by Terra Kelly
He tried to hide the mishap, but Joshua caught sight of it and immediately started laughing. Josh slapped him on the back. “First time taking a drink there, bro?”
Danny found it hilarious how Grant just rolled his eyes and tried to ignore the accusation. “Whatever,” Grant sighed.
Of course, Danny knew Grant had been too nice and would not tell his brother off. You could see by his expression he probably wanted to tell him to “Fuck off.” Grant had always been the more conservative one of the bunch.
Georgie seemed oblivious to the Winters brothers’ banter, which had been a good thing really. Danny wanted Grant and Georgie to finally connect or just say more than four words to each other at least.
As he watched Isabel walk up to Drew and wrap her body around him, he felt someone wrapping their arms around his body. He sucked in a breath and grabbed onto Shawna’s hands, and whispered, “Hey, red.”
Isabel suddenly yelled out, “Oh my goodness, Danny and Shawna need to show us their dance moves.”
“Um, no, Shawna and Danny don’t need to do that,” Shawna teased and stepped to the side to stand beside Danny.
“What she said,” Danny said jokingly and shrugged his shoulders.
Alyssa walked up to Danny and held out her arm. “Then dance with me?”
He glanced toward Shawna who just shrugged and nodded. “Okay.” Danny grabbed her hand and spun her in toward his body. “Have you dabbled in ballroom dancing?” he asked, genuinely curious because she seemed to glide with each spin.
Alyssa stepped back and then forward again. “My late husband and I took a few classes, but that was ages ago,” she said.
Danny didn’t know what to say to that, so instead he dipped her back on his knee. Everyone clapped, whooped, and hollered. He looked down at Alyssa still holding her in place. “Well, if you ever want to get that dancing bug out of your system, let me know.” Just then Shawna stepped up beside them both, so Danny let Alyssa up. Shawna winked at Alyssa and then gave an unreadable look toward him. He shrugged his shoulders. “What?” he said, hearing his defensive tone.
She surprised him by leaning up on her tip toes and kissing him. “Nothing, handsome.”
Grant grunted and brought his arm up over his eyes. “Too much, my eyes can’t take this display of affection.”
Georgie had been standing only about a foot away from Grant. Danny watched her look over at Isabel and roll her eyes. “Doesn’t he see that shit all day with his job?” he heard her say quietly.
Isabel burst out laughing and said, “Honey, that probably is very true.”
What Danny found really funny had been how the banter just continued to escalate between each of the family members. Josh had joined in with Georgie to tease Grant some more. What he didn’t expect to see was how Georgie stayed rooted to her spot, unable to take her eyes off Grant. He also was staring right back at her while the rest of family laughed and pushed each other around. Danny felt like he was watching a fairytale play out before his eyes. Georgie looked down at her hands and then glanced back up. If only there had been classical music playing in the background, it would have set up the scene perfectly at that moment.
Shawna squeezed his hand and whispered, “When will those two finally confess their love for each other?”
Danny lightly laughed. “Right? I feel like we need a bag of popcorn and some soft music playing. How is it that no one is catching this, but you and I?”
She giggled. “Oh trust me, they are, but they are trying to ignore it. Izzy told me the other day, Georgie is freaking out about living near Grant now.”
He scowled. “Why the freak out?”
“Well, she has had the hots for him forever,” she teased. “But it was easy to ignore when living so far away. Now she will see him all the time, and she still has no clue if Grant even likes her in that same way.”
He chuckled. “I’m going to go out on a limb and say, yes he does.”
Danny went quiet when he noticed Grant slowly walk up beside Georgie. Then he felt tugging on his arm and turned to see Shawna pulling him away from the love scene about to unfold. He huffed. “But it’s just getting good.”
Shawna rolled her eyes. “Nope, you need to let them be. Let’s go get something to drink.”
After dinner, Danny sat in a lawn chair with a beer in his hand when Drew walked up and plopped down in the chair beside him. “Needed a break from the family?” he asked.
