by Kris Jayne
“Because it is, Shannon. You took off, and you haven’t looked back. You don’t even call to see how Olivia is doing. I’ve been right here for the past couple of years. If you cared, you could have shown up on my doorstep any time before now. But you haven’t. So excuse my surprise.”
“Who’s the blonde?”
“What?”
“The blonde that was doing all the stuff with your mom. In and out of the house, putting stuff away. The blonde.”
“My fiancée.”
Shannon scowled. “Getting hitched again. I guess you found yourself a perfect little Barbie doll this time. She’s pretty.”
“She is.”
“So that’s all you have to say?”
“Yep.”
“Does she live here? It looks like the two of you are already playing house. She’s moved right in and being a mommy and all to my daughter.”
Jeff’s jaw clenched. Look who’s territorial all of sudden. “Your number, Shannon. Give it to me, and I’ll call you later. Are you going to be around here or are you heading back home?”
“I’ll be around for a couple of days.” Shannon gave Jeff her number to put into his phone. “The fiancée looks awfully proper, Jeff. Does she know how much you like fucking reverse cowgirl in the flatbed of a pickup?”
Jeff glared. “Get off my porch, Shannon. A trespassing charge would screw up your probation, wouldn’t it?”
“You love that don’t you? Tossing all my problems in my face. Why do you have to be such an asshole?”
Jeff thought that an odd charge coming from her, but said nothing else. This was the Shannon he knew. Biting and nasty when she didn’t get her way. He marched back into his house and closed the door. He had a gorgeous house and a great life. He worked hard for both. He wasn’t going to let Shannon fuck that up.
“Is she gone?” Taryn asked, venturing into the foyer from the formal living room at the front of the house. A worry wrinkle creased between her eyes.
“Yes.” Jeff crossed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around her.
“You sure? That death trap of a truck didn’t look like it could make it to the end of the block.”
“You saw?”
“The window. I’m nosy. You know that.”
“Yes, she’s definitely gone. Don’t worry. I’ll call Harold, and we’ll figure out what we need to do.”
“I know. I just—” Taryn’s voice broke for a moment. Then, she straightened her spine. She pulled back in his arms to look at him. “I wasn’t prepared. I thought if I ever met her, I’d have a chance to prepare. But she just showed up. I wasn’t ready for it. I never thought that she might pop up at any time.”
“Did I mention her consistently shitty timing?” Jeff squeezed her tighter. “Listen, I’m prepared. Okay? I’ve handled her in the past. I’ll handle her again.”
“I can’t shake this feeling that she’s bringing a truckload of trouble with her.” Taryn tensed in his arms.
“I used to think Shannon was this dark cloud, raining down endless problems. But she doesn’t have any power we don’t give her. She causes more trouble for herself than anything else. All we have to focus on is how this will impact Olivia.”
“What are we going to say to her about Shannon? Anything? What if she keeps coming around?” Taryn asked in a hoarse whisper.
“We’re not going to say anything. I’ll call Harold, and we’ll make a plan.” Jeff started to continue, but he heard a small voice behind them.
“Who was that lady, Daddy?”
Olivia stood in the hallway that lead back to the kitchen. There goes hoping Olivia didn’t notice the stranger lurking at her party.
“She’s someone I used to know, Livvy. Where’s Grandma?” He wasn’t prepared to talk about Shannon with Olivia. Not when he was pretty sure the woman wouldn’t ever be in her life for good.
“She’s in the backyard.”
“Let’s go see if she needs help. Plus, you have to say goodbye to your guests,” Taryn suggested in an overly bright tone.
“Are you okay, Ms. Taryn?”
“I’m fine, sweetie.”
“How about a hug?” Olivia wrapped her arms around Taryn’s middle and buried her painted face in Taryn’s sweatshirt.
“Oh, thank you. I love hugs.” Taryn patted Olivia’s hair. Jeff looked her direction, and Taryn’s gaze dropped.
