Playing at Forever

chapter Six





“Aunt Penny, you look so pretty!” Darla exclaimed, standing in the doorway of Amy’s master bathroom. “Are you getting married?” Penny couldn’t keep the bubble of laughter inside and Amy gave her friend a very dirty look.

“Sit. Still.” Amy grabbed a damp cotton ball and began dabbing at Penny’s cheek.

“Sorry, Mom,” Penny said very seriously.

“Close your eyes.” Penny followed Amy’s orders, feeling the light tickle of the brush on her eyelids.

“Amber, come look at Aunt Penny!”

“She’s not done yet!” Amy scolded, but Penny didn’t think there was much more that could actually be done. For a girl who wore only the bare minimum when it came to makeup, she felt as if Amy was using her face as her own personal canvas.

“Oh come on, it’s just dinner and a movie!”

“Penny, this is the first date you’ve been on since Kevin. I don’t care if it’s the most casual date you’ve ever been on—”

“It’s not even really a date—” Amy stared at Penny for a moment, narrowing her eyes. “Okay, fine, it’s a date.”

“Thank you.” Penny rolled her eyes at her friend. “Now, as I was saying. I don’t care if it’s casual. I don’t care if you have paparazzi following your every move. What I do care about is that you look great. Because when you know that you look good, the rest comes easy.” Penny sighed, not wanting to admit that Amy had a point. She also knew that, especially with the paparazzi sure to be following them around, Penny wanted to make sure she at least looked presentable.

People were going to have a hard enough time believing that Thomson Davis was going for a girl such as herself. She wanted to try to be convincing.

“There, all finished.” Amy sat back, taking survey of her work. “And I must say, I did a pretty good job. It’s been awhile since I’ve done somebody else’s makeup.”

Penny turned to look at herself in the mirror. For all the time Amy had spent on her makeup, Penny couldn’t see much of a difference. Her cheeks were just a bit rosier than normal, her lips just a tint of a darker red. It was her eyes where one could see the biggest difference—various layers of colors blended perfectly together to create an almost seductive effect.

“Doesn’t Aunt Penny look beautiful?” Amy questioned her youngest daughter, lifting her to sit on her lap.

“Can I have some?” Darla asked, poking her head in. “I want to look pretty too.”

“Well, of course you can, sweetie, even though you’re plenty pretty without it!” Penny reached over to grab one of the brushes Amy had used for her blush and dusted what little bit that remained onto the little girl’s cheeks. “And here, we’ll even give you a little bit of this.” She dabbed a bit of the tinted lip gloss on to Darla’s pursed lips.

“Can I have some too?” Little Amber asked and Penny laughed, using the brush to tickle the girl’s cheeks before giving her barely even a smudge of gloss. “Pretty!” Amber clapped excitedly.

“Come on, let’s go show Daddy!” Darla took her sister’s hand and dashed from the room, leaving Penny and Amy to laugh.

“What time is he supposed to be here?”

“Oh, I don’t know. Any minute now, probably.” Penny sat down on the edge of Amy’s bed to slip her strappy black heels on. Downstairs, she heard the doorbell ring. “I feel silly,” Penny confessed, her heart suddenly fluttering in her chest.

“Don’t. Feel beautiful, because you are. And the moment Thomson Davis—or Tommy Davidson—” Amy rolled her eyes. “Whatever his name is. The moment he sees you, he’s going to forget about every other woman who’s ever crossed his path.” Penny laughed, shaking her head. “Oh, here—don’t forget your purse.”

Penny gripped the small black clutch purse as if her life depended on it. By the time they left the bedroom, Paul had already let Tommy in and Penny heard the girls squealing excitedly.

“Look, Tommy! I have lipstick on!”

“Me too, me too!” Amber cried, certain not to be missed. Penny watched from above as he picked a girl up in each arm, touching his lips to each of their cheeks.

“Don’t you girls look pretty,”

“Not as pretty as Aunt Penny.” Darla beamed, her eyes wide. “You’re gonna fall in love with her tonight, you know that?” Penny laughed quietly, sharing the moment with Amy.

