Fractured [SHAWN MENDES]

~8~

"I miss my bar," Patricia uttered sadly as she watched her daughter get ready.

"I know you do, but the doctor specifically said that you are supposed to wait six weeks before returning to work. You've been home for a month, so what's two more weeks?" Taryn argued.

This wasn't the first time they'd had this discussion. Tricia wanted her life to return to normal, but Taryn was all about following the oncologist's orders.

"What if...what if I come in with you for a few hours and just sit at the bar and work on the accounting. It would be no more strenuous than if I sat here on the couch doing a crossword puzzle. I'll even dig out one of my masks from the COVID years to minimize my risk of infection."

Taryn finished braiding her hair and turned to look at her mom. "You're so stubborn."

"At least you know where you get it from," Patricia countered.

"Fine. It's almost tax season so it would probably be wise for you to look over the numbers before they get turned in to your accountant," Taryn raised a finger and started to wag it, "but if you start doing any actual work or if the place gets busy, I'm kicking you out."

"I just want to sit and enjoy the comfort of being in my other home. I'm not going to go behind the bar or in the kitchen."

When they got to The Good Luck Lounge, Patricia claimed a spot at the bar near the large window and opened up her old laptop while Taryn cleaned. She wasn't surprised to hear new music playing over the speakers since her daughter had told her about Shawn's mix CDs. She hoped that he'd pop in while she was there because she was curious about his relationship with Taryn.

Around two in the afternoon, she got her wish.

"You'll never believe what I found at an antique store outside of Ajax," the tall handsome man declared as he walked through the door holding a large cardboard box.

"Do you often go antiquing?" Taryn asked with a laugh before coming around the bar to greet him.

"My mum dragged me with her because she saw a dresser there a couple days earlier that she wanted to buy so she could paint it. She needed help loading it into her SUV and then unloading it and carrying down to the basement. My dad is in Portugal right now so I got roped into the manual labor."

"You make it sound like it's a chore to help your mother! Shame on you!"

"Antique shops aren't really my thing. It's not the helping I minded, it was having to walk up and down the rows of musty old things while my mum made sure she hadn't missed anything on her last visit. Turns out it was fortunate I joined her because I saw this and knew it was meant for the bar," he said as he held up the box.

"Hmmmm...didn't you promise me you wouldn't meddle?"

"This doesn't count as meddling! It's a gift!"

Patricia observed Shawn and Taryn's interaction and could immediately tell how comfortable they were with each other. She also noticed that he hadn't even seen her sitting at the bar since his focus was quite singular. "Are you going to show us what it is?" she asked.

Shawn whipped his head over to Patricia and his face lit up. "Welcome back!" He then set the box on the nearest table and approached her. "It's great to see you back in the bar!"

"It's good to be here, though I'm at risk of being kicked out soon."

"You need to go home and rest," Taryn said gently yet firmly.

"Can I at least wait until Zack gets here?"

Taryn crossed her arms. "But that's when business picks up. We agreed that you wouldn't be here when it was crowded. I should get you an Uber soon."

There'd only been a handful of customers so far, which was expected on a Tuesday afternoon, but by four o'clock, they'd probably be at fifty percent capacity.

"Tell you what, right after Zack gets here and Patricia gets to say hello to him, I'll give her a ride home," Shawn suggested to Taryn.

"Now you're definitely meddling."

"Am I? I don't think so," he said with a grin as he went to retrieve the large box. He set it on the bar near Tricia and used his key to cut through the packing tape. Then he pulled out his surprise.

"Oh my god! That's perfect!" Taryn exclaimed.

Patricia nodded. "It was clearly fate that brought you to that antique store. It's going to look amazing."

The gift was a large neon light in the shape of a four leaf clover. He'd tested it at the shop and it worked perfectly even though it was over fifty years old, according to the store owner.

"This had to cost a lot," Taryn said as she looked closer at the light. "We'll pay you for it."

Shawn shook his head. "Absolutely not. It's a 'welcome back to the bar' gift for Patricia."

"But you didn't even know she'd be back."

He ignored her logic. "Where do you want me to hang it? It needs to be within ten feet of a plug since that's how long the cord is. It has a chain if you want to put it in a window but it's also able to be mounted on a wall."

"I think the window would be wonderful," Tricia said. "I don't know how I feel about having the cord hang down, though."

"If it fits there, that would be the perfect spot," Taryn pointed to the large transom window above the oak door, "but there's no plug near it. Running an extension cord would look sloppy."

Shawn carried the light to the door and held it up. "I think it will definitely fit in that space. It's just a matter of having an electrician come to install an outlet right above the window. Maybe he could swap out the long cord for a shorter one so that it's not noticeable."

"And put the outlet on a switch so that we wouldn't have to stand on a chair to turn it on," Tricia added.

"That sounds expensive," Taryn murmured.

"It's part of the gift," Shawn said.

Taryn threw her hands in the air and went to check on the customers. While she filled their drink orders, Shawn put the light in the storage room and then sat down next to her mom. "Can I get you a drink?" she asked her meddling friend.

"I'd love a cup of coffee, thanks."

She fixed him a mug using the bold roast that he liked and set it in front of him.

Tricia chatted with Shawn a bit and then got back to her spreadsheet so he busied himself by looking at electrical contractor reviews online. He stepped to an empty corner of the bar, called one who had five stars, and arranged for him to come by the following day for an estimate.

"It's okay if an electrician stops by around ten tomorrow, right?" he asked Taryn. "I'll meet with him."

"If I said no, would it matter?"

He frowned. "Actually, it would. If you tell me no, I'll call him back and cancel."

She sighed. "I don't want you to think I don't appreciate your generosity. I do. I really do. You're just a little...pushy. I feel like this bar has become a sort of project for you."

He looked down at his shoes. "I wouldn't call it a project, but you and your mom have been nice to me in a way no one else has in a long time, and I like doing things to repay you for that kindness."

Her heart broke at his words. "Shawn, kindness isn't a commodity that you have to pay someone for. If we're going to be friends, you need to understand that."

Looking up into her blue eyes he whispered, "I haven't had friends in awhile, and this feels new because I'm not the man I used to be."

Patricia overheard this conversation, too, and it concerned her. She liked Shawn a lot, but she didn't want her daughter to repeat the mistakes she'd made. If they were to go beyond friendship, it could be a problem.