Playing at Forever

by Michelle Brewer

  “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 aw
ay.

  “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 talk
ed 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?”