Cherishing You (Thirsty Hearts Book 3)

by Kris Jayne

  “No, it won’t, but Shannon what you’re describing is a rape. A man having sex with you when he knows that you’re so out of it you can’t stand up—that’s rape. There’s not even gray area. He knew you didn’t know what was happening around you.”

  “It doesn’t matter, Vivienne. I have no proof. Everyone at the party was telling me that I threw myself at Aaron. No one is going to say that I didn’t ask for it.”

  “Everyone will say that you were drugged. That’s really all that matters. It’s the law.”

  “The police aren’t going to listen to me weeks later. I’d sound like I was making an excuse for cheating on my boyfriend and getting pregnant.”

  “Whether you go to the police or you don’t, Jonah needs to hear the whole story.”

  “That doesn’t matter either. I’ve been thinking about this non-stop. He didn’t want to hear me. You didn’t see him. He jumped on the idea that I was trying to trick him, and let’s face it. I was.”

  “But that’s not the whole story. You need to tell him.”

  Shannon shook her head. “I’m putting this behind me. I’m looking forward. I have to take care of this baby—whether it’s Jonah’s or not. I’m his or her mother. I don’t want to fight.”

  “Sometimes you have to fight for yourself.”

  “No. If Jonah’s wants to know what happened, he can ask. If he wants to forgive me, he will. I’m not going to beg for him to come back to me—especially now that I know what he really thinks of me.”

  The tears stopped flowing, and Shannon wiped her eyes.

  “He was angry. Maybe he said some things he shouldn’t have said, but I know how broken up he is and how much he loves you.”

  “Vivienne, thanks for hearing me out. It means the world to me, but I don’t want you to talk about this with your brother anymore. I don’t want to talk about this ever again. It’s over.”

  “But you love him, too.”

  Shannon met her proclamation with a sad shrug. “I do, but the problem is bigger than what happened after that funeral. You and I both know that I’m not the kind of person that Jonah would have ever wanted to be with. I don’t really fit in with his life or his friends. How long before we realized that and broke up anyway? It might better to get it over with now—before the baby gets here.”

  “You’re giving up.”

  “He called me a scheming bitch.” She clenched her teeth.

  “He didn’t mean it.”

  “Are you going to keep pushing this? I can’t work here if this is going to be a problem.”

  “It won’t be. I’m disappointed for you both. That’s all.”

  “Not as much as I am,” Shannon bemoaned. “I have to go. I’m working the lunch shift.”

  “Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Positive.”

  “You’re family isn’t going to be happy.”

  “I’ll handle my family.”

  Still, Shannon doubted she’d be able to keep working at Vivienne’s for much longer, but soon, she wouldn’t be able to wait tables, and then she’d have no income at all. When you’re desperate, you can’t turn down good money.

  * * *

  When Jonah got back to his office after lunch and a morning full of meetings, Nanette flagged him down.

  “Your sister has left two messages for you with me. Are you not answering your phone?”

  “We’re having an issue. I know where she stands, and I don’t want to hear it right now.” The words came out of Jonah’s mouth more sharply than intended.

  “Oh.” His normally diplomatic administrative assistant raised her eyebrows and turned back to her computer. “I sent you the files for your two o’clock. Check your email.”

  “Sorry to snap, Nanette. I had a rough weekend.”

  “No problem. I’ll just say this: She sounded very insistent.” Nanette pointed at him on the last two words, drilling them home.

  Jonah went to his desk and pulled out his phone. She’d left another three messages on his mobile and texted him twice. Swearing, he tapped the phone icon next to Vivienne’s name.

  “Good. You’re returning my messages.”

  “What do you want, Vivienne?”

  “I promised Shannon that I would stay out of it, and I will, but you need to talk to her. Correction, you need to listen to her.”

  “Stay out of this. It’s none of your business.”

  “Unacceptable. You are my business, and Shannon has become my friend. She’s my business. Plus, she’s my employee.”

