by Kris Jayne
“I wish you’d told me. I would have come sooner.”
“I didn’t want to cause you trouble. I knew you were going through all kinds of stuff with Kid. I heard he got arrested again. I just…didn’t want to be a bother.”
Shame hit Shannon. She could have reached out to her friend to find out how she was doing after getting out of jail.
“It’s not a bother. I’m sorry I didn’t know about Laura. I’m sorry that she’s…I’m just so sorry.”
“Do you think you can come to town for Friday? We’re doing a memorial at the church and then having people over. Laura wanted us to have a party. She wanted to go out in style with all her friends. So…that’s what we’re doing. It must seem crazy. Throwing a party…but I think, or you know, I know Laura would love it, and she’d have loved to have you back in town. Do it up, you know?”
Lindsay’s words tore Shannon in two. She wanted to be there—needed to be there—but she knew how this crew did it up. Her sobriety had to come first—even before her friends and their sorrows.
“I get it, Linds. I want to be there. I’d love to see you. You know, I’m sober now, right? I’m not drinking. I’m clean. I just—I need you to know that. I’d do anything to help.”
“Oh, no, Shannon. Don’t worry. I get it. Hell, I been thinking about all that over the past couple of days. Laura…Laura,” Lindsay wept. “We all have to live right. You never know.”
“Then, I’ll be there. Let me give you my cell number. You text me the details or you can send it through Facebook. It doesn’t matter.”
Shannon gave Lindsay her contact information and sighed, not knowing what else to say.
“How’s your dad?”
“Not good. He’s got emphysema and is living over in Tyler with my uncle. I don’t get over there much.”
Lindsay’s uncle was the kind of family member you steered clear of—especially if you were young and female.
“That’s too bad. I…I don’t even know what else to say, Lindsay. I feel just awful for you. I’ll be thinking about you…and Laura. Bless your heart, this is just so terrible.”
“It is. Somehow…I don’t know. Somehow, I’ll live without her. I don’t know how.” Lindsay choked on her words, then stopped herself. “Listen, I’m so glad I’ll get to see you. Why don’t you stay at the house? I got some cousins coming in, but I’d rather have you there. How about it?”
“I’d like that. I know I fell off the map and all, but I’ve never forgotten you, Lindsay.”
“Me neither, Shannon. We’ll talk Friday, okay?”
Saying goodbye and hanging up the phone left Shannon withered. She wiped her face with a napkin from her glove box and took deep breaths to calm down. Somehow, she had to get through dinner shift. She inhaled, counted to ten, and blew out a stream of air, opened her car door, and headed back inside.
When she hit the dining area, she threw on as big a smile as she could muster and went to work. Shannon took the drink orders of a large party to the bar and spotted the back of a pale blond head stationed on a stool.
“Hey.” She patted Jonah on the arm. “Didn’t know you were coming in tonight?”
Jonah looked at her and his grin dimmed. “I couldn’t wait to see you, so I thought I’d have dinner here. What’s wrong?”
“I can’t really talk about it now, but a friend of mine…her sister died over the weekend. It’s just awful. I can’t even think about it. I’ve still got a few hours left on my shift.”
Jonah squeezed her arm. “I don’t guess it’s appropriate to hug you here and now.”
Shannon blinked back tears. “No. I’ve got to work.”
“Call me when you’re done. I can come over.”
“I will. Should be about ten thirty when I get home, though. That’s late.”
“We can talk tomorrow if you want. I’m just looking in your eyes, and I don’t want you to be alone if you need someone.”
Screw work propriety. Shannon leaned over, giving Jonah a kiss on the cheek. “You’re the sweetest, Jonah. I want to see you, but I don’t want to put you out.”
“Impossible. I’ll be by at ten thirty.”
Shannon smiled and left Jonah at the bar, glad he’d stopped in. She did need someone, and for all her sadness, she loved that she finally had someone.
