I’m not nervous or feeling a need to impress, but the importance of this introduction and meeting still matters to me.
“You’re here.” She pushes out the screen door and opens her arms for Savannah.
“Yeah. Had to run around town for a bit.” She hugs her aunt. Savannah’s eyes divert to me, and she steps to the side of her aunt. “I brought company. My boss, Julian Haven.”
Her aunt travels her eyes between Savannah and me. “Wonderful to meet you. Savannah mentioned that you were in the area. Hopefully, she gave you a tour of town.”
“She did.” I bring my arm from behind my back and reveal the bottle. “And this is for you.”
“Oh, you shouldn’t have.” Her smile remains unchanged as she accepts the dark red. “Come on in.”
We follow her, and I instantly notice how clean everything is and the number of photos on the hallway table. I do a quick skim and spot it instantly. “Look at you in your royal glory.”
Savannah follows my line of sight and is quick to sweep up the photo of her in a dress and crown, even with a little wand. She was younger, her hair down and curled, makeup a little too much, but a beauty all the same.
“Don’t be a pain,” she mumbles so only I can hear. It will be hard to do because she’s fun to rile up.
We enter the kitchen, and the smell of baked cookies infuses the room. “I baked your favorite,” Aunt Bea tells Savannah as we stand around the island.
“Ah, thanks. Does this mean you have an entire stash of sugar cookies that I can take back to the city, too?”
“You betcha.” Her aunt sets the bottle down on the counter in passing as she walks to the wire cooling rack on the counter and uses a spatula to scoop cookies onto a plate. “It’s interesting that you take a vested interest in where your PA is from, Mr. Haven.” This woman might have a heart of gold, as Savannah claims, but she’s sneaky. I understood that question clear as day.
“Please, it’s Julian, and I don’t take any interest in my PA's hometowns, only this one.” We both look at Savannah watching from the side.
“She is special, isn’t she?” Bea admires her niece.
“She is indeed.”
Savannah tucks a loose tendril of hair behind her ear and avoids looking at either of us. She hates the attention on her right now. “Let’s focus on other things, shall we? We went by the Riverbell.”
Bea continues to scoop the baked cookies. “Thought you would. I stay out of their way for the busy lunch rush.”
“My aunt prefers evenings to chat with guests,” Savannah adds.
“Well, I’m not a cook and only sometimes good at helping the wait staff. I stick to playing hostess and doing the books. Come, let’s sit down on the back porch.”
We take a minute to grab some soft drinks and the plate of cookies and find a home on the screened-porch table that overlooks a garden that backs onto the woods.
Savannah shoves the plate of cookies at me. “Eat it, or she’ll cry,” she mutters under her breath to me. I’ll do as I’m told on this one.
To be fair, I’m not a cookie person. But a flower-shaped cookie with blue icing and pink sprinkles kind of just won me over after one bite.
“These are good,” I compliment.
“Thank you. Savannah never wanted to learn the recipe.”
“Because only you can make them,” she validates.
Her aunt waves her off. “So Julian, what do you think of Everhope? I’m sure it’s nothing you’re used to.”
“Definitely quieter. Tranquil,” I admit.
Bea’s eyes lock onto me. “It is. It’s good for the heart.”
“Hopefully, because someone at this table used to say mine was made of stone.” I direct my gaze to Savannah.
Bea chuckles. “She can be spirited. And modest, too.She won’t even celebrate her accomplishment of getting a master’s degree.”
