by Terra Kelly
“I think so. She hasn’t really said much either way,” Kenzie said and carefully dried off a mixing bowl.
Danny nodded. “Huh, interesting.”
“What?” Kenzie asked, turning to face him and putting a hand on her hip. “What does interesting mean?”
His eyes went wide. “What? It doesn’t mean anything. I was just saying, interesting.” He continued cleaning out a stock pot and said, “I guess I’m a little surprised she hasn’t talked about the lessons. She seems to be really enjoying them.”
Kenzie nodded. “I’m sure she is, love. You need to understand. Shawna is a very private person. Which is why it surprised Izzy and me when she had a confession party and told us all about her parents.”
Danny stopped what he was doing and turned to face Kenzie. “A confession party? he asked confused and apprehensive. “What does that mean?”
Kenzie stammered a bit. “Confession party. Where you confess about something from your past.”
Danny turned his head to the side and persisted. “And what kind of confession did Shawna have about her past?” He figured she would evade the answer but he had to try.
Without missing a beat, she said, “Her parents of course.”
Danny didn’t expect her to answer, so when she did, it shocked him a bit. “Oh, so they are still alive?”
“Oh yeah, yeah, they are just…” Then she went silent suddenly. Kenzie put her towel down and started to walk away.
“Did I say something?” Danny asked and proceeded to wash the dishes.
She grunted. “Um…yeah…too much. Why are you asking me questions you should be asking her yourself?”
He let out a heavy sigh. “Truth?”
“It would be better than lying,” she said and walked back into the kitchen to sit in a chair at the island.
Danny turned to face Kenzie and leaned against the island. He bent his head and then glanced towards her. “I’m really enjoying my time with Shawna, maybe more than I ever expected.” He sighed. “She’s mentioned her family, but always in past tense. You can see sadness in her eyes when she talks about her parents. I would love to change that.”
Kenzie raised her eyebrows. “Wait, you want to reconnect them?”
“Yeah, maybe,” he quietly said and walked over to sit down beside her. “Why? Bad idea?”
She laughed lightly and reached for his hand. “Hey, I’m all for reuniting loved ones. Look at Josh and I. We’re finally together after a ten-year separation. Just don’t do it behind her back. Shawna doesn’t take bullshit lightly; she’s one tough cookie.”
He smiled. “Yeah, you’re right. Then how do I bring it up? She diverts the subjects the moment I ask a simple question.”
She squeezed his hand. “Just be honest. Tell her why it means so much to you. I know your background, but does she? You’ll know when the time is right to ask her, and be honest.”
He leaned forward and hugged her tightly. “Thank you.”
“Hey hey, what do I see here?” Josh said loudly as he entered the kitchen.
Kenzie rolled her eyes. “Oh baby, you know I only have eyes for you,” she gushed. “Well, Elvis and Costello, too.”
Danny laughed. “Those dogs are too spoiled.”
They both answered at the same time. “You have no idea.”
They all spent more time together before Danny decided to head out. He was happy the Shawna subject didn’t come up again. He felt relieved that Kenzie was honest and willing to talk to him, though.
Before he headed out to his Jeep, Connie grabbed Danny’s hand and whispered, “Hey, talk to her, okay? Maybe she will surprise you.”
He nodded. “Yes, ma’am.” Danny leaned in and kissed her on her cheek. “Thank you.”
As Danny started heading back home, he made a spur of the moment decision.
After stopping at his place to grab Daisy, he drove over to Shawna’s house. He knew she probably wouldn’t be home for another hour, so he decided to take Daisy for a walk on the beach. The sun had already set about an hour ago, but the moon was shining bright. He could see a group around a small fire laughing and obviously having a good time. A few couples were walking hand in hand together, and he noticed a guy with a metal detector probably searching for some buried treasures.
