Playing at Forever

chapter Eleven



Tommy woke up to the sound of Penny yelling at him. His head ached, but it wasn’t the worst hangover he’d ever experienced.

Except for the yelling.

“What are you talking about?” He asked, opening his eyes and looking around.

He noticed two things right off the bat. First, he was shirtless. Second, he was not in his bedroom.

He immediately tried to recover any memory he might have of the night before.

“Look at your hand, Tommy.” Had he gotten a crazy tattoo or something? That was easy enough to take care of. “No, your left hand.”

Oh. That.

He stared at the ring for a very long moment, his mind, for once, utterly and completely blank. “What happened?” She asked him—even though he thought that much was obvious.

“If we went through with it, there has to be a certificate somewhere.” Penny held a frame in the air.

Well, that…wasn’t what he’d had planned for last night.

He struggled with his memory, trying to bring any of it back. They’d left Chaste with the idea of going back to the hotel—but they’d made several stops along the way. He remembered Penny requesting a yard-long daiquiri, and so they’d stopped for that.

He remembered passing by a wedding chapel.

He remembered Penny suddenly growing sad. Something about not being married anymore.

Vaguely, he recalled giving the driver the order to take them to wherever it was they needed to go in order to get a marriage license.

“I want to make you happy, Pen.”

“We didn’t…?” Tommy asked suddenly, trying to bring back any fragment he might have retained of their apparent wedding night.

“I don’t think so.”

“Oh, good.” He realized how his tone might have sounded to Penny and he looked up quickly. “No—I just mean—that’s something I’d hope at least one of us would find memorable.”

He felt like a jerk.

“I need coffee.” Penny announced, leaving the room abruptly. A few minutes later, the scent of very strong coffee was filling the room.

What now? He asked himself.

It was the very same question Penny asked when he finally met her in the living area.

“I don’t know.” He answered, pouring himself a cup of coffee. “I mean, maybe we can make it disappear before anyone finds out.” There was a very slim chance of that happening, though.

And as if to prove his point, Tommy heard his phone ringing. He dug it out of his pocket, trying to decide whether or not he should take Graham’s call.

“You and I both know that isn’t going to happen. There’re probably already copies of the license floating around the internet.”

“Then I don’t know, Penny.” He ran his fingers through his hair, his head pounding even harder now than it had been upon first waking up. His phone rang again and he knew without even looking that it was Graham. “What do you want me to do?”

“I want you to fix it!” She cried, her eyes pleading with him. “I want you to take it all back.”

“Right, because I’m an expert at time-travel, aren’t I?” He shook his head. “You’re equally as responsible for this as I am. Hey, you might even be more responsible. As I seem to recall, you were the one who brought it up.”

“Oh, don’t flatter yourself, Tommy. You are, without a doubt, the last person I would want to spend the rest of my life with.”

Her words stung. Tommy sat there, a million cruel words ripping through his mind like a tornado. But he said none of them. “I have to get out of here.”

“That’s probably a good idea.” He told her.

She disappeared behind her bedroom door, emerging several moments later and leaving without so much as a single word in his direction. Tommy stared down at the empty mug in his hand, the urge to throw it almost too much to deny.

His phone rang again and, this time, Tommy left it on the countertop, walking toward Penny’s bedroom. The blankets were slightly ruffled up, a few shoes scattered along the floor.

It wasn’t such a mess.

Not like his life was, anyway.

The framed copy of their marriage license sat on the desk and he picked it up, staring down at their names. Penelope Davidson, she had signed it. It didn’t even look all that sloppy.

How could this have happened?

Something caught his attention on the floor and he set the frame down, bending over to pick up the DVD case. He stared at the cover, vague images of the chapel crossing his mind.

He was already walking to the living area and putting the DVD into the player before he was even aware he wanted to watch it. He fast-forwarded until he came to the menu, finding three options waiting for him. ‘Why are we getting married?’, ‘The ceremony.’, and ‘Our promise to each other.’.

He selected the first option, he and Penny immediately filling the screen. They looked happy, both of them smiling their brightest possible smile.

“Do you want to go first, or should I?” Penny was asking him. She giggled, nodding her head. “Okay, I’ll go first. I am marrying you, Tommy Davidson, because you are the only boy who has ever made me feel like I’m beautiful. And because it was so hard for you to promise that you wouldn’t leave me again. And because…” He watched as she shifted her gaze to the floor. “Because I missed you.”

