Torn [SHAWN MENDES]

~13~

"I need a business manager," Taryn huffed as she worked on payroll for all of her establishments.

She didn't enjoy the endless hours she spent on her computer nearly as much as the time she was on the floor overseeing her brewpub. It occurred to her that she could hire someone to do all the desk job crap, though giving up control wasn't easy. Her restaurants were like her children, and she relished being fully involved in every aspect, even when it was boring.

After finishing up the task, she exited out of the employee portal software. She downed the last bit of her cold mug of coffee and opened Google because she wanted to look at some mini-vacation options for her and Jules since they'd been talking about getting away for a long weekend in October. The wedding trip had been nice, but they wanted to do something where they only had each other to focus on.

A familiar person appeared in the top news story under the search field. She knew she shouldn't click, but it was right there in front of her and she couldn't help it. It was easy enough to push him out of her mind when there were no reminders of him, but when his face stared out at her from the computer screen, resistance was futile.

The short blurb said that Shawn took his daughter to the Santa Barbara zoo. There wasn't much other information, but the article included quite a few photos that people had taken on the sly and posted online. Yasmin was not present, but if Shawn minded having sole responsibility for the baby, it didn't show on his face. He was all smiles in every photo, and when he was kneeling down next to the stroller talking to his little one, he glowed with happiness.

She zoomed in to get a better look at Piper. The baby was beautiful, and something about her was very reminiscent of her daddy even though their coloring was different. Her mind drifted to the babies she'd lost. Would they have looked like Shawn? Maybe they would have had her auburn hair and his caramel eyes.

"Don't go there," she whispered to herself.

She looked at each photo and finally came to the last few, which were a series of shots Shawn had shared. He'd taken a sweet pic of the baby sleeping in stroller next to a stuffed giraffe. Of course he couldn't visit the zoo without buying something for his daughter. They probably would have fought constantly about him spoiling their children, if they'd had them.

A knock on the door startled her back to reality and she hastily slammed her laptop shut, "It's open! Come on in."

Mina entered and handed her some last minute schedule changes. Once she left, Taryn opened up her computer and clicked the icon next to Shawn's article that let her manage her feed. She hit the option that said "Not interested in Shawn Mendes," which may have been a lie but was for the best. She was angry with herself for not having more self-control, and if she had the nightmare tonight, she'd brought it on herself.

Many hours later, she arrived home to a quiet house, which meant Julian already went to bed. He was working an early shift the next day, so this was understandable but also a tad bit disappointing since she'd been looking forward to his warm smile and loving embrace.

Hendrix came running down the stairs to greet her enthusiastically, and she bent down to scratch his ears. "Hello, good boy! Did you have a fun night with Jules?"

He wagged his tail and then ran to the back door and rang his bell. They'd trained him as a pup to do this whenever he had to go, and it worked miraculously well.

She looked at the clock. It was the middle of the night, but she had enough gas left in her internal tank to take him for a quick walk around the block. She grabbed his leash off the hook and attached it to his matching collar before exiting the front door with a couple poop bags in her pocket.

The neighborhood was older, but there was little risk of crime since most of the residents were either retired folks or young families. Taryn felt completely safe walking the streetlight-illuminated sidewalk as she circled several blocks. Hendrix did what he needed to towards the end, and when they walked back into the house, she was surprised to see Jules waiting at the kitchen table.

"Did we wake you when we left?" she asked as she unleashed the dog.

"No, I got a phone call. It was your mom."

"My mom? Why on earth would she call you?"

Julian stood up and walked over to her, placing both hands on her shoulders. "She couldn't reach you on your phone. I guess you left it here. It was urgent, so she called me."

Taryn felt the blood drain from her body. Her mom would never call her in the middle of the night unless something bad had happened. "Oh no," she whispered.

"Let's sit down, love." He guided her into the living room where they sat on the plush sofa.

Her mother had to be okay if she was calling, which meant whatever was going on involved someone else. "Tell me," she said softly, though she dreaded whatever he was going to say.

"Your mom and Earl were on a twilight hiking expedition in Denali to view the Aurora Borealis. They were headed back when Earl collapsed. A rescue team showed up and got him to the hospital, but he's not doing well. He's currently in critical condition."

She vaguely remembered that Earl was on several heart medications, but over all he was very fit for a man in his sixties. "Was it a heart attack?"

"Stroke. One big one, though he's had several small ones since then. It doesn't look good, Taryn."

She felt completely numb and was having trouble processing this information. "What are you saying?"

"I'm an anesthesiologist, not a cardiologist, but I've worked with many patients in Earl's condition. It would take a miracle for him to overcome this, though it's not impossible. Don't give up hope but prepare for the worst."

Her mom and stepdad recently fully retired from working at The Good Luck Lounge, though Tricia still owned it. This trip was the first of many they planned on taking now that they had so much free time. All Taryn could think about was that her mother's wonderful life, one she'd never had until she met Earl, might be ruined.

"I need to call my mom."

"Yes, definitely. She told me to let you know that you don't need to fly to Alaska. Mariah is making arrangements to get there as soon as she can, so Tricia's got support."

She went to her purse to retrieve her phone and saw that her mother had messaged and called several times. The phone rang twice before it was answered.

"Mama?" Taryn choked as she fought back tears. Goddamnit, why couldn't she stay strong?

"Hi, sweetie. Did Jules fill you in?" Tricia asked, her voice thin and weak.

"Yes. What can I do?"

Tricia exhaled. "We've never been religious, but some prayers or positive thoughts might help. We should know more tomorrow, so you might want to take the day off in case I need to reach you. I don't want to have to give you bad news when you're at work."

Patricia was definitely preparing herself for the worst and it made Taryn's heart sink into her stomach. "I hate that you're so far away. I should be there with you!"

"I wish you could be, but I think we need to wait a few days before you book a flight. If Earl pulls through, we'll have to stay here while he recovers. You can come then."

At least her mom hadn't given up all hope, and Taryn tried to cling to that. "Okay. I'll come visit you once he's at that point."

They talked for a few more minutes and then Tricia had to let her go since Mariah was calling. As soon as they were disconnected, Taryn burst into tears. Jules pulled her into his arms and held her as he rubbed her back and whispered soothing words.

That night she didn't have the dream, but that was only because she didn't sleep. She laid in bed wondering why the McAllister women seemed doomed to lose the men they loved.