Page 24 of Screwed
I don’t know what to say as I watch him. His hands are in his pockets, his brown hair is falling slightly into his face, but it’s his eyes that break my heart in two. A look so sad, almost lost, as he stares down at his mother’s grave.
“Do you want to tell me what she was like?” I ask, hoping it will bring back a happy memory.
“No,” he whispers.
I want to ask how she died, but I won’t. It can’t be a good story, considering Jim has never once mentioned it. I’d just assumed they were divorced. It doesn’t even have her birth and death date on the stone and it makes me wonder why it doesn’t.
Shawn pulls me to him and wraps his arms around me. I hold onto him as tight as I possibly can, hoping to give him some kind of strength. “Shawn, I really didn’t know,” I quietly say against his chest.
“I know.” He doesn’t let go of me, just rests his chin on the top of my head. “I’ve never brought anyone here before. I’m the only one who knows where she is,” he says.
“Thank you for bringing me,” I say, feeling overwhelmed he’d trust me.
“I just wanted you to understand.”
Pressing a kiss to his chest, I nod. “This is why you won’t let anyone in.”
Shortly after, we leave and begin the ride home. The first half of the ride is driven in complete silence, I guess both of us processing it all. It makes so much sense now, he’s still hurting from losing his mom, of course he doesn’t want to tell anyone that.
“Jana, are you hungry?” he asks, breaking me out of my thoughts.
“I could eat,” I say.
We drive to a small bistro not far from the house and he parks the car. “Come on.”
He picks a table outside and once we’re seated, the waitress hands us our menus.
“I’ve never eaten here before, it’s beautiful,” I say, trying to get him to focus on something else.
Pushing my menu down, he grins at me, as I peek over at him. “Yes, it is beautiful. Now, what do you want to eat, Jana,” he says with a smirk.
As the afternoon passes, we eat lunch and he asks me about work. His mood has changed completely and he even jokes about a few of the customers, making me laugh. This is the guy that I know he really is, he’s just hiding behind that cold, heartless one.
“So, do you have any plans tonight?” I ask, finishing off my water.
He reaches across the table and places his hand on mine. “You have a fantasy you want to play out?”
“No,” I begin with a smirk as I glance between him and our hands. “Zoey wanted to go to that new club tonight and I thought, maybe, if you aren’t busy, you’d want to go with us.” Christ, I sound like a fucking stuttering fool.
He lightly chuckles and leans over the table, closer to me. “Jana, you know I don’t do dates, but I’ll go as your friend.”
Ouch, fuck. He’ll go as my friend. Every time I think I’ve broken through just a little bit, I get slapped with the reality of things.
Forcing a smile, I nod. “Great.”
**
After getting home, I took a long shower. It’s been such an odd day and I needed time to myself to think about it all. The longer I was in there, the more complicated it all seemed. So, I’m not waiting on Zoey to get here, because she offered to do my hair and I’m definitely not rejecting that offer.
Shawn’s been locked away in his room since he got out of the shower. I feel bad, thinking he’s in there upset about his mom and just as I decide to go check, the doorbell rings. Walking down the hall in my satin robe, I get to the door just as Zoey rings again.
“Damn, it’s a big house give me a minute to get to the door,” I say, laughing.
“Well maybe if you weren’t eye fucking your stepbrother, you’d get here faster.” She laughs as she pushes her way past me. “So, he’s coming tonight?”
“Shut the hell up, let’s go into my room,” I whisper, grabbing her arm. Her heels are echoing through the house and I notice how great she looks. Her green dress, leaves little to the imagination and she’ll be beating guys off of her.
Once we get into my room, we sit down on the bed. “Spill it,” she says, lifting a perfect eyebrow.