“Oh yeah? She’s that pretty?”

“Uh-huh. You’re probably going to marry her.”

“You really think so?” Darla nodded emphatically.

“And then you’ll be our uncle, and you can come over and push us on the swings whenever Daddy goes away for work.” She told him.

“Well, I can come over and push you girls on the swings even if I’m not your uncle.”

“Yeah, but that’s not as much fun.” This time, it was Tommy and Paul who laughed.

“Daddy, did you know Tommy is on Aunt Penny’s wall?” Amber asked, her hand on Tommy’s nose.

“You know, you just might be right. He does look familiar.”

“That’s because he’s in movies, Dad,” Darla rolled her eyes. The two women heard the men chuckling before they introduced themselves to one another. When it came time to shake hands, Tommy chuckled again, realizing he had none to spare. Amy took that as her cue to descend the stairs.

“What on earth are you girls doing?” Amy questioned, hands on her hips. “Come on, get down—Tommy is not your own personal jungle gym!” The girls burst into a fit of giggles as they squirmed, trying to get away from the arms of their parents.

Penny hesitated a moment, trying to calm her nerves with a few deep breaths. Why was she suddenly so nervous? It wasn’t as if it was a real date.

But how come it suddenly felt real?

It was just Tommy, she tried to tell herself. But that thought only caused her heart to hammer just a little bit faster within her chest.

“Just get it over with,” she whispered to herself, finally moving forward.

She could no longer focus on whatever it was the group awaiting her arrival was talking about, it taking far too much concentration to walk down the stairs. It wasn’t until she neared the bottom that she risked a glance upward, finding Tommy’s eyes.

“I think they just fell in love with each other,” Darla whispered to her little sister. Penny laughed again, breaking her gaze with Tommy until she was standing beside him.

Tommy, however, couldn’t seem to take his eyes off her. The conversation they had been having continued, except for Tommy, who had suddenly fallen silent. “Why don’t we give Aunt Penny and Tommy a minute before they leave?” Paul suggested, a knowing look passing between he and his wife.

“That sounds like a good idea—come on girls, what do you say we break into those cookies?”

“Before dinner?”

“Shhh, if you don’t tell, I won’t,” Amy grinned, ushering the two girls into the kitchen while Paul followed behind.

“I overdid it, didn’t I?” Penny felt her cheeks reddening. “It’s Amy’s fault, really—”

“Penny,” Tommy’s eyes swept over her once more. “You look…”

“Silly?”

“I was leaning more toward incredible.” Penny’s heart fluttered yet again and she averted her eyes, staring at the floor. “You about ready to go?” He asked after a long moment and she nodded. “I’m warning you—be prepared for a lot of cameras,”

“Wait!” Amber called, standing in the archway between the kitchen and the living room. “Don’t forget to say good night.”

“Oh, how could I forget that?” Penny hurried across the room, setting her clutch bag on the floor as she pulled her pseudo niece in for a hug. “Good night, little Amber.”

By this time, Darla had hurried over and Penny gave her a hug as well. “Good night, my darling,”

“Good night Aunt Penny,” Amber kissed her on one cheek while Darla kissed her on the other. “Good night Tommy!” They called over Penny’s shoulders and Penny laughed, rising to her feet. Tommy held his hand out to her, his blue eyes shining brightly.

“Take a deep breath,” he warned her, pulling the door open. Her breath caught in her throat, her smile faltering for just a moment. Tommy stepped outside, pulling her with him. The photographers surrounded them almost instantly and Penny tightened her grip on Tommy’s hand. When she looked backward, she saw the two young girls watching from the window.

Instead of the normal motorcycle waiting in the driveway, she found a black luxury sedan—a uniformed chauffeur waiting with the back door open. Tommy let her climb in first, following quickly after. She could still hear them calling to she and Tommy—could still see the flashes of their cameras through the heavy tint of the windows. “Graham insisted on a driver,” Tommy explained.

“It was a good choice. Amy had a hard time deciding what to do with my hair because she wasn’t sure if I’d have to wear a helmet or not. Actually, she told me that if you showed up on that motorcycle, she was going to insist that we take her car.”

