your twang is almost all gone. I remember when you had so much
twang I could barely understand the words that were comin' out of your mouth."
I chuckle. "Sure. Like you didn't have as much twang as I did."
Shelby Rae and I were attached at the hip growing up. When I wasn't with Colton, I was with Shelby Rae and vice versa. She was the best friend I ever had, and I regret that we lost so much time together over the years. At least we're making up for lost time now.
"You're lucky I brought a few extra outfits," she says, hauling a heavy bag up onto the bed. She shuffles around for a while before her hands suddenly stop and her breath hitches in the back of her throat. "Oh," she gasps. "I didn't know I brought this one." She pulls out a beautiful dress and crushes it to her chest. Tears instantly fill her eyes. "I wore this to Matt's viewing," she whispers, her voice breaking.
"Oh, Shelby Rae." I pull her to me, holding her as she cries in my arms.
After a while, she pulls away and composes herself. She picks up her glass of wine and takes a long sip before wiping away any stray tears with her free hand. "You know, when Matt died in the fire, I felt like a piece of me died that day too," she says solemnly. She stares into her glass of wine as if she'll find the answers in the dark, red liquid. "But I couldn't fall apart. I had our baby girl to think about. Matt wouldn't have wanted me to fall apart anyway. He would have wanted me to be strong…and so here I am," she says with a sad smile.
I lean over and place a supportive hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry I wasn't there for you. I screwed up a lot in my life by leaving for New York."
Shelby Rae pats my hand with hers and looks at me. "You're here now, aren't you? That's all that matters." She sets down her wine glass and stands up. "All right. Enough mopin' around and talkin' about stuff that we can't change." With a big grin on her face, she says, "Let's bring out that country girl inside of you that I know is just waitin' to break out."
* * * * *
IT'S ALMOST TIME for the guys to pick us up, and Shelby Rae pulls me in front of a mirror to take a look at my finished look. She just finished up with my makeup and hair, and I'm still coughing from the exorbitant amount of hairspray she used. I'm afraid to open my eyes, thinking my hair is going to resemble the Bride of Frankenstein's do, but I'm pleasantly surprised by my reflection. My hair is in a cute and curly updo with little tendrils framing my face. She went light with my makeup, making my gray eyes burst with pink, glittery eye shadow and pairing it with a peach blush and pale pink lip gloss.
My eyes venture further down the mirror, and I turn from side to side admiring my outfit. Shelby Rae's dress looks great on me and fits perfectly. It's white with a flirty skirt and modest neckline, and I'm totally rocking her pink and brown cowgirl boots.
I'm putting on a necklace and some bracelets when Shelby Rae comes up behind me, whistling low. "Damn, girl! Tucker's gonna be hornier than a two-peckered billy goat when he sees you."
Laughing, I turn to look at her. "You have a way with words, Shelby Rae." I reach out and hug her, pulling her close. I realize how much I'm going to miss my friend just as we were starting to build our friendship back up to where it used to be. Pulling back from her, I tell her, "I'm gonna miss your sassy mouth when I leave."
The big grin on her face slips a little at my words. "If you don't leave, you won't have to miss me."
I smile sadly at her. I want to tell her the truth --- that I'm having second thoughts, that I secretly don't want to leave and that I think I might be making a big mistake if I go. But before I can say anything else, a horn honks from the parking lot.
Shelby Rae rolls her eyes. "Buddy has no damn manners. Doesn't he know you're supposed to come to the door and pick up your date?" Shaking her head, she grabs her purse and says, "Ready, city girl?"
I grab my purse and nod. "Ready."
Buddy is leaning by the hood of Tucker's Escalade, and Tucker is anxiously waiting by the open passenger door. He glances at me and then Shelby Rae, who has a pissed off look on her face, and then back to me. Tucker's lips lift into a lop-sided grin as he says, "Uh, sorry. I wanted to come up and knock, but ---."
Shelby Rae puts her hand up to stop him. "Well, at least one of you has manners," she says, pointedly glaring at Buddy.
Buddy just shrugs and opens the door on the other side for her. "You look beautiful, Shelby Rae," he says sincerely.
She sits down in the backseat and huffs, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "Well, that's a start on how to treat your date right."
With a grin on his face, Buddy comes around the other side and climbs into the back with her. Tucker and I get into the SUV as well, and then he pulls out of the parking lot towards our destination.