He stood there, watching the woman he loved most in all the world walk outside with the little girl he loved most in all the world. He vowed that his family—this family—wouldn’t be ruined by his past mistakes.
Chapter Six
After shuttling a dozen six- and seven-year-olds and their parents out of the house, tidying up the yard, and handling the deflation of the birthday girl as they let the air out of the bounce house and hauled it away, Taryn found herself near collapse.
Capping off the long day with the sudden reappearance of Jeff’s ex-wife had been the shit-covered cherry on her sundae. With Jeff’s mother gone, and Olivia tucked into bed, Taryn crashed on the family room couch and waited for Jeff to get off the phone with his attorney.
She’d planned on spending the night, and she needed to talk with Jeff, but at the same time, she wanted to crawl back to her apartment and process the day on her own.
Taryn had just drifted off to sleep when her cell phone rang. She knew by the ringtone that it was her mother. She was supposed to call Taryn this weekend with an update to their wedding guest list. Let it go to voicemail? Taryn decided “no” and answered.
“Hey, Mom.”
“Hey, sweetie. What’s wrong? How was the party?” Annabelle Lieber asked.
“The party went fine. Or it was going fine. I mean, it was fine. Olivia and her friends had a blast. The parents had a good time. The party was fine.”
“That’s a lot of fines, hon. What wasn’t fine?”
“You won’t believe who showed up.”
“Who?”
“Jeff’s ex-wife.”
“What? I thought they hadn’t heard from her in years.”
“They hadn’t. Shannon hasn’t seen Olivia since before she was two.”
“So why was she there? Did she cause a scene?”
“No, actually. She didn’t cause a scene. She really didn’t do anything. I don’t even think she knew there was a party. She just showed up. You know Jeff’s been trying to find her and get info to prepare to ask her to give up her parental rights. I guess she found out that someone was asking questions, and it freaked her out. I don’t know. I don’t even want to talk about it. There’s nothing to say anyway. Jeff’s on the phone with his lawyer.”
“Well, maybe once he and his lawyer talk with her, she’ll go back to wherever she’s been all these years. I can’t imagine abandoning a little girl like she did. It’s unconscionable,” her mother admonished.
“I suppose she might run off again. I feel like a horrible person hoping for that. I mean, she is Olivia’s mother. Biologically, at least.”
Saying those words put a lump in Taryn’s throat. As much as she had begun to see herself as the mother in Olivia’s life, she wasn’t. Having that fact shoved in her face so abruptly scattered Taryn’s emotions all over the place.
Wouldn’t it be best for Olivia if Shannon came back into her life and stayed for good? If Olivia had her real mother? Why did the thought fill Taryn with such dread? How could she be so selfish? Or was it selfish? Nothing Shannon had ever done indicated that she could be a reliable, safe mother for Olivia. Nothing.
If you were placing bets, you’d have to put your money on her disappearing again, doing drugs, getting arrested, or any number of other questionable behaviors. They couldn’t count on Shannon and neither could Olivia. Unless she’d changed.
According to Jeff, young Shannon had been a wounded girl who only wanted to belong somewhere. With all the stories Taryn had heard, calling Shannon the devil was easy. But she wasn’t the devil. She was just a woman with a sad history. Je
ff had thought that if he could make her feel like she deserved better, then he could save her. He’d loved her and wanted to save her.
What if she didn’t need saving now because she’d saved herself? Then, Shannon would be back in their lives.
“You’re not a terrible person, Taryn. The woman sounds like nothing but trouble. You have to trust your intuition. You and Jeff will do the right thing,” her mother assured her.
“I hope so. Things are all upside down all of a sudden. And I’m tired. It’s been a long day. But you didn’t call to talk about that. What’s up?”
“Okay. I called about to let you know that your Aunt Sylvie is for sure coming to the wedding, and she wants to bring her grandkids. I can’t remember what you said about kids coming to the wedding. They’re eight and five.
“Any school-aged kids are welcome. They can come. I’ll be glad to see them.”