“Well, I’m glad somebody thought ahead.” They fell silent, Penny feeling very out of her element as the car drove smoothly along. “I thought we’d start with a movie, then grab some dinner—but we can do whatever you want,”

“No, that sounds good,” she smiled nervously. “Really, Tommy—Amy just got overly excited about me going out on a date. She wanted to make sure I looked nice, so that way I wouldn’t spend the evening wondering if I was hideous or not.”

“You could never look hideous,” Tommy took her hand and touched his lips to it, dazzling her with his smile. “I didn’t just break a rule, did I?”

“I think my rule only applies to kissing each other.” She told him, her eyes twinkling.

“I’ll make sure I remember that,” he told her, something devilish about his smile. Penny only laughed, shaking her head.

The theater was outside of town, in a more populated city area. The local theater in town was much smaller, playing secondhand reels at discount prices. That was the theater she and Tommy had spent a good deal of time in.

This one was much bigger, and much more modern. It had only been built a few years before. Penny hadn’t been to it much, still preferring the intimacy of the old theater.

The driver pulled into the fire lane and parked the car, getting out to open the door. Tommy exited first, holding his hand out for Penny. She knew, right away, that everyone was looking at them. Her cheeks burned as Tommy slipped his arm around her and led her inside, certain to hold the door open for her.

“Well, what would you like to see?” He asked.

“Oh, I don’t care, Tommy. You pick. Something you haven’t seen.” She added the last part knowing that he had probably been to several of the premieres for each of the movies being shown.

“Well, I haven’t seen any of these with you. It’s been awhile since we saw a movie together.”

“I really don’t care,” Penny repeated, shrugging her shoulders. She was just happy to be there, with him.

“Well, if I recall, you were quite the Brad Pitt fan.” She laughed, nodding her head. She had often told him that, if he ever met Brad Pitt whenever he became a movie star, he had better be sure to pass along her number. “So we’ll count that one out then.”

“Hey!”

“I’m not competing with Brad Pitt for the attentions of a pretty lady. No way.” Penny laughed again, looking back up at the choices. “How about the new Tom Hanks? Or maybe that slasher flick? I heard they were both pretty good.”

“The slasher movie is probably more date-worthy material.” She suggested, remembering what they were there for. Graham would probably approve of the choice.

“The slasher movie it is then.” Penny looked around, eyeing the movie posters, distracting herself. Tommy’s arms circled around her waist a moment later, startling her. “You know, Pen, you’re supposed to be trying to improve my image.” She felt his breath on her ear.

“Have I done something wrong?” She felt a panic rise within her. The last thing she wanted to do was make things worse for Tommy.

“Well, you’ve made me look like a total jerk.”

“How?” She was really beginning to worry.

“Well, just look at me. I’m standing here next to you, looking like that, and here I am, looking like this.” She felt him step closer, his body flush with hers. “There isn’t a person in this theater that isn’t looking at you.”

“Oh please, I’m sure it’s you they’re looking at, Mr. Hollywood. You’re on that poster right over there.” Even in his jeans and plain button-down shirt, he looked gorgeous. She was certain it was him they were focusing on.

“Nope,” she felt his cheek graze against hers as he shook his head. “It’s definitely you.” Penny rolled her eyes at him, turning to meet his. She hadn’t expected to find his face still so close to hers and she faltered, forgetting all about whatever it was she had been about to say as her heart pounded anxiously in her chest.

“Next,” the attendant called, startling her out of her trance. Penny looked away, feeling slightly chilled as Tommy dropped his arms and stepped forward. It took her a moment to join him.

“How many seats are left for that showing?” Tommy asked. The younger boy seemed confused for a moment, but checked something on the computer. “We’ve only sold a few tickets so far.”

“Then I’d like to buy the rest.” The boy’s eyes widened dramatically and Tommy grinned. “You see those people out there?” Tommy nodded toward the photographers, who were just beginning to show up. The boy nodded. “Under no circumstances are they to be allowed in to the theater.” The boy nodded again.

