Choosing You (Thirsty Hearts Book 2)

by Kris Jayne

  “Would you like some sparkling cider?” Ronaldo asked Olivia.

  “Yes, please,” she answered. Ronaldo poured three glasses of cider, and Olivia raised her glass to toast Taryn and her mother. After clinking glasses with Olivia, Taryn widened her smile and reached her flute toward Shannon.

  “Prost,” she said and attempted to connect her gaze with Shannon. Shannon said “cheers” with her eyes fixed an inch above Taryn’s head, then flittering away. Taryn ruefully thought of the potential bad luck headed their way because they hadn’t maintained eye contact during the toast. Maybe toasts with faux alcohol wouldn’t count.

  With refreshments in hand, Ronaldo guided them through the colors of Taryn’s wedding and showed the style of the bridesmaids’ dresses. Since she and Jeff decided on a garden wedding, Taryn wanted to coordinate with shades of green. She decided on pops of pistachio with her main colors being a deep magenta and a lighter raspberry pink, or what Ronaldo called “sangria.” According to him, sangria was one of the hot fashion colors the previous year.

  “Still very on trend though. And the color combination will be lovely,” he explained, then turned to Olivia. “I picked out some beautiful dresses for you, and all of them I picked are available in the pink color your…step-mom-to-be picked out. I hope you like pink.”

  “I love pink. And purple. And orange.”

  “Well, pink we can do, and we can maybe let Olivia have a dress that’s a different color from my bridesmaids. We can go with the lighter color maybe. How about we try on both colors to see what they look like?”

  Olivia took a sip from her flute of cider and grinned.

  “You’re really excited,” Shannon stated with more wistfulness in her voice than surprise.

  “Daddy said I can have whatever dress I want. And I’ll be walking down the aisle with flowers and the rings. I’m getting my hair done and my nails painted and everything.”

  “It sounds like it’s going to be real nice.”

  Shannon ran a finger over the page of Taryn’s open bridal book. Taryn had a Pinterest page and an electronic file of ideas and pictures, but she still had an old school hard copy book. Plus, she had every signed contract clipped into the back of her binder. She wouldn’t admit this to her less than romantic friends, but sometimes, she pulled out the book and turned through the pages just to imagine what it will be like to become Mrs. McConnell.

  Seeing Shannon idly surveilling her plans sent a frisson of tension up her back. She couldn’t believe she had her fiancé’s ex-wife at a bridal appointment.

  “What was you and Daddy’s wedding like?” Olivia asked.

  The question was natural, but once asked, Taryn felt Olivia’s eyes on her as if asking if it were okay to wonder about her parents’ wedding. Taryn smiled at the little girl and twirled the stem of her champagne glass between her fingers, holding back a sigh.

  Color rose in Shannon’s face, and she seemed more uncomfortable than Taryn did. Ronaldo cleared his throat and excused himself to go pull more samples.

  “It was simple. We didn’t have a lot of time to plan, so we got married at your Grandma and Grandpa’s.”

  “Did you have a beautiful dress?” Olivia inquired.

  Taryn had seen an old wedding photo with Jeff and Shannon. Shannon had worn a plain white sundress, cotton and summery, and concealing her emerging baby bump. Both the bride and the groom had the wide eyes of animals hearing the crack of a rifle shot.

  “It was pretty. Nothing like all this. But that was a long time ago. Your dad’s life is a lot different than it was back then. So is mine. Jeff and Taryn’s wedding will be a lot bigger and nicer than ours was.”

  “I bet you looked pretty,” Olivia noted with a smile.

  “I did. I was cute back then.” Shannon stared at the dog-eared picture of the gown Taryn had picked. “Is this your dress?”

  “Yes.”

  Taryn tried on a dozen gowns, but as soon as she put her dress on, she’d known it was the dress. The straps sat wide on her shoulders and descended into in a deep V-neck bodice made modest by a small swath of crystal-laden silk in the center. The wide, pleated waistband featured a flourish of crystals and lace, which added just enough glitz for Taryn. The rest of the dress fell in a smooth, A-line wave of cream silk, slightly trumpeted at the bottom with a chapel-length train.