It felt good taking a few moments to himself. After about thirty minutes, he started to head back toward Shawna’s place. He was just stepping onto the wooden board walk, when he heard someone yell. It took him a moment to realize that the voice he heard had been Shawna. He took bigger steps to get up to her place quicker, but he stopped suddenly when he noticed two people walking away from her house, and a door slam loudly. It had been too dark to make out who the people were, but immediately he went on high alert and felt concerned.
When he finally reached her house, he raised his hand to knock on the door but stopped just short of the wood surface. Closing his eyes and hoping for the best, he proceeded through to an aggressive knock. Danny could hear her cursing right before she opened the door. As the door flew open, she yelled, “What?” Then her eyes went wide and quickly softened. She lunged forward into his arms.
Danny never expected that type of greeting. He held her tightly and quietly asked, “Shawna, are you okay?”
She stayed silent and just held him so tight. He gathered her up in his arms, kicked the door shut, and started making his way to the couch. Daisy had been fast on his heels, obviously worried about her, too. When he sat down carefully, he had to almost pull her away from his body. Shawna had her head bent and seemed to be unable to speak. He quietly asked, “Want to talk about it?”
She lifted her head to face him, and right at that moment one lonely tear fell down her cheek. “I’m not sure where to begin,” she whispered.
Danny smiled. “At the beginning always seems to work best.” He reached up and wiped the tear away.
Shawna laughed lightly. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. It feels weird because we really don’t know each other that well yet.” She paused but then quickly said, “I want to though…get to know you more.”
“Hey, I’ve already decided days ago you’re stuck with me. Not just because you can dance either…although, it’s a perk.” He moved her up onto his lap and settled back against the cushion. “Who were those people I noticed leaving?”
Her eyes went wide. “You saw them?”
“Yeah. Daisy and I were on the beach walking, and just heading back to see if you were home yet. That’s when we heard you yell,” he said, reaching up to move a strand of hair behind her ear.
Shawna let out a heavy sigh and admitted, “They were my parents.”
No one said a thing for about a minute. Danny actually had been searching for the perfect thing to say. “And you didn’t want to see them I’m gathering?” he finally asked.
She laughed. “Something like that.” Then she stood up and started heading into the kitchen. Looking back towards him she asked, “Want some wine with me?”
“Sure,” he said and stood up to head into the kitchen with her. “How long has it been since you last talked to them?”
She stopped pouring the wine and glanced his way. “I’m that transparent, eh?” She sighed and admitted, “Over five years.”
He could relate in some ways with how she had been feeling. Danny reached for the wine glass. “So, your choice, or mutual?”
“Huh, that’s a good question. Probably a little of both.” Shawna put the cork back on the bottle, grabbed her glass, and started heading toward the patio. “I love my parents…I really do. I just knew what I wanted for my future and it wasn’t what they had in mind for me.”
Danny could see where the conversation was heading—they just had a shitty falling out. He leaned back in the patio chair and looked up at the stars. Letting out a heavy sigh, he said, “My last good memory of my parents was when I was only six years old.”
Shawna seemed curious. “Tell me about it?”
“My mom and dad were a
ward-winning dancers who performed in top-billed performances. When they were around, which was rare, I used to beg to dance with my mom. She would have me stand on her feet and then move around so carefully. There had been something really magical about being with her in that moment,” he said with a sigh and then took a big gulp of his wine. “Of course, that only lasted for a short period of time. My parents never seemed to find time to spend even a few moments with me. They were gone too much.” It felt a little weird sharing that very personal part of his life. The Winters were the only people who truly understood the magnitude of his situation, which is why they never hesitated whenever he asked for help.
“Your parents were never around for you growing up?” Shawna said, sounding curious.
Danny nodded. “Yeah, on average I would see my parents about four to six days out of the month.”
She gasped. “Wait, so where did you stay? You had someone to take care of you, right?”
