Love Conquers All

He put his hands on her small shoulders then softly kissed her again and said, "Drive safe."

"I will," she told him as he wished her goodnight.

This time she sat down, got out her keys, and started the car. Only then did she become aware her entire body was shaking. Jordan waved to her as she drove away then stood there smiling for a few seconds before getting into his 'fast mover' and heading home.

When Shay got home, she wasn't too surprised to find Alexis was still up.

She hadn't walked three steps when her daughter said, "So. How was your date?"

Her mom's overreaction told Alexis it was more than business.

"Date? Where do you get these crazy ideas from?"

"Is he cute?"

"Alexis! Stop already. It was just a drink."

"With a really hot guy, right?"

Shay was both dying to tell her daughter and deeply embarrassed to the point of shame about what had happened, but the need to 'spill' won out.

"Yes," she finally said.

Alexis squealed and said, "I knew it! Tell me all about it!"

"I want to hear all about the prom first," her mom said, stalling for time by parrying her daughter's request.

Alexis talked for a good ten minutes barely pausing to take a breath while answering her mom's questions. Once that was behind them, Shay knew it was her turn.

"Okay, Mom. Fess up."

Her mom exhaled loudly then said, "Wow. Where to start? Well, first, it was with the new owner of Hanson Reality. He said I can work part-time until I'm ready to go full-time, so it was...mostly...business."

"Mostly?" Alexis said in that tone that demanded 'the rest of the story'.

'Well, we did have a nice time talking over a drink—which we barely touched."

"And?" Alexis said.

"And after we...we kind of kissed."

"Mom! That's amazing! I'm so happy for you!"

She hugged her mother then said, "Was it a peck or a real kiss?"

"Oh, my," her mom said letting Alexis know there was more to tell.

"No. You guys...you didn't. There's no way you'd have..."

Suddenly embarrassed for another reason, Shay indignantly said, "No! Of course not. How could you even think that?"

"Sorry," her daughter said. "I could just tell there was something else coming. Something big, and that's just where my brain went. I know you'd never do anything like that with someone you just met."

Shay thought about it again, and her need to share overrode her need for privacy.

"I kind of...threw myself at him," she said rather sheepishly.

"Oh, no. Mom, what did you do?"

Shay exhaled another long, slow breath then explained what happened. The explanation ended with her mom telling her that it was her 'months in the desert' that got the best of her.

"Wait. You haven't...you know...since...since Dad lived here?" her daughter asked, barely able to imagine.

"Talk about embarrassing, huh," her mom said before admitting the truth.

"Mom. That's...that's...insane. It's awful. I...I had no idea."

"And you shouldn't," her mom quickly said.

"Well, at least my suspicions about Pastor Ted were confirmed."

Shay sighed then said, "All that time...wasted."

Alexis put her arm around her mom, and like the mature adult she almost was, said, "It wasn't wasted time, Mom. It was time well spent. It taught you that you can't ignore the physical part of a relationship. Consider it...an investment."

Shay shook her head and smiled.

"Alexis Freud, I presume?" he mom said with a smile.

Her daughter laughed then hugged her mom again who laughed with her.

"I'm so glad you trust me enough to share things like this with me, Mom."

"I'm glad you're mature enough to let me."

Alexis told her she was going to bed, but then asked, "Do you mind if I ask how old this hot guy you threw yourself at is?"

Her mom didn't have to answer to let Alexis know this was going to be another very interesting topic.

"He is young, isn't he?" she said with a smile.

"Well...yes. I mean, he's young-er than me, if that's what you mean," her mom said in that defensive tone.

"Uh-huh. And how much young-er might that be?" Alexis said with a much-too-happy look on her face.

"I...I didn't ask," Shay replied. "I do know he was an officer in the military and that he's going to be running the business."

"Excellent dodge, Mom!" Alexis teased. "So he's definitely under 40. I don't even have to ask about that."

She stared at her mom knowing there would be some kind of 'facial tell' and after just seconds, there it was.

"Oh, my God! Is he under 30?" Alexis asked in that 'you have to be kidding' kind of voice.

"I...I told you I don't know how old he is, Alexis!" her mom said very defensively.

Her mom rarely called her by her full first name, so that also spoke volumes.

"Oh...my...goodness. Mom. You're dating a guy in his twenties?"