  “It’s gorgeous. I bet it looks great on you.”

  “Thanks. I fell in love with it right away.” Taryn cautiously turned the page to show Shannon a picture of the bridesmaids’ two-piece dresses. “I figure there are some elements from each that we could match with your dress, Olivia. Maybe the pleats or decoration at the waist. I’m not sure if it’ll be all one color or cream and pink. Let’s see what Ronaldo has. Then, you can start trying on dresses.”

  Taryn didn’t have to tell Olivia twice. The girl sprang up and attacked the rack of flower girl and junior bridesmaid dresses. Taryn thought the latter might be a little too old for Olivia, but she’d see.

  For the next hour, Olivia flew through sample after sample like a movie montage, one after another, twirling and giggling. Oddly enough, Taryn and Shannon joined in the fun together, commenting on the different options and enjoying Olivia’s obvious joy. By the time they heard the squeal of delight in the dressing room, the two women had fallen into a companionable conversation on fashion. Olivia threw open the curtain and bounced out for them to see.

  “I love this one. I love it,” Olivia declared. The dress was a deep purplish pink with a satin rose detail at the waist and pleats criss-crossing the bodice in a V-shape that echoed the neckline of the other dresses, but was age appropriate. Ankle-length in the front, the asymmetrical hem fell into a short train in back.

  “You look beautiful, baby,” Shannon gulped, tearing up.

  “You do. And the color is beautiful on you. I think it matches what the other bridesmaids are wearing. What do you think, Olivia?”

  “Yes!” she shouted and ran over, throwing her arms around Taryn’s waist. “I can’t wait until the wedding. I wish you could get married next week.”

  “But then we couldn’t take our trip to California. I thought you wanted to see San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge.”

  “I do. I’m just so excited.”

  “Me too.” Taryn planted a kiss on the crown of the girl’s head.

  “Ooh! Now I have to go to the bathroom,” Olivia said. Shannon helped her get out of the dress and took Olivia out to the restroom.

  “Jeff’s ex-wife seems…down to earth,” Ronaldo commented with raised eyebrows.

  “She’s had a tough life, but she’s apparently working to get herself on the right track. Olivia has become quite taken with her. She’s heard stories about her mother, but now she’s getting to know her,” Taryn replied with practiced diplomacy.

  “Well, that’s precious. It’s lovely that you two are getting along and that she’s able to spend time with her daughter like that. Really sweet.” Taryn tuned her ear to pick up any irony in Ronaldo’s statement but, surprisingly, found none.

  “Uh huh,” Taryn mumbled.

  “How long ago were they married?”

  “Nearly eight years ago. Jeff was practically a kid.”

  “Well, these things happen. You truly are being a peach about the whole thing. I don’t know if I’d be as generous. But then, you’re the one with the three-carat diamond and the glorious future. So maybe it’s pretty easy.”

  “It’s not the diamond that makes it easy.” Taryn laughed and rolled her eyes. Ronaldo’s eye for quality and aesthetics didn’t always meet up with decorum. He took Taryn’s left hand in his, running his thumb over her engagement ring.

  “Three carats, little or no inclusions, practically colorless and with baguettes. It’d make it easier for me, honey. I don’t mean to be crass, but I know good work when I see it. Making other people jealous with your jewelry is half the fun of being engaged. Seeing you makes me realize that we’ve got to get this gay marri
age thing done. I’m wasting away my best years, darling,” he said with a wink.

  “A good man does make things easier.”

  “Jeff doesn’t have a gay brother, does he?”

  “Sorry. He’s an only child.”

  “Damn. I’ll have to keep bringing home my own bacon. It’s tragically unfair. You say she’s getting her life together. Did she have problems before?”

  “She had some drug problems and some other issues,” Taryn replied, not wanting to get too specific with Jeff and Shannon’s dirty laundry.

  “I have relatives with drug issues. You’re around it enough, you know what it looks like. She looks clean now.”

  “She does.”

  “You’re not convinced.” Damn, he was astute at reading people.

