Playing at Forever

by Michelle Brewer

  “Like I told you yesterday—”

  “This is your career, Tom.”

  “It’s okay, Tommy. I have to get back to Amy’s anyway. I’ll see you tonight, though, right?”

  “I wouldn’t miss it,” Tommy told her, flashing her a strained smile. Part of her thought she should stay, just to support her friend. But another part of her said that this—whatever conversation that needed to be had with Graham—wasn’t her business.

  Tommy needed to take care of whatever it was he was running away from, and she had to let him.

  “Okay, I’ll see you tonight then. Around seven, okay?”

  “I’ll be there.”

  “It was nice to meet you, Penelope.” Penny didn’t respond to the man. She had been raised that if she didn’t have anything nice to say, she shouldn’t say anything at all—especially when it came to meeting strangers.

  “Has anyone ever told you how much of an ass you are, Graham?”

  “I believe you have, a number of times.” They were inside Tommy’s motel room, Tommy pacing back and forth while Graham sat in an old armchair. He looked completely out of place here, in his expensive suit and shoes. The sunglasses he wore cost more than Tommy had paid for an entire week for this room.

  “I’m pretty sure I told you to leave, too.”

  “As you can see, I am an excellent listener.” Tommy glared at him and Graham sighed, leaning forward. “Look, I’m not here as your manager right now, okay? I’m here as your friend. That’s how we started out, isn’t it?” Tommy thought back many years. Graham had been one of his roommates, before he’d gotten his big break. “I just want to know that you’re okay.”

  “I’m great.” While his tone was sarcastic, he was telling the truth. He hadn’t felt this relaxed in a very long time. Of course, he was worried about his career. He couldn’t deny that. But the thing that was worrying him the most right now was Penny.

  “You don’t seem great.”

  “Well I am. I just—I have some things I need to take care of here.”

  “How much longer are we talking about?”

  “I don’t know.” Graham sighed again.

  “I’m doing the best I can here, Tom. You’re not making my job any easier these days.”

  “Look, Penny has been a really good friend to me. She’s going through a rough time right now.” It wasn’t really an excuse, although it felt like one.

  “So you came back here to take care of a friend.”

  “No, I—I came back here to get away. And then I found out about Penny.”

  “What’s her deal?”

  “She’s going through a divorce.”

  “Please don’t tell me it has something to do with you.” Tommy shook his head, his expression baffled.

  “What? No, I haven’t even seen Penny in ten years.”

  “Was she your high school girlfriend or something?” Tommy hadn’t told anyone about Penny, mostly because he was ashamed of how he’d treated her. He shook his head.

  “She was my best friend.”

  “See, this I can spin, Tom. You found out your best friend was going through a rough divorce, so you had to take some time off to help her get back on her feet. Maybe a little romance blossoms—”

  “There’s no romance blossoming.” His tone was suddenly very defensive.

  “Just think about what a wholesome girl like that could do for your image.”

  “Graham…” Tommy warned, not liking the direction this was going in.

  “I’m not saying lie to the girl. She might be willing to go along with it. Play a little role, maybe you could even cut her a deal or something.”

  It hit him unexpectedly.

  Why hadn’t he thought of it earlier? It was the most obvious solution to Penny’s problems. “Graham, you’re a genius.” Tommy declared, throwing himself onto the bed.

  “You actually think it’s a good idea?” he sounded very surprised.

  “No, I actually think your idea is a horrible one. But it did give me another.” Tommy chuckled. It was so simple. He could loan Penny the money. It wasn’t like he didn’t have enough of it.

  “We have to figure something out, Tom. You have no idea how bad things are getting for you out there. I’m starting to get desperate.”

  “It’ll work itself out. Don’t worry about it.” Tommy sat up, looking at the clock. He wanted to make a quick stop before going to Amy’s. He hated showing up empty-handed.

  “I am worried about it. You should be too.”

  “I’ll worry about it later on. But for right now, I’ve got some things to take care of. We can talk more tomorrow.” He stood up, Graham doing the same.

