Playing at Forever - By Michelle Brewer Page 0,57

like to introduce an old friend—and a product of the arts.”

“How about I start with a round of applause for our beautiful hostess?” Penny blushed, smiling at the floor—not only embarrassed by his compliment, but by her behavior.

His speech was good, she thought, especially for having come up with the entire thing without any thought or preparation. He talked about working on the stage—how those days had been some of the best of his life, providing him with memories to last a lifetime. They had influenced him in many ways, he said, least of which being his chosen career path.

They had helped him understand friendship. They had helped him to realize the value of hard work. But most of all, he said, they had helped him to realize that really anything was possible in life.

The room erupted into applause the moment he finished, Penny included. When her very handsome date turned around, Penny reached up to place a kiss on his cheek. “Thank you,” she whispered into his ear.

“All you owe me is the last dance of the evening.”

“I owe you a lot more than that.” He took her hand as she descended the stairs.

“And with that, Miss Lang, I believe it is tradition for you to open up the floor.” Ernie, the older gentleman who led the band, smiled at Penny.

She’d forgotten about this part.

Traditionally, it had always been she and Kevin who danced the first dance.

“Well, I guess that’s my cue.” Tommy came to her rescue once again. Penny’s smile was sad as he offered her his hand. He pulled her close, the entire room watching. “You’re the belle of the ball, Penny Lane.”

“I’m supposed to be, right? That’s what everyone expects. They want to see the show—to be entertained.”

“You get used to it, after awhile.”

“I don’t know that I want to.” She knew that she was hurting, and her sudden anger was completely misplaced. But she couldn’t help it.

“What’s wrong, Pen?”

“Nothing,” she shook her head, sighing. “I just want to go home. I want to get out of this stupid dress and just…go to bed.”

“I don’t think your dress is stupid.” He touched his lips to the top of her head.

“Can you take me home, Tommy?” She knew it wasn’t right—she was supposed to stay the rest of the night, until the last person left.

“If that’s what you want.”

“I just need to grab something from my office.” The song came to a close and everyone in the room clapped, including Tommy as he stepped back, his eyes full of adoration. She forced a smile, not knowing how much longer she would last.

“I’ll be right back,” she told him after just a moment. Her guests took their turn on the dance floor as Penny hurried back to her office, looking through some papers.

“You look beautiful tonight.” Kevin’s voice startled her and she looked up, her eyes already filling with tears. “I hope he’s told you that.”

“I’m buying you out, Kevin.” Her voice was strained.

“I was hoping you would.” He entered the room, taking a few steps closer to her. “This place was always your dream.”

“You’ll have the papers with the rest of the divorce documents. I’ve already signed everything.”

“So it’ll all be over soon, then, won’t it?” Penny nodded, a few tears rolling down her cheek as she blinked. “I never meant to hurt you, Pen. I hope you know that.”

“I know you didn’t.”

“And I hope you find happiness with him. I think, deep down, he’s always been the one you’ve wanted. I was just a poor substitute.” Penny crossed her arms over her chest, suddenly feeling very exposed.

“We’re leaving for L.A. in a week or so. I’m going to hire on a few people to manage the place. You and Gina can stay on until we get back, if you’d like.”

“I’ll stay on for a bit longer, to make sure the new guys are working out. Gina and I are moving in a few weeks anyway. We thought it’d be a good idea to start fresh somewhere.” Penny nodded. Of course, she couldn’t blame them for wanting to leave town. “I really am sorry, Penny. If I could go back and do it all differently…”

“Well, you can’t.” She shrugged her shoulders. “No use thinking about it.”

“I’ll be seeing you, I guess.” She nodded, finally wiping at the tears.

As soon as he’d left the room, Penny rushed through the kitchen, pushing open the back door and breathing in the cool night air.

“Hey, you still want to go?” Of