“Good. She wants to be there to represent your dad, you know.” Annabelle sighed.
Taryn’s father had died in a car accident six years ago. She had no one to walk her down the aisle. Taryn pressed her fingers to her forehead. She couldn’t think about that now.
“I know. Thanks for checking for me.”
“No problem. I’ll email you the rest of the addresses for invitations. Don’t fret about all these other things, sweetie. It’ll work out, and now is a time to enjoy each moment. But you call me if you need anything. I can come down there any time you need.”
“I’m sure you’re right, Mom. I’ll let you know if I need anything else.”
“No problem. Get some rest and remember that nothing anyone does can change how you and Jeff feel about each other. So you’ll get through this, okay? Love you.”
“Thanks, Mom. Love you, too.”
Taryn closed her eyes and flopped back on the sofa.
She wanted to believe Jeff. She wanted to believe Shannon could be managed, but she wasn’t so sure. The woman never had any interest in Jeff or Olivia. Even when he’d contacted her about the divorce a few years ago, she didn’t respond. He hunted her down.
Why the sudden responsiveness? Why not ignore him the way she always had? The entire situation seemed suspicious to Taryn, but she didn’t want to worry Jeff if he felt everything was under control. After all, he knew his ex better than she did.
Taryn swallowed. That didn’t sit well with her either.
Jeff had just said goodbye to Harold when his business partner and friend, Paul Frye, called him. Running his own company often meant working late nights and weekends, and since they were in the process of evaluating acquisition offers, it was possible that Paul had news.
“How was the party? I’m sorry I couldn’t bring the kids. Our weekends are crazy with basketball games and volleyball league.” Paul and his wife Vicky had four kids, including an eight-year-old daughter who sometimes played with Olivia.
“Not a problem. Most of the kids were a little younger. I don’t know that Isabelle would have had much fun. You did miss the excitement of a surprise guest.”
“Who?”
“Shannon.”
“Olivia’s mom Shannon?”
“Yep.”
“Shannon who got so blitzed at my wedding that she passed out in the corner of the hotel ballroom?”
“You’ll never forget that, huh?”
“Vicky won’t ever forget it. What the hell was she doing there? It’s been almost five years since she left.”
“She found out about the PI I hired to look into her. She showed up to see what I wanted from her.”
“And she just happened to come during Olivia’s birthday party?”
“You sound like Taryn. It’s not like today is Olivia’s actual birthday. She couldn’t have known we were having the party. It’s an awkward coincidence.”
“I’ll say. How’d she look?”
“Better than the last time I saw her, but not great.”
“The last time you saw her was at a crack house, wasn’t it?”
“I don’t know if it was crack, but yeah, I found her living with a bunch of junkies. She’s been out of rehab for about six months, so she’s supposed to be clean.”
“Well, I’d like to see a hair follicle test on that.” Paul snorted.
Paul never liked Shannon. No one in Jeff’s life had. She drank too much, smoked too much weed, and was generally inappropriate.
After the incident at Paul and Vicky’s wedding, Vicky banned Shannon from their house. Not only had she passed out from some kind of pills, but before that, she made a vulgar remark to Vicky’s mother about what her daughter and Paul would likely be doing on their wedding night.
Jeff had to apologize to about a dozen people for Shannon’s behavior. He explained it away to himself that Shannon just got uncomfortable at family functions. Truthfully, Shannon never needed an excuse to get high.
“I think she may have to get regular drug tests. She’s on probation for some theft and drug charges,” Jeff explained.
“She’s been keeping busy, I see.”
“Always.”
“Did Taryn see her?”
“She saw her, but they didn’t talk. I did everything I could to get her out of there. I’ll call her and see if she can have lunch tomorrow.”
“Watch your back, man. I remember what a little manipulator she could be, and no offense, but she used to play you like a fiddle. Don’t forget that with Shannon, you can always count on crazy, chaos, and a con.”
“I’m aware,” Jeff huffed.
“What does Taryn think about Shannon’s materializing out of nowhere?”
