Remember Me Always: A Contemporary Romance (4 page)

Turning, I walk back to my car and sit in silence for a while before finally starting the engine and heading home.

*  *  *  *  *

COLTON

I CAN HEAR my mom and dad talkin' in the kitchen as Penny and I race outside and down the front steps.

"Don't get in the pool without changin' into your swimsuits!" my mom calls after us.

Penny beats me to the small blow-up pool in the backyard that took us almost two hours to get filled with the air from our lungs.

"Beat ya!" Penny calls out, pumpin' her hands in the air in victory.

Penny is a girl, but she acts just like a boy.  I guess that's why I like her so much.  Everyone in our class always calls her a tomboy, and some of the boys at school used to make fun of her.  I say used to, because I beat up enough boys in town that they know better than to make fun of my best friend now.

I pick up the hose that is currently fillin' up the small pool.  "Hey, Penny!" I call.

She stops dancin' around and turns to look at me.  And that's when I spray her in the face with water.

"Colton James!" she screams as she tries to duck away from my relentless sprayin'.

I chase her around the yard, completely dousin' her with water.  She's beggin' me to stop, but I continue to spray her, laughin' as she tries to block the strong stream of water with her hands.

"Colton James, stop!" she cries out, holdin' her hands up in surrender.

I lower the hose and stare at her.  Her long blonde hair fell out of its signature ponytail and is now plastered to her back.  She's soaked from head to toe, but she still looks pretty.  Pretty?  Since when do I think of my best friend as pretty?  Shakin' the thought from my head, I tell her, "My mom only calls me Colton James when I'm in trouble."

She flashes me a sly grin and steps closer to me.  Her breath tickles the shell of my ear as she whispers, "You are trouble, Colton James."

My breath quickens from her closeness.  I've only ever thought of Penny as a friend, but now I think I might want her for my girlfriend.  Before I can ask if she wants to be my girl, she grabs the hose from my hands and sprays me right in the face.  I sputter in the water as she giggles hysterically.  I hold my arms up, blockin' the water and stalk over to her.  I'm bigger than she is, so it's no feat when I grab the hose from her and throw it to the ground.  She has time to gasp before I scoop her up in my arms and carry her over to the pool.  She screams and giggles and tries to resist.  And then I throw her in.  She splashes in the water for a few seconds before standin' up, lookin' madder than a hornet in an old Coke can.

I stare at her long blonde hair stickin' to her face and her beautiful gray eyes peeking out behind thick strands, and I can't help but grin.  It's in that moment that I realize I love Penny Preston.

"I'm tellin' your mama!" she yells before climbin' out of the pool.

I laugh as she storms off to the house to tell on me.  Yeah.  I've loved my best friend for a long time.  I just didn't know it before then.

Penny.

Penny.

I wake up in a cold sweat.  The name
Penny
rushes out of my mouth in a hushed whisper.  My ragged breaths and poundin' heart are the only sounds in my quiet bedroom.  My chest heaves as I try to catch my breath.

I scrub a hand down my damp face and breathe in and out deeply, tryin' to calm my erratic heart.  "Fuck," I sigh out loud.

Even though the dream is quickly fadin', I know it was about Penny.  And it wasn't just a dream.  It was a memory.  I don't have dreams like that very often, but they always trouble me.  Ever since the accident, my memories only come to me now and then; and I always feel emotionally drained after I get a piece of my missin' past back.

And with the newfound memories comes the heartache at how much I have lost.  I don't want to remember.  It's too painful.  So I push the dream to the back of my mind, refusin' to acknowledge any of the details.

I don't know why Penny is back in town, but I am more determined than ever to stay away from her.

CHAPTER 2

PENNY

THE NEXT NIGHT I'm in Crawford's bar practically stalking Colton.  Okay.  Maybe not
practically
.

It's only been twenty-four hours since my world, as I had come to know it, turned on its axis.  Colton James is different and definitely not the same person I remember him being, but that doesn't change the fact that I love him.  I love him more than anything.  Time did nothing to change that fact.

I'm still trying to grasp the fact that to Colton I am a stranger, someone who came into town and into his life just a day ago.  He doesn't know me, and he has no idea I'm still in love with him.  I can't help but be depressed by all of this.  But I refuse to give up.  I never was a quitter, and I won't start now.  If there's anything left to salvage between the two of us, I'm going to find it and hold onto it for dear life.  I want Colt back.  More than anything.

Colton noticed me when I came into the bar, but he's been keeping his distance, allowing Buddy to fill all of my drink orders.  Out of the corner of my eye, I watch Colton surreptitiously from a stool at the end of the bar as he takes orders, pours drinks and handles money.  He's wearing a pair of light blue deconstructed jeans and a fitted black shirt that says
Crawford's Bar
across the chest.  His dark hair falls into his eyes once in a while, and I sigh every time he shakes his head.  It's short on the sides and longer on top, a style that he never wore when I knew him way back when, but he wears it well now. 
So well.

