Barbecue and Bad News (24 page)

Scott would be so hurt if he knew she’d written that article about him. Connor probably wouldn’t be too pleased either, since he was the one who had led the wolf right into the herd.

Maybe Scott was right and people would forget about it as soon as something else got their attention. Heck, she was ready to start googling to find a video with some viral potential to speed that process up and save herself.

How could this have happened?

Scott was the first guy she’d met in . . . heck, in forever . . . who made her feel good. He challenged her sensibilities and made her feel a little giddy. Made her feel like maybe . . . maybe . . . she could let her guard down. And being with his mom made her miss her own like crazy, but in a really awesome way. She was already feeling like she didn’t want to leave this place.

A tear fell to her cheek.

She swept it away. If she started crying, she might never stop.

Savannah tossed the article on the desk and stood there staring at it like it might come to life and jump back across the desk at her. She hadn’t cried since she left Belles Corner behind. Hadn’t allowed herself. Had barely allowed herself to even think about Momma and Dad. But the tears fell, and they fell hard. She walked into the bathroom in search of tissues. No luck, so she spun off a dozen sheets of toilet paper and blew her nose. She sat on the cool black-and-white tiles and leaned against the wall. Sobbing. Not for this story, which was awful and hurtful, but for every sad thing that had ever happened.

Fear climbed her spine. What if Reynolds won the election because of her? Scott loved that job. This town. It was his whole life. This time Evelyn couldn’t soothe her worries. She’d never understand the way Savannah felt. The responsibility of the outcome of that story. Evelyn was focused on sales, and Savannah had delivered a story that fit the bill.

“Momma. What can I do to fix this? Please help me. I need you right now. I miss you so badly.”

The sound of a flurry of typewriter keys sounded from the other room.

Anger replaced the sorrow, as she headed for the phone. Savannah stabbed at the answer icon.

Evelyn’s voice crooned in that singsong way she had. “Have you cooled down yet?”

“How could you do that to me? And why didn’t you warn me?”

“Van, you did submit that story. You know the rules. Once you submit a story, that intellectual property becomes property of GetItN—”

“Don’t give me that standard spiel. I’ve heard you give it a hundred times to other writers, and we’ve laughed over drinks about it. I’m not laughing now.”

“I’m sorry. It’s doing great. I told you it would.”

“We’re friends. Why would you do that and not tell me?”

“It’s business. And look. I was right. People love it. Now when am I going to get the ‘Looking for Mr. Feed and Seed’ article?”

Savannah felt her lip quiver. She couldn’t write that article. She didn’t want to write any of them anymore. “I’m not ready.”

“You promised me those three articles. I need them.”

“I’ll come up with something different.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. You’ve never missed a deadline. Even when you had the flu and couldn’t sit up straight in bed, you came through. Now quit falling in love with that little town, pull up those big-girl panties, and let’s get your career rolling. I might remind you too, you’re there on my dime.”

The words stung. It was a double-edged sword. She’d learned so much from Evelyn, but now she was paying the dues.

She’d been sucked right into that money-over-morals trap.

“I have to go,” Savannah said.

“Wait. When will I get that next article?”

“I’m going to have to get back to you on that.”

Evelyn’s laugh wasn’t comforting this time. “That’s fine. I know you won’t let me down.”

Savannah ended the call and stared at the phone. “Don’t be so sure.”

She stood and looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her eyes were rimmed in red and her nose was swollen. “Momma? Dad? This isn’t who you raised me to be.”

It wasn’t like she was breaking laws. Sure, there were way worse things, but her mom and dad were good-hearted people, and she had been raised to see the good in things. Why had it been easier to turn her back on that and look for the bad stuff? To make fun of people and do just about anything for the laugh or the money? Maybe because then it wasn’t personal. She wasn’t living. She was just getting through every day any way that it took to not be that little girl who was the only one to survive that accident. Anything to not feel pain, loss, or love.

A knock on the door surprised her.

She glanced at the time on the phone. She wasn’t supposed to meet Daphne for another hour and a half to help at the church. She quickly ran a washcloth under the cold water and dabbed at the tears and got rid of the streaks of mascara, then ran to the door. Maybe Mike had heard her crying. She’d swear it was the radio.

She sniffed back the remaining tears and pasted her best smile on her face, ready to fake it with Mike and get rid of him fast.

“Yoo-hoo.” The voice was definitely not male. “You in there, Savannah?”