“You’re sure you want to buy all the tickets?” he asked, his voice shaky.

“Positive,” Tommy handed over a credit card and the boy nervously swiped it. Penny thought the printer might start emitting sparks, it began working so hard. It only took a few minutes for the tickets to finish printing and Tommy handed them over to the usher, who had the same reaction as the boy who had sold the tickets to them.

She couldn’t blame either one of them. She was in shock as well.

“Show off,” she muttered as they made their way to the concessions booth. “What’s next, are you going to buy all of the popcorn, just because you can?” Tommy nudged her with his shoulder, laughing.

“Hey, can I help it that I like my privacy during my movie-watching experience?” Penny rolled her eyes at him. “You’ll be thanking me when you get to watch your movie in peace, that’s all I’m saying.”

It made sense, of course. Penny just wished it didn’t have to be so dramatic. She thought buying just one full price ticket was expensive. She tried totaling up how much the entire theater must’ve cost and gave up, the number much too high for her to even want to know.

They ordered popcorn and a large lemonade—and two cocktails from the bar they passed on the way to the theater. “Well, I think the seating choices are pretty limited myself.” Penny said sarcastically as they entered the theater. There were only three other couples scattered about the room.

“Oh, just be quiet and pick a seat somewhere.” She smiled brightly after making a face at him.

In a way, it was just like old times.



After the movie was over, Penny attached herself to Tommy, once more braving the wave of paparazzi. She hurried into the car, Tommy right behind her. “So this is what you deal with every single day?” she asked.

“That? That’s only about half of what I normally have. L.A. and New York are the worst. Everyone’s always looking for a way to make a profit. These are probably just the ones who actually work for the rags.” Penny stared out the window as the driver pulled away, flashes going.

“No wonder you’re always angry with them.”

“I’m not always angry. It’s just that the times that I am are the times that get published.” Penny nodded, understanding. That seemed about right. Bad press sold a lot quicker than good press did.

“It’s always been so weird for me, seeing you on these magazines. I mean, you look just like this boy that I knew better than anyone else…but the boy on those covers seems like someone else.”

“I’m the same boy, Penny. You can’t always believe everything that you read.”

“Oh, I know that. But I can believe some of the things I see.” She stared out the window, watching the familiar scenes flying by. “The partying, the drinking, the drugs, the girls…they couldn’t have made it all up. Every time I would see it, I would always tell myself that it wasn’t as bad as they made it seem. But if even just a fraction of it was true…it meant that you were no longer the same person.” Penny sighed softly. “And now that you’re here, with me, I feel like I can’t even imagine that person existing. You’re just Tommy again.”

“Maybe you bring out the best in me, Penny Lane.” She looked over at him then only to find that he wasn’t looking at her, but instead, staring out the window much like she had been doing. Except that, where she had been almost wistfully thinking about the past, Tommy seemed to have slipped into his previous state of mind—his eyes dark and shaded, his brow furrowed.

“Maybe you’re just afraid to show it to anyone else.”

“Maybe so,” his voice sounded distant and Penny longed for him to talk to her. But like before, she knew that he wouldn’t. Whatever it was he was harboring inside him, it wasn’t coming out until he was ready for it to.

“Why are we pulling up to The Seaside?” She asked, realizing for the first time why everything looked so familiar.

“I told you before—I wouldn’t even think about giving my patronage to anyone else.” She bit the inside of her lip. This…was not what she had been expecting. Dinner here? Of all places? While both Kevin and Gina worked inside?

“Tommy, I—”

“It’s okay, Pen. I promise.” Penny couldn’t help but feel anxious. “Come on.” He took her hand, not letting it go until they were seated on the patio. “Besides, Graham insisted we go someplace that offered easy access for the tag-alongs back there.”

“Of course he did,” Penny pasted a smile on her face, very aware that they were being stared at though they had the patio to themselves.

“Good evening Mr. Davis, Miss…Penny,” the young waitress smiled at the pair and Penny couldn’t help but grin. How strange it must feel for the girl to be serving her boss and her boss’s very famous date. “Can I start you off with anything to drink?”

