Scars

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't realize you were separated on top of everything else," Shane said focusing on that more so than her father's financial situation.

"I finally had enough, you know? I've had it with all the dreaming and the get-rich-quick scheming, and the cheating, and the... I'm sorry, Mr. Kirby. I said I wasn't going to burden you with my problems and here I am doing nothing but."

"It's fine, Ms. Taylor. I've never been married, but I ended up moving back in with my dad last year after my girlfriend called things off."

He thought about stopping there but added, "I was going to propose to her that week. I'd even bought a ring and everything."

She looked over at him and said, "I'm very sorry to hear that. You seem like a very nice young man. I don't know what happened, but I'd say it's her loss from what I can tell."

Shane wasn't wearing nearly as much clothing as Shandy, but he already was starting to sweat.

"Would you mind if I turned the heat down just a touch?" he asked.

"No. Not at all," she said. "In fact, this ski mask has got to go."

Shane saw her reach up and pull it off, but when he saw a cascade of long, blonde hair fall back down after she removed it, it shocked him to the point where the truck drifted right and he had to whip it back to the left.

Shandy made a noise and threw her arms out to steady herself at the sudden perch.

"Sorry. I think I might have hit a patch of ice," Shane said not wanting to tell her the truth.

He took another quick glance at her and even in the dark with just the lights from the dashboard illuminating her face, he could see she was a very attractive woman. She wasn't his age, but she definitely was the age of the women he associated with being named Bertha or Mabel.

She was running her hand through her hair the way a woman did when she let it down after wearing it up all day.

"That's much better," she said. "I'm still a little overdressed, but I will never complain about being too warm again!"

She looked over at Shane, smiled, and said, "Until next summer when it's 100 degrees."

Shandy not only had long, blonde hair, she also had a beautiful smile and a very pretty face that in the light of day might even be beautiful.

"So how about you, Mr. Kirby? Have you lived here all your life?" she asked politely.

"I have," he told her. "I graduated from high school just a few miles from here a little over four years ago, and I've worked for my dad since I was about 10 years old."

"Ten? That's a little early to have a job isn't it?" she said in a caring way.

"It was mostly just cleaning up around the office. I didn't work full-time until after high school, but my dad taught me everything I know, and I passed the state certification the first time. Not that I'm all that smart, mind you. I did pull a 'B' average, but I certainly didn't set any records."

"Just the fact that you can keep a job puts you light years ahead of my deadbeat husband," she told him in a way that indicated that was a very sore subject with her.

"You know, it's funny, but if I'd listened to my mom when she warned me about him, I'd have saved myself a whole lot of heartache."

"Moms are best," Shane said as he thought about his.

"Yes, they are," Shandy said quietly. "I'd do anything to have her back."

Shane looked over and could tell she was very serious and possibly even a little sad.

"I lost my mom five years ago to cancer," Shane said feeling like he could share that.

Shandy turned toward him and said, "That's insane. My mom died of cancer five years ago, too. Breast cancer. The bills were so far beyond what the insurance company would pay dad ended up filing for bankruptcy."

"I'm so sorry on both counts," Shane said. "My mom had pancreatic cancer."

"I'm sorry too, Mr. Kirby. For you and for my parents."

"Um...it's kind of weird being called Mr. Kirby. I keep looking around for my dad. My name's Shane."

"Shandy," she said.

She glanced back over then said with a smile, "That's very close to Shane."

"I had that same thought when I read your name after my dad wrote it down."

"Maybe it's a sign," she said with a quiet laugh.

"Sure, but what if it's a...warning sign?" he said.

It was corny, but Shandy laughed again just as they passed the first street light on the main road and Shane could tell she was indeed a very attractive woman. He couldn't get a good feel for her age, but he was certain she was over 30, and he'd be very surprised if she was over 40.

"Are you hungry, Shandy?" he asked as they headed toward town.

"To tell the truth, I'm starving," she said. "Did you want to stop and get some breakfast? Don't worry, I always keep an emergency $20 bill in my purse just in case so I can pay for my own food. I'm already feeling guilty about sponging off you and we're not even at your home yet."

"You're not sponging, and you're not paying. I'm inviting you so it's my treat. I'm starving, too, and I need to bring something home for my dad so no one has to cook. You do not want to eat anything two bachelors like us cook."

