Fractured [SHAWN MENDES]

~68~

The two McAllister women were working the early Friday shift together since they were having dinner with Earl's kids that night to talk about the older couple's wedding plans. They wanted their families to give input into the event since they were the most important guests.

Taryn dropped a platter of fried zucchini off at a table when Shawn's voice started playing over the speaker.

I thought that I've been hurt before
But no one's ever left me
quite this sore
Your words cut deeper than a knife
Now I need someone to
breathe me back to life

"Want me to skip this song?" Tricia asked when she saw the pained look on her daughter's face.

"No. It's just strange hearing his voice over the speakers when I haven't heard his actual voice in three weeks."

Taryn and Shawn continued to check in with each other via text, but they'd stopped talking at her request. It only made her miss him more, and she knew she'd end the break too soon if they kept speaking. She'd had some really productive therapy sessions and felt she needed more time to work on herself before re-committing to Shawn.

Tricia sighed. "I hope you two figure things out soon. It sure would be nice if you were together at the wedding. It's okay if we invite Shawn even if you're still on your break, right?"

"Of course. He's your friend and he should be there. It's not like we're on bad terms; we're just enjoying some space apart while we figure things out."

"You keep saying that, but I don't see any signs of you enjoying anything. You're miserable without him and he's even worse."

Taryn almost dropped the glasses she'd picked up from the other end of the bar. "You've seen him?"

"He stopped by last week to say hi and sat down with Earl for lunch. Did I forget to mention it?" Patricia said guiltily. She wasn't supposed to have let that fact slip at all per Shawn's request.

"Did you forget, or did you choose not to tell me?" After putting the glasses in the tray, she couldn't help but ask, "How did he look?"

"Handsome as ever. Looked like he got a haircut, but it's not short. He was headed to California for some event since his single is high up on the charts."

None of this was news. She kept close track of how the song was doing, and he'd texted her about the trip. In a couple weeks he'd be traveling to upstate New York to work on the album. Even if they weren't talking, it made her sad to think of him being away from Toronto, since there was some comfort in knowing that if she needed him, he was nearby.

Shawn's song ended and Death Cab for Cutie started playing. This was one of Jackie's mixes and she had eclectic tastes in music. Taryn carried the full tray of glasses into the kitchen and ran them through the fast industrial dishwasher, chatting with Zack about the Toronto Blue Jays outlook for the season. When she returned to the bar, Scott Pierce was sitting at a table with a beer in front of him. He waved when he saw her.

"What brings you here?" she asked as she approached him.

He couldn't contain the huge grin on his face. "Have a seat and I'll tell you. I was going to call and have you schedule an appointment, but I was excited to share my news. That's why I'm having a drink, which is somewhat unprofessional of me, but I don't care."

Taryn sat down on the seat opposite him. "Now you've got me intrigued."

"So as you know, it's taken awhile to uncover all of your father's assets. He didn't keep much in the way of paperwork to give us leads."