"We're not...dating, Alexis. We're just...going out together."

"Right. On a—date," her daughter said.

Alexis had been enjoying the exchange, but she could tell her mom was upset or maybe even hurt so she stopped the teasing.

"Mom? I'm sorry. I was just having a little fun. Really."

"It's okay, honey," her mom said, but the way she said it told her daughter everything wasn't okay.

Alexis came over and hugged her mom and held her close.

"I don't care how old he is as long as you're happy, okay?"

Shay slowly raised her arms and held her daughter back.

"I am happy for you," Alexis said as sincerely as she could.

She pulled away so her mom could see her eyes, and when she did, Shay knew she meant it.

"You don't think it's too...weird?" her mother asked, her eyebrows way up high.

"It might be a little unusual, but I wouldn't call it...weird," Alexis said. "Besides, if he makes you happy, who cares what anyone else thinks, right?"

"I'll always care what you think," her mom told her.

"Well, I think my mom is awesome and that she finally took a risk. That's what I think."

Alexis saw her mom's eyes tearing up and said, "I really was just teasing, Mom."

"I know, honey. I'm not upset. I'm just so amazed and so thankful to have you in my life."

"Well, same here," her daughter told her before saying she was really going to bed now.

Shay thought about asking her something then hesitated then couldn't help asking.

"Honey?"

Her daughter turned around and looked at her.

"Have you...did you and Bryce...after the prom?"

Her daughter tilted her head, raised an eyebrow then said, "Mom. That's too personal. Even to tell you. Just know that I've never forgotten anything you taught me about being responsible, all right?"

"Okay. That's fair enough," her mom said, now worried about...that on top of everything else.

Alexis started to walk away again then, over her shoulder, said, "But for the record the answer to your question is 'no'."

She heard her mom's sigh of relief from fifteen feet away and laughed.

"Good night, Mother," Alexis said.

"Good night...Daughter," her mom said back, relieved to know her daughter was still a virgin.

Then she laughed thinking about her own brand of self-imposed 'virginity' wherein she hadn't been 'violated' in...well over a year now.

When she finally got to bed, Shay knew this was going to be a rough night to try and get any sleep. She lay there for hours reliving what had happened and worrying, and occasionally hoping, about it.

When she saw him again would Jordan act like nothing had happened? Would he do something as crazy as kiss her in front of everyone in the class? Would he give her the cold shoulder? Would he change his mind about wanting to go out with her? Would he decide not to hire her back?

At other times, Shay lay there asking herself why she cared so much. Why did the way this 20-something...boy...think about her even matter? Maybe it wasn't fair to call him a 'boy' if he'd served in the military for the better part of five years. And he was going to be her boss so, yes, that was a bit too much.

Then again, what difference did it make beyond her job? Even so, why had she agreed to go out with him? Or would that be—again? Was tonight a date or just a casual get together?

Just after four in the morning, Shay finally fell asleep, and when her alarm went off at 7:00, she was so exhausted she couldn't think even after two cups of coffee and a long, hot shower. And when she tried to think, confusion reigned supreme.

Alexis had left early for school, and for once, Shay was grateful not to have to face the possibility of further discussions about the most embarrassing and confusing night of her life.

The day at the flower shop dragged on for what seemed like forever, and then she still had to attend class, and deal with Jordan and all those pesky emotions her loss of self control and his surprising response had conjured up.

By the time she arrived at the building where the classes were held, her brain was so scrambled she could barely think let alone focus. And then she saw him.

For all of her consternation over how she felt, just seeing him made her tummy flip-flop.

"Hi, Jordan," she said sweetly when he noticed her.

"Hey, there, beautiful," he said as he held out his arms.

As much as she'd feared being kissed in public, a big part of her was hoping he would do just that. When he only hugged her, that part was hugely disappointed, but the rest of her was grateful.

"No suit tonight?" he asked when he noticed she was more casually dressed.

"Oh, that. Well, besides than our instructor, I was the only person dressed other than casually, so I thought I'd get on board."

"I have to say I like this look on you," Jordan told her. "You uh, you look great in jeans."

"Oh, thank you," she said feeling like she was Alexis's age again.