  “How could you keep working with someone like her?”

  “I’ll pretend you didn’t say that about my friend.”

  “You’d stay friends with someone who lied to me and tried to pull the stunt that she’s pulled? You’re my sister.”

  “Yes, I am, but I’m also a woman. I’m allowed to have sympathy for another woman.”

  “Feminism over family. Nice.”

  “If you would listen to her, maybe you’d understand. Besides, she’s going to have a hard enough time. How long before she can’t be on her feet all day waiting tables?”

  “Once I start paying her child support, she’ll be fine.”

  “If the baby is yours. If not, she’s screwed.”

  A seed of guilt began to germinate in his mind, but he didn’t want to talk to Shannon. He didn’t even want to look at her. Luckily, she’d kept to herself the past couple of days.

  “She’s a big girl, Vivienne.”

  “Getting bigger by the day.”

  “Goodbye, Vivienne.”

  Jonah hung up on his sister. He wouldn’t let her make him feel guilty because he broke up with a duplicitous woman. Shannon literally made her bed with some other man. She could lie in it.

  Chapter Forty-Three

  The week crawled along, and Jonah faced each day with a measure of dread.

  On Christmas Eve, he got home and found a note on the door.

  I’ve cleared out

  Left the key on the counter

  Call or text if you need me

  Jonah frowned. She left no address or even the name of the hotel. He thought about tracking down her landlord but stopped himself. If she wanted him to know where she was, she would have told him.

  Vivienne invited him over for cocktails with some friends, but Jonah’s mood didn’t permit company. The empty house echoed with Shannon’s presence. After only a few weeks, he grew accustomed to her cackling laugh, her lopsided smiles, and the sound of her shuffling across the wood floors in her slippers.

  Jonah could hear her and feel her—even though as he looked around, he knew he was alone.

  He had put up the tree and planned to haul out the decorations tonight. Shannon printed out a recipe for mulled cider and put it on the side of the refrigerator. The prime rib he ordered from the butcher took up an entire shelf in that same fridge. He’d have to roast it or waste a hundred and fifty dollar’s worth of meat.

  Or he could take it to his parents’ tomorrow and let Miranda do something with it.

  Christmas at his parents. The dread hit him full force.

  Jonah poured himself a drink and stared at the fire he built to warm the room. As it burned, it grew hotter, chasing the chill from everywhere except his heart.

  * * *

  Shannon determined not to steep in self-pity. No, she didn’t have her beautifully decorated apartment with a tall, twinkling tree, and she didn’t have Jonah—probably never would have him again.

  But on Christmas morning, Shannon did have Olivia, filled with homemade pancakes and unwrapping her presents on the sofa of her long-term stay hotel room. Let It Snow played on radio, boosting her cheer. She found a potted evergreen at the grocery store and strung it with ribbon for her hotel living room.

  She also had a kitchenette where she cut out sugar cookies to bake in the so-far unreliable oven. The first batch burned in a matter of minutes, but with the temperature adjusted, Shannon h
oped for improvement with batch number two.

  “Thank you for the sweater, Mommy.”

  Olivia came in and hugged her mother’s waist.

  “You’re welcome, sweetie. I wish you had your doll here with you. She could try hers on too.”

  Shannon had found a matching hoodie and leggings set for Olivia and her American Girl doll.

  “I can do it tomorrow. What else are we making besides cookies?”

  “I ordered Christmas dinner from Central Market, so we can heat that up for lunch in a little bit. And, I bought tons of Christmas movies on DVD. I brought games from…home.”

  She’d actually taken the games Jonah bought for Olivia’s visit at his place. As angry as he was, she had to hope he wouldn’t have her arrested for theft. The pang of sadness threatened her with tears, and she slapped it down. Maybe the day veered from what she imagined, but this was her family Christmas, nonetheless.