“I missed you too,” he told her, touching his lips to her hand. “So now it’s my turn?” Tommy was afraid of what he might have said. He was afraid to even watch it.

“I am marrying you, Penny Lane, because you are the only girl I have ever really loved. And because, from the moment I saw you, I knew that I would never find someone better.”

The video faded out with Tommy staring down at Penny while she grinned happily.

The ceremony was exactly what he had expected—quick and painless. It ended with a kiss and Tommy announcing that he was officially the happiest he had ever been.

He groaned now, shaking his head.

The last section was short and sweet, much like the first.

“I promise to tell you the truth, from now until forever.” She told him.

“And I promise to do everything in my power to make you happy.”

Well, what a bang-up job he’d done so far.

He turned the power off and ejected the DVD, deciding he would hide it away forever.

He could never let anyone see it, least of all Penny.

If it hadn’t already been released, that was.

He sighed, shoving the DVD in his bag.

He would lock it away, just like he was going to try to do with his feelings.

It was for the best for everyone, he thought.

But first, he wanted a chance to make it up to her. He wanted a chance to enjoy the dream, because he knew that it wouldn’t be long now before it all came crashing down around him.



It had been several hours since she had left the room and Tommy had gone through a great deal, trying to arrange a special evening for the two of them.

He was just about to go in search of her—although he would have no idea where to begin—when he heard the door open and close, followed quickly by her bedroom door doing the same.

After a few minutes, he rose to his feet and crossed the room so that he could press his ear to her door. He heard the shower running and allowed himself to hope that—maybe—she had calmed down by now.

His hopes were dashed the moment she emerged from the bedroom several minutes later, doing everything she could to avoid him.

“Penny,” he appealed to her as she opened the small refrigerator. She appeared to be looking for something, but he couldn’t think of what—there was nothing in there except a few remaining bottles of alcohol, and he was certain she wouldn’t be touching those. “Penny, you can’t stay mad at me forever.”

“No, but I can stay mad at you until you apologize.”

“What do you want me to apologize for?”

“You were blaming me for all of this.”

“You were blaming me.” He sighed, reaching out to take her hand as he gave in. “Look, Pen, I’m sorry. I’m sorry for whatever I may have said or done that hurt you. And I’m sorry that I handled things badly this morning. But this was all a surprise to me, too.”

“I know it was. And I’m sorry too. I shouldn’t have been so angry with you.” She sighed, walking around him to sit down on a chair near the desk. “Have you spoken with Graham?” Tommy shook his head. No, that was a call he was going to put off for as long as he possibly could. “I’ve been avoiding calls all day too.”

“I saw something about a shot-gun wedding on the news earlier. So it’s safe to assume they all know.”

“How do we play this out?” He had spent a good deal of time thinking about that very question throughout the day.

“That depends on you, Pen. We have a few options.” He turned a chair backward so that he could rest his head on the back of it as he sat there.

“What are they?”

“We can ride it out. Pretend—” His voice caught in his throat. There was that word again. “We can pretend that we’re actually giving it a try. That this was something, while spur of the moment, that we planned.”

“Or?”

“Or we can have it annulled. We can go our separate ways and move on with our lives.”

“And if we go the first route? How long?” Tommy shrugged.

“It’s all up to you.” Penny nodded, covering her face with her hands for a moment. “Hey, you don’t have to make a decision right this minute. In fact, I’d prefer it if you didn’t. I have something else on the agenda for this evening.”

“I don’t know if I’m really—”

“Please, Pen?” He wanted to share this with her—especially if it might be the last time he was able to enjoy something with her. He wanted to give her this experience.

“What is it?” She asked finally, and he could tell that she really didn’t want to go through with it.

“Just dinner. I promise.”

“Where?”

“Here, at the hotel.” She bit her lip, trying to make up her mind.

“I’ll have to get ready.”

“You can go just like that, if you’d like.” She wore a pair of oversized pajama pants with one of his old t-shirts she must have taken without him knowing. Penny laughed, rolling her eyes.

“Well, that isn’t going to happen.” Finally, she sighed. “Give me fifteen minutes.” He checked his watch—that would be perfect.

“Thanks, Pen. I promise it’ll be worth it.”

It had better be. He at least wanted to get one thing right.



Penny had no idea where they were going as he led her toward the elevator and, instead of pushing the button that would take them downstairs, he hit the ‘up’ button.

Had she missed something? She was fairly certain there weren’t any restaurants atop the Bellagio.

When the doors slid open, they were greeted by a very professional looking woman who smiled warmly at the two.