Had Evelyn sent someone over? There was no way she could have reacted that quickly.

Savannah peeked out the peephole. It was Daphne. Early.

She pulled the door open. “Hi, Daphne. Sorry to keep you waiting. I was just washing my face. Getting ready for tonight.”

“I knew I should’ve called first.” She walked right into the apartment. “I can wait.”

“You’re really early.”

She looked sorry. “I wanted to show you something before we went. Do you mind? I can come back later.”

Savannah pushed her hair behind one ear and shook her head. “No. Of course not. Could you give me just a couple minutes to finish freshening up?”

“Sure. I’ll just sit right here and wait.”

Savannah balled her fists and tried to gather her emotions. “Great. You do that. I won’t be but a few minutes.” She half ran to the bathroom. She did some deep breathing and tried to steady her nerves. There was nothing she could do about that story situation right now. No one knew she’d written the article. All she could do was pray that it fell from the radar quickly.

When she finished she looked in the mirror. “Momma, is this your idea of sending in help? I sure as heck hope so.”

CHAPTER TEN

S
avannah walked back out to the living room, where Daphne was sitting on the couch waiting.
If she acted happy, no one would know the difference, and she was the queen of acting happy.

“Okay, I’m ready. Sorry that took so long.” Savannah grabbed her purse and keys.

Daphne stood up. “No problem at all. I should have called first, but I just got so excited I couldn’t help myself.”

“Well, now you’ve got my curiosity up.”

“Good. Come on.” Daphne took the lead out of the apartment and down the stairs.

“Do you want me to drive?” Savannah asked.

“No. It’s nearby. Just follow me.” Daphne scurried in such a hurry that it almost looked like she was twerking there for a minute. That thought made Savannah giggle. She took a double skip-hop and caught up with Daphne. “Slow down.”

“I’m sorry. I’m just so excited I can hardly contain myself.”

“I can see that.”

Daphne stopped at the corner and looked both ways, continued up the block, then suddenly stopped.

“What?” Savannah looked around, but they were just standing in the middle of the block.

Daphne pointed across the street. “Look.”

A
FOR SALE OR LEASE
sign was tucked in the corner of the window of one of the storefronts.

Realization struck pretty quickly. “Daphne, are you thinking about the tearoom?”

Daphne turned to Savannah and took both of her hands into her own. “Dear, you have sparked a renewed energy in me. I’d decided I was too old and too darn late to live that dream, but you’re right. I can do this on my rules and my timeline and still have what I’ve always wanted. There’s no such thing as waiting too long, and I’m not going to waste one more minute.”

Savannah’s mood lifted instantly. It was so exciting to see Daphne filled with such joy. She cursed the fact that she’d pretty much wasted all her time in an attempt to somehow dull the pain of losing her parents. How would her life have been different if she hadn’t?

“You believed in me.” Daphne squeezed her hand. “Savannah, you’re so young and full of life. You have no idea what it’s like to become old and complacent. I outlived my husband. My son is grown and doesn’t need me.”

“He loves you very much.”

“Oh, I know that, but I’m always meddling in his business. It has to drive him half crazy.”

She was right. It probably did, but he didn’t really seem to mind.

“You really think I can do this?”

“I do. Yes. I wouldn’t joke about something like that.”

Daphne plunged her hand into her front pocket and retrieved a single gold key.

Savannah stared at it and then back at Daphne. “You have the key?”

Daphne pulled her lips together, barely able to hold in the excitement. “I do. I couldn’t bear to even think about going inside without you. Will you look at it with me?”

“Are you kidding me? I’d
be honored!” Savannah was swept up in the excitement.

Daphne’s eyes sparkled with life. It was infectious. “Come on. Let’s go look!”

The two women crossed the street. Daphne worked the key in the old lock, but wasn’t having any luck.

“Here, let me do that for you.” Savannah took the key. Daphne’s hands were practically shaking. “Calm down, gal. You’re going to have a heart attack on me, and I don’t know CPR.” Savannah worked the key into the lock and lifted the handle. Finally, the old brass mechanism clicked over. She pushed the door open. “You first.”

Savannah watched Daphne stride to the center of the room and slowly turn with a little glint of pride and a lot of moxie, not so unlike a magician when he knows he’s nailed a trick.

Savannah could just imagine the wheels turning in Daphne’s mind, and it didn’t take but a moment for Savannah to start picturing the images from those plans Daphne had shared with her—transforming the big, dusty space into something elegant and special. “Right here. A long counter. Rich wood with a furniture finish. Right?”

