I held her tiny fingers in one hand and a bag of sand toys in the other.
Once we were situated, we spent the remainder of the day digging tunnels and letting the ocean fill them in. It reminded me of the day Penny joined us. Everything reminded me of her lately. The way Penny played with Lucy that day did crazy things to my chest. And I was an asshole because I didn’t know how to deal with it.
After the sun set, we trekked home and I whipped up her favorite dinner of noodles and butter.
“Why don’t you want Barbie to marry Ken?” she asked.
“He’s not cool like my surfer doll.” I winked at her. “Ken is boring and has weird hair, and Ba
rbie doesn’t need to get married anyways.”
She giggled. “Well no one is as cool as you. Maybe she’ll be a warrior princess instead next time.”
I smiled. That’s my girl.
After dinner, I reluctantly packed her up to return her to her mother’s.
Needing a drink, I decided to hit a small local dive bar after I dropped her off. South Beach clubs held no interest for me anymore and only brought back painful memories of Penny.
Stepping inside the Frosted Mug, I glanced around. A hip beat infiltrated through the speakers. The place was low-key, just a few tables and a bar, no dance floor, no games of any kind. Perfect.
I stepped up to the bar, leaning my elbow on the scarred oak wood to gain the bartender’s attention. “Macallan neat,” I said once he walked over.
After the shot was poured, I glanced around taking in the scenery. The place was virtually empty. I downed the shot, and suddenly my body buzzed with endorphins. There she sat. At the complete opposite end of the bar, Penny, she hadn’t noticed me yet. She was zoned out, the little black straw in her left hand making lazy circles in her pink drink. Her dark navy blouse clung tightly to her curves I knew all too well. Why did she have to be so beautiful? It’s really fucking difficult to get over someone when your cock twitches every time you see them. There would be no getting over her. Even the way her hair shone under the lights made me hard.
As if she could sense me, or as if some magic force were at play, her sweet, russet eyes lifted to meet mine.
She pointed a finger at me. “You,” she shouted.
I glanced over my shoulder unsure if she meant me. “Penny?”
She turned her finger, hooking it back to signal me to come to her. I obliged.
“You,” she whispered as I stood close. Too close. Close enough to smell her delicious scent. I missed her smell. Overwhelmed by the sight of her, I didn’t say anything and she started in again. “You asshole,” she stuttered, alcohol on her breath.
“Excuse me? Are you drunk?” I reached my hand out and slid her drink away.
“Heyyy, that’s mine.” Great, inebriated. More so than I’d ever seen her.
“Let me get you home.” I called the bartender over and paid her tab.
“I don’t need you to do anything,” she protested, pushing me away as she stumbled from the stool.
With one fleeting glance to the bartender, I smirked and helped her steady herself. “Let me help you.”
“Why?” she spat out. “You hate me. All I ever did was try to help you, Mr. Sullivan. And now look at this mess I’m in.” She waved her hand in front of her face, in turn losing her balance. I caught her in my arms before she went down.
“Penny, please, let me help you. You can’t even walk out of here.”
Her hand landed on my chest and she inched her fingers upward. My heart sped up at her touch. I made the mistake of looking down to meet her eyes. All brown and once all mine.
“Theo, I’m sorry,” she breathed.
With her apology, all of the emotions and hurt came rushing back to me like a tidal wave. The pain I felt when I saw her with Dex intensified. Hatred took over as I looked down to her.
“It’s too late,” I said, defeated.
I reached my arm under her legs and picked her up. Sorrow filled me when she rested her head on my shoulder. Smiling once more to the bartender, I left the bar and hurried to my car.