“Good evening, Mr. Davis,” she reached out to shake his hand. “It’s a delight to see you. We have everything ready and waiting, just like you asked.”

“Thank you, Margot,”

It only took Penny a moment to realize where they were. The warm air filled her lungs as she stepped forward, the view breathtaking. “Tommy,” Penny breathed, stepping away from him and staring out at the scene before her.

They were atop the Bellagio tower, the lake glittering below them. Across the street, the Eiffel Tower was shining brightly, along with the rest of the lights on the strip. Penny felt her heart skip a few beats.

Tommy came up behind her, staring out at the same scene Penny was looking at. “Isn’t it beautiful?” She could only nod, her voice lost. Dusk was just settling over the city. “Come on over here—let’s eat before it gets cold. We’ll have time to take it all in.”

She didn’t even want to think about food, but after having spent the entire day only eating a Danish she had picked up while wandering the strip, she knew she had to eat something.

The meal had been prepared by a world-class chef, of that she was certain. Penny closed her eyes, savoring the taste. She had always been able to appreciate a well-cooked meal and this was among some of the best she had tasted. “So, how is this working as far as apologies go?”

“Pretty good, so far,” she smiled at him. That was an understatement. “How did you do all of this?”

“You’d be amazed what a little money can do.”

“Tommy…”

“Quality, Penny. It’s all about quality.” She shook her head at him. “Besides, I wanted you to see this.” Penny nodded her head, sighing softly as she stared down at her plate. She caught a glimpse of the plain band on her finger and felt her mood dampen ever-so-slightly.

For a moment, she imagined that this was her wedding night. That she and Tommy had wed earlier that day and were now celebrating the union. She allowed herself to continue on with the fantasy as they finished their meal and Tommy guided her back toward the railing.

When the fountains began, Penny’s breath caught in her throat.

She didn’t recognize the music—it was an instrumental, beautifully hopeful with just a touch of sadness.

It was perfect, she thought, watching the water dance below her.

“Can we stay for another?” She asked as the performance came to a close.

“We can stay for as long as you’d like,”

She had never seen anything quite so beautiful, she thought.

The next song was much faster, the voice of Elvis praising Vegas very familiar to Penny. She smiled like a little girl, her eyes lit up as the water shot high up into the sky.

Another fifteen minutes passed, and another performance.

Tommy wrapped his arms around her waist and hugged her to him. “Dance with me?” he questioned. Her only response was to turn around and slip her arms around his neck, resting her head on his chest so that she could still see the fountains below.

Tears filled her eyes as she realized what song it was. The familiar strings of ‘Time to Say Goodbye’ filled her ears and, for the first time, Penny admitted to herself how desperately she didn’t want to let him go.

Her tears soaked through his shirt, but he said nothing. Penny closed her eyes, slipping back into the fantasy that this was one of the most romantic nights of her life. She clung to it, the uncertainty of the future much too frightening.

His voice startled her, thought it was hardly more than a whisper. “Let’s pretend this is real, okay? Let’s pretend we’re not pretending. Pretend that you’re just a girl, and I’m just a boy, and we don’t have a care in world.”

“I can do that,” she whispered back, the tears now too much to hold back as he recited her own words back to her. She had almost thought she’d spoken them only in a dream, the night they had lain out there on the beach.

Now, she would continue to dream—even if only for just a few moments longer.

As the song came to a close, she pulled away slightly. “Can we go back to the room?” she asked. As much as she didn’t want the evening to come to an end, it was almost too painful to stand here, sharing this with him, knowing that, no matter what, it was all going to come to an end.

No matter how much they pretended, it wasn’t real. And it wasn’t going to be real. They were merely playing at forever, and soon enough it was all going to come to an end.

She didn’t belong in his world, and he would never be happy in hers.

“Of course,”

With just the lightest touch of his hand, he guided her back toward the elevator. The mood was noticeably different in the small confined space, both of them lost in their thoughts.

They stopped at the juncture between the two bedroom doors, neither sure how the rest of the night should continue.

“Thank you for a wonderful evening,” Penny finally spoke, smiling sadly at him.

“Thank you for sharing it with me.” Tommy leaned over and touched his lips to her cheek and Penny closed her eyes so that he couldn’t see her tears. “Good night, Penny.”

“Good night,” she whispered, quickly turning away and disappearing into the safety of her bedroom, memories of a morning not all that long ago playing in her mind.

She sat down at the desk to remove her shoes, the glare of the frame catching her attention. She lifted it in her hands, staring down at the license.

