by Mya O'Malley
Shane had some chores to do this morning, some running around to do. He called up Kevin and asked if he wanted to tag along. The last time he had seen Kevin he had been at Ronnie’s with him, watching the hockey game with Kendra crying the blues. He briefly wondered how she was doing, if she had gotten back with his buddy, Brian. He hoped not. Theirs was a relationship with many problems. He made a mental note to call Brian.
It seemed that people were funny. The older you got, the more baggage you brought into relationships. It was another reason why he steered clear of long-term relationships. But then again, that was before Annie came along. Annie was the kind of girl that would make most men forget about their past. His past was something that he still couldn’t forget.
“Why did you come here? You ruined everything!” Jana ranted.
“I ruined everything? What? By surprising my girlfriend? And what do I find? You, with another man!” He was inches from her, his eyes threatened tears. He didn’t want to show how upset he was in front of this other guy.
“Yes, Shane! I told you we were just friends! He’s my friend from work.”
“Oh, it doesn’t look like you guys are just friends from where I’m standing…with your tongue down his throat!”
“Well, maybe you shouldn’t walk into other people’s houses uninvited.”
“Really? That’s all you can say? Take your…guy, and take this.”Shane threw the box with the ring at Jana, her mouth open wide.
“Shane… I had no idea…” Jana opened the box and fingered the ring, her eyes wide.
“On second thought, I’ll take this back!” He stormed over, ignoring the looks from the other man. Grabbing the box with the engagement ring in it he stormed out of the room.
Jana came running after him, pleading, begging him to reconsider. She stated that she had no idea he was planning to propose and that it was different then…
It didn’t matter anymore. He had been young and stupid, rushing into something just because he had dated Jana for years, because she hinted about it all the time. In retrospect, he was glad that it had gone down that way. It would have never worked out and where would he be now? Alone with a divorce under his belt? No, it was definitely better this way.
He treated Kevin to lunch at a burger place in town and then headed home for the day. He would head out to the park and take Tiny for a nice, long walk and then maybe he’d order a pizza a little bit later for dinner. He wanted to try his hand at cooking, but it didn’t hold much interest if he was going to be the only one tasting it. Perhaps he would invite Annie over one night soon for a home cooked meal. His mind filled with all of the possibilities that this new relationship could bring.
* * * *
Was nine o’clock too late to call? He didn’t want to call Annie if she was already in bed. Eight o’clock was probably better. He waited until a few minutes after eight and placed the call. Why was his heart hammering? He was a grown man, he shouldn’t feel this nervous about calling a woman, especially after several weeks of dating her.
“Shane!” she answered.
Laughing, Shane relaxed a bit.“How was your day? Did you enjoy your dinner with your friend?”
“Yeah, it was great catching up. We went to that new Thai place in town.”
Shane didn’t care what he talked to Annie about, he simply loved hearing the sound of her voice. He kept her on the phone for two hours before he realized how late it was.
“Sweetheart, I don’t want to let you go, but it’s late. I have to be up early in the morning and I’m sure you have to be up early as well.”
“Yeah, it is late,” Annie agreed.
“I’m looking forward to tomorrow night. I can’t wait to see you.”
“I know. I’ll talk to you soon.”
“Annie? I miss you already.”
“I miss you, too.” It was becoming their way of ending phone conversations, but he wasn’t being dishonest. He missed her a lot and felt like a child looking forward to Christmas. He couldn’t wait until tomorrow.
Chapter Twenty- Three
The day dragged on. Annie’s mind was on one thing only, her date that evening with Shane. Dr. Peters was carrying some supplies into the office, looking at Annie from the corner of his eye.
“So I figured we’d bring an elephant in for a tonsillectomy on Friday. We’ll prep him around nine and perform the surgery at nine thirty.”
“Yes, that’s fine, Dr. Peters.” A faraway look was in her eyes.
“Annie. I just said that we’re scheduling an operation for an elephant! What gives?”
Annie was mortified. Did he just say that? “Dr. Peters, I’m sorry.” That was about all she could muster up.
“Annie. I’m worried about you. You haven’t been yourself in days. Let me guess, does it have anything to do with that Great Dane’s owner?”
How did he know? She had to hand it to the doctor, he was more with it than he let on. “Does it honestly show? I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be. You’re fine, just a bit distracted is all.”
“Sorry. I just have a lot on my mind.” It had been weeks and Annie was head over heels for this guy. Then why did she feel like she was waiting for the other shoe to drop? It was because she hadn’t put her trust in anybody since that louse of an ex-husband crushed her.
“Well, try to go with it, just enjoy yourself. You work hard.”
“Thanks, Dr. Peters.”
Well, that was embarrassing. Annie straightened her shoulders and put her head in the game. Filing some last documents, Annie headed out to the parking lot. Grabbing her keys out of her bag, she used the automatic door opener and slid inside her sedan.
Her cell chirped. She reached over to grab her phone from the console, and saw it was a message from Shane telling her that he couldn’t wait to see her. Quickly, she sent a text back telling him that she was looking forward to seeing him soon.