“I’ll have a water, Jessica,”

“I’ll have the same.” Tommy glanced at the menu for a moment. “Could we also have your very best bottle of Merlot?”

“Of course,” Jessica replied, looking to Penny as if for permission. Penny only nodded, turning to offer Tommy a look. “What?” he asked innocently.

“You do know how much our best bottle of Merlot is, don’t you?”

“One of these days, Pen, you’ll learn that cost means very little to me. It’s quality that counts. I don’t have to spend the most to have the best—but when I do, I don’t mind.”

“It must be nice, living without worry like that.”

“It comes with a price.” Penny thought back to the ride here. She was seeing that more and more clearly every day.

“Have you told Kevin you’re buying him out yet?” She shook her head. She should have, she knew that. But she hadn’t found the opportunity to mention it yet.

“He’s not going to be happy when he finds out the money is coming from you.”

“That’s only an added bonus,” Tommy grinned. “Speaking of…”

Penny looked up to find Kevin walking their way, holding a bottle of wine. “You could have sent it over with Jessica,” Penny told him, barely even glancing his way.

“What, and break tradition?” His tone was dripping with ridicule.

“I wouldn’t have minded.”

“Tradition?” Tommy questioned.

“Anytime someone orders one of our top-shelf wines, one of us always pours the first glass.” Penny told him. Kevin uncorked the bottle and poured the deep red liquid into Tommy’s glass first, and then into Penny’s. She held her breath, almost expecting him to accidentally spill the liquid on either one of them.

“Well, go on,” she looked up at him, her eyes narrowed.

“No, wait—Kevin, why don’t you pour yourself a glass? We should make a toast.” Tommy interrupted, turning around to grab an empty glass from the table behind him.

“I don’t think that’s necessary.”

“No, really. I insist.” Tommy raised the bottle and filled the third glass, handing it to Kevin.

“What are we toasting to?” Penny asked, growing a little nervous.

“Oh, I don’t know. There are so many things to celebrate, after all.” Tommy met Penny’s eyes from across the table and she felt her heart begin to pound. What was he going to say? “How about we just…sum it all up? Let’s make a toast to new beginnings. To letting go of the old and starting fresh with the new. I think that’s something we can all toast to, wouldn’t you say, Kevin?”

She almost laughed at Kevin’s expression as he gritted his teeth.

“To new beginnings,” Penny held up her glass, clinking it against both Kevin and Tommy’s before bringing it to her lips and taking a long drink from the glass.

The two men stared at each other for a moment before, finally, Tommy took a drink from his glass and Kevin a drink from his. “Thanks for sharing that moment with us, Kevin.” Tommy’s expression was smug and Penny had to resist the urge to kick him underneath the table.

“You can send Jessica over now.” She finally broke in, raising an eyebrow at Tommy from across the table as Kevin walked away.

“He asked for it.”

“Are we in grade school now?”

“Hey, one day you’ll appreciate the fact that I was so rude to him. He deserves a lot worst than just a couple of witty remarks here and there.”

“I like to think fate will catch up with him.” Penny said, and she could tell she’d struck a cord with him. He looked down at the table, an ironic smile on his face. She was about to question him when Jessica arrived, bringing their waters and taking their order.

“So, Graham thinks I should take you out west. Show you how the other half lives. Does that sound like something you might be interested in?”

“Do you want to take me?” She questioned—because this was what was most important to her. If Tommy wanted her to see that side of his life, then she would be more than willing to go. But if that was something he wanted to keep separate from her, then she wouldn’t pry.

“Why wouldn’t I?” he questioned. In her head, Penny listed a few reasons. Maybe he didn’t want her to see the fast pace his life was on. Maybe he didn’t want her to dampen his style. Maybe he just wanted to keep that life separate from his old one.

What were the reasons he hadn’t spoken to her before now? Whatever those reasons were seemed applicable.

But Penny said none of this. Instead, she smiled, nodding her head. If Tommy was ready to share that part of his life with her, after all these years, she wasn’t going to stop him.

“Well, the sooner the better, then. Graham wants to line up a few interviews, maybe a couple meetings.”