I watch the fabric of his t-shirt strain against his biceps, and my mouth suddenly goes dry.  I take a long swig of my rum and coke, almost draining the glass; but it does nothing to help with my thirst.

I remember Colton being handsome, but now he's just incredibly hot.  He has the perfect amount of dark stubble on his strong jaw, and it's taking everything in me not to stare at him for more than a few seconds at a time.  I don't want him thinking I'm crazy…even though I'm starting to doubt my sanity at this point.

Forcing myself to look away from Colt for the millionth time tonight, I finish my mixed drink while glancing around the room.  The bar isn't crowded, once again, and I decide to ask Buddy about it when he approaches me for a refill of my rum and coke.

"It's Saturday night.  What gives?" I ask, looking around the mostly empty room.

Buddy shrugs.  "Ain't been the same since Colt's dad died.  William always knew how to draw a crowd in.  And then once our cook quit after Colt and I took over runnin' the place, things really started slowin' down."

"You and Colt own the bar now?" I ask, surprised.

Buddy nods.  "Yep.  Partners," he remarks.  He finishes making my drink and sets it down in front of me.  I give him money, and he turns away to put it in the cash register.  Then he returns a few seconds later with my change.

"Keep it," I tell him.

"Thanks, Penny," he says before plopping the dollars into the tip jar.

"Where's Shirley at?" I ask out of curiosity.  Shirley was the bartender here for years.  She was old, but the best waitress and bartender I've ever seen.

"She moved to Tennessee to be closer to her grandkids.  We haven't been able to find anyone to take her place since she left a few months ago."  He sighs and runs a hand through his hair.  "It's been rough keepin' this place above water, but we're managin'.  For now," he mutters.

Then he turns to wait on another person, and I sit and let his words sink in.  If the bar goes under, I wonder what Colton would do.  He would probably lose everything he inherited.  I can't let that happen.  I
won't
let that happen.

With a smile on my face and a newfound purpose on my mind, I sip my drink and think about how I can help keep the bar afloat all while bringing Colton and me closer together.

*  *  *  *  *

"SO, PENNY, HOW was your internship with the State Assembly?" Dad asks during Sunday supper.

I cough, choking on the piece of broccoli sliding down my throat.  I hurry up and gulp down my glass of water to swallow it down.  Wincing, I clear my throat before answering him.  "Um, it…went well," I lie.

Mama eyes me over the centerpiece from across the table.  "Oh, really?  Because your father called Larry the other day about any positions opening up.  So, would it surprise you to learn that Larry informed us you never completed your internship?  That you dropped out after only a few months and told them that you were going to enroll in culinary arts school?"

I can hear the disappointment laced in her voice, and I hang my head.  "I…I did go to culinary arts school, and I got a certification in baking and pastry arts."

"Baking and pastry arts?" my mother asks in disgust.  She takes a sip of her wine and shakes her head.  "Since when do you like to bake?"

"I've always loved cooking and baking.  Colton's mom loved showing me how to ---."

She doesn't let me finish.  Bringing up Colton's mother always was a sore subject between my mama and me.  "Penelope, Political Science was your major in
college
," she says, emphasizing the word college as if culinary arts school isn't good enough.  I know it isn't good enough for her, but it was my dream.  My mother sets down her wine glass.  "What about your future plans?  The internship was going to solidify your spot to work for almost any senator or representative and eventually congress.  You threw everything down the drain so you could learn how to
bake
?"

My mother has always been overbearing, telling me what I should and what I will do with my life.  She is also the main reason why it was so hard for Colton and I to be together.  She was always fighting tooth and nail to keep us apart.  Mama always looked at Colton like he came from the wrong side of the tracks even though his family practically lived next door.  Granted, there is a lake and a few acres that separate us, but still…Colton and I were meant to be, but she could never see that.  She never wanted that kind of small town life for me.  She wanted me to accomplish everything that she never did and never could.  And instead of living my own dream, I've been living hers.

"I wanted to try something different," I say in a small voice.  I cringe at how weak I sound.  "I wanted to be sure I wasn't making a mistake."

"And now that you've tested the waters, so to speak, I have great news for you."  My mother wipes her mouth with a bright blue linen napkin.  A wide smile appears on her face as she tells me, "Your father convinced Larry to give you another shot at the internship program.  Starting fall semester, you can go back to New York and pick up right where you left off."

I stare at her, flabbergasted.  I just got home, and she's already planning for to ship me off back to New York in just a few months and back to something I already decided I didn't want to do.  Anger has me curling my fists on the table.  "I'm not going back to New York," I say as sternly as I can, standing my ground.

My mother stands quickly and glares at me.  "Penelope, you
will
be going back to New York, and you
will
enroll in that internship that your father so tirelessly managed to get you another chance for!  You do not have a choice in the matter!" she yells before banging her palm down on the expensive oak table.