* * * *
The movie was hilarious; it was one of those romantic comedies that had a feel good ending. Knowing that Shane had picked the movie for her, she was appreciative. The crowd emptied out of the theater; Shane and Annie were among the last stragglers.
“Great movie, huh?” Shane held her hand, looking at her as they made their way out the main lobby of the theater.
“Yes, it was. You have good taste in movies, you know?” She knew he couldn’t contain himself for long.
“Yeah, every guy loves a romantic comedy.” They burst into peals of laughter. “Actually, it was pretty good. I enjoyed the movie, but mostly I enjoyed the company.”
“I agree. Good movie, better company.”
“Where do you want to eat? Want to grab something at the steakhouse?”
“Sure. That works, it shouldn’t be too crowded on a Tuesday night at this hour.”
Hand in hand, they walked through the mall. Spotting one of those rides for children that you feed quarters into as they walked through the food court, Shane’s body suddenly stiffened.
“What is it?”
He didn’t have to say anything. She felt Lori’s eyes upon them. She was with a young child about two years of age, most likely her son. Without preamble, Lori scooped the boy up and walked toward them.
Tensing her body, she was expecting a scene. Instead, Lori was smiling. That was odd. Annie wondered what she was up to now.
“Hello, guys. What do we have here?” Still smiling sweetly, Annie wondered when the other shoe would drop.
Shane appeared irritated, but Annie knew he wouldn’t say anything out of the way in front of the child.
“Just keep walking.” Shane instructed, avoiding eye contact with the woman.
“I’m talking to you!” Her voice got louder. Annie nudged Shane, not sure what he was going to do.
“What can I do for you, Lori?” His eyes were as cold as ice.
“I just wanted to apologize to your new girlfriend here. It seems I was less than polite that day at the diner.” The boy wiggled and whined
in his mom’s embrace. Annie gazed down at the young boy; he was adorable and she instantly felt sympathy for him.
“No problem. Shane, let’s go.” Annie started walking away. Shane grabbed her arm and walked alongside her.
“I’m not finished.” Shane spun around at the sound of Lori’s voice, appearing ready to confront her, but then dropped his head to look at the little boy.
“What, Lori? What else could you possibly have to say?” he gritted through clenched teeth.
“Well, like I said to you after you dropped me off last night, I feel horrible…”
Wait. What did she just say? “Shane…” Annie heard her own voice come out of her mouth before she was even aware she had spoken.
“She’s lying, Annie. She’s lying. I did not see her last night. I haven’t seen her since that night at the school.”
“Hmm.” Lori rubbed Annie’s shoulder sympathetically. “Good luck, honey.” She walked off with her son, Shane’s eyes boring into her back.
Annie stood there, not knowing what to think, what to believe. Running his hands through his hair, Shane dared a look at Annie.
“Annie. Remember what I said to you the other night. You need to trust me. Don’t you see what she’s doing?” he pleaded.
“I…I guess.” Annie put her head down, her good mood deflated like a pin popping a balloon.
“Please. Can’t we just forget about her? We were having such a good time. Don’t let her ruin this.”
Holding her head high, Annie stared directly at Shane. “Okay, I trust you. Let’s not talk about her any more. Let’s go eat.”
The walk to the steakhouse was strained at the beginning, but before long Annie had forgotten all about Lori’s recent display. Well, almost. Keeping one eye open was always a smart idea. She would be trusting, but on the other hand, she wouldn’t be stupid. She would keep this in the back of her mind, but not allow it to destroy her chances of developing a relationship with Shane.
The steakhouse was quiet, the perfect ambiance to suit Annie’s mood. She wanted a calm, relaxing dinner with tasty food and good conversation. A waitress came by for their drink orders. They were just sitting down and getting ready to look at the menus when Annie’s cell chirped, signaling a new text message. Who could that be?
Looking down at the message, Annie saw that it was from Aaron.
Please meet me at Ronnie’s. I need you.
Clearing her throat, Annie squirmed in her seat. A woman having a girlfriend as opposed to a boyfriend was a tricky thing. That is, if you were in a relationship with someone. It would have been super easy to explain to Shane that Sam had a problem, but not as easy to talk your way through an explanation that your guy friend was in trouble and in need of your companionship. So she decided to say nothing at all.
Shane watched as Annie typed a speedy response to Aaron.
On a date. Call you later.
Tucking her cell inside of her purse, she glanced up at Shane, forcing a smile.
“Everything okay?”
“Sure. It’s a friend. A friend with relationship problems. I told him I was out…”
Realizing her mistake, she glimpsed at Shane to see if he noticed as well.
Shane didn’t miss a beat. “Oh, that guy friend of yours?”
Annie never was a good liar. “Yes, Aaron.”
“I see.” He studied the menu with such intensity that it was if he was reading the great American novel.
Deciding to change the subject, Annie asked what he would be getting for dinner. He answered curtly and continued studying the menu. He had no right to be mad at her. She was friends with Aaron long before she met him, well, not a long time, actually. As if reading her mind, Shane finally put the menu down and spoke.
“Can I ask you a question?”
She had a feeling she wouldn’t like what was coming.
“Shoot.” Holding in a breath, Annie waited for the inevitable questions.