“What?” Danny demanded. “No. I just decided to sit down for a moment.”
“All the way out here,” Drew teased. “So, how are you and Shawna doing?”
He smiled. “Really good. Her parents are now calling her every day, which is amazing. I teased her the other day, and told her everyone else is moving here, and she should encourage them to make their way down here, too.”
Drew nodded. “No joke, now we have Alyssa’s family here. Isabel’s family is here, except Dane. We think he will move here someday. Why not encourage them to move? The more the merrier.”
Danny took a swig of his beer. “Shawna connecting with her parents really changed something for me,” he said and then paused, letting out a heavy sigh. “I mean, family is important, and if you can have them in your life…then make it happen. I don’t get that luxury, and I’m okay with it, I’ve moved on.”
Drew clanked his beer bottle to Danny’s. “You sure you moved on, bro? You know I would help you find your parents in a heartbeat.”
Danny shook his head. “No. I’ll let you know if my mind changes, though.”
Drew smiled. “So you both shared all your deep dark secrets, eh?”
He scowled, and said, “Um, I guess.”
“So she told you all about her nudie dancing. Man, I’m glad she got that off her chest. She was so worried for how you would react,” Drew admitted.
Danny turned his head to the side. “Nudie dancing? I’m not sure if that is code word for something?”
Drew stilled and stammered, “Um…No…She didn’t tell you, did she?” Under his breath, he said, “Shit.”
Danny didn’t know how to respond to his friend’s words, so he sat there silent.
“Danny, you’re not mad are you?” Drew quickly asked. “Please, it was a long time ago, and she’s a different person today. Hell, you know her past with her parents, it all stems back to that time.”
Danny felt like Drew had been just talking nonstop. He needed to think…needed some space. Just then, Isabel and Shawna walked up, so he threw on a smile for them both. He asked, “Needing a bit of a break, too?” He let his eyes wander over to Drew, who had been staring right back at him. He very lightly shook his head, trying to tell him to keep this between them. He let out a heavy sigh. “Hey, I think I need to get home, I’m beat.”
Shawna pouted and begged, “Can’t we just stay for a little bit longer?”
He smiled. “Baby, you can stay. Isabel and Drew can take you home. I think last week took a lot out of me, so I just need to head home and crash.”
She leaned up on her tip toes, and whispered, “Are you okay?”
He kissed her nose. “Everything is perfect, I just need to get some shut eye.”
Danny squeezed her hand, kissed Isabel on the cheek, and waved to Drew. As he made his way back to the house, his mind kept running back over the conversation with Drew. Nudie dancing? Why hadn’t she said anything before about that? Didn’t she know he wouldn’t have judged her, especially because it happened in the past? He stopped walking and thought about that for a moment. If it really was a thing of the past, why did he feel the need to run, and get far away quickly?
He almost bailed without saying goodbye, but he knew that would not fly with Connie. As he gave everyone a hug and promised Lexie an ice cream date, his mind kept reeling about Shawna’s past. Finally, five minutes later, he managed to make his way to the Jeep. He decided to find a hotel for him and Daisy to crash for a few nights. His place would not be quiet, because Danny knew Drew would be c
oncerned. Shawna would probably surprise visit him after the party or in the morning. He sighed and quickly ran home to grab Daisy.
Two days later, Danny found himself still camped out at the hotel. He had found a place about twenty minutes from work and easily forty minutes from his house. His phone had been off, and he had five days off, which was the normal work schedule. Danny had a lot of time to think. A part of him felt like he was being a child, the other part felt hurt. When Shawna trusted him with her family’s past, why didn’t she just tell him about the other type of dancing?
Daisy seemed depressed and had just stayed on the second bed most of the time. Danny had been reading a book, something he missed, when there was a light knock at the door. He scowled and stood to go see who could be there. He stepped back and sighed. It was Grant in his police uniform.
