“The man loves my foul mouth.”
“So not going there.” At his laugh I swiveled my chair, gazing out the window, thinking of the last time I’d seen him. To my shame, I’d not once thought of Jack since Garrett had hauled him away. “How’s Jack doing?”
“I pulled in some favors and got him into a special treatment center. He’ll never be a cop again, but if he sticks with it and once his therapist signs off on his mental state, I’ve arranged an interview with a PI friend.”
Jack as a PI? “I’m sorry it came to that.”
“You’re not to blame, son. We each choose what road to travel. He just took a wrong turn is all, but he’ll get back on track. How’s that sexy woman of yours?”
“Leaving Sunday morning for her world tour.”
“You’re smart in a lot of ways, Dylan, but in some you’re a dumbass tool. If it were Derrick trying to leave me, I’d move mountains to keep him. Think about that while you’re crying in your beer.”
He hung up on me. I set my phone back on the desk. Derrick wasn’t Jenny. He hadn’t made a deathbed promise to his twin. It wasn’t the same thing. And Derrick would never think of leaving Garrett because he loved that man without question. I didn’t have that from Jenny.
41
~ Jenny ~
Autumnand I were so frustrated. Jackson, Savannah’s boyfriend, had been glued to her side since they’d arrived two days ago for the rehearsal dinner. He’d even refused to let her attend Autumn’s bachelorette party. He was also her manager, and apparently he was controlling one hundred percent of her life.
We were at Autumn’s house, the one she would officially start living in with Brian tonight. We had four hours before the limos arrived to take us to the church, and we were both excited that we’d finally get to spend some alone time with Savannah.
“I guess we should consider ourselves lucky Jackson’s letting her out of his sight long enough to get dressed with us,” Autumn said as we waited for Savannah to arrive. “Why does she let him boss her around like that?”
“If you think about it, her mother’s always been the driving force in Savannah’s life. It’s like she’s been trained to be obedient to an authoritarian figure.” I pulled the plastic off my dress.
“Well, that’s just sad. The only time I can remember seeing her really happy was the year she was with Adam.”
“Yeah, they were honest to God in love. Hopefully she’ll confide in us when she gets here.” I held my dress against me and looked in the mirror. Autumn was having a Christmas themed wedding. Mine and Savannah’s dresses were an emerald green, and we would be carrying red tulips. The dress was gorgeous.
“I wish she’d come back alone so we could have spent more time with her,” Autumn said. “I don’t think—”
The doorbell rang. “She’s here.” I opened the front door. Savannah stood on the other side with Jackson, and I caught the tail end of what he was saying to her. “…don’t talk about us.”
“No men allowed,” I said, grabbing her arm and pulling her inside before I shut the door in his face. For good measure I turned the lock.
Autumn and I smothered her in hugs. When I pulled away, her eyes were brimming with tears. Savannah Graham was a striking woman. Not classically beautiful like so many models, but her features were unique. Raven-black hair that fell halfway down her back and her gray eyes were the things you noticed first about her. In elementary school, the kids used to make fun of her, saying she had ghost eyes. They also called her beanpole.
Her skin was creamy and flawless, and she was tall and at least fifteen pounds lighter than the last time I’d seen her. Personally I thought she was too thin. She was also extremely shy, which I blamed on her mother for doing her best to crush everything that was special about Savannah except her looks. Regina Graham, a former model herself and a force to be reckoned with, had grown up in the valley. When she’d gotten pregnant with Savannah, she’d moved back. She never told Savannah who her father is.
It was only a guess on my part, but I think the pregnancy was an accident, and that Mrs. Graham resented Savannah a little for it. From the day Savannah was born, she’d been raised to be a famous model, and—another guess on my part—Mrs. Graham was living her glory days through Savannah. I wasn’t too fond of Savannah’s mother.
“I miss you two so much,” Savannah said.
Autumn narrowed her eyes. “Could have fooled us. You never call, never come back for a visit.”
“Autumn,” I said, shaking my head at her. This wasn’t a day for us all to end up in accusations and tears.
“I’m sorry,” Savannah said, her voice quivering.
“Well, you’re here now, and that’s all that matters. Time to break out the champagne.” I was determined to spend what little time the three of us had together laughing the way we used to.
I took Savannah’s hand and pulled her with me to the living room. Autumn and I had spread pillows around the coffee table, where we had a bottle of champagne chilling in an ice bucket. Plates of treats—chocolate-covered strawberries, iced tea cakes, thin slices of banana nut bread with cream cheese (Savannah’s favorite), and caviar on toast points—surrounded the ice bucket.
“Here’s to besties, to love, and to happiness,” I said after filling the crystal champagne glasses. We clinked glasses.
“To friendships that last forever,” Autumn said.
