Page 9 of My Heart for Yours

Once in the bathroom, I take a moment to compose myself and freshen up and then open the door to join the others, but before I can take another step, I find the blonde standing in front of me, the girl who was kissing Shane earlier. I try to step around her, but she blocks my way.

“So, you’re Shane’s flavor of the week,” she all but sneers at me.

“Excuse me?” I realize my mistake the moment those words leave my mouth.

“Oh, you’ll figure out soon enough he doesn’t spend more than one or two nights with the same girl before moving on to the next one. But then, you’re just passing through right? Just here for a few days, so you two are perfect for each other.” She reminds me of those mean girls in high school who were nice to your face but then tripped you as you walked down the hall. I straighten my spine and prepare to give her a piece of my mind because yes, mean girls are something I know about, but I don’t get the chance.

“That’s enough, Cara! I think it’s time for you to leave. I’ll call you a cab because you are definitely not driving home.” I don’t know how Jay managed to sneak up on our conversation, but I’m really glad he did.

“Ah, Jay to the rescue. Are you and Shane going to compete for her affections now? It will be like Layla all over again.” What?! Before I can ask her what she means, Jay grabs her by the arm and steers her to the door. I try to make sense of what I just heard, but Shane walks over to me and reaches for my hand again. He freezes when he notices my expression. And now he looks nervous.

“I saw you talking to Cara. Everything okay?” Not even remotely.

“Uh, sure. Everything’s fine. I think I’m going to grab a drink. You want a beer or something?” My voice doesn’t sound right, like it’s coming from a great distance and I’m sure Shane notices, because he steps closer to me the same way you would approach a strange dog, carefully.

“Let me get it. What would you like?” But I’m already turning towards the kitchen.

“It’s okay, I’ve got it.” Just give me a minute.

There’s loads of alcohol to choose from, but I decide to have a soda and select a beer for Shane. My mind is spinning with so many questions and I feel completely out of my depth. It seems Shane and I really do have a lot to learn about each other. Before I can get back to him, Jay appears at my side.

“Hey, I was looking for you. Are you okay?” He seems genuinely concerned.

“Of course, why wouldn’t I be?” He doesn’t look amused. In fact, he looks really pissed off and I’m overjoyed that his anger is not aimed at me.

“Lisa, I heard what Cara said to you. Please don’t pay any attention to her. She’s drunk and butt hurt because Shane blew her off. She practically threw herself at him earlier and he left her standing so that he could chase after you. She’s not the one he’s interested in.” I appreciate him trying to reassure me but there are just too many questions and even though I know Jay is looking out for me, he is not the one to answer them.

“Thanks for saying that, but you don’t have to worry about me. I’m good. Promise.” He opens his mouth, but I beat him to it, holding up the beer. “I should get this to Shane while it’s still cold. Chat with you later.” I give him my best smile to assure him that I’m not full of shit and go to find Shane.

He introduces me to the two men standing with him, his brothers Travis and Derick, and the tension is so thick between them that I almost turn back to the kitchen. They don’t talk for long though and soon it’s just the two of us standing in the corner, watching everyone else have a good time.

“Let’s get out of here.” Shane doesn’t wait for me to reply, just takes my hand, and starts leading me to the door. I allow it because I suddenly don’t feel much like socializing either, but just as we are about to step outside Jay stops us.

“You’re leaving so soon?”

Shane replies, “Yeah man, kinda over this now. Going to take Lisa back to Mrs. Hanson’s and hang out for a while.” Okay, I guess we’re not done for the evening after all. Jay shoots me a smile before turning back to Shane.

“Cool, but call me later okay? I need to talk to you.” They share a look I can’t interpret before Shane nods and we leave.

Chapter 5

Shane

Last night did not end the way I planned. Lisa hardly spoke a word on the way back to the inn, and once there, she looked so uncomfortable that I suggested we cut the evening short and meet for breakfast instead. She agreed, and I went home.

I waited a few hours before calling Jay, figuring he would still have a house full of people but when he picked up the phone, his greeting sounded almost agitated.

“What took you so long? Is it a good sign that you spent all this time with Lisa and only thought to call me now?” I wish. My heart feels heavy with disappointment and I don’t even try to hide it from him.

“Nah, I just dropped her off and came home. She didn’t look like she was in the mood to hang out and I didn’t want to push it. We’re meeting for breakfast tomorrow though.” Jay swore under his breath and I wondered, not for the first time, why he seemed so invested in things going well between Lisa and me. I knew they spent some time together since that first night we met and that he might actually know her better than I do at this stage, and I try not to let that bother me. Under any other circumstances I would be fighting jealousy tooth and nail, but I know he considers her a friend, and this makes me happy, because I think she needs that as much as I need his support right now.

“I heard her talking to Cara earlier.” This got my full attention. I saw them talking too and tried to get over there to intervene but by the time I could extract myself from the conversation I was in and move across the room, Jay had already led Cara away. “It wasn’t pretty, man. That Cara is a mean bitch. I can’t believe I suggested you hook up with her!” He sounded genuinely upset about this, but my concern was for Lisa.

“Jay, what did she say?” I almost shouted as dread crawled down my spine.

“She said you only sleep with a woman once or twice before moving on and that Lisa was nothing special. Basically, made it sound like you sleep around and seeing as Lisa was only passing through, you were perfect for each other. That’s when I stepped in and sent Cara home.” Shit, no wonder Lisa shut down on me after that. I would probably run in the opposite direction too, but at least I knew now and could talk to her about it.

“Thanks man, I appreciate that. I gotta go. Have to figure out how I’m going to fix this.” I prepared to end the call, but Jay stopped me.

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