I nodded. “Okay, yeah. That makes sense. I’m glad they told you about it. Wouldn’t want you to be startled. Bad enough you know your daughter is capable of running up to a man and jumping in his arms.” I had to laugh, hoping she took my words the way I meant them. She narrowed her eyes at me in a humorous way.
“Okay now. It must be your natural charm and charisma,” she said sarcastically but in a light-hearted way.
I just laughed.
“So did she talk to you or just give you a hug?” she asked.
“Yep! She ran over to me to say hi and gave me a hug. Jumped into my arms like she’d known me all her life.”
“Wow! Really?” She looked surprised but accepting, nodding just slightly. “Well... if you think about it, she has been seeing you her whole life.”
That made us both laugh. I was amazed by how comfortable I felt with the woman. She said I was charming and charismatic but she had something of that herself.
“She actually told her teacher that I was her friend. It was adorable, and the teacher was surprised, too. Said my name like she was just over at my house for coffee yesterday.”
I looked at the building as Savannah laughed. There was a guard at the door, just one of the teachers, I expected, and she had a reflective vest on. She looked like she was waiting for something. I realized it was almost time for the kids to come out after their classes.
“I guess you’ve made quite an impression on her,” Savannah said, bringing my attention back to her. The sun glinted softly off her milk-chocolate colored hair. It was styled nicely, the locks falling in soft waves beside her face while the back was pulled into a ponytail that twirled down her back in clearly natural curls.
Her eyes sparkled when she looked up at me but I told myself that was because she had the sun in her eyes. Not much choice but to have twinkling eyes when they were reflecting the sunlight.
“I guess so. I don’t know how. We haven’t really talked much.”
She glanced at the school’s doors, folding her arms tighter as a group of parents walked by, exchanging pleasantries. The chatter filled the brief silence between us.
I could see the soft lines of worry on her face ease a bit, and I realized she was looking for Alana.
“I think,” she started, pausing as if considering the weight of her next words, “maybe we should change that.”
I tilted my head, a small smile playing at my lips. “Change what?”
Savannah’s eyes met mine, and for a moment, they held a softness that caught me off guard.
“How much we talk,” she said, the corners of her mouth lifting in a hesitant smile.
Warmth spread through my chest, steady and sure. “I’d like that, Savannah. We are neighbors, after all.”
She gazed at me, a soft smile on her lips. I tried not to stare at her. She was pretty and she was staring at me. What did she expect me to do?
I wondered what she was thinking. After a few moments she said, “So, I don’t know if you know this but I work for the newspaper. I’m an editor there.”
“Really?” I had never asked Marcus where his sister worked and this was the most extensive conversation that she and I had ever had.
“How interesting.” I wasn’t a hundred percent sure what an editor did but I had a good idea. “That has to do with grammar and stuff, right?”
She grinned. “Yeah,” she said with a little laugh. “I got an article for editing today that was about your upcoming bravery award the mayor is giving you.”
My cheeks felt hot. I dropped my eyes to my feet. I hadn’t told anyone about the award yet. It would be a while before I actually got it and it didn’t feel real to me yet.
I should have known an announcement and an article would be coming out in the paper. Maybe I’d be interviewed after I got the award. I had to prepare a speech as soon as possible.
I hadn’t expected her to mention it. I hadn’t even told my parents yet. They were about to find out, though.
“I read all about what happened, three different stories of what you did to save people’s lives. You really are a hero, aren’t you? All of that sounded so... exciting.”
“I guess,” I said, slowly looking back up at her. “I don’t mind being called a hero but I was just doing what I had to do. The first one was me at my job. The others, I just had to do the right thing. It seems weird to me that I got recognized for doing what I should have been doing.”
She nodded. “I understand what you’re saying. But in those instances it seems like you were going above and beyond. The mayor obviously thought so, too. Congratulations.”