Shandy laughed again then said, "Thank you, Shane, but you don't have to do that. I really can pay for my own meal."

He smiled then ignored her as he said, "How about right up there?" Shane was pointing to Deaner's Diner, one of his favorite places.

"That's perfect. Just as long as we're not going to the dive where I work," she said with another small laugh. "I get one free meal a day there and if it wasn't free, I wouldn't eat it. Trust me on that."

"I'm almost afraid to ask where you work," he told her as he pulled into the 24-hour diner.

"You should be," she said with a smile. "Eating there could be hazardous to your health."

She told him the name of the place and Shane made a face.

"Good, God! That place is still open? I thought it got shut down by the heath department a couple of years back."

"I wasn't here then, but someone should shut it down. Just not until I can put aside enough money to get back to home, though."

He had to use his front plow again even though the snow wasn't all that high to get into the parking lot. He also knew it would help anyone else coming in later so he plowed a fair amount of space so others could also park.

"That is like the coolest thing ever," Shandy said trying to look over the hood and watch it do its thing.

"It's worth it's weight in gold during the winter months around here. The city and the county do a really good job with the roads, but if you need to get into a parking lot or a driveway..."

He pulled in, turned off the engine, then saw her reaching for her door.

"Uh-uh! Don't you dare," he said scaring her before she realized what he was doing.

He ran around to her side and opened the door. He reached up for her hand and heard her scream when the blast of cold air hit her bare skin. She jumped out and nearly knocked him over before Shane caught his balance. For a brief moment, she was just inches from his face and now any doubt he might have had about how attractive she was disappeared.

"Sorry!" she said over the sound of the wind. "It's freezing out here!"

"Come on. Let's get you inside," Shane said reaching for her hand.

Shandy grabbed it and made more noises indicating her hatred of the cold as they tried to avoid patches of ice.

He opened the door for her and within a second Shandy said, "Oh, it feels so good in here!"

She unzipped the pink coat she was wearing and Shane took it and hung it on a hook in the lobby. Then she started unbuttoning the ugliest sweater he'd ever seen. Shane helped her with that, too, and when she unzipped another sweater under that as he looked over her shoulder and said, "How many layers do you have on?"

"Only as many as I could find and fit into," she told him as she handed him that one before pulling off a large, heavy, man's plaid shirt.

Under all that was a very nice-looking blue sweater she was wearing over a white blouse with a pair of jeans.

"Look at that," Shane said. "There really is a beautiful pearl underneath all those layers of the onion."

Shandy laughed a genuine laugh then said, "Mix metaphors much?"

"What's a meta—for?" Shane said trying to funny.

Shandy gave him a look that involved an eye roll, but she couldn't help laughing again.

"That was bad, Shane. Really bad," she said as he led her into the diner.

"Mornin', Shane? Coffee for two?" an older woman said.

"Coffee?" he asked Shandy.

"Please!" she said.

"Two coffees, Betty," he called back.

"You got it!" the woman said as she reached for two cups and the pot.

"You're out bright and early," Betty said as she poured.

"I had to rescue a damsel in distress," he said to her while looking at Shandy.

"Well, she's a right pretty one, that's for sure," the heavyset older woman said.

"Oh, well thank you," Shandy said. "A compliment from a beautiful lady and a handsome gentleman who's managed to make me laugh. And now I have hot coffee. Life is good!"

Her smile was not only beautiful, it was infectious.

"Cream and sugar?" Betty asked her.

"No, thank you. Black is just fine," she told her with a sweet smile.

"I'll be back to take your order in just a minute. You kids relax and warm up, okay?"

"Thank you so much!" Shandy told her in a way that said she understood how difficult a job Betty had.

"What a nice lady," Shandy said as she wrapped her fingers around the mug.

"She's been here as long as I can remember," Shane told her. "Observant, too."

"Oh? How so?" she asked taking a first sip. "Mmmm. That is so good!"

"Well, she noticed how pretty you are just like that," Shane said with a smile.

Shandy dipped her head, raised an eyebrow, then said, "You are the king of corn. Sweet, though. And...maybe even kind of cute, too."

She smiled again before taking another sip then asked, "You said your dad's not feeling well. How bad is it?"