“How long have you and Aaron known each other?”
“Oh, a while.” She raised her eyes to the ceiling and tossed her hand through the air to make it seem like a casual gesture.
“Okay, then what is a while? Years, since childhood?”
“I met him right around the time I met you.” She managed, wiping at the table with her napkin.
“I…I don’t understand. You just met me not that long ago.”
“Well, technically, we met at the mall the first time.”
Shane seemed like he was having a difficult time comprehending the situation. His hands were rubbing the menu, opening and closing it while looking at Annie.
“Where did you guys meet?”
Annie figured that she should probably work on her poker face and white lies. Was this considered a white lie? No, most definitely not. A relationship based on lies was never a good way to begin.
“Well? Where did you guys meet? Does he work with you?”
“On the dating site,” she squeaked.
“On the dating site?” Shane was incredulous.
“Yes. I know it sounds strange, but…”
Tossing his napkin down on the table, Shane spoke. “Listen, I have no rights to you. We just met. But I like you, Annie. I really like you and I thought you felt the same way, so if you’re…”
“No, Shane, it’s not like that. There’s nothing between us, we never hit it off, we were never attracted to each other.”
“I have a hard time understanding how someone could not be attracted to you, Annie. If this is what you want, tell me now, and we’ll part with no hard feelings. I like you a lot, but if you’re into this whole serial dating thing, I’m out.”
“Shane. Do you remember when you told me that I had to trust you with the whole Lori thing?”
“I know where this is going, but it’s different.”
“Aaron and I are friends. There was never anything going on, we simply connected as friends. As strange as it may sound, we’ve become good friends, like we’ve known each other forever.”
“Great.” Shane muttered, taking his napkin and placing it back on his lap.
Reaching across the table, Annie took hold of Shane’s hands and gazed into his eyes. “Trust me. Or not. I would like you to, though.”
Shaking his head, Shane finally offered up a small smile. “What choice do I have? I’m smitten.” He released his breath.
“Good, because I’m smitten, too.” She leaned over, kissing Shane from across the table.
“So what’s his story? Relationship drama?” Annie was thrilled that he was being a good sport about this.
“Yeah, his ex-wife wants him back, and he’s confused. She cheated on him several times.”
“Been there, done that. It’s not good. Tell him to run in the other direction.”
Did Shane just say that had happened to him?
The waitress came to take their order and bring their drinks. Annie decided on quesadillas while Shane got the rib-eye steak.
“Did you just say that happened to you?”
Squirming in his seat, Shane appeared to be quite uncomfortable with the direction this conversation was headed.
“Yeah, it was a long time ago.” He mumbled under his breath.
“Tell me, I’d like to hear about it. That is if you’re okay with it.”
“I’d rather not.” He sipped his beer.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to pry.” Annie acted cool about it, but truth be told, it kind of hurt her feelings that he was so closed on the subject. Annie figured that he just needed time.
“No need to be sorry. So what’s your friend going to do, get back with the cheating ex-wife?”
“I hope not. I set him up with a friend of mine and I thought they were hitting it off. She’s great for him and I think he’ll make the right decision.”
Shane seemed to ease up a bit upon hearing that Aaron was dating a friend of hers.
“I have no problem introducing you to him one day if you’d like to meet him.�
� Annie had pictured the two favorite men in her life eventually meeting each other.
“Nah, I could do without that.”
Again, his comment hurt Annie’s feelings, but she decided to give him a pass because of the fact that Aaron was indeed a guy friend.
The rest of the dinner was uneventful. Annie told herself that she was just being silly about her hurt feelings. They enjoyed a chocolate lava cake and coffee for dessert, chatting over Shane’s job as a teacher. She admired teachers, knowing the long hours and hard work they put into improving the lives of their students. Shane seemed interested in Annie’s job as well, asking how she became interested in working with animals.
Driving home, Shane placed his hand protectively across Annie’s upper thigh. Looking at Annie, he wondered aloud. “Are we okay?”
“Yes.” She rubbed his hand with hers. “Of course.”
“Good. I’m sorry if I asked a lot of questions back there about your friend.”
“It’s okay, Shane. I know it’s unusual.”
“It’s okay with me.”
“Good.” He leaned over, and Annie met him half way for a quick kiss on the lips. They rode in silence for the rest of the ride home. Shane glanced over at Annie a few times, as if to make sure he wasn’t imagining things, like she was too good to be true. Shane reached Annie’s apartment building and shut the engine off. Leaning over, he kissed Annie. The kiss went from slow to fast and urgent in the course of seconds; Annie didn’t want to rush things, so she tried to slow it down. Her heart wasn’t cooperating, though. The passion consumed both Annie and Shane until Shane stopped and laid his eyes upon Annie. She gulped and panicked, stalling for time.
“I don’t think…”
Beep…beep…beep. Shane’s cell sounded as a text came through.
He glanced down at his cell and muttered under his breath.
“What is it?” Annie inquired as Shane quickly tried to cover the screen of his cell. Being that Shane’s cell was right on the console, Annie couldn’t help but glance at it after his reaction. She could barely make out the full sentence before it was snatched up, but she did read a few words, such as great time last night.