Travis had been a pitcher who suffered a career-ending injury during his second major league game. “Do you miss it?”
“Playing ball?” Travis shook his head. “I did at first but since I started flying I haven’t. If I’d continued playing ball I don’t know if I’d have the career I have now. Besides, that was a long time ago. You gotta let some things go.”
Let things go. He could. Nothing that had happened had been Savannah’s choosing. But could Savannah ever forgive, much less forget?
“But getting back to you, what does that have to do with you and Savannah?” Travis asked.
“The short story is, Randall Taylor found out somehow that Savannah and I were seeing each other. But he didn’t forbid her to see me. He didn’t even let on to her that he knew about us.” He picked up his beer, frowning at it. “Instead, he called in the loan on our house. It seems Mom and Dad had been late on a payment—one goddamn payment. That gave him the ability to call in the loan.”
“Shit, what a bastard. I remember that. We never did know why he didn’t go through with it.” He paused as understanding hit. “That’s why he threatened to evict us? Because of you and Savannah?”
“That’s why.”
“But he never went through with it. What did you do to change his mind, Harlan?”
“Exactly what he demanded. I was there when he told Mom and Dad. I followed him out to his car and asked him if there was anything I could do to change his mind. I knew before he told me that it was about Savannah and me. It couldn’t have been a coincidence. And it wasn’t.
“The next day, I went to his office, like he told me to. Had to cut school to do it, of course. He kept me waiting a goddamn hour. When he finally saw me he laid it out. Either I break up with Savannah immediately and never have anything to do with her or he’d call in the loan. If I did what he demanded, he’d back off and we’d be safe as long as Mom and Dad continued to make the payments. But if I told anyone, especially Savannah, what really went down the deal was off. What choice did I have?”
“You didn’t see another way out of it?”
Harlan laughed humorlessly. “Like what? None of us had money. There was no possible way to pay off the loan in the time he gave us. I had to accede to his demands or my family would pay for it. And don’t tell me you wouldn’t have done the same thing. I know you would have.”
“Probably. But I’d have told you. Damn it, Harlan, you should have told me. I would have—”
Harlan cut him off. “There wasn’t a damn thing you could have done to change it. No matter what I felt for Savannah I couldn’t let her bastard of a father destroy my family. And he would have. Mom and Dad were barely scraping by as it was. Can you imagine what losing our home would have done to them?”
Travis shook his head, got up and went to the kitchen. When he came back in he tossed a beer to Harlan. “Did you tell Mom and Dad?”
“God, no. They’d have flipped out. I just told them I’d convinced him to give them another chance. They didn’t believe that was all of it, but they didn’t know about Savannah and me. They were just grateful—to Taylor for giving them another chance.”
“Well, that’s enough to make you puke.”
Harlan laughed. “Yes, it was.”
“God, Harlan, that sucks.”
Harlan drained his first beer and opened the one Travis had given him. “Yeah. Taylor called me today. I have an appointment with him tomorrow.”
“With Taylor? Why? I’d think he’d be the last person you’d want to see.”
“Curiosity. He’s got something on his mind and I’m betting it’s about Savannah. So I agreed.”
They drank in silence for a little while then Travis asked, “Did you ever tell Savannah what really happened?”
“No. When would I have told her? I’d hardly spoken to her until the night of the ball.”
“You could tell her now.”
“I could but I won’t. What’s the point? If she didn’t believe me, it would make me seem like a loser making excuses. And if she did believe me, it could screw up her relationship with her father.”
“He deserves it.”
“Yes, but Savannah doesn’t. No, best to just forget it.”
But could she forgive and forget? Would Savannah be willing to try again? And was he sure that’s what he wanted?
Oh, hell, admit it. You never truly got over her. You’ve wanted her since the minute you saw her again at the ball.
