Free Crystals by Theresa L. Henry Page A

up
a memory, but it eluded him.
    As he watched her,
a muscular man with two-toned dreadlocks pulled her into his arms and they
began to dance. The steps they performed were intricate and at the same time
intimate. Shane felt the color rising into his face as jealousy took hold. He’d
met a few of her friends, but this man was a stranger to him. They apparently
knew each other well, if the way they laughed and moved in perfect unison was
any indication.
    “I thought I told
you to stay away from my daughter and this party!”
    The sound of
Gwendolyn voice pulled Shane’s death glare from Crystal and her dance partner.
Never in his life had anyone annoyed him as much as this woman. By her tone,
the feeling was mutual.
    “Good evening,
Mrs. Buchanan.”
    “I want you to
leave. Do it now, before Crystal realizes you’re here.”
    Shane watched
Gwendolyn glance over his shoulder and almost laughed at the telling action.
    “Do ya know what,
I think I’m gonna stay.”
    Dismissing her, he
again turned his attention to Crystal and readied himself to cut into her
dance. He didn’t know the steps she and her partner performed, but he knew how
to do a good old fashioned side-step. That would have to do.
    Gwendolyn grabbed
onto his arm and held on, her fingernails biting into his flesh. “Do not
attempt to take me on because you’ll lose!”
    “For the most
part, I’m up for a good fight. But I don’t spar with women and especially not
my girlfriend’s mother,” Shane informed her looking down at her offending hand.
When he glanced back at her, his pupils had dilated to the point of almost
reaching the outer rim of black that surrounded his irises. “I always thought
you were a classy lady, Mrs. B.”
    “Do not call me,
Mrs. B. You will refer to me as, Judge Buchanan!”
    “Whatever ya say,
J.B.,” Shane laughed in her face and pulled his arm out of her grip.
    “I’m glad you
decided to come, Shane. But you’re both causing a scene!” Crystal whispered
from beside them.
    “He has just
arrived and already he’s lowered the tone of the whole evening.”
    “For God’s sake,
Mother, you’re not helping!”
    Shane followed the
direction of Crystal’s gaze and saw that she was right. They were the center of
many people’s attention. He would never want to embarrass her. But it seemed
that without even trying, he had accomplished exactly that. Add the
disapproving looks of the guests and Gwendolyn’s persistent animosity, and the
remainder of the night did not bode well. They all stared at him as though he
didn’t belong—and he knew he didn’t.
    Shane made up his
mind to leave without thinking through the ramifications of his actions. His
only thought was that he didn’t need the hassle. “I’m out. Call me tomorrow.
That’s if ya want to after your mother’s finished mauling me character!”
    He heard her
repeatedly call his name but chose to ignore her. As the cold night air swirled
around him, he stuck his hands into his pockets and hurried to his car. The
vehicles that had held his attention less than fifteen minutes before were now
invisible to him. An insistent hand pulled at his sleeve. Crystal had followed
him.
    “I’m glad you
came, please don’t leave.”
    “I never thought I
would see the day that my daughter chased after good for nothing rubbish!”
    Shane had held on
to his temper for as long as he could. The woman had got her way, he was
leaving, but that wasn’t enough for her. She had to follow them outside to
continue her harangue of him.
    “If I didn’t
respect Crystal so much, I’d tell ya exactly what’s going through me mind right now!”
    “Don’t let my
daughters’ presence deter you. It’s time she knew the type of person you are.”
    “That’s enough.
Both of you need to stop—right now!” Crystal demanded attempting to pull him
away from the face-off with her mother.
    Crystal tugged on
his arm. At the same time, Gwendolyn also reached towards him. Recoiling