Playing at Forever - By Michelle Brewer Page 0,6

special.

Now she could only wonder if she had been lying to herself.

The memory of the night she’d caught the two of them flashed before her eyes. She’d taken the day off—a rarity for her, but she’d wanted to have a special night with her husband. She’d spent the day shopping for something sexy and stepping out of her comfort zone to be pampered. Penny was ready to start trying for a family—and she thought Kevin would be too.

He had stayed late at work again—to make up for her absence, he’d said. But when it was nearly midnight and he still hadn’t come home—she’d gotten worried. She’d gone to look for him.

And it was there in the parking lot—just across the way from where she stood now—that she’d seen them. Leaning against Gina’s car, wrapped intimately around one another. She remembered the pain she’d felt—the embarrassment. A fresh wave of tears stung her eyes now and she shook her head, willing the memory away.

She thought it strange now, though, that it hadn’t been her most heartbreaking memory. No—in fact, it hadn’t even been close.

The memory of Tommy Davidson jumping on his bike and taking off into the night fluttered across her memory. She remembered the sudden, terrifying ache that had flooded through her as she realized he was gone—not because he had left, but because she knew that she would never see him again. Her best friend—her other half. The only one who had ever really understood her.

She remembered the tears that had overwhelmed her as she sunk to the ground and pulled her knees to her chest. She’d been almost completely debilitated by that moment.

But the night she’d caught her husband in the arms of another woman, she’d been completely calm. Upset, yes. Hurt—of course. But completely functional. She had driven back to the house she’d shared with him, packed up a few of her belongings, and then she’d gone straight to Amy’s.

Penny sighed, running her hand roughly through her hair. She sniffed quietly, pulling herself back together. Behind her, she heard the door open.

“Make sure you don’t forget to lock up.”

“Like I ever have?” Penny couldn’t help the harsh tone in her voice—the annoyance she couldn’t deny whenever she was around him.

“Have a good night, Penelope.” She almost thought she heard a mocking tone in his words, but she couldn’t be quite certain.

“You too, Kevin. Tell Gina I say hello.” If he was going to be childish, she felt she could afford a few jabs here and there.

He said nothing more—and she remained exactly where she stood until she heard his car pull away, when she finally turned around and returned to the restaurant, knowing she could spend another couple of hours going over paperwork.

What reason did she have to hurry home now?

It had been a long drive—yet somehow, he’d managed to go undetected. He’d driven almost straight through, stopping only once for a few hours of sleep before jumping back on his bike and continuing on.

The desire to find something familiar was undeniable. It fueled him, pushing him even through exhaustion.

And when he’d passed by the “Welcome to Ravenside” sign, the fuel only burned brighter. He was so close—so near to his destination.

That was when he actually stopped to think about what he was doing.

What was his plan? Was he going to track Penelope Lang down and hope that, after ten years of silence, she’d be willing to even talk to him? What if he couldn’t find her? What if she’d left Ravenside?

He’d stopped himself then, knowing that the small North Carolina town was her home. Penny would never leave her home—not for good, anyway.

It was late by the time he arrived and he had no idea where to even begin. He racked his brain, trying to pull up any memory that might give him a clue.

It was at that moment that he saw it.

A small white building, just off the coast. The lighting was dim inside, but still visible through all of the windows. He saw a patio off to the side, for seaside dining he recalled. “Seaside dining at The Seaside,” she’d told him. It was her dream.

Her dream—right there, right in front of him.

And then he saw her. She was leaving the restaurant through the front door, locking it behind her. There weren’t any cars left in the parking lot and he realized that she would be walking. Tommy watched as she walked over to the railing of the dock and paused, staring out into