“Well, the main people that were always kind to me were the Winters, but I also stayed with some family members, or my parents’ friends. That had been my life growing up—going house to house—and really all I knew. I remember watching Drew and his brothers sitting playing video games, no worries, just together as a family.” He went quiet for a moment. Talking about his past always took a lot out of him. He leaned his head back, wrapped his arms around her waist. “You smell amazing,” he whispered.
She giggled. “Why thank you, sweetie.” He inhaled strawberries and vanilla and really enjoyed having her so close. Shawna placed her hand on his chest. “I’m sorry for your memories.”
Danny pulled her close so he could lean in and kiss her tenderly. “Tell me more about you? I hope you can see I won’t just walk away. What you have to say is important to me, too.” He paused for a moment and then continued to say, “Shawna, after hearing my past, I hope you’re able to see your past really hits home for me. Anything I can do to help you, I promise I will.”
Chapter 22
“That means a lot,” she said with a sigh. “But I feel like I had it pretty good now after hearing your story. I mean, my parents were around and took me to all my dance classes.” She went silent and fidgeted with the collar on his shirt before continuing. “When I was thirteen, I caught a movie where the main character went to Juilliard. From that moment on, it had been my ultimate goal to go after I finished high school. Unfortunately, I come from a family of lawyers, and so I bet you can guess where that’s going?”
He sighed. “They expected you to become a lawyer and take over the family business?”
“Ding, ding, ding.” She laughed and brought her finger up to beep his nose. “Yeah, me, a lawyer. Can you see it?”
“Not even a little,” he admitted and chuckled.
Shawna’s eyes went wide. “Hey, should I be offended at that comment?” Of course, she had been teasing so she smiled. “No, I know, it’s crazy. My dad used to talk about me being a lawyer, and I would roll my eyes at him every time. He knew I had no desire to be a part of the family legacy. Dancing had been my whole world…” She trailed off, thinking about the day she left.
“What? Tell me,” Danny persisted.
Shawna let out a heavy sigh and continued, “I was just thinking about the day I left.” She cleared her throat. “Well, basically I told them I’m going to go to New York and try out for Juilliard. I remember saying, I didn’t know if it would work out, but I had to try. My dad became so angry, and told me that my little hobby would not pay the bills. I needed to grow up and make something of myself.” She released a light laugh. “I was nineteen. What did he expect? I would become the youngest lawyer in history to win the next big case? No, not going to happen. College would’ve been grueling, and I would’ve lost interest probably in the first week.” She shrugged her shoulders. “I knew what I wanted, and I couldn’t give up on my dream.”
Danny nodded. “I agree. So you went to audition at Juilliard, right?”
“Oh yeah, but missed the cut-off for trying out by two hours. I thought about trying out again but life was much different a year later. I remember being devastated. I had on my notes to get there by a certain time, but my plane had been delayed. I don’t know, a part of me realizes today that it all happened for a reason. Maybe I was supposed to miss the audition and take that path for the next few years.” Shawna looked up into his eyes and asked, “Do you believe everything happens for a reason?”
He smiled. “Well, if you asked me years ago, I would’ve laughed. Today? Yes, I do believe that. I feel pretty blessed to have met Drew, who then connected me with the Winters. For so long, I believed families were useless, they didn’t care about you. Then the Winters proved that assessment wrong the very moment I met them.” Danny grabbed her hand and lightly squeezed. “I think your parents thought they were doing what was best for you at the time. Maybe they see now how important it is to let children discover on their own.” He lifted her chin up. “Hey, if you have a chance to make peace with them, I wouldn’t let that go. I would hate to see you miss out on a chance at reconciling with your parents. If they came tonight, it has to be their way of apologizing maybe.”
Shawna knew what Danny had said was one-hundred percent true. It just felt weird after all these years of trying to let go. It felt weird to think about having them in her life again. When she opened the door earlier, her heart actually felt whole again. She knew a piece of her had been left behind almost five years ago.
“Dad is sick,” she said with a slight quiver in her voice. “He’s not dying I don’t think…well, not now at least.”
