Page 8 of Finding Hope

The guy was nice looking. He was big and muscular at least from what she could tell. His smile was sweet and showed white teeth with the front teeth slightly crooked, and it only added to his charm, but she was not interested. Not after the last time she threw caution into the wind.

“How about I get your beer and we’ll call it a day.” Shannon didn’t give him a chance to respond before she walked to the refrigerator and got him a beer. She set it in front of him and he handed her a five and told her to keep the change. After thanking him she grabbed the bottle of cleaners and started spraying the tables and wiping them down. Shannon was checking the salt and pepper shakers when the door opened and she looked toward the entrance.

Jonathon in street clothes was gorgeous, but Jonathon in his police uniform was panty-melting hot. Too bad he was a prick and she was honestly surprised he showed his face in there again at all. Shannon was tempted to run into the back and hide, but she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing that his actions hurt her.

She made her way back behind the bar and busied herself. In the mirror behind the bar, she watched him sit down. The guy at the end of the bar was still there, so she went to check on him. “Are you doing okay?”

“Yeah, sweetheart. Thanks.”

Dammit, she thought to herself.

Fuck Jonathon. She wasn’t going to let him affect her. Keeping a straight face, she asked him, “What can I get you?”

“Shannon?” She’d been avoiding looking directly at him, but the pleading tone in his voice made her look at him. “I’m sorry.”

“Okay, well, thanks for stopping in. I’ve got work to do.” She turned away and found her dad standing in doorway to the back.

“Everything okay?” he asked.

“Yeah, I just need to run to the back real quick. Could you wait on the officer here?” Her dad moved toward the bar. Shannon took the opportunity to run into the back and hide like the coward she was. In the stockroom, she grabbed a stool and sat down. Why was he there? What exactly was he sorry for? Sleeping with her? Escaping as fast as possible when it was over?

She didn’t know how much time had passed, but Kasey poked her head around the corner. “Hey, girlie, your dad told me to tell you that the policeman you were hiding from is gone.” She flounced in and sat down across from her. “Now, tell me. Why are you hiding from the hottie cop?”

Shannon normally told Kasey everything, but this time she didn’t. Maybe because casual sex wasn’t something she ever did and she didn’t want a million questions, or maybe she was embarrassed that she fell for a guy’s bullshit line. “I’m not hiding. There was a guy at the end of the bar who asked for my number and I’m hiding because I didn’t want him to ask again.” She hated lying to her, but again, she didn’t want to answer her questions.

“Ohhh…I saw him. Totally hot! Why won’t you give him your number?”

“I don’t know. I’m just not interested. Why don’t you give him yours?” Kasey’s cheeks turned a dark pink. Shannon felt like a jerk because Kasey was so in love with Michael, but he nailed anything with a vagina and a pulse and always treated Kasey like a sister, which she hated. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry. It’s my fault for falling in love with a male whore.”

Shannon got off her stool and went to her best friend, wrapping her into a tight embrace. “Michael’s a moron.” They shared a laugh before heading back out to the bar.

***

After her shift, Shannon collected her tips and went into the back to hug her dad goodbye. She grabbed her purse and left through the back door. Looking down as she made her way to her car, she didn’t notice anyone was there until she ran into him. Strong arms wrapped around her.

“We have to stop meeting like this.”

She jerked back when she looked up and found Jonathon staring down at her. “What are you doing here?” She tried to move around him, but he stopped her with a hand on her arm.

“Can we go somewhere and talk? I want to explain my horrible behavior.” He looked sincere, and what could it hurt? Why was she so nice? Kasey would have advised her to tell him to fuck off. “Please,” he added.

She simply nodded, and with his hand at the small of her back, he led her to his car. Jonathon was a gentleman and opened the car door for her. As she buckled her belt, she watched him walk around the front of the car and then climb in the driver’s side. They sat in silence while they drove through town, stopping down the street from Ben and Jerry’s.

“Wait for me.” He got out and came around to her side and opened the door for her. Again, they walked side by side in silence toward the shop. It was warm out and the sun was still shining. That was Shannon’s favorite part about summer—the long days.

Jonathon pulled the door open and she stepped inside. The sugary scent in the air always made her mouth water. There were some teenagers in front of them when they got in line. Again, neither of them said anything to each other and it was getting more and more awkward.

When the teenage girl came up to the counter and asked if she could help them, Shannon ordered first. “I’ll have a hot fudge sundae with Phish Food ice cream.” The boys next to them started laughing. She wasn’t shocked by their reaction; she unfortunately was used to it. Even with therapy, her speech remained different. She felt Jonathon stiffen behind her as the boys began imitating her in an exaggerated tone.

With a hand on his chest, she turned and looked up at him. “Don’t. Trust me. It’s nothing I haven’t heard before.”

He pulled his stare away from the guys and looked down at her, then at her hand on his chest. She started to pull away, but he grabbed her hand and held it there. Something moved between them, but they jerked away from each other like they had been burned. She looked away and went to pull out her wallet to pay after Jonathon had ordered his.

“No, it’s my treat.” He handed the girl his debit card.

With their ice cream in their hands, they grabbed stools by the big window. She took a couple of bites and felt him watching her. She looked up at him and he was in fact staring at her. “What?”

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