* * *
Jonah walked into his father’s office on Tuesday, prepared for a lunch meeting to discuss their latest acquisition. Instead, his father closed his laptop computer and slid a large tan envelope across his desk.
“What’s this?”
“Some information for you to consider.”
Jonah opened the pack of documents, took one look, and cursed.
“Again, what is this?”
“I had our head of security run background on your newest little item.”
“Shannon. That’s her name.”
“That’s the only name that’s consistent. Shannon Clifton, Shannon McConnell, Shannon Nelson. She has many names it seems.”
“I already knew that.” Jonah pulled out the sheaf of papers and thumbed through it. “Why don’t you give me the highlights? I assume you’ve already read this.”
“I have. She’s had extensive run-ins with the law for drug charges, theft, and burglary. Anything she can get her hands on to feed her drug habits.”
“Shannon doesn’t have drug habits. She doesn’t even drink anymore. She’s been clean and sober for just over a year.”
“Has she? She violated her probation by taking medication without a prescription a few months ago.”
This was news to Jonah, but he knew better than to take his father’s word for it.
“If she violated her probation, why is she not in jail?”
“Somehow her lawyer got the incident tossed, and she got another chance.”
Jonah flipped through the document, which listed Shannon’s sins by date, and found the last incident.
“It says here that her probation officer ended up speaking on her behalf. He said that he didn’t believe this to be a relapse worthy of sending her back to jail. She finished her probation and is now free and clear.”
He tossed the papers at his father and sighed.
“None of this bothers you? She’s a grifter.”
“I know that she’s had problems. She’s told me about her recovery. I see how hard she works.”
“You cannot be serious about dating a woman with a criminal record, no family, and a penchant for thievery. Even if she’s done with her…” Tom stopped and waved his hands. “Her criminality, what can you possibly have in common beyond the obvious?”
“I’m going to pretend that you don’t think so little of me that I would lose my mind and throw away the family fortune for sex. She’s interesting. She speaks her mind. She’s working hard to be a good mother. Her past isn’t perfect by any means, but it is the past. She doesn’t want anything from me, but me.”
“How romantic. Do you think I haven’t met women like that before? This is how they hook you—with the romantic notion that love conquers all and her lack of breeding is actually noble.”
“Breeding? She’s not a poodle, Dad.”
“No, a poodle would be loyal. This girl…” Tom rolled his eyes.
“How the hell would you know? You know absolutely nothing about her. You didn’t take any time to get to know her the other night, and since when are you the arbiter of loyalty? All the stunts you’ve pulled behind Mom’s back. Forgive me if I have a hard time taking your advice.”
“You don’t get it. It’s because of my experiences that I can tell you: You don’t want anything to do with this girl. If, and when, you’re done having your fun with her, I suggest you move on. Emily told your mother that she misses you. You can have her back like that.” Tom snapped his fingers and then pounded the desk.
“I don’t want Emily. If I did, as you’ve pointed out, I would be with her. I don’t know where things with Shannon are headed, but I don’t need or want you
r input. I understand your stance. Point taken. Enough. And do me a favor. Don’t go digging into her life anymore. It’s low and petty.”
“I want to make sure you have the full picture.”
“I already have it.”
“Fine. But don’t come crying to me to fix your problems when this blows up, and it will. I assure you. Women like that only know one way to live—sleeping around to get what they want and milking a target for all he’s worth.”
“When I said, enough. I meant I won’t tolerate any other commentary regarding my girlfriend. Period.”
Jonah leveled his gaze on his father and held it until the other man looked away.
He didn’t know how long he and Shannon would be together, but he knew his father wouldn’t decide that for them. He had no right and certainly no moral authority. Losing on that ground, his father shifted tactics.
“If you care about her, you’ll take this seriously. Do you expect her to withstand the scrutiny of a campaign? Any opponent would crucify her—and you.”
“If I decide to run, I can handle the press. With the right PR, voters might love a redemption story. At any rate, that’s putting the cart before the horse. I haven’t decided yet if I’m going to run.”