“Of course,” Penny nodded, trying to imagine herself in L.A. She’d never been further than a few hours driving distance. She and Kevin hadn’t even taken a honeymoon—they’d spent the night at a nice hotel and had returned to their life the next day. “Just let me know when. I’ll see if Amy wouldn’t mind filling in here.” Amy had come to work at the restaurant shortly after Penny had found out about Kevin and Gina for a short time, so she knew the ropes.

“You’d really just…go, just like that?”

“Isn’t that part of the deal?” Penny asked, but she knew that this was much more than business—for her, anyway. This was a chance for her to see what Tommy’s life had been like all those years he’d been away.

“Right, the business end of things.” He poured himself another glass of wine and drank it quickly. Penny watched, her eyes concerned.

The food arrived shortly after though, the two taking a break from talking about anything other than how good his steak was and how much Penny loved the pasta. She hadn’t even had to look at the menu to know what she wanted—one of the perks of eating at your own restaurant, she told herself.

By the time she had finished, she was stuffed. She leaned back in her chair, resting her head against it so that she could look up at the stars. She took a sip of her wine, unaware that Tommy was watching her.

In fact, Penny was entirely unaware of what a beautiful picture she made, dressed in her flirty red dress with her hair cascading over her shoulders. After a moment, she closed her eyes, listening to the soft music the band was playing.

She always asked them to tone it down toward the end of the night—she wanted her customers to be able to experience a little romance, she told them. She was glad to see that, even when she wasn’t working, they still followed her wishes.

“Penny?” Tommy interrupted, almost sounding as if it pained him to do so. She lifted her head, meeting his eyes. “Would you like to dance with me?”

There were a million reasons why she should say no. She knew this.

But as she sat there, held still by the depth of his eyes, she couldn’t think of a single one of them. Instead, all she could do was take his hand. Before she knew what was happening, she was on her feet and walking into the restaurant.

Tommy’s arms circled her waist and Penny reached up, wrapping her arms around his neck. The two swayed slowly, not even noticing that they were alone on the dance floor. “You’re so warm,” he told her. Penny shivered as she felt his fingers trail against the exposed skin of her arm, though her body suddenly felt too warm.

“I was chilly just a few minutes ago,” she replied, turning her head so that she could rest on his shoulder. The cool breeze had been getting to her, but now, pressed against Tommy, she forgot all about it. He brought one of his hands away from her waist and she lifted her head to see what he was doing. He smiled as he tucked her hair behind her ear.

“We have an audience,” he whispered.

“Don’t we always?” The paparazzi hadn’t given them a moment’s privacy since they’d arrived.

“I’m not talking about them.” He took Penny’s hand and stepped away, spinning her around slowly before closing the gap between them once more.

This time, it was Kevin who was watching. And, from across the restaurant, Gina was watching him.

Tommy touched his lips to Penny’s hand and she eyed him worriedly. “That wasn’t against the rules.”

“So long as you remember what is,” she told him.

“Oh, I remember.” He spun her again, this time closing the gap much quicker than he had before. “But I also remember that, sometimes, rules are meant to be broken.”

And before she could stop him, Tommy kissed her.

Penny knew there was some reason she had told Tommy they weren’t allowed to do this, but she couldn’t for the life of her remember what it was.

Maybe it was the wine, she thought.

Or maybe it was just the effect Tommy Davidson had on her.

Just as he had been the one to start the kiss, he was the one to finish it, pulling away and staring down at her. His eyes were laughing, though his expression was serious.

“Sorry, Pen. Just thought I’d make things a little bit more interesting.” Penny could only stare dumbly at him, her mind still not having caught up. It wasn’t until just a few moments later that she realized what it was Tommy was talking about as Gina stormed out of the restaurant.

“I don’t even know what to say.”

“Just take me somewhere you can yell at me so we can get it over with already.” She wanted to slap him, but she knew that was not an option—here, anyway, so instead, she took him by the hand and led him through the kitchen and out the back door, leading him down a short stairway.

Now he was really laughing at her and she gave him her dirtiest look before reaching out and pushing him. “That wasn’t nice.”