They were officially married today, she noticed.

Happy wedding day, she thought to herself as she sighed, setting the frame back onto the desk.

What a day it had been, too.

She rose and crossed the room, sifting through her suitcase for her pajamas. A blush crept over her body as her fingers grazed a thin, lacy material. She recalled Diego giving her the negligee the night of the premiere, telling her that she would look even more amazing that night.

Penny rolled her eyes, grabbing a t-shirt instead and making her way into the bathroom.

But as she reached over to turn the faucet on, she stopped, meeting her own eyes in her reflection.

And for just the briefest moment, her resolve lapsed.

Why couldn’t they pretend? Why couldn’t they live the dream, even if just for one night?

She didn’t want it to end. She wasn’t ready for it.

Before she knew what she was doing, she was scrambling through her luggage once more until she found the item she was looking for, slipping into the sexy negligee without thinking twice.

And then she was crossing the hall, opening Tommy’s bedroom door. He sat on his bed, his body angled away from her. But as he heard the door, he turned. His expression clearly displayed his surprise.

Penny took a few steps toward him, suddenly slightly less confident than she had been only moments ago. “Pen?” He finally questioned, his eyes roaming over her body.

“I want to keep pretending, Tommy.” She closed the space between them quickly, standing directly in front of him now as she rested a hand on each side of his face. “I want you to pretend that you’re just a boy, and I’m just a girl, and that this is our wedding night.”

“Penny—”

“Shh,” she cut him off by pressing her lips to his. He responded instantly, pulling her down into his lap.

“Are you sure?” He asked after several moments.

“I’ve never been more sure about anything in my life.” She told him, holding his eyes.

And, just like she had done all those years ago, Penny crossed the line.



Penny woke in the morning feeling more refreshed than she had in a long, long time—despite not actually sleeping all that much.

She didn’t worry about feeling nervous or awkward—mostly because everything had felt right. More right than she could ever have imagined it to feel.

Tommy traced patterns along her back as she lay on his chest, supposedly sleeping, but thinking instead.

Everything had changed, but nothing felt all that different. It was just…natural, laying here in his arms. Making love into the wee-hours of the night and waking up to do the same.

It had been awhile since she’d seen any passion, that was for certain. But she had never experienced anything quite like last night.

The hunger, the desire, the fervor. It had been so exhilarating. She hadn’t thought about anything except the touch of his hands, the feel of his body, the constant craving for more.

Perhaps Tommy was simply just a better lover than Kevin had been…but Penny tended to doubt that was all there was to it.

There had to be more there.

“What’s going through that pretty little head of yours?” He questioned and she turned her head so that she could look him in the eye.

“Oh, nothing really.” He began playing with her hair now. “Just thinking about how relaxed I feel.”

“That’s something I like to hear.” Penny smiled, planting a kiss on his chest. “That means I’ve done something right.”

“Oh, you’ve done plenty.” She told him laughingly. “There is just one thing, though.”

“What’s that?”

“I’m absolutely famished.” This time Tommy laughed, throwing his head back into the pillow.

“How about some room service?”

“That sounds delightful. I don’t even have to get dressed for room service.”

“No, it’s actually preferred if you don’t.” Penny giggled, rolling over so that Tommy could sit up. “What should I order for you?” She thought long and hard for a moment before lighting up.

“French toast! With bacon. And sausage.”

“Oh, you’re going big.” Penny nodded, raising an eyebrow.

“Well, I’ve worked up quite the appetite.”

“You’d better be careful, giving me looks like that. That could delay breakfast by at least another hour.” He ducked down to press his lips to hers, his smile devilish as he disappeared from the room. Penny sighed happily, laying back into the bed and wondering if they ever had to leave this room.

Couldn’t they just stay forever and let the real world continue on without them?

She didn’t want to think about the real world at all. In fact, she didn’t want to think about the pretend world, either. All she wanted to do was live.

Live forever, uninterrupted.

Happy.

She heard a knock sound at the door and Penny grinned, her stomach growling as she thought about the mountain of French toast that would soon be in front of her. She jumped from the bed, wrapping the sheet loosely around her body and hurrying from the room.

“That was quick—”

But the rest of her words, along with her smile, disappeared the moment her eyes came to rest on the figure standing on the other side of the doorway. Tommy’s expression was grim.

Graham’s was absolutely livid.