My mouth falls agape.  I've never heard my mother raise her voice before.  Maybe everyone has changed since I left.  And that's the real root of the problem.  I left.  Well, I'm not leaving again.  Not now.  Not ever.  Not at least until I can make damn sure that everything is over between Colton and me and there's no chance of resurrecting our relationship.  I cringe at the thought of having nothing between us anymore, but I try not to dwell on it.  I'm going to fight my hardest to be with him whether he likes it or not, because I know deep down somewhere the boy that I loved is still there.  And I will never give up on that boy. 
Never.

I stand and stare at both of my parents.  "I'm not going back," I say, more firmly this time.  "I'm staying."

My mother's eyes turn to my father, shooting daggers in his direction.  He clears his throat and shifts uneasily in his chair.  "Penny, we're willing to pay rent for an apartment in New York, but if you stay…"  His voice trails off, and his eyes drop to the table.

"If I stay, then what?  What are you going to do, Daddy?  Cut me off?" I ask sarcastically.

"Penny, we don't want to, but ---."  He clams up at the glare from my mother.

"Yes, we will cut you off financially," my mother confirms.  "If you stay," she adds.

"Fine.  You think I can't make it on my own?  You're wrong.  I'm stronger than you think I am, Mama.  And you're not gonna push me anymore into doing something I don't want to do."  I stand tall and proud.  "I love Colton, and I'm going to help him through this, because I know that's what he would do for me if things were reversed."

"Don't ruin your life over a boy, Penny.  Think about what you're doing to your future!" my mother yells after me as I amble up the stairs.

I turn around once I reach the top.  "For the first time in my life, Mama, I am thinking about
my
future."  Then I retreat to my room to pack my things.

After gathering everything from my room that I can carry, I stuff my suitcases and bags into my car and take off down the road.  I have no idea what I'm going to do.  I'm practically homeless and penniless.  I have a few hundred dollars in my savings account, but that won't get me by for very long.  I blew all of my savings on culinary school, but I don't regret it.  It's the one decision that I don't regret in my life.

I guess I never realized how much I was depending on my parents while I was going to school.  They gave me money whenever I needed it, and I was plain old spoiled.  I just didn't realize how spoiled until now.

I drive in circles until I find myself outside of Crawford's Bar.  "Great," I mutter to myself.  Even my subconscious keeps drawing me back to Colt.  I think back to my conversation with Buddy last night.  They need a cook and a bartender.  Shirley left a few months back, and she had lived upstairs in the small apartment above the bar.  It might still be empty.  "An apartment and a job.  Two birds with one stone," I whisper.

With as much courage as I can muster, I get out of the car, straighten my dress and walk into the bar with my head held high.  The place is busy, and Colton is nowhere to be seen.  I breathe a sigh of relief.

Buddy is behind the counter desperately trying to fill a drink order with one hand while grasping a wad full of cash in the other.  I duck under the pass-through of the counter and start taking orders like I own the place.  Buddy glances over at me, but doesn't say a word.  We work together over the next hour or so filling orders, taking money, pouring shots and putting small bills into the tip jar.  A lot of people I recognize from high school leave me pretty big tips, and I notice how wide Buddy's eyes get when the jar starts to overflow with bills.

After the rush is over, Buddy walks over to me.  "What're you doin' here, Penny?"

I'm elbow deep in a big sink of suds washing glasses when I stop and look up at him.  "I need a job, Buddy."

"You're jokin', right?" he scoffs.

"I'm not," I say before taking my hands out of the dishwater and drying them on a nearby towel.  I decide to lay it all out there.  Buddy was always there for me when we were younger.  I just hope I can still count on him now.  "My parents practically disowned me.  I need money."

"They disowned you?" he asks in surprise.  Then he grows very serious as he asks, "Why?"

"Because I won't go back to New York."  I bite my lower lip before confessing, "Because I want to stay here and help Colton."

Buddy scrubs a hand down his face.  "Damn it, Penny.  I think Colton's been pretty clear on what he wants from you.  And that's
nothing
."

I nod solemnly.  "I know.  But I don't care.  I'm not leaving him again.  I know the boy I love is still in there, Buddy."

He tilts his head to the side, studies me a while, and then says, "Colt's not gonna be happy about this, but…all right.  You got yourself a job."

I smile and jump into Buddy's arms, hugging him fiercely.  "Thank you."

He hugs me back for a brief second before pulling away with a chuckle.  "Okay.  So if they disowned you, where you stayin'?"

My eyes roll to the ceiling, indicating the apartment upstairs, and my smile widens.

Buddy groans.  "Oh, man.  Colt's really gonna kill me."

*  *  *  *  *

THE APARTMENT IS small, but cozy.  I take a quick tour through the bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and living room.  It's fully furnished with hand-me-down furniture that has seen better days…back in the '70s…but it's more than what I had just five minutes ago, so I can't really complain.  Beggars can't be choosers, after all.  And if I decide to stay longer in Alabama longer than a few months, I can update everything as I go along.