Dane nodded solemnly, his eyes locked on mine. “Let’s take his advice, then. Let me take you out for lunch, and you can vent all about it. We can go to Vinnie Van GoGo’s, just like old times.”
I turned away, pretending to clean an imaginary spot on the back bar. Itwasn’t a date, just two old friends catching up. No harm, no foul, and certainly no thoughts about him being my ex’s older brother.
“Sure, that sounds nice. Let me just run upstairs and freshen up a bit.”
As Dane and I walked through the city streets, we caught up about everything from Sutton’s new career in catering for LaMonte’s to Charlie’s art shows and his parents’ charity work. The elephant in the room, of course, was growing larger by the minute, and when we put our names down for a table, Dane pulled the trigger.?
“My brother’s doing well. I knew you wouldn’t ask, but I also know you’d want to know. I’m sure you heard he won a Grammy for song writing. I went out to Nashville to see him a few weeks ago. He was playing in this really great beer garden that served the most wonderful hot chicken. I’m surprised y’all haven’t gone to visit. You and Sutton would tear that town up.”?
We sat on a bench across from Vinnie’s, and I was careful not to get too close to him. I didn’t want to give off the wrong impression—and I didn’t want him to smell the stale beer in my hair.?
“Yeah, well, I actually haven’t talked to him, really in a few years,” I lied.?
Dane nodded, pulling a sunglasses case from his interior pocket, popping on a pair of expensive-looking aviator frames. “He mentioned that. I’m sure it’s hard. Y’all have gone through quite a lot. Ah, look, I think our table is ready. How lucky are we?”?
Dane stood up, and I couldn’t help but notice how effortlessly put-together he looked. His crisp white shirt, with the top buttons casually undone, offered a teasing glimpse of his sun-kissed skin, hinting at slight summer tan. His fitted jeans, probably some high-end brand, hugged him just right, and the navy leather sneakers he wore managed to be both stylish and functional. As I stole a glance around the hostess station, I saw that I wasn’t the only one appreciating the view—three servers nearby were clearly captivated, their eyes following his every move.
He reached his hand out for me to take it. And without hesitating, I did.?
After lunch, locked arm in arm, we took a stroll through Forsyth Park, talking about the old days and how much fun we would all have coming to the park together, sneaking beers and whiskey from one of his parents’ many parties, and laying in the sun, laughing and talking for hours.?
“I might be jumping the gun a bit here, but would you allow me to escort you to the Fall Formal this year? I know it’s a while away, but Momma mentioned you’renow on the board of the Daughters of Savannah Civic Society, so you’re going anyway. And she’s roped me into coming home so she can show me off. I know she’s looking for me to find something—or someone—to anchor me back to Savannah. Might help to have an old friend there to help me weed through her prospects.”?
I unlatched my arm and rubbed my sweaty palms on the front of my shorts. Lunch was one thing, but the Fall Formal was a whole different ball game.?“I’ll think on it. It’s… it’s just…” I started, my voice shaking slightly.?
“Say no more. I get it. You have a lot going on, and I respect that. Let me walk you home, and if you do change your mind, you know my number. At least I think you do, but you hardly ever use it,” he offered, and we both let out a chain of nervous chuckles.?
A few weeks later, after taking Uncle Cole off life support, I made my way out of the hospital carrying a bag of my uncle’s belongings, blurry-eyed and feeling more alone in the world than I ever had. Charlie had stayed behind to take care of the paperwork, and I stepped out into the warm Savannah sun, clutching the plastic bag to my chest and holding back a sob.?
Dane stood in the courtyard of the hospital, hands in the pockets of his gray slacks. He had his suit coat draped over his arm, sleeves rolled up to the elbow, and as I got closer to him, I could see the beads of sweat gathering around his ash-blonde hairline.?
“I got here as soon as I could. I left… I… Well, I probably don’t have a job now,” he said, running his hands through his hair, causing it to stick up on all ends. He looked worried and nervous, and his eyes glazed over with tears.?
“I was in a trial. But it’s not important. You are, Magnolia. You’re more important.” He grabbed me and pulled me into his chest, and the tidal wave of emotions I had been holding in for days came flooding out. I stood and cried into his expensive button-down for what felt like hours.?
After that, Dane hardly left my side except to go pack up his townhouse in Atlanta. He helped Charlie and me with the funeral arrangements, he jumped behind the bar when I needed to rush upstairs to have a good cry, and eventually, our small friendship blossomed into something more.?
We were walking down the river on a cool, pre-fall night when he laced his fingers through mine and shot me one of his mega-watt smiles. He’d become a little more laid back since returning to Savannah, and his typically clean-shaven face showedoff a few days of stubble that looked sexy, yet fitting, for the buttoned-up lawyer.?
“I’ll go with you,” I offered, stopping to lean on the ledge of the river, looking out over the deep, black water.?
“You think you could be a little more specific?” He turned to me and brushed the wind-whipped hair out of my face, brushing my cheek gently.?
“Anywhere,” I laughed, turning myself toward him. “But, specifically, the Fall Formal. I would love to be… your date.”?
His eyes lit up for a moment before darkening with desire. Then, before I could even think, our lips met—soft at first, but quickly turning into something deeper, more urgent, as everything we’d been holding back for the past month finally broke free. There was longing, a raw need, and a deep appreciation, but most of all, that intense, undeniable lust we’d both tried so hard to ignore since he came back.
He ran his hands up and down my bare arms, leaving a trail of goosebumps in their wake. Warmth curled in my stomach, and my heart pounded like crazy. I pulled back slowly, meeting his deep blue eyes.
He bit his lower lip, and I could see he was fighting the urge to kiss me again. He let out a puff of air. “That, Magnolia Pruitt, was absolutely worth the wait.”?
Chapter six
LEE
“Welcome to Savannah Hilton Head Airport. If you’re catching a connecting flight, please stop by the kiosk to check your flight information and departing times. If Savannah is your final destination, welcome home!”?
Home—such a weird word. I hadn’t felt at “home” for the longest time. No matter how perfectly I decorated my condo or how many people filled the space, home had slipped through my fingers. It wasn’t something I could touch or feel anymore—it was a distant memory, just out of reach, no matter how hard I tried to grasp it.