“I haven’t had much chance to talk with Taryn. She and my mom were busy cleaning up the party, and I skipped out to talk to my lawyer, Harold.”
“Cleaning up cake and balloons is going to be easier than cleaning up whatever mess Shannon’s bringing with her.”
“I’m hoping it won’t come to that.”
“You would. Always the incurable optimist.”
“I like to see the best in people if at all possible. Sue me.”
Paul laughed, and they hung up. Paul was right. Shannon could hit your life like a shitstorm. But she had looked sober. Hopefully, he would talk to her tomorrow and see how clear-headed she was.
Although, maybe it didn’t matter. She might blow out of town as quickly as she came. Then she’d be gone, and his life could go on—shitstorm free.
Chapter Seven
Shannon flicked the edge of the napkin between her fingers. Jeff wasn’t late, but still she expected him to be here already. That’s why she arrived at the café twenty minutes early. She didn’t want him to beat her there and put her on the defensive before the meeting even started.
However, now that she sat at the table, waiting, she only grew more nervous, regretting her two cups of coffee. She pressed her hands on her knees to stop their jittering and wiped the sweat from her palms.
The glass door swung open, and Shannon looked up. Not Jeff. She checked her watch. He still had five minutes.
This lunch had to go well. She had to make a good impression. She couldn’t get pissed off like she had the day before. She had to watch her mouth. If she were going to make sure she got what she wanted this time, she had to get Jeff to see the things in her that he’d always liked—even loved once. She had to get him to trust her.
Shannon rolled her eyes and laughed. It might be impossible. Or it might be easy as pie. The fiancée complicated things. The woman was beautiful. Perfect blonde hair and blue eyes. Petite and cute. Those girls were sweet and simple, and men loved them.
But they didn’t have an edge. And when a man likes a woman with an edge, there’s not enough sweetness in the world to tame that beast.
Shannon had to tread that fine line. Make sure he didn’t feel threatened by her, but that he felt—something. She could do that. Book smarts weren’t her thing, but she could hook a man.
“You look like you’re in a good mood. Smiling away.” Jeff greeted her. She co
uld see the guard up in his eyes.
He was even better looking than he’d been when they were together. Gone was the young Jeff with his nerdy insecurity. Gone was the puppy-like adoration in his big brown eyes. Now he looked like a full-grown man. Strong jaw, high cheekbones, full lips, short-clipped, dark sandy hair. These were the same.
His body was different. More filled out. His shoulders were broader. Ease flowed through his six-foot-four frame instead of the gawky awkwardness.
He looked solid and reliable, Shannon thought. But then he’d always been reliable. She’d always felt safe with him. Now he looked like he could make a woman feel even more secure. Now he had his own company and money. He was perfect, and he’d been hers.
Strangely, tears pricked the backs of her eyes, but she wouldn’t cry. This wasn’t about the past. This was about her future. Her success depended on how nostalgic he’d be. Shannon couldn’t afford nostalgia.
“I’m having a good day,” Shannon replied.
“Good. I’m glad.” Jeff smiled and slid into the booth opposite her. The whiteness and perfection of his smile reminded her of the years of braces and retainers he wore throughout his teen years. They—like everything else in Jeff’s life except her—paid off. Shannon shifted in her seat. Don’t get down on yourself. You gave him the best thing in his life.
“You want coffee? It’s real good here,” Shannon commented.
“No, thanks. I’m good. You want to get something to eat?”
“Yeah. Here’s your menu.”
Shannon handed him the menu stacked on top of hers.
“I already know what I want. I get the same thing every time I come to this place.”
“You were always like that. You’d stick with your favorite things and hardly ever get anything new.”
Shannon noted how Jeff’s forehead crinkled as she spoke. Did that sound like a criticism? She hadn’t meant it to criticize. Maybe she shouldn’t have said it.
“Sometimes. When I try new places, I try new things. But I come to this place for one thing: the steak and eggs with toast. That’s why I like this café. They serve breakfast all day.”