When they walked in together, Blondie smiled at Jordan then gave Shay a look only another woman would recognize. She ignored it and smiled at her, and that caused Blondie to roll her eyes and turn away. Shay could tell their instructor not only didn't know she was 'with' Jordan, but that she was unable to accept even the possibility she might be. To her, it had to be purely coincidental that they'd come in at the same time smiling and talking to each other.

Shay couldn't help but think about how petty women could be when their instructor didn't call on her once and pretended not to see her hand on two other occasions. She knew men and women fought differently, and the thought that she and 'Blondie' were fighting over Jordan almost made her laugh.

When class ended, Blondie shot daggers at Shay as she waited for Jordan and then walked out with him. She'd locked up immediately and followed them out, and when she heard Jordan ask Shay if she'd like to sit and talk in his car for awhile, Shay heard the word 'skank' quite clearly in the night air.

When Jordan asked what was bothering her, Shay smiled and said, "Nothing. Nothing at all."

A 'few minutes' turned into over an hour; an hour that included quite a bit of passionate kissing, and during their conversation, this 'experience' of Jordan's came up.

"I was gonna wait until our date, but I kind of feel like we're on one right now," he told her.

When he reached over and gently stroked her long, pretty hair, Shay nearly asked him to take her home with him.

Instead she said, "Yes. It does feel a little like a date, huh?"

Jordan smiled then leaned over and kissed her again for several long, delicious seconds.

"Wow. You're a really good kisser," he told her with a smile.

"Me? Oh, no. That's you," Shay said, very conscious she was extremely wet and grateful she'd worn jeans and a mini pad—just in case.

He sat back then said, "Okay. So when we were in Afghanistan for a year, our entire company was moving from this little village back to our base. The CO, the commanding officer, initially told me to ride with him upfront which was a little unusual. But at the last second he changed his mind and told the company air officer, a Marine captain, to ride with him."

Shay had no idea what any of that meant beyond the 'ride with me' part, but she was listening very carefully.

"We were moving along this creek bed because you never drive on any road or known path. And you always, always take different routes so the enemy can't predict where you'll go because they plant IEDs...huge 'bombs' made by putting a bunch of artillery shells together...under the road. When you go over them, the last sound you hear is a loud 'click' from the pressure plate activating the bomb."

He paused as though he was collecting himself then said, "I was about five vehicles behind the CO's Humvee when it hit an IED. There was the biggest fucking explosion I've ever seen and the entire vehicle was picked up like Dorothy's house in the Wizard of Oz and blown about twenty feet into the air and maybe thirty feet to the side, and then it landed on all four wheels."

"Oh, my God," Shay said very quietly as she tried to imagine.

"Yeah. Anyway, the CO was up front and got knocked out by the blast wave smashing his helmet into the dashboard. The driver was seriously wounded from the impact of the steering wheel that got under his helmet and smashed in his forehead, but the air officer, this really great, easy-going guy, was killed by the blast."

"Jordan. I'm...so sorry," Shay said.

He shook his head then said, "We tried as hard as we could, but we couldn't get him out and then the vehicle started burning, and..."

She saw him rub his eyes before saying, "Then the ammo inside started exploding."

He lowered his head slightly for a moment and Shay reached out and put her hand on his shoulder.

"We spent an hour looking for anything big enough to send home, you know? But there wasn't much of him left to find."

Shay wasn't sure if he choked up or not, but she moved as close as she could and tried to hug him across the gearshift console.

"I'm so sorry," she told him.

"Me, too. He had a wife and two little boys. Four and six."

Jordan sat up, took a deep breath then said, "From that moment on, I decided to act now and think later."

He turned toward her then said, "On certain things, anyway. I'm not crazy-reckless or anything. But I stopped being so fearful. I realized we're all gonna die someday, and I also realized I wanted to really live, and not just exist or 'mark time'. So when I got back, I ordered this car before the 2018 models were even released and had it delivered to a nearby dealership."

He smiled at her then said, "And I asked you out because from the moment I saw you, I knew I wanted to get to know you."

He smiled then added, "And kiss you."

Now Shay felt herself tearing up, moved by his words to the point of sorrow for him but mostly for this man she never knew, and for the family that would never see him again.

When she didn't speak he told her, "So it makes no difference to me how old you are, Shay. All I saw was a beautiful woman, and the moment I saw her, I knew I wanted to get to know her."