  “I have no reason to not be convinced,” Taryn contended and finally let out a long sigh. “It’s just—”

  “Just?”

  “I don’t know. I don’t feel like she’s…totally on the up and up.”

  “Is she clever enough to be scheming?”

  “Be nice. We’ll see. Won’t we?” Taryn mused.

  “Schemers do come in all kinds of packages,” Ronaldo noted. He laughed and then suddenly straightened his shoulders and dropped her hand. He shifted his attention to a spot over Taryn’s head and spoke. “So you found the restrooms, then?”

  Shannon must have come back into the room. Taryn cast a quick eye over her shoulder and saw the other woman standing just inside the archway with Olivia at her side. She hoped Shannon hadn’t heard them talking.

  Taryn examined the woman’s expression, but if any of her conversation with Ronaldo had been overheard, she saw no evidence of it on Shannon’s face.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Shannon knew Taryn didn’t trust her.

  She didn’t need to overhear her and her gay sidekick talking while she’d waited for Olivia to figure that out. Still, she thought they were getting along this afternoon, and then Taryn turned around and got bitchy. Maybe she didn’t deserve Taryn’s trust. Or Jeff’s. She was scheming, but Taryn had no way of knowing that.

  She opened the door of her apartment and held her breath. Shannon saw no signs of Kid, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t home.

  They’d had an argument that morning over their next move. Jumpy and red-eyed, Kid told her they were running out of money and needed to make a move. Now. Of course, Shannon wasn’t out of money. Kid was. No, Shannon had squirreled away some of the money Jeff had given her and was saving bits and pieces more.

  She went down the hall to the bathroom, still listening for the sounds of her troublesome roommate. Under the counter, she found her huge box of tampons she’d gotten at Wal-Mart. Moving the plastic wrapped tubes to the side, she searched for the fabric wrapped package she’d hidden inside. Not knowing where to hide the watch she’d taken from Jeff, she thought her Playtex would serve as a strong deterrent to Kid’s exploration.

  Shit.

  Panic seized her. Had she moved it? No. That’s where she’d left it. But it was gone. The soft click of the bathroom door opening triggered Shannon’s panic like an alarm.

  “So what happened?” Kid asked, hovering over her shoulder.

  “What do you mean?”

  “With your ex. With your kid.”

  “We went shopping at the bridal boutique, and Olivia picked out the prettiest dress.” Shannon stopped herself from gushing. Kid wouldn’t care.

  “Isn’t that adorable?” he chortled.

  Shannon had to squelch the anger arising as he smirked. She froze, squatting in front of the bathroom cabinet with her hands still gripping the too-light box of tampons. He laughed.

  “Looking for something?”

  “Yeah.”

  “You were holding out on me. I wondered how long it would take for you to notice that I was on to you.”

  “It was here yesterday.”

  “Well, today it’s at Harley’s Pawn Shop. Along with some other stuff.”

  Shannon could barely breathe. “It’s worth way more than you’d get a pawn shop. How much did you get for it?”

  Kid leaned over her, taking hold of her chin. “None of your fucking business. How about that? That’s what you get lying to me.” He shoved her head back, and she nearly toppled over. She should have found a better spot to hide it. Or kept it with her. How did he manage to find it?

  “I was looking for a Band-Aid and moving stuff around. Tampons aren’t that heavy,” Kid said as if he read her mind. “It’s a nice score, but still just drips, Shannon. Drip, drip, drip. Like torture. I’m stepping things up.”

  “How? What other stuff did you pawn?”

  “Just stuff from a couple of jobs.”

  Shannon sank her weight back on the edge of the bathroom sink as a knot formed in her solar plexus.

  Kid’s jobs mostly involved burglary. Despite the occasional arrest, breaking and entering was one of his few well-honed skills. He’d obviously gone back to his old career. She wondered if he was running with the same crew as before. Had they all come to Dallas? She’d probably need a priest to exorcise all these demons from her past.

  Kid’s stupidity stunned her. He already had two felony convictions. Another and he’d likely get sent away for a much longer time than before. Shannon briefly wondered if she couldn’t make that happen somehow. She couldn’t. God, she was equally as stupid. She should never have stolen that watch. Now she’d look like she was in on this stuff with Kid.

