Free Remember Me Always: A Contemporary Romance by Angela Snyder Page B

is comin'.  So strange.
    "What the fuck is goin' on?" I complain.
    Buddy and Penny both jump and turn to me.  Buddy has a mouthful of apple pie, and he chews quickly and swallows before givin' me a big grin.  "Penny thought of a way to help the bar.  She wants to bake these delicious desserts for us to sell."  Before I can even process that information, he continues with, "I know a lot of people who would buy these.  We don't have a bakery in town, and old Mrs. Winston stopped bakin' cakes years ago."
    I rub at my sleepy eyes.  "It sounded like you two were gettin' it on down here," I grumble out.
    Buddy starts laughin'.  "Foodgasm," he remarks.  He pops a toothpick in his mouth and grins wide.  "So that's why you came runnin' in here like you were ready to start a war."  He winks at me like we're sharin' a secret.
    I eye him before I tell him, "Get the hell out of my house."  I'm only half jokin'.
    He chuckles and walks past me.  "All right.  I'll see you later, Penny!" he calls halfway out the door.
    "Okay!" she calls back.
    I lean against the counter, starin' at Penny.  My kitchen is a disaster, and Penny is covered in flour.  "I take it this was Buddy's idea for you to bake here?"
    Penny nods slowly.  "He said I would have more room to bake in your kitchen than in my apartment.  I figured since you weren't using it…"
    "That'd you tear it up like a tornado ripped through here?" I finish for her, fumin'.  I'm tired and cranky and pissed off that I can't seem to get away from this girl…even though, in a weird way, I like seein' her in my kitchen all mussed up and happy.
    She shrugs her shoulders slightly and bites her bottom lip.  She's nervous.  I learned quickly that's one of her nervous tics.  "I'll clean it up, Colt.  It looks way worse than it really is."
    "Oh really?  Because it looks pretty damn bad," I tell her.  My eyes peruse her from head to toe.  She looks cute in jeans, a t-shirt, chucks and a frilly pink and white polka dotted apron.  Most of the apron is covered in flour, and she even has some on her cheek.  She never looked more beautiful.
    Where the hell did that come from?
    My heart beats faster, and I instantly tear my eyes away and force them to the floor.  I quickly clear my throat and turn away from her.  "Well, just make sure you clean it up," I call over my shoulder before headin' back to my bedroom.
    Once inside my room, I close the door behind me and lean against the wood, tryin' to calm my breathin'.  I'm pantin' like I just ran a damn marathon.  What is it about this girl that gets my blood pumpin'?
    I take an ice-cold shower to calm me down before dressin' and headin' downstairs once again.  Penny is gone and the kitchen is spotless.  I feel a pang of disappointment that she left already, but I push the feelin' aside.  I notice some cakes that are cooling on racks, and so I know she'll be back later.  Why does that make me suddenly feel anxious and…happy?
    Shakin' my head to clear my thoughts, I walk into the kitchen and stare at her apron draped across a chair.  My fingers instantly gravitate towards it, and I find myself pickin' it up and bringin' the material to my nose.  I inhale her scent deeply.  She smells like flowers and sugar and flour and… home .  She smells like my childhood, and I instantly get a warm fuzzy feelin' inside of me all of a sudden.
    A memory of my mom wearin' an apron fills my mind.  Her big smile lights up the room as she pats me on the head and says about the cookies almost bein' ready.
    The memory takes my breath away.  I don't have very many of my mom, and I cherish each and every one I have.  At the same time, I desperately try to block them out because it hurts too much to think about her.
    "What the hell am I doin'?" I ask myself out loud.  I quickly drop the apron back onto the chair and storm out of the house.  I gotta stop doin' this shit with Penny.  I gotta stop rememberin' shit before it opens up the