Jordan saw first one then another tear fall from her eyes.

He reached over with his left hand and put it on her cheek and said, "Hey. Don't cry. It's okay."

"I...I can't help it," she told him. "I feel so...sad. Especially for his wife and little boys."

"Yeah. I went to visit them after we got back, but she'd already moved home to...Florida...I think."

"Jordan?" she said. "I'm glad you weren't in that vehicle."

"But I should have been," he said quietly. "I didn't have a wife or kids, and he did."

"You can't blame yourself for that," Shay told him.

"I know. But sometimes I still do. Then other times I try and remember how lucky I was."

He smiled at her then said, "Or how lucky...I am," before kissing her again.

They kissed for several minutes, and at one point Shay said very quietly but in a husky voice, "There's no back seat in a Corvette, is there?"

"No, but even if there was that wouldn't happen," he told her.

Not sure how to take that, Jordan said, "Our first time can't be in a car."

Suddenly happy Shay quietly asked, "Does that mean there'll be a first time?"

Jordan got very quiet, and that calm sense of confidence he projected disappeared.

"I...I'm not sure. But I...I hope so," Jordan told her without looking at her.

Shay was confused by what appeared to be very mixed signals, and her age was the first thing she thought of as to why Jordan suddenly appeared to be having second thoughts. Perhaps it was something else, but Shay knew there was something more going on that he wasn't telling her about.

They'd been leaning across the wide console and sitting in deep bucket seats, and both of them were feeling the effects on their bodies.

"You probably need to get home, don't you?" Jordan asked out of the blue, making Shay feel like that's what he wanted.

"Oh. Right. Yes. I...I suppose I do," Shay told him.

"I'll come get your door," he said.

"Wait," Shay said.

Jordan stopped, turned back toward her and listened.

"I promised to believe you when you told me about your experience, and sadly, I do. Every word."

Jordan didn't laugh because of the nature of the experience, but he did smile.

"Oh, right. And I believe someone told me she'd explain why she...accosted me."

"Yes, she did."

"And?" he asked.

"Well, my husband of 22 years walked out a little over a year ago after informing me he'd 'met' someone else. I was so devastated and hurt, I didn't even bother contesting the divorce. He's now engaged to her; the woman he was cheating on me with, and well, I...I haven't exactly been with anyone since."

"That's quite a while," Jordan told her.

"I obviously think you're very handsome, Jordan."

She paused then said, "Gorgeous even. So when you told me you were interested in me, and after my brain let me somewhat believe you, I guess my raging physical needs took over and it just happened."

Jordan laughed but not in a mean way.

"I'm glad it did," he told her as he looked into her eyes again. "Can I tell you something else?"

"Yes. Of course."

"It's been...let's see."

Shay could tell he was counting.

"Well, it's been about fifteen months for me."

"Wait. A gorgeous guy your age hasn't had sex in over a year?" Shay said, unable to believe her ears.

"Nope. We were in Afghanistan for 12 months, and I've been back for three. I haven't met anyone I was even interested in until I saw you, Shay."

"I want to believe you, but that's...very hard to believe," she told him.

He looked right at her then said as seriously as possible, "I'm not exactly...experienced with women."

His comment didn't just surprise her. It stunned her. Was Jordan also a religious man? What else could explain someone that attractive not being 'experienced'? Shay was too afraid to ask, and he didn't say anything else to ease her fears.

"I've never been interested in what Marines call 'chasing tail'," he said moments later. "Not even in college."

He didn't say anything for another several seconds then turned toward her and said, "There's a reason for that, and...well, it's very personal."

"Oh, okay," she said although nothing was 'okay'.

"So before there can be a first time, I'll need to talk about that with you."

"Of...course," Shay offered even though she was now well beyond confused.

"Anyway, you didn't finish explaining why you attacked me."

Shay laughed then continued explaining.

"Right. Well, it was like my mind took over and told my body 'enough'. I was determined to wait patiently for someone I really, really wanted to be with. Don't get me wrong. It wasn't that I stopped looking. It was just that women like our instructor..."

"Blondie, right?" Jordan said with a laugh.

Shay laughed, too then said, "Right. Blondie."

Shay not only laughed, but she felt some kind of connection with him at that very moment she hadn't experienced yet, and as he spoke, she saw him very differently.