  Olivia’s bright blue eyes set on her with expectation, and her joy returned. Jeff and Taryn offered to have her over to their house for Christmas, but Shannon gave them a quick no. Glomming on to their holiday would only depress her further.

  Last Christmas, she and Kid had hunkered down in a rented trailer with the damp cold seeping in. At least today, she was warm and Kid-free, with fridge full of good food. This was still her best Christmas ever.

  “I’ll pick a movie. Where are they?”

  “In a bag next to the couch.”

  Shannon finished placing her sugared Christmas trees and Rudolph heads on the parchment-lined cookie sheet and slid them into the oven.

  After she set the timer and stepped into the living and dining area, she saw the face of her phone light up on the table, and her shoulders slumped.

  “Jeff, hi. Merry Christmas.”

  “Merry Christmas to you too. What are y’all up to this morning?”

  “We ate breakfast, and Olivia opened her gifts. I’m baking some cookies, and we’re about to put on a movie.”

  “That sounds like fun. So, you’re good then?”

  Shannon sighed. One day, her life would inspire more than pity. “I’m great actually. It’s our first real Christmas together, and we’re having a good time.”

  “I’m glad.” Relief flooded his voice. “Can I talk to Olivia for a minute?”

  “Sure.”

  Shannon called her over to speak to her dad and went into the kitchen to check on the cookies that didn’t need checking.

  Jeff must have thought she’d spend the day curled up in the fetal position, turning Olivia’s Christmas into a wake for her relationship with Jonah. He could give her more credit than that.

  She missed Jonah, and she worried about her baby. But Shannon had picked herself up from worse. Motherhood cut off wallowing as an option. She wrung out the heartache and threw it away. Her destiny didn’t include that kind of love. She accepted that, and she accepted the love she did have. That would have to be enough.

  * * *

  Jonah grumped his way through Christmas Day, answering his mother’s question about Shannon with a curt, “She’s spending the day with her daughter.”

  Vivienne harrumphed right back, “Maybe you should call her.”

  Jonah glared. “Maybe you should stay out of it.”

  “I think we should all stay out of it,” Sheila advised, brightly.

  Jonah sniped his response. “Try not to sound so chipper, Mother.”

  “Jonah, whatever went wrong—it was inevitable. Lick your wounds and move on, but don’t take it out on everyone else. You’ve been firing verbal bullets at everyone all day—even at Miranda.”

  “I apologized to her, and I’m sorry if I’m poor company. I’m going to take a walk.”

  Jonah jumped up from his chair and hurried out the back door, around the back patio, and down to the expanse of lawn behind the house. The massive oak tree stretched its skeletal branches overhead.

  “Jonah!”

  His father bounded down the stone steps toward him.

  “What the hell did she do?”

  Bashing his head into the trunk of the oak appealed to him more than answering his father’s question.

  “Shannon and I had a fight. Don’t worry about it.”

  “I won’t if you keep your nonsense to yourself. It’s Christmas for God’s sake.”

  “I never knew you had such sentiment for the holiday.”

  “Your mother loves Christmas, and you’ve turned the day into a bitter funeral for your relationship with that woman.”

  “Am I not allowed to be upset just because you and Mom hated her?”

  “Keep a lid on your ill humor. That’s all I’m asking.”

  “Fine.”

  “Now, there’s something else I mean to ask you about.”

  Jonah eyed his father warily. “What?”

  “Why are you investigating some guy named Aaron Godfrey?”

  “Dammit. I should have known better than to trust Dan.”

  Dan Krueger, Moran Financial’s head of security, had probably run to Jonah’s father as soon as he made the request for a background check on Aaron three days ago.

  “I’m looking into something.”

  “It seems Mr. Godfrey is from the tiny town where Shannon lived.”

  “Listen, over the weekend, we found out that Shannon’s ex-husband was shot and killed by his friend—that’s Aaron. On our way out of the station, we ran into him, and I didn’t get a good feeling. I want to find out who he is.”

  His father shook his head. “If that’s all you want to say, fine. Dan has your report.”

