Page 4 of Finding Hope

Shannon smiled at her bestie and when Kasey reached her she threw her arm around Shannon’s shoulders. “It’s finally slowing down. Who was that guy? I’ve never seen him in here before.”

“Way to be subtle. Mom said all of those men by the pool tables are police officers. So, I guess he’s one too.”

“Well he sure is hot and he’s staring at you right now,” Kasey said out of the corner of her mouth.

“Whatever, he’s probably looking at you.”

“Shut your mouth. Why wouldn’t he be staring at you? You’re hot.” Shannon just shook her head and walked away from her best friend. She wasn’t in the mood for a pep talk. It was almost time for her break, so she went to the kitchen and ordered a bacon cheeseburger and fries. The food they served wasn’t anything fancy, but it was fantastic bar food.

Shannon grabbed herself a Coke and sat at the end of the bar when her brother brought her plate out. Out of both her sister and brother, she and Michael looked the most alike. When they were younger, people always thought they were twins. “Thanks, Mikey.”

“You’re welcome, squirt,” he said and signed before disappearing into the back. Kasey had been in love with Shannon’s brother since they were younger, but never said anything to him because Michael was kind of a man-whore and he was a year and a half younger then Kasey.

While Shannon scrolled through Facebook, she munched on fries drenched in ketchup, just the way she liked them. She set her phone down and picked up her burger, taking a huge bite. The secret to their burgers was that her dad toasted the buns. After finishing off about half of her burger, she pulled up her Kindle app and began reading a book that she had started the other day. Reading was always something that she loved doing since she was younger.

Her favorites were romantic suspense and shifter books. Combine them together and those were her absolute favorite. Shannon loved getting lost in stories that could get her pulse pounding and have her sitting on the edge of her seat. She was so lost in her story that when a body brushed against her side, she jumped.

She looked up and it was that blond guy again. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“That’s okay. I was just really into my book. Did you need something?”

“Another Jack and Coke, but I can wait until you’re done with your dinner. I’m Jonathon, by the way.”

“Um, hi, I’m Shannon, but I guess you already know that.” She pointed at the nametag on her shirt. “I can grab your drink.” She moved around to the back of the bar and washed her hands before pouring him another drink. Again he gave her a five and told her to keep the change. She figured he’d go back to his friends, but instead he leaned against the bar so he was facing her. When she sat down she realized how close he was to her. His woodsy scent wrapped around her and made senses come alive.

“This is your parents’ place.” It wasn’t a question.

“Yes, they started it when I was little. My sister, Mary, is the only one who doesn’t work here. I love it. Sure, it’s not the most glamorous job, but I get to work with my family and my best friend. What do you do?” Shannon knew she was babbling, but he was so good looking and he was so close to her that it made her nervous.

“I’m a cop.” Of course, she suspected he was after her mom pointed out his table earlier.

“Wow, well I hope you’re keeping yourself safe.” A weird look passed over his face, but it was gone before she could think too much about it.

“See you around,” he said before he walked away from her so quickly that she might’ve thought his ass was on fire. She hung her head. Who was she kidding? There was no way a guy that good looking would be into a reject like her.

She tried to push those thoughts away. It’d been a long time since she thought of herself that way. Shannon swore he was interested, but apparently not. It wasn’t the first time she misread someone’s signals and unfortunately it probably wouldn’t be the last. Shannon carried her plate to the back and used the bathroom. She pulled her hair tie out and shook it out before piling it back up on her head and securing it with the tie. She looked at her watch—only a couple more hours and she could go home.

***

The vibration of Shannon’s alarm clock woke her up. Felix, her Himalayan fur-ball, stopped her from rolling over and stretched out in his favorite spot. He was curled up between her legs. She maneuvered herself until she was up out of bed and Felix watched her climb out. After taking care of business and then brushing her teeth, she went out into her little kitchen and started a pot of coffee.

On most days, Shannon didn’t put her sound processor back on until after her shower. She lived alone so there was no reason to put it on before, unless of course someone called her, then she would put it on. The silence was comforting at times. She loved being able to hear, but for so long her world had been filled with silence.

After drinking some coffee and showering, Shannon flat-ironed her hair into long sleek strands and pulled it up the sides with tiny little clips. She kept her makeup light since she had to work later and if it got warm in the bar, she’d sweat it off. When it was time to get dressed, she grabbed her O’Tool’s t-shirt, threw it on, then grabbed a pair of jean shorts. She knew they might be too short, so she’d get some grief from her dad, but she was hoping that Jonathon would be in that night.

For the past two weeks, he had been in four times. The last time he was in, he’d come by himself and sat at the bar talking to her the whole night. She’d learned he was father to a nine-year-old girl and his sister was living with him and helping out. He wasn’t married, she knew that, or at least she hoped she did. Jonathon never mentioned a wife and he didn’t wear a ring. Of course, some men who liked to cheat didn’t wear them, but there was just something about him that made her believe he was single.

Shannon loved the fact that when he talked to her, he’d look her right in the eye, and didn’t seem bothered by her implant or her speech that she knew sounded different. He didn’t smile a whole lot and when he did, it was small and almost non-existent. Most of the time she knew she talked his ear off, but he didn’t seem to mind. She threw on her green Chuck Taylor’s.

When she was done, she grabbed her sound processor and put it on, then she could hear.

A half hour later, Shannon pulled up in front of the public library. The tall stone structure was one of her favorite places. Spanish moss lined the stone steps leading to the door. Once inside, the scent of books filled her senses and relaxed her. Judy, the head librarian, was behind the desk, waving and signing, “Hello.” She’d been the librarian there since Shannon was a little girl. Judy had asked her to teach her to sign, so she taught the older woman how to say hello, goodbye, and how to spell her name.

Shannon walked toward the bookshelves that held her favorite books. Ever since she read her first shifter romance, she was hooked. Wolves, bears, panthers, whatever, she loved them all. There was just something forbidden about them and the males were always so alpha and so protective of their women. What woman wouldn’t want that?

Chapter Three

Jonathon

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