The conference center is a big building located on the outskirts of Willowbrook. The whole town seems to be here, and we have trouble finding a parking space even remotely close to the entrance. After Tucker manages to find a vacant spot near the back of the lot, we all step out of the Escalade. The sound of country music surrounds us as we grow closer. The conference center is decorated with millions of twinkling little lights, and it's practically glowing as we walk in.
There's a large dance floor in the middle of the big, open room with long tables set up on either side. A DJ is setup towards the back with food and drinks galore scattered throughout.
"Wow," Shelby Rae gasps. "This is way better than the barn dances you and I used to sneak off to," she whispers in my ear.
Smiling, I nod.
Tucker is by my side then, holding out his arm. I place my hand in the crook of his elbow, and he guides me to the right where the tables are mostly empty. When I take a seat, I notice that Buddy and Shelby Rae haven't followed us. My eyes scan the tables on the left side, and that's when I see him. Colton.
And sitting next to him…well, practically in his lap…is Ruby Sue.
My stomach instantly drops at seeing the two of them together. Buddy and Shelby are standing at their table. Shelby nervously glances to me, and I just wave my hand, letting her know it's fine if they don't sit with us right now. We're all going to be on the dance floor most of the night anyway.
Colton catches Shelby's gaze, and then his eyes land on me. We share an unspoken connection for a few seconds before I finally tear my gaze away. When I glance back, Colton's glaring at Tucker. He looks disconcerted, angry even, but I decide that I don't care.
"Would you like something to drink?" I ask Tucker, standing. I can't sit still for another minute.
"Shouldn't I be asking you that?"
I grin. "Probably." He stands and I take his hand. "Let's go together."
"Sounds like a plan." He gives my hand a light squeeze before leading us toward the back of the room.
Tucker opts for a beer and I go for a sparkling wine. We enjoy some small talk as we sip our drinks and mingle with some fellow partygoers. Tucker is quickly the center of attention in the group, and I know it's because he's so charming and magnetic. How could you not be drawn to someone like him? He's got the looks and the personality combined.
But he's not Colton, that little nagging voice in the back of my head says.
"Actually Penny's going to be my campaign manager," I hear him telling someone.
That sick feeling in the pit of my stomach hits me full force. I know I told him I would go to New York, but he also knows I'm having some doubts. I don't want to disappoint Tucker, but this is my life we're talking about. I want what's best for me. And right now I just can't decide. I thought I was ready to move on, to give up on Colton. But now I'm not so sure.
I just smile politely at Tucker and keep my mouth shut. My mama always did say that it's better to keep your mouth shut than hurt someone's feelings. And that's exactly what I'm going to do. For now anyway.
Luke Bryan's Country Girl blasts through the speakers, and I can hear Shelby scream my name from the opposite side of the room. My eyes widen as she rushes over to me, grabs my hand and practically drags me onto the dance floor. I glance back at Tucker, but he just gives me a small shrug and a grin.
"Oh, yes!" she says with the biggest grin on her face.
Luke Bryan begins to sing, and everyone starts to move…well, except for me, of course, because I don't know the dance that everybody in the room seems to be familiar with. Shelby's words from earlier come rushing to the forefront of my mind. I am a city girl.
I stare at Shelby's feet and try to mimic her movements to no avail. Then I'm pretty much just trying to get out of the way of everyone's boots stomping my way.
"Heel, toe, heel, clap," I hear a familiar voice beside me say.
I glance up to see Colton staring at me, and he's…dancing. Again, I am in awe that he somehow learned how to be an awesome dancer while I was gone. I listen to his soft instructions as he goes through the steps with me, and I feel like I'm finally starting to get it by the middle of the song. I watch his feet and listen to his deep timbre as he tells me where I need to put my feet next.
He chuckles softly when I mess up, but he continues to help me. "You're gettin' it, Penny," he encourages.
I don't know if I'm more mesmerized by his dance moves or the fact that he's so close to me. I suddenly feel hot, and I don't think it's all because of dancing. My body is attuned to his, and I will always feel a magnetic pull towards him. But I can't allow myself to think like that anymore. Instead, I force myself to concentrate on the dance. Towards the end of the song, I'm barely watching Colton, having picked up the repetitive moves on my own.
Colton leans over and whispers in my ear, "There you go. Now you're gettin' the hang of it, country girl."
As the song ends, instead of turning to the left, I turn to the right and bump right into Colton. He catches me in his arms, and we both laugh at my clumsiness. "I guess I'm not that great of a teacher," he remarks.
Remember Me Always: A Contemporary Romance Page 23