“Well, I guess that answers question number one. Clearly, the marriage has been consummated.” Penny tightened the sheet, her mind whirling. “Here’s number two, then—has the ink even dried on her divorce yet?”

“Graham,” Tommy warned, but Graham didn’t even seem to notice as he stepped into the room and closed the door behind him.

“Okay, and how about question number three: what about a pre-nup?” Graham settled on the couch, making himself comfortable. “You are aware that, legally, she’s entitled to half of everything, now.”

“You don’t have to talk about me as if I don’t exist—I’m right here.”

“Oh, you’ll be out of the picture soon enough, sweetheart.”

“Knock it off, Graham.” Tommy’s voice had an edge to it, but Penny could tell he wasn’t sure how to respond.

“This is your career, Tom. Your life.”

“I’m aware of that.”

“Then what the hell are you doing?” Graham was raising his voice now. “Parading around with this girl, wasting your time—this was never anything more than a business arrangement! For both of you.” His eyes raked over Penny as if she were something dirty and worthless. “And now she’s going to get way more than she bargained for, isn’t she? Unless this was her plan all along.”

“Go to hell, Graham,” Penny spat, wishing that she had something more functional on. She would love nothing more than to slap him right across his arrogant little face. Who the hell did he think he was, coming in here and acting as if he knew what their relationship was all about? Graham hadn’t been there since the beginning. He hadn’t seen how strong their friendship had been.

“Oh, I’m already there. Don’t worry; I’m saving a seat for you, too.” Penny could do nothing more than glare at him, feeling powerless. “Maybe now that she’s given it up, you’ll be satisfied. Thomson Davis is always up for a challenge, isn’t he? Well, there’s no game left to be had here. It’s time to move on.”

“We’ve already decided how we’re going to take care of it, Graham.” Tommy spoke after several moments. “We’ll play it off for a little bit longer. Then we’ll just claim that we live in two different worlds and it could never work.”

Had they figured all of that out? Penny couldn’t recall. Then again, if they had, she might have been blinded by the sudden pain in her chest.

She couldn’t have felt more betrayed.

Was that really all it had been to him? Just a game?

It couldn’t have.

But when she looked up at him, she couldn’t be certain. He wouldn’t look at her.

Tears flooded her eyes.

How could she have fallen for it?

She said nothing as she turned around and made for her own bedroom, slamming the door behind her. She needed to get away from them. She needed just a few minutes alone to regain her composure and to figure out what she was going to do.

After a quick shower, she dressed and sat on the armchair, staring at the floor.

How had things changed so completely in such a short amount of time?

The buzzing noise of her phone sounded and Penny sighed, deciding that it was probably time to face reality—especially after such a harsh dose of it already this morning. “Hello?” She questioned, hoping the happiness in her voice didn’t sound too forced.

“Penelope?” It was her mother. “Well, it’s about time, isn’t it?”

“Sorry, Mom. I’ve been…busy.”

“Well, I can only imagine, what with a wedding and all.” It was obvious by her tone that her feelings had been hurt.

“I’m sorry, Mom. It wasn’t exactly my most thought-out moment—”

“Well, that much is obvious.” Now her father was there too. Penny sighed, closing her eyes. “Oh, I understand, Penny, dear. Love makes people act crazy. Your mother and I almost eloped, too.”

“Elliot!” Her mother snapped.

“I really am sorry, Dad—”

“Well, you can make it up to us by bringing that new son-in-law of ours home for Thanksgiving.”

“Dad—”

“No buts about it, Penelope. Thanksgiving is meant to be spent with your family. If Tommy Davidson doesn’t understand that, then you’ll have to tell him to take it up with me. Family is always first. Work can wait.”

The thought of spending the holiday with her parents was almost unbearable, but she knew it was the right thing to do. Unless she broke down and told them the truth right then and there…

“I’ll talk to him,” Penny finally replied, sighing quietly.

“Great, we’ll see you in a couple of days then, dear!” Her mother’s tone was noticeably more joyful now.

Well, at least she’d made someone happy.



The airport was equally as busy on the way out as it had been on the way in. Penny hadn’t spoken a word to Tommy since the outburst with Graham and she didn’t intend to.

At least until she discovered they were flying back to L.A.

“I thought we were going back to Ravenside.”

“I have that meeting. Remember?” Sure, she remembered the meeting. But what did that have to do with her? As if reading her mind, Graham spoke next.

“Didn’t you know, Penelope? They requested you be there.”

No, she hadn’t known, and she didn’t understand why.