  “I’m staying in Myrtle Beach. You know that’s like a two hour drive, don’t you?”

  “That’s what I pay you the big money for, Graham.” Tommy patted his friend on the back. “We can put it off for another few days, if you’d like. To save you the trip.”

  “How about I try calling first?” Tommy grinned, nodding his head.

  “Have a nice drive,” Graham only rolled his eyes before Tommy shut the door behind him.

  Penny laughed as Amy fretted about the kitchen, trying to make sure nothing was out of place. Both Amber and Darla sat on either side of her, watching their mother with wide eyes. “What is she doing Aunt Penny?”

  “She’s getting ready for company.”

  “She doesn’t do this whenever the Logans come over.” Penny laughed, shrugging her shoulders.

  “Mommy, I think something is burning,” Darla told her mom, sending Amy into another tailspin. Penny only laughed harder.

  “Well, I’m so glad you think this is funny, Penny.”

  “I just don’t understand why you’re going so crazy about it. I mean, it’s just Tommy.”

  “Just Tommy. Uh-huh.” Amy pulled open the oven, her face falling. “My cake didn’t rise!”

  Penny laughed again, shaking her head. The doorbell rang and Penny looked at Amy, who’s eyes were panicked. “Come on, girls! Let’s go see who it is!”

  “Penny, wait! The cake!”

  “Don’t worry about it!” Penny laughed as she slid her chair backward, the two young girls already running toward the front door. By the time she caught up with them, they’d already thrown the door wide open.

  “Well, hello,” Tommy told them, looking up at Penny for a moment and smiling before kneeling down to be at eye-level with the much shorter girls.

  “Who are you?” Darla asked.

  “I’m Tommy. I went to school with your mom and Penny a very long time ago.”

  “Really?” Tommy nodded. “You look familiar.” Darla studied him for a moment. “You’re on Aunt Penny’s wall.” Penny laughed, patting Darla on the head. “At The Seaside, you are!”

  “Come on, girls. Let Tommy inside.”

  “Are you in movies?” Little Amber asked, and this time it was Tommy’s turn to laugh.

  “Sometimes.” He rose to his full height, holding out a bottle of wine and a box of cookies. “I brought dessert.”

  “Aw, you hear that, Amy? Tommy brought dessert!” Penny called into the kitchen. A moment later, her friend appeared in the walkway, a look of relief on her face.

  “How sweet of you, Tommy!” Penny did her best to keep a straight face. “I see you met my girls. This one here is Darla,” Amy touched her oldest daughter on the shoulder. “And this little one here is Amber!”

  “Tommy’s in movies, Mommy. Did you know that?”

  “Of course she knew that, silly. Don’t you remember her saying that he was a better actor in her plays?”

  “Darla!” Amy’s cheeks flared bright red and Penny heard Tommy laugh. Not a little chuckle, but a full-on rumble of laughter. Amy shrugged, a helpless look on her face as Tommy leaned forward and pulled his old friend in for a hug. “I’m sorry,”

  “Don’t worry about it. It’s the truth anyway.” Tommy told her.

  “Why don’t you girls go set the table?” />
  “Want to help us?” Amber asked Tommy. Penny watched as he was instantly taken in by the girls, each of them taking one of his hands and pulling him into the kitchen.

  “I can’t believe Thomson Davis is in my kitchen, helping my little girls set the table.” Penny watched him lift Amber up onto his shoulders, so that she could grab the plates out of the high cupboard. Darla squealed as he acted as if he might drop the plate.

  “It really is quite a sight, isn’t it?”

  For just a brief moment, Penny allowed herself to imagine that this was a regular occurrence. Family dinner at Amy’s, Tommy playing with the kids while she and Amy talked about work. In her vision, though, there was another little girl in the kitchen—this one with dark hair, much like Tommy’s.

  She chased it away though, telling herself this would never happen.

  “Okay, that’s enough—you kids better go wash up. That means you too, Tommy.” Amy ordered and Tommy chuckled, his eyes bright and happy as he swept a girl up in each arm, following their directions to the bathroom.

