I nodded. “I’ll do whatever is necessary.”
Ava smiled and stepped back. “I’m really glad I offered you my rental home, Rhys Carey. I knew you would be good for Savannah in some way, even if I wasn’t expecting this.” As we moved aside to allow Savannah and her client into the reading room, Ava crossed her arms over her chest. “I hate to say it,” she muttered, “But I think I’m going to have to cut back hours for a while. School is out for the year and summers are slower, so I may go to half days during the week and a full day on Saturday.”
“Will you be able to manage?” I asked, worried about her financial stability. I wanted to offer her help but I doubted she would accept it. When Cornelius died, I’d gained access to all his bank accounts. I had no idea how he’d accumulated such vast sums of money, but there was no way I could spend the contents of his bank accounts on just myself. I rarely bought anything other than food and the money just kept accruing interest. In the year since his death, the accounts had grown at an alarming rate, but I wasn’t sure what to do with it all.
“Oh, I’ll be fine. I just didn’t want to close the shop because I was worried that Savannah might not be able to pay her bills without her income. She doesn’t have to work full-time because of the trust her grandmother left her, but it’s still a modest amount of money and I don’t want her to get in a bind. She won’t let me lend her money, so my only option was to keep the store open.” She turned toward me. “Want a glass of iced tea?” she asked.
“Yes, please.”
“Then come over here and let me show you how to make it.”
I didn’t argue. Sitting at a table for the past few hours hadn’t been fun. I needed some activity to keep me busy.
As she walked me through the process of making iced tea with agave nectar and lemon, Savannah emerged from the reading room with her client. The woman she was with looked familiar but I couldn’t place her. She walked the woman to the door and said good-bye, but didn’t escort her to her vehicle as she usually would.
Though we hadn’t discussed it, I was glad to see that she gave a thought to her safety.
“That was quick,” Ava commented.
Savannah shrugged. “She got a call and had to leave suddenly.”
“How’s she doing?”
“Not well,” Savannah said, her eyes sad. “She misses her husband.”
I understood then how I recognized the woman. She was the client who had lost her husband recently.
Ava’s cell phone rang and she grimaced at the screen. “It’s one of the suppliers. I’m going to take this in my office because I don’t think our customers need to hear me cuss out someone on the phone.”
She put the phone to her ear and disappeared through the door that led to the storeroom.
“Do you want some tea?” I asked Savannah.
She shook her head and came over to me. I stood perfectly still as she wrapped her arms around my waist, curling her body into mine. Hesitantly, I put my arms around her, unable to get a clear read of what she was feeling.
“Is something wrong?” I asked her.
“No,” she murmured, her cheek pressed against my chest.
“Did your client say something that upset you?”
Savannah pulled back a little and looked up at me. “Yes and no. She said something that made me think about life and how anything can happen. She told me that when she thinks of the day her husband died, what tortures her the most is that she didn’t tell him she loved him before he left the house. She was distracted and busy and she didn’t take the time to say it.” Her voice caught as she continued. “It’s heartbreaking to hear that.”
I cupped her cheek. “I’m sorry, Savannah.”
She stared up at me, her eyes shimmering with a thin sheen of tears. “I don’t want that kind of regret. The regret of things left unsaid or undone. When she said that to me, I realized that I’ve been living half a life, letting fear keep me from doing and saying the things I truly wanted.” Savannah took a deep breath, her gaze intent upon mine. “Last night, I realized that I love you, but I didn’t say it because I was afraid it was too soon or you wouldn’t reciprocate my feelings. But I also realized that none of that matters. Whether you feel the same way or not, it doesn’t diminish what I feel for you. I don’t want to wake up one day and wish that I’d said it because I no longer have the chance.”
I lifted my other hand so that I held her face between my palms. “I told you that my heart beats for you, Savannah. Until I met you and loved you, I didn’t think I had a heart or a soul. Now they’re both yours. I love you and I never want you to believe that to be otherwise.”
When I kissed her, I poured all the love I felt for her into the meeting of our lips. I wanted her to see into my heart.
Because it now belonged solely to her.