She had sent the small, lesser-known studio Tommy’s script and a copy of their final performance before bumping into the executive at the after-party. But once he revealed to her where he worked, she thought him to be fair game and did her best to convince him to give Tommy’s script a chance.

There was no reason at all that she needed to be there.

All she wanted to do was go home.

Unfortunately, she realized, she wasn’t even sure where that was anymore.

“Well then, Graham, I’m going to need you to cancel anything you have planned for Tommy after that.” Her voice was steady, her eyes unemotional. Business, she told herself. They both looked at her as if she was crazy. “Thanksgiving is Thursday. We’re going to my parents’ house.”

“Pen, the movie comes out—”

“Then you can promote until Wednesday. But we’re going. If I’m going to keep up this little charade for you, I think you can return the favor for me just this once.”

“I’m sure the Langs will understand—” Graham started, but it was Tommy who cut him off.

“Cancel the promo stints.” His manager tried to argue with him, but Tommy would have none of it.

Good, Penny thought. He owed her that much.



Tommy was just as clueless as to why the studio had requested Penny at the meeting—until he saw who was conducting the meeting, anyway.

He tried not to notice the way the man from the premiere hugged Penny. Or the way he let his hands linger just a moment too long at the small of her back. Or the way his eyes flickered over her as if she was nothing more than a piece of meat.

He tried, and he failed.

He knew it shouldn’t matter to him. It was obvious that whatever had been between he and Penny was long gone now.

Still, he couldn’t help but to feel jealous.

After all, she was his wife. Even if only on paper.

Tommy sighed.

They sat down—Penny, Tommy, and Mark, Tommy’s agent, along with those from the studio.

It wasn’t all that different from the meetings Tommy had sat through before. Lots of shop talk, mostly between Mark and the studio guys. Lots of shop talk that Tommy couldn’t really bring himself to care about, though he knew he should.

This was supposed to be his dream, wasn’t it?

But he couldn’t stop thinking about Penny, especially with her sitting right beside him.

Finally, Penny turned and glanced at him, as if scolding him with her eyes.

“Now, there are a few things we need to discuss.” The man, who had been introduced to him as Gary, but who Tommy could only think of as the man who was doing his very best to get into Penny’s good graces, said to both he and Penny. “First of which, and most importantly, is the casting.”

“Tommy has to play the lead—”

“That’s without question, of course.” Tommy looked up, surprised. Really? That easily? There had to be a catch. “No, the role we’re looking to cast is actually the role of the wife. I know it’s only a small role, but we need someone who can really pull it off.” Gary looked at Tommy for a long moment before turning to look at Penny. “We want you, Penny.”

“Excuse me?” Penny’s voice was a few octaves higher than it normally was. “You must have misunderstood—it wasn’t an audition for myself. I’m not an actress.”

“Oh no, we understood.” Gary perched himself atop his desk. “You might not see yourself as an actress, but we saw that tape, Penelope. And you definitely have talent.”

Of course, it made sense. Tommy saw it now, as he glanced sideways at her. He hadn’t realized it until just this moment, but, in his mind, Sarah had always been Penny.

“Tommy, tell him that it’s a bad idea—”

“I can’t.” Tommy shrugged his shoulders casually. “I think it’s a great idea.” He didn’t have to look at Penny to know that she was angry with him. “Just take the part, Pen. It’s not very big. You’ll be fine.”

“But—”

“Don’t worry; you’ll be compensated for it. It’s a win-win situation.” They took her silence as acceptance, but Tommy knew Penny. He knew that this was not going to thrill her.

Well, just add that to the list of things he’d done wrong. She would be grateful he was such a screw-up in the end, if only because he would have saved her from a great deal of unnecessary pain. It was inevitable that he would screw it all up, anyway.

The meeting came to a close shortly after that. They were hoping to begin shooting as soon as possible, and told Tommy to stay on alert.

As they were leaving, Tommy couldn’t help but pay attention to the way Gary smiled expectantly at Penny. “I came through with my end of the deal—now it’s your turn, Miss Lang. Or is it Mrs. Davis now?”

What kind of a deal was he talking about? What had Penny offered him? What was his dream going to cost her?

What was it going to cost him?

Penny only smiled, ducking her head. “You’ve got my number. Make sure you use it—and we’ll see you in a few weeks.”

“Thanks again, Gary.” Penny wrapped her arms around the man’s neck for just a moment before stepping away. She avoided his gaze, just like she had been since Vegas.

Oh well, he told himself.

It was really for the best.

But why didn’t he believe that?