  The cheerful mood carried on all throughout dinner and longer, until the girls were sent to bed. “Thanks for having dinner with us, Tommy,” Darla told him. “Will you come again?”

  “Well, I’d be a fool to pass up an invitation to have dinner with the four prettiest ladies in Ravenside, wouldn’t I?”

  “And next time, we can play some more!” Amber added excitedly.

  “Okay, girls, come on—let’s go to bed.”

  “You’re going too?” Penny asked. Amy faked a yawn, nodding her head.

  “Oh, I’m beat.” But Penny knew her friend was only faking it. “You two go on, have a good night.”

  “Good night, Amy,” Tommy rose to his feet, pulling Amy into a hug. “It was great seeing you again.”

  “The same goes for you, Tommy. I’ll see you later on, Pen.”

  “Good night,”

  As the three headed toward the stairs, Amber stopped, hurrying back to wrap her arms around Tommy’s legs. “Good night, Tommy. Thanks for coming over.”

  And just as quickly as she’d hurried over, she turned around and ran back to the stairs, where her mom was waiting for her. Penny met Amy’s eyes briefly, the moment touching them both.

  The room was suddenly very quiet without the excitement of the girls. Penny sighed softly, glancing up at Tommy to find him already staring down at her. “You’re good with them.”

  “I like kids.”

  “I can see that,” she smiled. After a moment, he held out his hand to her. “Want to take a walk?”

  “Sure,” she agreed without even thinking about it, taking his hand and allowing him to pull her to her feet.

  It was quiet outside, except for the occasional dog bark here and there. The chill in the air was more than she expected and she immediately regretted not grabbing a jacket of some sort. “You cold?”

  “I’ll be okay,”

  “Don’t be silly,” he shrugged off the worn leather jacket he’d worn into town and rested it on her shoulders. She could tell it had belonged to him for a long time, the leather worn in just perfectly to match his movements. When she breathed in, she could smell the familiar soapy smell she attributed to him. “That was fun.”

  “It really was,” Penny agreed, nodding her head. She hadn’t had that much fun in a long time—and it had been so easy. She hadn’t once thought about Kevin or Gina or even The Seaside.

  Until now.

  As if reading her mind, Tommy started talking. “So I was thinking earlier, about the situation with Kevin.”

  “I’ve been trying not to think about it.”

  “Well, I think I’ve come up with a solution.”

  “Oh?” Penny was intrigued.

  “Why don’t I help you? I have money, Pen.” She was immediately touched by his generosity. But she knew she couldn’t take his help.

  “That’s really nice of you to offer, but I couldn’t. I just couldn’t.”

  “Why not?” he stopped, taking her hand so that she stopped too. “I have the money, Penny. I don’t mind loaning it out to you—hell, I wouldn’t even mind giving it to you—”

  “Absolutely out of the question.” She had gotten into this mess by relying on somebody else. No, she couldn’t do that again.

  Even if it was Tommy.

  Especially if it was Tommy.

  “Please, Penny. I don’t want you to lose the place. I know how much it means to you.”

  “Tommy, I—”

  “Look, at least just think about it. Consider your options. See what you can come up with.”

  “I’m not going to take your money. I have nothing to even offer you in return.”

  “Well, if you believe Graham, that’s not entirely true.” She narrowed her eyes at the mention of the man. Had he made some sort of an insinuation about her?

  “I’m not for sale, if that’s what you’re getting at.”

  Tommy chuckled, shaking his head. “No, he didn’t mean it like that—he just… he seems to think that my image is in need of a change. He thinks if I settled down with a nice, wholesome girl…people might start to change their minds about me a little bit.”

  “Is that why you came here?”

  “To settle down with a nice wholesome girl?” Penny laughed, shaking her head.

  “No, I mean—well, to get away from all of it?”

