Best Friends Forever

Penny tips her head toward him, eyebrows raised. “Oh, it’s really great,” she nods. “How have you been, Ron? It’s been a long time.”

“Setting the world on fire, of course!” he scoffs.

He pivots toward her, aligning his shoulder with hers. I do not love this, but I appreciate the sidelong glance she shoots at me.

“Are you still in Illinois? Still around here?”

“President of Bountiful Homes, actually,” he brags. “Here, let me give you a card…”

“Oh… That’s okay. I can Google it,” she shrugs as she turns toward me. “And you, Clay? Are you the president of Corwin Homes?”

“Ha!” Ron guffaws. “Clay works for me, Penny. How do you like them apples? Are you shocked and amazed?”

She smiles sweetly. “Totally.”

He leans on the bar, jutting his elbow back and puffing his chest out. I know he is really loving this, so I suppress the urge to kick his foot out from underneath him and send his ample ass to the floor.

“Yep, I guess I exceeded everybody’s expectations,” he nods.

“Definitely,” I add.

He shoots me a look, not sure if I’m teasing him or not. Penny is amused, smirking at him. I can’t help but notice that she looks different. It’s not just the hair… It’s everything. Could she have gotten taller? She definitely got curvier. That slinky dress makes it easy to imagine everything underneath.

To my surprise, an image of her pops into my mind with absolute clarity. Lean and slender, small-titted and graceful. Those almond-shaped eyes, staring into me. Her hair so long it brushed the top of her waist.

The vision is so clear, so precise, it takes my breath away. Superimposed with her now, I almost don’t know what to say.

“So, what’s your story,” Ron continues obliviously. “You went to… New York? You still there? Married? Kids?”

“Okay, that’s a lot of questions,” she chuckles. "Yes, New York. Yes, still there in Albany, still in construction. No, never married. Clay? You?”

She turns to me suddenly, her eyes wide and meaningful. I know she wants me to get her out of this conversation with Ron, but I can’t talk if she’s going to look at me like that.

“I’m divorced three years,” Ron answers. “Not Clay, though. He’s not the marrying kind. He’s our ladies’ man. No commitment.”

Her eyebrows are up. “Is that true? You’re not the marrying kind?”

Suddenly the band starts up, beginning with a exuberant drum solo that quickly resolves into a Prince song. Ron flinches forward, nearly spilling his drink.

“Yes! Yes!” he barks. “Music! I’m gonna go up there and see what’s on the set list. You in, Clay?”

“I’ll be right behind you,” I assure him, intending to do no such thing.

He scurries off and Penny rolls her eyes at me.

“You seriously work for him? As in, he’s your actual boss?”

I just shrug and roll my eyes. “Does he seem like he is the boss of anything? He is a genius with regulations, though. Nobody knows county business like Ron.”

She purses her lips thoughtfully, an expression I’ve seen a thousand times before. It’s so strange to see her again after all this time. So familiar, but so remote.

“Well, that’s good. I’m glad you guys are still around. It’s nice to know some things don’t change all that much.”

“What about you?” I ask, genuinely curious but trying not to appear too intrusive. “You say you’re still in construction. Same company?”

She sighs bitterly. “Oh, yes, same company. Practically the same job.”

“Really? That surprises me,” I answer without thinking.