Tom raised his hands in surrender. “I’m not disparaging Shannon in any way, but you can’t let a woman keep you from your future. Your woman should be on board.”
It bothered Jonah that part of him agreed with his father. If he ran for office or didn’t, it should be his decision based on what he wanted. He didn’t want to be held back by other considerations. The problem—if he saw it that way—was he wanted Shannon, and he didn’t see that changing.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Shannon struggled through Laura’s service, contemplating the finality of death for someone so young. The inexplicable death brought Shannon back to the close calls in her own life—a bad car wreck when she’d been drunk or an emergency room visit when she’d taken too many pills. Those narrow escapes should have been more sobering at the time than they were.
Shannon sipped her club soda with lemon, feeling the weight of loss. Standing in Lindsay’s kitchen, wearing her long, black jersey dress, she looked around at the people with whom she used to tear up the town. It hadn’t quite been two years since she’d been around them all, but it felt like a decade. The stumbling, blurry-eyed crowd were now foreigners.
“Come on, Shannon. This is a party. It’s what Laura wanted.”
Amber Grant, one of Laura’s best friends, walked toward Shannon, nearly tripping as she waved a bottle of vodka. Her other friend, Cori Edwards, laughed.
“Seriously, don’t tell me you’ve gone so straight you can’t have one toast.”
“I toasted.”
“With soda? That ain’t a toast,” Cori barked.
“I think I’m too upset to party, right now. I’m going to check on Lindsay.”
Shannon downed her non-alcoholic drink and wandered out of the kitchen and down the hall. Lindsay sat on the living room couch in a daze.
“How you doing, Linds?”
Her swollen eyes stayed fixed on the television where contestants on some kind of show buzzed in and gave answers to applause. “I don’t even know.”
Shannon sat down next to her old friend and put her arms around her. Then, Lindsay started to tell stories about her sister. Once, she said, their dad had forbidden Laura to wear a short, tight skirt to school—going so far as to search Laura’s backpack to make sure she wasn’t trying to smuggle it.
“My dad should have paid more attention. She wore that thing as a tube top under her button down, and when she got to school, she took off her jeans, pulled the top down into a skirt and pranced around all day. He never knew. Laura was a schemer, you know? A planner. She had all kinds of plans.”
Lindsay choked up, and Shannon lost her control. They sobbed in each other’s arms.
“No sad faces.” Lindsay declared, wiping her face with the backs of her hands. “I have to think about the good things. Laura wanted us to celebrate. I’m going to get a drink. You want anything?”
“Maybe a Coke?”
Amber and Cori came bustling in from the hall.
“We got your drinks. Vodka and seven for you, Lindsay. And a plain ol’ 7-Up for Shannon. That’s not too strong for you, is it? I didn’t see any more club soda.” Amber sneered, and Cori giggled.
Shannon took the drink and rolled her eyes. Cori didn’t appear to have an independently functioning brain at this point. She’d never missed drinking less than in that moment.
Lindsay strode past them to the door. “Let’s get some fresh air, Shannon.”
They walked around the house. Gaggles of people rambled across the sprawling, unfenced backyard. The party had spilled over, and Lindsay’s neighbors, dressed in black, had drinks, sitting on their back patio.
Shannon looked from group to group, seeing how many others she knew. She chatted with a few people. Her mood improved in the fresh air, and she felt sociable for the first time all day.
Then, she saw him. He hadn’t seen her yet, but Kid’s short, taut form leaned against the pole holding up one end of a clothesline.
“I gotta go,” Shannon announced in a panic.
“What?” Lindsay turned. “Oh. I’ll get him to leave.”
“You don’t understand. He attacked me a few weeks ago. The police are looking for him. I need to go.”
Shannon didn’t want to tell Lindsay that she was about to call the cops. This wasn’t a crowd that appreciated law enforcement for any reason.
“Okay, well…wait!” Lindsay screamed.