Danny pulled back the chain on the door and unlocked the bolt. As he opened the door, Grant said, “Finally.”
Danny scowled. “I’m sorry?” He could see on Grant’s face, he was pissed.
“Where the hell have you been? Drew and Shawna have been looking all over for you,” Grant said, stepping into the room.
“Do they know you’re here?” Danny asked and closed the door. He walked over and sat down on the side of the bed.
Grant rolled his eyes. “Really? That’s your main concern?” He sighed. “What’s up?”
Danny let out a heavy sigh and confessed, “Drew told me something about Shawna, and it threw me off. I just wanted some time to think.”
“You couldn’t think at your place?” Grant asked and went to go look out the window.
“Yeah, maybe, I don’t know,” Danny stammered. He realized at that moment he had been childish. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for you to come out here checking on me.”
“Well, I’m just glad you’re okay. Want to talk about it?” Grant turned to face Danny and said, “Just between you and me, I promise.”
Danny smiled. “I appreciate that, man. I probably shouldn’t tell anyone else, it’s not my story to tell. Just give me some time, okay?”
Grant nodded and headed toward the door. Turning back, he said, “Just don’t take too much more time. I don’t think your girl can handle you being gone any longer.” Then he just left without another word.
Danny plopped down on the bed next to Daisy and asked, “Am I being stupid about this, Daisy?” She just licked his head and laid her head back down on the bed.
“Yeah, you’re probably right.”
Chapter 26
“Have you heard from him?” Isabel asked and poured Shawna some coffee.
“Nope,” she answered, grabbing half and half from the refrigerator. “He seemed off at the party right before he disappeared. Do you know if Drew said anything that upset him maybe?”
Shawna had been trying to call Danny’s cell phone for a few days now, but it kept going to voicemail. She even stopped by his place several times, but the lights were off and no dog barking a welcome message. She had spent several hours running all the conversations she and Danny had, but none of them seemed off. Of course, Shawna had herself convinced that his disappearance had to be her fault.
“Here, sweets,” Isabel said, passing her the overfilled coffee mug. “Well, I know Drew asked Grant to help him find Danny. Maybe he had better luck figuring out what happened.”
Just then the back door opened and Drew walked in, stomping his feet to get the sand off his shoes. He glanced up and noticed Shawna staring at him. “Hey.”
She sighed. “Anything?”
Drew headed toward them both. “He’ll come around soon. He’s done this before.”
Shawna’s eyes went wide. “Seriously? she asked, genuinely surprised. “He’s just up and disappeared like this, no word, no note, no nothing?” He had to know that scared anyone involved, especially his own girlfriend. She sat there for a moment, mulling the word girlfriend around in her mind. Well they were officially dating!
She heard Isabel clear her throat and ask, “Hey, hon, you okay? Your face looks white as a ghost.”
Shawna laughed lightly. “You mean, whiter than I already am?” She winked and continued. “No, I’m fine. I think I may run home and hang out there, just in case he happens to show up.”
Drew walked over and sat down beside her at the kitchen island. He let out a heavy sigh before he spoke. “Shawna, I need to tell you something, but you’re going to be pissed at me.”
She immediately went on high alert. Turning her head to the side, she cautiously said, “What did you tell him, Drew?”
Isabel shoved at Drew’s arm and demanded, “Seriously Drew, what did you tell him?”
Shawna’s eyes went wide. “No, not that. You didn’t?”
Drew gave the saddest puppy dog expression. “I did,” he admitted. He quickly followed that up with, “But I didn’t mean for it to hurt anyone. We were just bullshitting, everything was normal. He had mentioned how happy he had been about the reconciliation between you and your parents. I jokingly said something about all your deep dark secrets all revealed. When he said, yes, I may have let it slip about your other dancing.”
Isabel sounded pissed when she said, “Are you kidding me, Drew? Why in God’s green earth would you ever think that’s okay?”
