Spark in the Dark

Chapter 28

Shawn stayed at TM awhile longer, until the other guys came back and Juice had to go deal with club business. Lowell pulled her car out of the garage for her and Shawn went inside the office to talk to Gemma.

"Hey, what do I owe you for everything?" Shawn asked.

Gemma stood and closed the door to the garage, then moved passed Shawn and closed the main door to the office, too. "Don't worry about it. It's on the house. As is the advice I'm about to give you."

"Advice? About what?"

"You know what."

"No, I don't."

"Juice. I already told you to stay away."

"I just came here to get an oil change," Shawn argued.

"And all the smiling, and laughing, and batting your eyelashes at him?"

"I did not bat my eyelashes at him. I thought you said you were giving me advice? Seems more like you're reprimanding me."

"Here's the advice. Find someone else," Gemma said and sat back down at the desk.

Shawn turned to leave, but then stopped. "This is so unfair. They get to go out and fuck anyone they want, but I can't like a guy without everyone losing their damn minds? What? I don't deserve to be happy, too?"

Gemma sighed. Her tough exterior faded into that of a sympathetic one. "I'm sorry, baby. But this is just the way it has to be."

* * *

Shawn headed straight to Cara Cara from TM. Going to work seemed like a better idea than sitting at home feeling sorry for herself. Luanne was surprised to see her, but grateful for the help.

Later that night, Shawn was wrapping up at the studio for the night when Lyla came into the office.

"Hey, darlin'. You ok?" Lyla asked Shawn.

"Yeah, fine. Why?"

"Really? You've been sort of..."

"Distracted?"

"Pissy. I was going to say pissy." Shawn gave Lyla a dirty look. "See? Right there. What's going on?"

"I can't really talk about it. Not here at least."

"Is it about...?" Lyla mimed drinking out of a glass. That had somehow became how Lyla asked about Juice with no one knowing what she was talking about. Shawn nodded. "Listen, I got a sitter for Piper tonight. I was going to go out with some of the other girls, but why don't we hang out instead? You're around him all the time, so now, you need girl time."

"You know what? That sounds good. Let's do it. What do you want to do?"

"I don't know about you, but I could really go for Mexican food. Like, good Mexican food, though," Lyla told her.

"Where do you want to get good Mexican food in Charming?"

"It's not in Charming, but there's this place in Lodi has the best damn margaritas."

Shawn and Lyla left the studio and Shawn drove them both to the restaurant. She would drop Lyla back off at the studio later to get her car. On the way, she texted Juice to let him know that she wouldn't be home that night, just in case he had planned on stopping by. They got to the restaurant and sat in a booth. Once their drinks were ordered, Shawn filled Lyla in on what had happened at TM that morning.

"How did Gemma even know?" Lyla asked her when she was done.

"She was in the office. She must have been watching us through the window."

Lyla blew out a breath of air. "I'm sorry, darlin'. That's rough."

The waiter came over and took their orders and brought them chips and salsa as well as their strawberry margaritas. Shawn picked up a chip and starting breaking it apart, but didn't eat any. Lyla was the only girl from Cara Cara that Shawn ever confided in about her struggle with food. Lyla reached over and touched Shawn's wrist.

"Shawn, I love you, but put the chip in your mouth, chewed it up, and swallow it." Shawn put the chip in her mouth a crunched it loudly with her teeth. Both girls laughed. When they stopped, Lyla asked, "I thought you said you were over that?"

"I mean, it's hard sometimes, but I'm better. It seems to only happen when I'm stressed out. I don't even realize I do it sometimes."

"Alright, then no more boy talk. Got it?" Lyla ordered.

"Got it."

They enjoyed the rest of their night and Shawn drove Lyla back to the studio when they were done. On her way home, Juice texted to see if she was home yet and could he stop over. Shawn agreed. She pulled into her garage a moment before Juice arrived.

"Do you mind if we sit outside? I could use some fresh air," Shawn asked him.

"You drunk?" Juice asked, amused.

"No. If I were drunk I wouldn't have drove. That being said, I probably should have stopped after one margarita."

Juice chuckled and led her over to the set of lounge chairs she had in the yard.

"Everything ok?" He asked.

"Gemma saw us this morning. I don't think she knows we've been doing this, but she knows something is going on. Told me to find someone else."

"Are you?" Juice asked. Shawn looked at him confused. "Are you going to find someone else?'

"This may be that margarita talking, but," Shawn leaned over in her seat to kiss his cheek, "does it look like I want to find someone else?"

"What about Gemma?"

"I guess we wait a little longer. See if anything changes?"

Suddenly, there was an explosion. It sounded far away, but Shawn still felt the ground slightly shake beneath her.

"What the hell?" Shawn asked. Juice stood and looked around. In the distance, he could make out flames.

"Oh, shit. I'm got to go."

"Why? What's wrong? What is that?"

"I think that's our gun warehouse."