“Oh, really? Why don’t I ask Harlan’s parents? They never knew what Harlan did to stop you. But I’m sure they’d corroborate the fact that you called in their loan.”
“You’re becoming more hysterical the longer we talk. I suggest you decide whether you should trust me, your father, or that Barrels scum.”
Savannah stood up, walked over and picked up her coat. “If byBarrels scumyou’re referring to Harlan,” she said, putting on her coat, “I trust Harlan.”
She walked out the door to her father’s stunned silence.
Harlan’s phone rangaround eleven. When he saw it was Savannah he picked up immediately. “I’ve been worried about you.”
“I’m standing downstairs in the lobby of your apartment building. Can I come up?”
“I’ll be right down to get you.”
“Damn,” he said when he saw her. “I was going to ask if you’re okay but you’re obviously not.”
“It shows, huh?”
He ushered her into the elevator, passed his key over the sensor, and pressed the button to his floor. “Your mascara ran.” He cupped her face, his thumb wiping gently at the black on her cheekbones. Her nose was red too.
“That’s what I get for wearing washable mascara.”
“Can I use your bathroom?” she asked once he let them in.
“Sure. Down that hall,” he said, pointing. “Want something to drink?”
“Water, please.”
When she returned a short time later she’d washed off the mascara and looked a lot less like she was going to break down any moment. Even so, he could see she was still shaky. He handed her a glass of water and she took it with her over to the big window. The square and the neighborhoods visible from his window were mostly dark. An occasional light blinked here and there, but on a weeknight even Booze’s Place closed at midnight. The rest of the square rolled up its sidewalks by ten on a weeknight. Except during the Christmas on the Square celebration. Then at least some of the businesses were open until eleven.
Savannah looked out the window, not speaking for a long moment. Then she turned to him and said, “I wasn’t crying because I was upset, though of course, I am. I cried because I’m furious with my father.”
“The meeting didn’t go well, I take it?”
“The meeting went to hell in a handbasket. He started out by telling me a bunch of lies about you and your shady business practices.”
“How did you know they were lies?”
“I checked out your company, of course, after I found out you’d bought Whiskey River Construction. In case you didn’t know, there isn’t a whisper of any illegal or shady dealings about Phoenix Homes.”
He smiled. “Good to know.”
“He then demanded I quit dating you and quit working for you immediately. When I refused he started in on my poor judgment, et cetera, et cetera.”
“You have poor judgment? You’re kidding, right?”
Lifting a shoulder, she said, “According to my father, I do. So I confronted him with what you’d told me.”
“I thought you hadn’t decided what you were going to do?”
“I hadn’t. But once I got there and he started telling me crap I knew was all lies, I said to hell with waiting.”
“How did that turn out?”
“Just like you expected. He denied everything completely. I kept at him and he finally admitted he knew about us and that he might havesuggestedyou not see me. But he denied making any kind of threat.”
“I’m sorry. Not surprised, but sorry.”
“It’s not so much that he broke us up. I don’t like it but I can kind of understand it. From his viewpoint I was still a child and what he did was in my best interests. But the way he chose to do it... It was so underhanded. I’d rather he’d simply forbidden me to see you. At least that would have been upfront.”