He shrugged his shoulders, cowering defensively. “I don’t know. I was making it light talk, but it all backfired on me.” He reached forward and grabbed Shawna’s hand. “I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay,” she answered in a whisper. She cleared her throat. “I need to go.” She had been trying to find the right moment to tell him about her other dancing, but she could never find the right time. Shawna patted his hand, letting out a heavy sigh. “It’s okay. I should’ve told him sooner. We had confessed all our deep dark secrets, but for some reason I struggled sharing that part of me.”
Drew shook his head. “I don’t think he even sounded mad, maybe more confused,” he said and bent to pull Shawna in for a big hug. He begged, “I will do anything to make this right, Shawna.”
“He sure the hell will,” Isabel demanded. Fists clenched.
Shawna stood up and grabbed their hands. She squeezed them tightly. “Hey, it will be okay, I promise. When he comes around, I will tell him everything. He always deserved the truth; it’s just hard for me to stomach talking about. I would love to put all those days behind me.”
She smiled. “Wishful thinking maybe.”
Shawna unlocked her door, and started to walk inside when she heard some rustling and heavy breathing behind her. She quickly turned around to find Danny and Daisy standing about three yards away. Putting her hand to her chest, she let out a startling gasp. “Danny? What are you doing?” She walked toward him and asked, “Are you okay?”
He seemed uncomfortable, and she noticed he couldn’t look directly at her. In an almost inaudible tone, he said, “Daisy decided I was being stupid.”
She burst out laughing. “She did, huh? I always said she was a pretty freaking smart dog.” At the mention of the dog’s name, she jumped up on Shawna’s leg and barked. “Hi sweetie, I missed you, too.”
“Can you talk?” Danny asked, while kicking some sand around with one foot.
Shawna put her hand on her hip and turned her head to the side. “Here’s the thing, Danny. I don’t think we would have much to talk about if you can’t accept my past. I’m willing to share that part of me, but I just needed to try to find the right moment to share it. To be honest, it was the darkest time in my life. For one, because I let men control me, and two, because no one really wants that as their career path. It’s easy to judge on the other side, but when you live it, it’s a whole different ball game.”
He nodded. “I get that now. I guess I felt more confused. We had shared so much with each other, and yet you didn’t feel comfortable telling me everything.”
She huffed. “Really? We have been together only a few months. I’m allowed to still have some deep dark secrets.” She shook her head.
“Danny, a relationship is built on trust. Which means, I need to learn to trust you, especially with my deep dark secrets.” She rolled her eyes. “Honestly, right now I don’t know if I feel like sharing anything with you.” Then she turned and headed into her house.
Right before she closed the door Danny called for her. “Shawna, I’m sorry. I promise, I will make this right.”
She wanted to run to him and tell him she loved him. Instead, she just walked inside her house and closed the door. Shawna had been leaning against the wood surface and then slowly let her body slide to the floor. She covered her mouth to keep the sounds of her crying silenced as her body started to shake.
For so long, her way of reacting had always been to be on the defense. The problem with that gut reaction…she had closed the door on the one man who truly made her feel whole…complete. What had she been thinking? Her tears continued to fall one after another, so much so, it was starting to become harder to hide the sounds coming from her shaken body.
A loud pounding startled her and vibrated through her. Then she heard Danny yell her name in between the heavy knocking. A part of her wanted to keep strong and ignore him. The other part of her wanted to just be held by him, so he could make all the pain go away.
When she left Isabel and Drew’s place, the sky looked dark. Now, as she sat on the floor continuing to find it difficult to stop crying, thunder rang out loudly around her. Shawna knew she couldn’t leave them outside in a storm, especially Daisy. She carefully got to her feet and cautiously opened the door. Danny had been about to pound on the door right at that moment. Daisy brushed past them both and ran to hide somewhere in her house.
Danny stepped back away from her and sighed. “I can’t leave. I’m sorry. It’s not who I want to be anymore.”