Spark in the Dark

Chapter 71

A little over a week later, Shawn pulled into the lot at TM. After she parked the car, she checked her reflection in the mirror. The bruises on her face had lightened enough that she was able to cover them with make up and she was only taping her nose at night now, just in case she bumped it in her sleep. It wasn't even noticable that she had gotten hurt to anyone who didn't know her well.

She got out of the car and headed towards the clubhouse. Shawn was almost to the door when Jax and a few other guys, Juice and Tig included, came out. Jax saw her and a look of realization came over his face.

"Shit," he said.

"You forgot didn't you?" Shawn accused him.

"I did. Yeah," Jax told her. Cara Cara was going to need new cameras since ATF seized all of the ones they had before. Shawn was going to a specialty camera store in Stockton to buy them, but Clay had insisted someone from the club go with her so he knew the club's money wasn't being wasted. Jax had already rescheduled the trip on her twice.

"I take it you're busy now? You know I could just go alone, right?"

"No, wait. Juice," Jax said and turned towards Juice. "You know anything about cameras?"

"Yeah, a little," Juice answered him and Shawn smirked. The only reason he knew anything about cameras was because she had been researching them almost every night, trying to decide which ones to get.

"You mind going with Shawn to this camera place?" Jax asked him.

"No, not at all," Juice told him.

"C'mon, I'll drive," she told him and they started walking towards the car. "We'll need my backseat to bring everything home."

"Juice!" Tig called to him. "Make sure Shawn eats some lunch while you're out."

"You got it," Juice called back. Shawn rolled her eyes, but no one saw.

They got in Shawn's car and Shawn backed out.

"Do you think they realize they basically just sent us on a date?" Shawn asked.

Juice smiled broadly at her as she pulled off the lot. "Food or cameras first?"

"Cameras. If we get food first all I talk about while we eat will be cameras."

"Cameras first then."

They got to Stockton and Shawn got a little lost trying to find the store. Juice had to use GPS to get them there. She parked her car and they went inside. Juice wandered around the store while Shawn talked to someone who worked there about what she wanted. He noticed when the employee walked to the back of the store and looked around for her. She was walking towards him.

"They have what I want. He just has to get them out of the back. Whatcha looking at?"

Juice held up one of the cameras on display. "I kind of like this."

"Get it."

"Thinking about it. But then I'd have to get the stuff to go with it and what would I ever use it for?" Juice asked and then smiled. "Maybe you and me could think of something to do with it?"

"Are you hinting at... what I think you're hinting at?"

"Maybe," Juice said suggestively.

"I just got used to the mirror on your ceiling. Why don't we take it one thing at a time?"

"Oh, come on! You work at a porn studio."

"I won't be able to honestly tell people I've never done that on camera if we do, well, that," Shawn reasoned.

"So? Lie," Juice told her. Shawn saw the salesman come out of the back room with her stuff. She turned to follow him to the front of the store. "So, am I getting this thing or not?"

"Get the damn camera," Shawn called over her shoulder.

* * *

Juice and Shawn had just finished eating lunch at a restaurant not far from the camera store. Juice grinned like an idiot the entire time.

"Are you still that excited over the camera?" Shawn asked him.

"This is, like, the best day of my life."

"I'm not saying it's going to happen."

"Oh, it's going to happen," Juice laughed for a moment before getting serious for the first time that afternoon. "So, you doing any better with, you know, the Donna thing?"

"Yeah. I mean, I think so. I still have a hard time whenever I'm around Kenny or Ellie. I just feel so sorry for them. I just know how much they're going to miss her. It really sucks going through things and just wishing your mom was there," Shawn told him. "Do you ever feel like you missed out on things because your dad wasn't around?"

Juice shrugged. "I guess I never felt like that as a kid because a lot of kids in my neighborhood didn't have dads. But yeah, if I thought about it I'd probably feel like that."

"You don't ever think about him?"

"My dad left town. He made a choice not to be around. No point in thinking about what could have been," Juice said. He was trying to sound indifferent, but Shawn could hear an edge of bitterness to his voice.

"I'm sorry I brought him up," Shawn apologized.

"Don't be. You can ask me anything."

"So, am I weird? You know, for making Donna's death about me and my Mommy issues?"

"Of course not. You're allowed to feel any way you want to feel... I'm going to run to the bathroom before we go."

Shawn nodded and Juice stood from the booth. "That goes for you, too, you know. You can feel however you want to feel. It's okay if you're mad at me for not wanting to tell my dad about us just yet. And it's okay to be mad at your dad for leaving."

Juice bent over to kiss her firmly. "I'm not mad at you. I don't know how it's going to go with Tig anymore than you do. I want you to be in a place mentally where we can both handle things if it goes south, okay?"

Shawn nodded and Juice gave her one more kiss before walking away. Shawn couldn't help but notice that Juice didn't deny being mad at his own father. Not that she blamed him. Her phone beeped, telling her she had a text message. Shawn pulled her phone out to see one message from Luanne. She typed back and hit send.

"Shawn?" a voice got her attention. Shawn looked up and recognized the man standing by her table. "Shawn Trager?"

"Yeah. Brent, right?"

"That's right. We went on a date once. And then you never called me back."

"We did. And I didn't. Sorry."

"Don't be. It happens. Though, do you mind me asking why you didn't?"

"I met someone," Shawn explained.

"Story of my life," Brent said in a friendly tone. "You still seeing that someone now? Because, if not, I'd be up for a second date. If you're still single, of course."

"She's not," Juice's voice came from behind him. Brent turned around and saw Juice. Shawn watched as he took in Juice's mohawk and skull tattoos, then moved his eyes down to Juice's cut.

"Right," Brent said and turned back to Shawn. "It was nice seeing you, again."

"Bye," Shawn told him and he walked away.

Juice watched him leave the restaurant. "You ready?"

"Yeah," Shawn said and stood from her seat. They walked out together. Just as they reached Shawn's car, Juice grabbed Shawn's waist and moved her so she was up against the car. He pressed his lips against her's hard. His grip on her hips tighten as their lips parted and his tongue skimmed across her's. Shawn quietly moaned. Juice had to pull away then. He could feel himself getting too excited and had to remind himself that they were in public. Shawn opened her eyes and saw a familiar black BMW not fair from them. "And you said I get jealous?"

"Not jealous," Juice corrected her. "Territorial."