Kid met Shannon’s eyes and came tearing across the yard. Shannon turned and took off—to little avail. Kid caught her easily, dragging her by the arm through a crowd and toward the house.
Shannon tried to pull away, but suddenly felt dizzy.
“Where you running off to?” Kid coughed.
“Let. Me. Go.” Shannon enunciated the words to get them out. Lindsay stormed toward them with a tall, broad blond man behind her. Did she recognize him? Things around Shannon seemed to speed up and slow down all at once. She breathed deeply and focused her eyes. What was going on?
“I’ll call the p-police,” Shannon stammered.
Kid only laughed. Then, Shannon saw Amber and Cori, also laughing.
“It’s not funny.”
Shannon heard Lindsay say that over and over. Kid pulled again at her arm, and the tall man appeared.
“Let her go, Kid. You need to get the hell outta here before we call the police. Lord knows, you don’t need any more of that trouble.”
Kid grumbled something, and the men started shoving one another. Then, another guy stepped in and grabbed Kid, dragging him away.
“You best take your cousin home.” The tall guy was huffing and puffing. “You alright, sweetheart.”
“I’m not feeling too great.”
“Those bitches put something in her drink, thinking it would be funny. Can you take her inside? I need to go deal with those two.”
Shannon felt a strong arm around her, guiding her toward the sliding glass door that led into the kitchen.
“My room is here. Next to the bathroom.”
Stumbling, she felt the floor jump up and bang her knee. The arms around her righted her and helped her down the hall. Shannon lifted her chin to get a look at him. He was tall and lean and blond and, for tonight, her savior.
“I think this is your stop, honey.”
His voice rumbled low with humor. Then, he winked. Shannon leaned into his warm body, and his lips came down before she could react. He reminded her of Jonah, but it wasn’t him. She flattened her palm against his chest and tried to push. He’s not Jonah. She kept telling herself that. It’s not Jonah. It’s not Jonah.
The remonstrating chorus rang in her head until the surge of drowsiness and incoherence overtook her.
* * *
Sunlight blasted through the window like a po
liceman’s flashlight shining on the crimes of the night before. Shannon woke up alone. Her mental scramble to recall the previous night came up short.
She remembered leaving the memorial and returning to Lindsay’s house. She remembered being in Lindsay’s kitchen, but everything else clouded in her brain. Kid? Had she seen him? The fragmented image of an argument popped up in her mind. She’d been afraid. Other than that, she could recall nothing.
Shannon’s arms and one knee bore bruises. A lingering somnolence clung to her bones, and every part of her body felt heavy. The stagnant air in her room had a chill, so she wrapped the throw blanket on the foot of the twin bed around her shoulders. As she swung her legs to the floor, a flood of nausea hit her. Forcing herself to her feet, she plodded to the bathroom next to her room and vomited.
Shannon wasn’t sure how long she stood there, doubled over the toilet. A quick rap on the door startled her, and she straightened up.
“You okay in there? I heard you get up.” Cori’s voice floated through the door.
“I’m alright, I think.” Shannon ran the water until it warmed, rinsed her mouth, and splashed her face, swiping off the water and shaking her hands since she couldn’t find a towel.
She opened the door and started into the younger woman’s concerned face.
“I’m real sorry about Amber and the roofie and stuff. Are you real sick?”
Cori’s half-assed apology gave Shannon a shot of adrenaline. “Yes. I feel like shit. What the fuck makes you think it’s okay putting drugs in people’s drinks?”
“It was just a joke. We’ve taken it for fun before. It’s not a big deal. Trust me.”
“You don’t get it. Do you have any idea what could have happened to me? I’m clean for a reason. I don’t take drugs for fun. What did you even give me?”
Cori’s eyes widened. “A roofie.”
“What kind?”
“I don’t know. But Amber and I have taken them before. You just need to calm down.”
“Fuck you, Cori. Telling me to calm down. I don’t even remember what happened last night.”