“You remember.” Daphne moved through the room with such spirit that for a second there, Savannah thought she might just start twirling in the middle of it. Then she raised a hand and pointed. “One. Two. Three. Tables in these spots. Parties of six?”

Savannah chimed in. “A beautiful display case over here with all of your teapots. You can rotate the services you’re using all the time so the room looks different every time someone comes in.”

“That would be fun. I love that idea.”

“Over here. A computer stand.”

Daphne’s face went blank.

“Stick with me. An easy iPad app so that people can type in their names and a little note every time they visit. Plus you can record which teas they’ve tried and their favorites.”

“Demographics.” Daphne’s eyes lit up.

“Yes. Exactly.”

“I’m not good with computers.”

“You don’t have to be. We’ve got people.”

“
‘We’?” Daphne sounded so hopeful. “Yes, and just three days a week to start. Maybe forever. Who knows, but never open on Sundays. That’s God’s day.”

“Of course. People will totally respect that.”

“And it will be more special that way.” Daphne walked over to a huge wooden staircase. “I wonder if the staircase is in good working condition.” She started to take a step.

“Wait,” Savannah called out, racing to the woman’s side. “Let’s not test it without having someone check first. We can look up there later, but if it’s usable space you could even rent it out for events without being open.”

Daphne clapped her hands. “That’s exactly what I was thinking. Especially on the days I’m not open. Franny Markham, she runs the B and B in town, she’s been doing some catering on the side. She’s a fabulous cook. Everything from scratch, and I’m not just talking Southern dishes. She can whip up those fancy five-star kinds of food too. It’s been her dream all along, but the B and B just isn’t big enough for a party of any substantial size. I could help her.”

“I bet you could partner with Jill over at the artisan center for some things too.”

“What a great idea. Jill is always doing fun stuff. We could even let her display some things down here to cross-promote. Franny Markham catered Jill and Garrett’s rehearsal dinner. Oh, yes, there would be lots of things we could do.”

Savannah looked around. There wasn’t a thing left behind to give any hint of what had once been here. “What was in this space before?”

“Jack down at the paper owns it.” Daphne sniffed in a breath of air the way she did when she was getting ready to tell a story. Stories that Savannah was quickly learning were rarely short.

“You know he has a sister, but there was also a brother. He passed away two years ago. This was his place. He ran a tax service out of it for the last few years and lived upstairs. They auctioned a lot of his stuff off when he passed, but Jack couldn’t part with the building. It’s been sitting here empty ever since.”

“Two years empty is a long time for an old building.”

“This building has been in their family since it was built. The very first issue of the
County
Gazette
came from this address. When they moved to the building they’re in now, this place became an ice cream shop. There’s a kitchen area in the back, but it hasn’t been used in a long time. I’m sure it’s hard for Jack to let go of it.”

“So why are they getting rid of it now?”

Daphne sat on the bottom stair. “They’re tired. They need the money. Bee isn’t coming back, and she’s going to need to buy a place to live in North Carolina.”

“She’d gone to help out their grandniece who was having a baby, right?”

“Yes. Anna, bless her heart. She had a difficult pregnancy.”

“I’m so sorry. Is the baby okay?”

“Oh, yes.” Daphne glanced heavenward. “Thank the Lord for watching over them. The baby is just fine, and so is she. The pregnancy itself had been fine. It just took a real toll on her marriage. They left Adams Grove about three years ago. That family has been through so much.”

“What happened?”

“Their daughter was abducted when she was just two years old. It was like she just disintegrated into thin air. No leads. No nothing.”

“Oh, my gosh. How does a family get through that kind of trauma?”

“They don’t. When Anna got pregnant again it was like a lifeline to her little Christina, but her husband was having no part of it. He packed up and moved out. She hasn’t heard one word from him since.”

“That’s crazy.”

“It seems so heartless, but they were so broken . . . just absolutely brokenhearted, broken-spirited when their daughter disappeared. Scott did everything he could to help find that child, but there was just nothing to go on. He had the best people in the state down here helping.”

Savannah held her hands to her heart. “It’s so sad. Well, I’m glad that Anna had another child. I hope in some way it soothes that heartache just a little.”

“Me too, Savannah.”

“Were they home when it happened?”

