Savannah was quick to deny it. “Jared? He hasn’t mentioned a thing—”
“That’s not what I meant. I meant that if you’re thinking about having more control over your time, it might be because you’re thinking about marriage—”
“I’m not—”
“And if you’re thinking of marriage at this point in your life, the likely candidate would be Jared Snow.”
“No. I’m not getting married so fast. I’d have a baby before I’d get married.”
“A baby?” Susan breathed. “Are you serious?”
Savannah was a minute in answering. “Would that be so terrible?”
“You don’t have time for a baby, any more than you have time for a man.”
“I can make time for what I want. Any of us can do that. It’s called taking your life in your own hands.”
“But a baby,” Susan went on, still slightly stunned by the suggestion. “Do you have any idea how much time and effort that takes?”
“People have been doing it for years,” Savannah said lightly.
“But why marriage over a baby?” Megan joined the conversation to ask, sounding vulnerable enough to remind the others how much she had wanted a baby herself.
Savannah was momentarily chastised for her lightness. She took another moment to think about the question. “I’m not sure,” she finally said. She looked at her hands. “I just think I could handle a baby better than a husband. A husband is a human being with fully developed needs and wants. A baby’s needs and wants can be shaped to fit its mother’s lifestyle.”
“Are you kidding?” Susan asked. “A baby is totally dependent. If you want to talk responsibility, a baby is about the biggest one you could get.”
“You don’t want one?”
“No.”
“Never?” Megan asked quietly.
For the first time, Susan wavered. “How can I say never? I have no idea what the future holds. But right now the last thing I can think about is having a kid.”
“Are you thinking about Sam?” Savannah asked.
Susan sent her a sharp look. “I’m trying not to. He’s an imbecile. I don’t care if he is the best lover in the world, he’s still an imbecile.”
“Will you see him when you get back?” Megan asked.
“No.”
Savannah couldn’t believe that. “You had an argument. Every couple has arguments.”
“Sam and I have some very basic differences.”
“I should hope so.”
“Come on, Savvy, you know what I mean.”
Savannah did. She was also convinced that Susan felt more for Sam Craig than she’d felt for a man in a long time. Yes, the argument had hurt her pride, but the hurt went deeper. “You can work out your differences.”
“I don’t know. We’re really a poor match.”
“How so?”
“His job, his house, his bankroll—need I go on?”