  “My guess is that so do you.”

  “Dan works for me.”

  The redundancy of his father’s reminder piqued him. Everyone in the company placed their loyalties squarely in the corner of the big boss.

  “Can you save me a meeting with Dan and give it to me?”

  “I have it in my office. When you’re done pouting out here, come inside, and I’ll get it.”

  Sitting on the couch in his father’s office half an hour later, Jonah scanned Dan’s report and sipped a cognac. Frankly, he had expected worse than Aaron’s spotty work history and occasional arrests.

  Kid Nelson spent long stretches of time in prison for burglary and assault. Aaron had some drunk and disorderlies, a couple of misdemeanor charges for possession of marijuana, and DUI from ten years earlier.

  Maybe he wouldn’t be the horror he suspected, which didn’t lessen Jonah’s anxiety for some reason. Jonah picked up his phone and dialed Dan. Sure, it was Christmas, but the security man owed him.

  “Please tell me this isn’t some emergency. I’m watching A Christmas Story with my family.”

  “No. I wanted to see if there was anything that you didn’t put in the copy of the report you gave my father. Thanks, by the way. I expected that my request would remain between us. Not you, me, and my father.”

  “He’s the one who signs my checks.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind when my father retires.”

  “Hold on, let me go to another room…I’m sorry, but when the check on Godfrey brought up some of the same names and places as the check on your girlfriend, I clued him in. Everything I found is in the report.”

  “Did he know Shannon and her ex-husband before she moved here?”

  “Was that your concern?”

  “My concerns are my business. Can you answer my question?”

  “No. I didn’t even find anything to suggest they knew each other that well. Godfrey occasionally ran with her ex-husband—the second one—but that dates back to when Shannon was in rehab. Nelson didn’t seem like the kind to let another man sidle up next to his wife.”

  “The police report from Kid’s shooting says they argued over a woman.”

  “It doesn’t specify beyond that. I can question Aaron, but you told me not to make contact.”

  “I still don’t want that.” Jonah thought it over and figured he could always call the detective hims
elf on Monday if wanted more information. He didn’t need Dan reporting everything to his father. “So, this is done. I’ll let you get back to your family.”

  “Thank you.” Dan’s brusque tone still didn’t make Jonah feel guilty.

  Instead, his mind turned over what to do next. Did it matter why Aaron and Kid fought? All that mattered was that Shannon had slept with Aaron. Acid burned in Jonah’s chest.

  Now that Aaron knew about the pregnancy, he might try to contact her, and Jonah couldn’t protect her.

  Shannon might not need his protection. Nothing in Aaron’s history suggested he might be violent like Kid. Of course, he did kill a man last weekend.

  Jonah’s blood pressure spiked. He didn’t even know where Shannon was staying. Fingers flying before he could stop them, he texted her.

  > At which hotel are you staying?

  He waited a ten minutes, downing another drink. No answer.

  > I just want to make sure I can reach you

  This text garnered an immediate response.

  >> U just reached me

  She had a point.

  > Let me know if Aaron contacts you

  >> None of ur business anymore

  > It is if he harasses you. The baby could still be mine.

  >> That’s what police are for

  > The police are inept

  >> leave it alone. If I need anything, I know where u are. I’ll be back home soon

  > When?

  >> soon

  >> I have to go Liv’s here

  Jonah thought about Shannon’s little girl, and regret pricked his conscience.

  > Tell her Merry Christmas

  He waited, but Shannon didn’t respond. He swirled his snifter in his hand. Would Jeff tell him where she was?

  He couldn’t stalk her. If she didn’t want to tell him, he had no right to dig around and find out. Somehow, Jonah had to let her go. After her betrayal, he should want to let her go, but he still didn’t.

  He closed his eyes and dropped his head on the back of the chair.

  “Get out here,” Vivienne’s voice penetrated the booze and misery wafting around him. “Mom wants to take a family photo.”