“Actually . . . ,” Daphne said, letting the word hang in the air. “The last time they saw her was right here in this building.” She pulled her arms up as if to chase a chill. “I’m sure that’s part of why Jack has held on to the building. Maybe Anna having the baby made him feel like he might be able to finally let it go.”

“I’ll keep them in my prayers.”

“I knew you would.” Daphne’s gentle smile sent comfort right down to Savannah’s toes.

“Anyway, Jack and Bee are letting go of this building so they can help pay for some of their grandniece’s expenses and relieve some of that burden for her. It’s a wise decision.”

“And perfect timing for you and your tearoom.”

“Timeless Tea.” Daphne surveyed the room again. “Jack and Bee have worked together forever. She never married, and Jack is so introverted. A man of few words. Which is kind of funny for a man who runs a paper and has accountability for all of the news. But then his daddy and his daddy’s daddy had done it, and he was following in those shoes.”

“That’s kind of sad.”

“People can so easily get caught up in the hurried day-to-day, what-ifs, and have-to-dos that they lose all perspective and forget to live.”

Or in just surviving . . . like herself. Only that still wasn’t a good excuse.

Daphne seemed to be speaking right to Savannah’s heart, but Savannah knew she couldn’t possibly know. “I guess their predicament kind of spurred me on with the tearoom too. Since Tom has been gone, I haven’t really found a way to live for me. I need to fix that.”

“You’re an amazing woman.” Savannah felt stronger herself just watching the courage and determination of her new friend.

“I love the name Timeless Tea. I knew it was perfect as soon as you said it. I can almost picture the logo with those swirly
T
s.”

“Add an awning to the front of the building and it will soften the look. A simple solution.”

“Definitely. Plus it will tie in with some of the others here along Main Street. I could ask Mac who did his.”

“You could set up special days for mother-daughter teas. Just like my mom did for me. An actual tearoom would be so much cooler than the dining room at home.”

“You’ll help me. I always wanted a daughter. That would be so much fun.”

“Can you imagine all those little girls dressed up for tea? The gloves and everything.” Savannah wiggled her fingers. She remembered the first gloves her mother had bought her. “I have pictures from those parties tucked away back home.” Maybe it was time to go through some of that stuff.

“Precious.”

Savannah walked over to a nook near the window. “You could even post their pictures the following month—to drive repeat business. You know they’d come back to see themselves on the wall.”

“You are so full of good ideas. I hope you’ll help me.”

“Of course I will.”

“Even when you leave?”

“Of course.” Only for one tiny moment, she’d almost forgotten she would be leaving.

Daphne brightened. “You could still call and talk through things with me on the phone. Or even stop in once in a while. Right?”

“I’d love that, Daphne.” The thought hit her in the gut. How could she leave this behind? These people. This place. They gave her a different energy. One that she was beginning to like.

Daphne stood and hugged Savannah. “That’s it then. I’m going to do it.”

“What did Scott say about it?”

“I haven’t told him yet. We can break the news to him together tomorrow night at the dance.”

Savannah sucked in a breath. Facing Scott with the whole truth about that article would be hard, but he’d never forgive her if he found out from someone else. She had to tell him.

“But for tonight, we have to get over to the church and get to work.”

Savannah dug her keys out of her purse. “Come on. I’ll drive. My car’s out back of the apartment.”

The two of them walked back to the apartment building. Daphne was humming the whole way, and that made Savannah’s heart sing.

Daphne looked awkward dipping low to get in the Mini Cooper. She huffed out a breath when she finally plopped into the seat. “Wo
rse than those sporty cars that Scott loves so much. Tiny little car, isn’t it?”

“It’s good on gas.”

“It ought to be. It can’t weigh any more than us put together.”

Savannah whipped out of the parking spot and pulled up to the stop sign. “Where to?”

Daphne gave her directions one turn at a time. The church was much bigger than she’d expected. The cemetery boasted colorful arrangements like a field of well-spaced wildflowers surrounding tiny buildings.

Dust puffed up around the tiny car as they pulled into the gravel driveway and then over into the paved parking lot on the far side of the building.

A dozen cars were already in the lot.

When they walked inside, it was like a hive of activity with women buzzing about the kitchen, shuffling dishes and sharing ingredients. Daphne introduced Savannah to the other ladies, and then she and Savannah got right down to work on Daphne’s famous poppy seed rolls and homemade egg salad.

They hadn’t been in that church more than ten minutes when someone brought up the article about Scott.