She caught up with Avery and Rachel while people were chatting after the lunch and gift giving. Avery was talking excitedly to Rachel. “Savannah, I was just telling Rachel that I’m going to see snow in less than twenty-four hours. I can’t wait.”
“The trip with your parents is still on?” Savannah hoped so. Avery’s parents had let her down in the past. Unlike Savannah’s father, who interfered too much, her parents seemed content to let her go her own way.
“Yes. We’re going snow skiing in Colorado. I’m flying out of Austin tomorrow to meet them.”
“I’m sure you’ll have fun,” Rachel said.
“Just don’t break your leg or anything,” Savannah added.
“I’ll do my best not to,” Avery said with a grin.
“I need to ask y’all something,” Savannah said.
“What’s up?” Avery asked.
“What a cute outfit,” Savannah said to Avery, distracted again. Avery had paired a frothy white blouse with a knee-length black pencil skirt and a black sweater with ruffles at the collar and cuffs. “That rocks. I love it. Did you get it here? If you did tell me where.”
“Ordered it online,” Avery said.
“Oh, will you text me the website?”
“Sure.”
“What were you going to ask us, Savannah?” Rachel asked.
“It’s about Harlan’s Christmas present. I arranged for a room at the Harwood Inn on Christmas Eve. Dinner at their restaurant, a romantic evening by the fire, that kind of thing. I was even thinking about playing the CD of our favorite song,This Is The Night. It’s a Clay Aiken song.” And, she thought, particularly fitting.
“I remember that,” Rachel said. “What a beautiful song.”
“I was planning to tell him about it Saturday night.”
“What’s the problem?”
“The problem is now I’m worried it’s stupid and not enough.” It was expensive, but compared to jewelry...
“It sounds great to me,” Rachel said.
“Me too,” Avery agreed.
“I thought so too, until he dragged me off to Sparkle and Shine last night.” She launched into the story about Harlan making her look at almost everything in the store. “And they were nice, expensive things too. So he’s giving me a beautiful piece of jewelry and I’m giving him...a night at the Harwood Inn. It’s not enough.”
Avery and Rachel were both staring at her like she’d lost her mind. “What?”
“Shall I tell her or do you want to?” Rachel asked Avery.
“You go ahead,” Avery said. “Words fail me.”
“Tell me what?” Were they trying to be annoying?
“Oh, honey,” Rachel said with a smartass grin. “Your hunk of burning love is going to ask you to marry him.”
Savannah’s mouth fell open. “No, he’s not. He—he couldn’t be. He just wanted to buy me something I liked.”
“Did you try on rings?” Avery asked.
“Yes, but that doesn’t mean—”
“Any of them look like engagement rings?” Rachel added.