“Really? I thought it was pretty good myself…” He was so smug—she wished there were something she could do to knock him off his feet a little bit.

“One of these days, Tommy, you’ll meet someone who can push your buttons just as much as you push everybody else’s. And I hope I’m around whenever that day comes, just so I can laugh.” She pushed at him again, stumbling back a little bit herself.

Tommy reached out and took her by the arm.

“Hey—look, I’m sorry.” He brushed her hair back. “It’s just—I would have been a fool not to kiss you back there.”

“Right, because that would have been listening to my only request. That makes plenty of sense.”

“No, because there wasn’t a single guy in there—including your soon-to-be ex-husband—who wasn’t wishing they could be in my place.”

“Don’t you try to flatter your way out of this.”

“Penny, I promise you. You really have no idea how amazing you look tonight, do you?” She felt her breath catch in her throat as he held her eyes. Part of her feared he might kiss her again, and she wasn’t sure what would happen now that they were alone out here, on the beach.

And part of her wanted it more than anything.

“Just don’t do it again, okay?” Her voice was small, uncertain.

“I’ll do my best,” Penny smiled, tearing her eyes away from his and looking out to the ocean before them. They were still on her property—below the patio, on the beach. She paused for a moment, the music from the restaurant audible even down here. She bent over and removed her shoes. “What are you doing?”

“I’m going to enjoy the rest of my evening. Would you like to join me?” Her eyes twinkled happily as she stepped out into the sand, walking just a bit closer to the shoreline. Tommy followed only a step or two behind.

Finally, she found the right spot and she tossed her shoes to the ground, laying down beside them.

“Are you feeling okay, Pen?”

“Actually, I’m feeling pretty wonderful.” She patted the sand beside her. “Sit.”

“What are you—”

“Shh,” she looked over at him. “Just listen. Just watch and listen, Tommy. It’s a beautiful night. You should enjoy it.”

A moment later, he lay down next to her—and they lay there silently, staring up at the stars.



Penny wasn’t sure when she fell asleep. All she knew was that, when she woke, the sky was beginning to lighten. “Tommy,” she whispered, surprised to find that she was tucked warmly in his arms. “Look. Isn’t it incredible?”

The sky was changing from shades of purple to shades of red, the sun glowing a dull orange color way off in the distance. It had been a long time since she’d watched a sunrise.

“It most certainly is.” He replied. If Penny would have glanced in his direction, she would have seen that he was not looking at the sky at all, though.

“Can we stay and watch it?” She asked, her voice somewhat husky from breathing in the cool air all night.

“Of course we can.”

“When we go to L.A., I want to watch a sunrise. Put that on my to-do list.”

“You’ve never been?” He sounded surprised.

“I’ve never been anywhere, Tommy, except Florida, to see my parents.” She shrugged her shoulders. “Just never had the time, I guess.”

“Well, so long as we’re involved in this little arrangement, I’m going to make sure you get to see some of the world.”

“Oh yeah?” She thought about the talks they used to have all those years ago, very similar to this one. Tommy had been all over, because of his father. He’d seen all sorts of places and had only planned on seeing more. They had talked about going all around the world.

By now, he had probably seen all the places they had talked about seeing.

“I promise.”

Tommy made a lot of promises, she realized.

When the sun had finally risen, Tommy helped Penny to her feet. She did her best to dust the sand off of her, but she knew it was going to take a long shower and a hefty dry-cleaning bill to take care of it all.

She didn’t mind, though. In the end, it had really been the perfect date. She wouldn’t have changed a thing.

“Do you think the car is still here?” Penny asked as they climbed up the stairs. The door was locked and Penny’s purse, and keys, had been forgotten inside, so they walked around to the parking lot.

“Guess not,” he shrugged. “Neither are the photographers, though, so that’s a good thing. I’ll walk you?”

“Nah, you go ahead and go back to the motel. I’ll be okay.”

“You sure? I don’t mind the walk.”

“It’s okay, Tommy. Go ahead and get some rest.” She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Thank you for a wonderful evening, though.”