Danny sat up in his chair. “Shawna, could you live with yourself if you ignored his cries to mend the ties?”
Shawna stood up, walked over to the window, and leaned against the glass surface. She took a moment to let that question turn over a few times in her mind. She whispered, “No, I couldn’t.” She sniffed. “Danny, they made it clear that I shouldn’t come back until I was successful. Basically telling me that I would not amount to anything if I walked away from the family business.” She reached up and wiped a tear away. “So, I was staying away until I amounted to the success Dad had envisioned for me.”
She heard Danny stand and approach her. He grabbed her upper arm and turned her to face him. “Hey, are you fucking kidding me? You have been and are successful. What the hell are you talking about?”
Shawna smiled. “Well, dancing and no college degree is not his idea of success.”
Which had been the truth. Her father equated success with college degrees and high-end jobs. Of course, she disagreed. A part of her really did feel successful today. Her TV job had been amazing and really opened so many doors. Plus, it had introduced her to Izzy, the best friend a girl could ask for in life. “I don’t believe that,” she demanded and grabbed her glass of wine to take a much-needed drink. “Sure, I have had shitty times in my life, don’t we all? But for the most part, I’m really happy.”
Danny laughed. “Shit, I have way too many bad times to count anymore. Shawna, I know firsthand how successful you are, because I have watched you on that stage pouring your heart and soul out.”
She did love her life now, and Burlesque Me Tonight had really made that happen. She sighed. “So what now? I slammed the door in their face tonight. Not really a great start, ya know?”
“Well, no.” He chuckled, “But we can fix that. I will go with you to see them. Are they in town still?”
“Yeah, before I so nicely closed the door, my dad told me what hotel they were staying at for a few days,” she said and let out a sound of frustration. “Ugh, this really sucks.”
“Nope, it will be okay,” he demanded, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her close to him.
She shook her head. “You seem so sure.”
“I’m just always right.”
She burst out laughing and leaned up on her tip toes to kiss him. “Oh Danny, what am I going to do with you?”
He leaned in and kiss
ed her nose. “Well, you could strip down to nothing and dance with me?”
Shawna’s eyes went wide. “Are you for real? That is your one desire?” Danny just nodded and pulled her closer to kiss her again. She leaned back away from him, and asked, “Hey, are you sure you can’t make things right with your parents?” She immediately begged, “And don’t get mad that I asked.”
He smiled and stepped away from her. “Here’s the thing, I don’t see the people that had me as my real parents. Connie and Jim are my family now, and the way parents should be for a child. Connie has helped me to be the man I am today. When I asked if I could change my last name to Winters, she actually put on a party.” Danny laughed. “I call them Mom and Dad, and I consider Drew, Josh, Grant, and Alex brothers I never had. That’s my family.” When I graduated from high school and could legally be on my own, I never looked back on the past…and my parents who had me never have tried to communicate with me. They probably knew I had no desire to have them in my life.”
She reached up, put her palm on his cheek, and sighed. “I’m sorry, but I’m so thankful you have the Winters. They are an amazing family.”
Shawna actually felt better sharing everything with Danny, and a little part of her wanted to maybe go see her parents. The thought started to make her heart rate increase and her palms feel sweaty. She tried to think of what she would say to them. Then her time at the nightclub started to invade her memories, and she stepped away from Danny, and started to head toward the kitchen for a little space. She really had no desire to talk about that dancing, because what if Danny got pissed and left. No, she couldn’t think about that now.
“Hey, you okay?” he asked, staying close on her heels.
“What? Oh yeah, I just needed a refill,” she said, grabbing the bottle and then holding it up.
She noticed he rolled his eyes. “There’s more to share, right?”
“Maybe, but I’m all tapped out for right now. Danny, there are things in my past I even try to forget, so don’t make me share them right now.” Shawna poured a full glass and took a huge gulp of the red liquid.