"If he wasn't too stubborn to go to the doctor I could tell you. But he is that stubborn so I can't. I just know that's the worst cough I've ever heard."

"Is he running a fever?"

"No. Not as of last night anyway. I'll check up on him when we get home."

"Home. That word is loaded with so much meaning," she said wistfully.

"Want to talk about it?" Shane said without pressuring her.

"No, I've already unloaded on you enough for one day. Or...night or whatever that was."

"Did you get any sleep at all?" he asked knowing the answer.

"Not really. I laid down around 1am but couldn't fall asleep. The furnace has been acting up for days, and on top of that I spend a lot of time worrying about bills and money and my marriage."

She paused, took another sip then said, "Or what's left of it, anyway."

"And I managed to ruin your night, too," she said apologetically.

"You didn't ruin anything," he told her. "I'm just glad I could help."

"Thank you, but unless you've got a few thousand dollars laying around, I'm afraid I'm beyond hope. Maybe Billy was right. I really am hopeless."

She realized how that sounded then quickly said, "That did not come out right. I'm just so busy feeling sorry for myself I forgot my manners. My problems are not your concern."

Shane was going to respond, but Betty walked back over and said, "Okay, beautiful people. What'll it be?"

An hour later, they were on their way out, their stomachs full and carrying a doggy bag of bacon, eggs, and pancakes for Shane's dad.

"Your dad's name is Newt?" Shandy asked on the way to his house.

"It is," he told her. "Just like the politician."

"Oh! I forgot about him. I was thinking of the little lizard thingy," she said with a laugh. "Was that mean?"

"Hardly. My dad's heard it all. Trust me on that. Oh, if you don't mind, I was gonna ask how you got the name 'Shandy'. I've never heard it before."

"My mom came up with it and my dad liked it, too. I've never met anyone else with my name, either," she told him. "Then one day I was watching the Game Show Network and there was this old show called Lingo. The host was Chuck Woolery, and the hostess's name was Shandy. I called my mom to come look and told her, 'Check it out! Someone else named Shandy'! Then I found out she spells her name with an 'i' so..."

"Shane's kind of made a comeback. I've had quite a few older people say, 'Come back, Shane, come back!' when I was a kid."

"Older as in...older than me, right?" she teased having never even heard of the TV show called Shane starring David Carradine from back in the 1960s.

"Oh, much older than you," he said before turning to her and saying, "And you certainly don't look old to me, Shandy. Betty was right, you know. You really are beautiful."

"She said 'pretty' but thank you, just the same," she told him.

She smiled then said, "And I meant it when I told you you were kind of cute."

There was that same gorgeous smile again. Shane hadn't made love with a woman since, well, since his girlfriend left him, so it was no surprise just a smile from a woman that attractive could cause a ruckus 'down there'.

"Here we are," he said as they pulled into his dad's driveway. "Home, sweet home."

This time she started to reach for the handle again then made a big show of putting her hands in her lap once she realized what she was doing. When she saw Shane noticed and smiled, Shandy laughed.

"Fool me twice, shame on me, right?" she said sporting that perfect smile of hers.

"My dad wouldn't think of ever letting my mom get her door and like father, like son, right?" Shane told her. "I'll be right there, okay?"

As she waited for him, Shandy couldn't help but wish her husband had felt that way about her. It wasn't just opening a door. It was...everything. He not only hadn't opened a door for her since they were dating, and she couldn't remember the last time he'd done anything nice for her. She'd be happy if he'd have just sent her a check every now and then, but he couldn't seem to be able to even do that.

She heard her door open and offered Shane her hand and again thanked him for being such a gentleman before gritting her teeth due to the extreme cold.

"My pleasure," he replied bowing slightly. "Oh. Don't forgot your bag or your purse."

"Oh, right. I might need those, huh? Being nice definitely stops when it comes to something liking sharing a toothbrush," she said making a face indicting that was something she found disgusting.

As they got to the door Shane said, "Just a reminder on my dad. If his coughing is too much for you we'll find somewhere else to go, okay?"

Shandy smiled at him and said, "If you can live here, I think I can handle it for a few hours."

Shane opened the door and as Shandy stepped inside he told her, "It's gonna be more than a few hours to get your new furnace in so you should maybe be thinking in terms of a few days instead."