“Thank you for spending it with me.” Tommy hugged her back. “Send me a text when you get home, okay?” Penny nodded and backed away, waving with the hand she held her shoes in.

It wasn’t a long walk, but Penny enjoyed it. She hadn’t been able to walk to or from the restaurant without worrying about being spotted in too long—she wanted to enjoy it.

When she arrived at Amy’s house, she was surprised to find the door was unlocked—but understood why a moment later, when she stepped inside to find Amy stretched out on the couch, the two young girls asleep in the oversized armchair.

“Amy?” Penny whispered, careful to avoid waking the girls.

“I’m awake,” Amy whispered and Penny grinned, climbing onto the couch and huddling closely to her best friend. “So?”

“It was lovely,” Penny sighed, resting her head on Amy’s shoulder. “He invited me to L.A.”

“Did he really?” Amy’s eyes widened and Penny nodded. “Are you going?”

“I told him I would.” Penny couldn’t deny her excitement. “Would you mind spending some time at the restaurant?”

“Only if you promise to tell me everything.”

“Deal,” Penny wanted to dance around the house, she was so giddy. Instead, she pressed her lips to Amy’s temple.

“You know you’re practically covered in sand, don’t you?”

“We fell asleep on the beach.” Amy sighed, staring at Penny enviously.

“I can’t believe my best friend is dating a celebrity.” Penny’s enthusiasm died down a bit as she remembered that she and Tommy had an arrangement and nothing more.

That was okay, she told herself. She was happy enough just to be Tommy’s friend.

So then why, she wondered, did her heart feel just the slightest bit broken?



Tommy was utterly and completely tormented.

Try as he might, he couldn’t get her off his mind. He tried watching tv, but he’d only ended up thinking about the way his heart had nearly thumped it’s way right out of his chest when he’d seen her coming down the stairs.

He’d tried flipping through one of the scripts Graham had given him to read through, but instead he’d remembered the way she had looked just before he’d kissed her. And then that had led him to thinking about how she’d looked after he’d kissed her—which, in his opinion, was even better.

He’d started to read the sports page, but then the image of her that morning, sleeping in his arms, had crossed his mind.

It was driving him insane.

He tried to tell himself that the only reason he was thinking about her so much was because he knew that he couldn’t have her. It had been a long time since Tommy had come across a woman he couldn’t have.

It was just the chase that had him so hung up. The desire for a challenge.

Because it didn’t matter how much he wanted her. It didn’t even matter if she wanted him back. Physical attraction was not all that hard to come by.

But friendship? Especially like the one he and Penny had?

That was a true rarity.

He sighed, throwing the newspaper across the room and running his fingers roughly through his hair. Tommy was going stir crazy in this tiny little room.

He nearly pounced on his phone when it started ringing, only slightly disappointed to find that it was Graham. “You, my friend, are golden.”

“Why’s that?”

“You know why! You and that foxy little wildcat of yours, that’s why. You bought out the entire theater?”

“For just one showing.”

“That’s romance, my friend.” Tommy chuckled, shaking his head. Graham had never, in all the time Tommy had known him, had a serious girlfriend. “So what’d she say about L.A.?”

“She’s ready to go whenever you want her to be.”

“And what about you?” Tommy got up and crossed the room, his eyes landing on something on the floor.

“I’m not against it.” He leaned down and picked up part of the newspaper he’d thrown just moments ago. “But I’m not against coming back here afterward, either.”

“Come on, man—there’s nothing in that place for you.”

“Actually, Graham, I beg to differ.” Tommy glanced down at the real estate section he was holding in his hand. “I’m going to let you go—I’ve got a call to make.”

“Are you calling her already? You do know you’re not really dating, right?”

“I’m not calling Penny,” he grinned. “I’m about to call another woman, though. So that should make you happy.”

“I’m all for it! Just make sure you keep it discreet.”

“Oh, I will.” Tommy hung up the phone and stared at the smiling face of the real estate woman for a moment before dialing the number. “Hello Mrs. Harris, my name is Tommy. I’m looking to buy a house in the Ravenside area.”