  “You’re going to end up in Huntsville,” Shannon accused, referring to Texas’ famous maximum security prison.

  “Nah. I got a tight crew this time. Real pros. Does Jeff have a security system?”

  “You can’t rob his house, Kid.”

  “Why not? That’s better than waiting for him to get his payday. It’d be a big enough score to tide us over.”

  “He’ll know. He’ll know it has something to do with me, and that’ll lead right back to you.”

  “Why would he think it has anything to do with you? Houses in that fancy neighborhood get robbed all the time. They’ve already had a couple of break-ins in the last year. I checked. You keep cool, and there’s no reason for him to blame you.”

  “I don’t know, Kid. It’s not worth it.”

  “Does he have a security system or not?”

  “Of course he does,” Shannon clucked—even though she’d never seen him or Taryn arm the system. Not even when they left the house. Maybe they armed it at night. Or maybe when they went out of town, but they didn’t arm it during the day.

  “Do you think you could get the code?”

  “How would I do that?”

  “Just watch them punch it in.”

  “I never see them entering the code. I go out the front door. They go in and out through the garage.”

  “What about your girl? You think she knows it?”

  Shannon thought on that. Olivia was smart. Maybe Jeff had taught her to use the system.

  “Probably not. And how would I ask her without making her suspicious? She’s pretty smart.”

  “Yeah, I’m sure. Any kid of yours would be a fucking genius.” Kid smirked as he considered what Shannon was telling him. “I could disarm it. Haven’t done that in a while. What about when they’re home? I bet they don’t arm it when they’re home.”

  “You don’t rob houses when people are home. That’s trouble,” Shannon advised.

  “Yeah, yeah.” Kid dismissed her. “Didn’t you say he had two big screens and bunch of computers? And he bought his new girl some nice jewelry, right? You said her ring was huge.”

  Shannon’s mind raced to think of what she could say to send Kid’s thinking down another track. Somehow they’d gone from trying to milk Jeff for money to smash and grab. Why had she screwed this up by bringing him to Dallas with her?

  She could be living in a great apartment, working and getting to know her daughter. Jeff was helping her. He wanted to help her. She was slowly getting a
head, if she stayed in Jeff’s good graces, she could count on him to keep her getting ahead. It killed her to see how successful he was and to know that she could have been there with him in the big house, loving her life.

  Now, she had to content herself with being friends with her ex. That would still be good. Sure, she could chase more money. She could press Jeff and cause him trouble. He’d pay to be rid of her. But then she’d be gone. On the outs again.

  “Taryn has her own house. She doesn’t live there or keep jewelry there.”

  “Not the ring. The ring is with her. How many carats would you say it was?” Kid asked.

  “I have no idea,” Shannon lied, not able to bring herself to repeat the bridal consultant’s estimation.

  “But you could find out. You could get a picture of it. My brother can price it.”

  “You can’t afford any more trouble, Kid. You know the time you’d get if you got caught again? Listen,” Shannon pressed, “let me talk with Jeff see if I can’t get more money.”

  “You want to try again? Have at it. I’ve got to get something going in the meantime. Do you know where the girlfriend lives?”

  Shannon shook her head and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, a wide grin still stretched across Kid’s face.

  “Don’t do anything until I talk to him again. I still have the best shot at getting what we want, but not if he gets suspicious.”

  Kid rolled his eyes. “Alright, alright.”

  “Please, Kid. Promise me.”

  “Fine. I promise. Now get over here.”

  Kid beckoned, and Shannon stumbled forward.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  When Taryn returned from the bridal shop the night before, Jeff apologized profusely, and they had yet another conversation about how they needed Olivia to feel comfortable with liking her mother and spending time with her.

  He didn’t want his daughter to feel pulled in different directions. For that reason, he swallowed a lot of pride, a lot of irritation, and a measure of anger. He needed Taryn to do the same, but he’d gone too far with telling Shannon she could go to the bridal appointment.