Shandy wanted to protest again about his insanely generous offer, but was so cold all she wanted to do was get inside. She hadn't gone five steps when she heard the coughing.

"Shane? That sounds really bad. Are you sure he's okay?" she asked.

"No, I'm not," he told her. "Let me show you where you'll be staying, and then I'll go check on him."

The coughing got louder as they moved toward the bedrooms then quieter as Shane took her to the far end of the house.

"It's small, but it's clean and comfortable. The linen is fresh and no one's been in here for...months or maybe even years," he told her.

She thanked him yet again and said, "It's perfect. It looks very cozy."

She set her things down then turned around and said, "I can't say 'thank you' enough, Shane."

The look on her face was pure gratitude and said it all.

"It isn't fancy, but at least you won't freeze to death," he said with a wry smile. "Now if you eat my cooking, I can't make any promises."

Shandy laughed and told him, "Hey, I'm the girl who eats the free food at the worst place in town. Your cooking can't be any worse than that."

"Uh, you might want to reserve judgment until after you've tried it," he told her.

He led her back out into the hallway and said, "Okay, the bathroom is right down the hall. Just as a heads up, I use it, too, so..."

"I'll be sure to knock," she assured him.

"Oh, and it locks from the inside so you won't have to worry about me accidentally walking in on you."

"Great. Thank you. I think I might just take a shower then lay down and try to sleep," she said.

"Make yourself at home, Shandy. There isn't a lot to eat, but anything you find is yours if you want it. And if you need anything, just let me know, okay?"

The gratitude in her face was back, and it had grown to the point of tears in her eyes.

"Sorry," Shandy said blinking her eyes and unable to look at Shane. "I just can't ever remember anyone being so nice to me before. This is all very foreign to me."

"It shouldn't be," he told her sincerely. "I don't know your husband, so I won't say anything negative about him. I just know you deserve better."

"Thank you—again," she said as she tried to dry her eyes on the sleeve of her sweater.

"Okay, so I'm gonna go check on my dad then," Shane said using his thumb to point toward the other end of the hallway.

"Yes. Definitely. And please thank him for letting me stay here, too."

She tilted her head then asked, "Does he even know I'm here?"

"Not yet, but I can promise you he'll be glad you are. If I'd left you there, he'd give me hell for it and send me back to get you so you can rest assured he won't have any problem with having a guest for a few days."

"Oh, so now it's up to 'a few days', huh?" she said trying to sound upset with the ever-increasing amount of time.

"We're gonna have to get a gas tank set up for you, too, since the city hasn't run a line that far out yet. Oh, and I also forgot to mention, you're going to need new duct work, too. It'll only take a couple of full work days, but it won't be done tomorrow. Of course, you're going to need natural gas and that's another expense I forgot to mention."

He looked at her kind of sheepishly then said, "Sorry for adding more stress to your life."

"If you weren't so nice..." she said pretending to be upset.

She stopped and really looked at him and could see he was actually a very cute guy for someone so young then said, "And...so cute...I might be upset with you."

"I'll um...check back in after a bit and see how you're doing, okay?" he said not sure how to reply.

Shandy just smiled then went back to her room and closed the door behind her. She went over and sat on the very soft, very comfortable bed and again thought about how unfair it was that her own husband couldn't treat her this nicely.

Then again, she had no one but herself to blame either for marrying him or for hanging on so many years. He'd just been so damn handsome and gregarious when she met him. Now, in place of six-pack abs he had this enormous gut created from years of drinking God-knows-how-many six packs. Gone was the thick, gorgeous hair she'd loved, and it's place was a horrible-looking combover she'd tried to convince him to get rid of by shaving his head. She had no issues with baldness, but pretending he hadn't lost most of his hair by pulling it up from just above his ears to cover his bald head was ridiculous.

In spite of all that, if he'd just treat her right and show her that he cared, none of that would matter. All she wanted was to know he loved her and that she mattered. And right now, the only person on earth she could point to who did care was her father back home in Missouri.

Shane tapped on the door and when his dad called out, "Come in!" the coughing started again.

"Hey, you okay?" Shane asked.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine," he said in between fits of coughing. "How's the customer? Miss..."

"Taylor. Mrs. Taylor. She's staying with us for a couple of days. We're gonna have to do a full gut and put in a new gas unit plus a tank."