  “Things haven’t been going well, I’ll just say that. The scripts aren’t coming in anymore. The money…”

  If Penny had even been thinking about taking him up on his offer, that alone would have convinced her not to. Tommy was going through some sort of career crisis, a crisis that could potentially leave him broke and penniless, and here he was trying to talk her into taking his money? Well, that wasn’t going to happen.

  “How bad, Tommy?” she thought about the cover of the tabloid.

  “I’ve just been going through some things, that’s all. But I’m already starting to see everything a little bit more clearly.” He brushed her hair back, tucking it behind her ear. “Don’t worry about me.”

  “But I do,” she told him, reaching up now to graze the circles beneath his eyes with her thumb. “I’ve been worrying about you since the day I met you, Tommy Davidson. Nothing is going to change that.”

  “I’ll be okay. You know me, Pen. I always find a way to get through it.”

  Penny sighed, shifting her gaze. “How long are you planning on staying?”

  She was afraid to hear the answer, but as she stared up at him just a moment ago, she couldn’t bear the thought of him disappearing into the abyss again, leaving her with nothing but memories. She couldn’t do it again. She couldn’t take the debilitating emptiness.

  She realized that this was part of the reason why she hadn’t wanted to tell him the truth about her life earlier. Sure, she was embarrassed. Who wouldn’t be? But she was also afraid. Afraid of letting him in, knowing the pain she would face once he left.

  “I’m not sure.” At least he was honest.

  “But you are leaving, eventually.” Tommy nodded.

  “I have to.” She knew this. “You’ll get sick of having me around soon enough, don’t worry.”

  “I just got you back again.” She felt tears forming in her eyes. “Why didn’t you call, Tommy?”

  “Oh, Pen. I don’t know. Because I was an idiot.” It wasn’t the answer she was looking for, but then again, she had no idea what she wanted him to say.

  “You’re not going to do that again, are you?” His eyes were always so conflicted, as if he was always torn between two things. “Promise me you’re not going to do that again, Thomas Davidson, or you can walk away right now. I’m not going to let you waltz back into my life just so that you can turn around and leave me to rot again.”

  “Penny, I—”

  “Promise me.” She demanded, knowing she could go no further if it meant more heartache down the line. Losing Tommy, even just as a friend, had been a painful
experience.

  He held her eyes for a long moment before he finally spoke.

  “I promise,”

  “It shouldn’t have been that hard.”

  “No, it shouldn’t have.” She longed for him to talk to her. To open up to her just as she had done earlier in the day. But she knew Tommy. It took him time.

  Eventually, though, he would tell her everything.

  “I’m sorry.” She nodded her head.

  “Whatever it is you’re afraid of, Tommy, you’re going to have to face it sooner or later.” She knew that she was going to have to take her own advice too, eventually.

  Baby steps, she told herself. Baby steps.

  “Maybe it’s you I’m afraid of.” His tone was playful, but his eyes were very serious. She wondered for a moment if he felt the same fears she did. A fear of opening up, of feeling the pain. Had she ever done anything to give Tommy the impression that she was going to hurt him? She didn’t think so, but then again…

  “Well, you should be. I have piles of pictures of you from way back when. If you’re not careful, I just might have to post them on the internet. You think your image is bad now, just wait…” Penny was doing her best to lighten the mood once more. Things had taken serious turn that she hadn’t been prepared for. She wanted the evening to end on a good note.

  “You wouldn’t dare,”

  “Don’t try me.” She warned.

  “Well, maybe it’s you who should be afraid of me.” His eyes were suddenly very playful.

  “Oh? And why would that be?” And then he was leaning in very close—so close she could feel his breath on her neck as he whispered into her ear.

  “Because I know exactly where you’re most ticklish,”

  Before she knew what was happening, she felt his fingers dancing along the curve of her waist.

  And Penny squealed with laughter, slipping out of his grasp and running down the street. When he caught up with her, she found that she was cornered, her back against the thick trunk of a tree. She was breathing heavily, her heart hammering loudly in her chest. Tommy rested one of his hands on the tree, using the other to tuck her hair behind her ear once again.