Page 39 of All I Need (Hearts of the South)
“You know, if it’s weird, I can run over there, stay a while, then we can see each other after—”
He stopped the flow of words with his mouth, one hand curved around her nape, silky hair teasing his fingers. Hot damn, this was becoming his favorite way of slowing her down until her fear was under control.
What had made her so afraid? Even as she melted into him and her mouth softened under his, the question teased his brain.
He lifted his head enough to nuzzle his nose against hers. “New is always weird. As long as you don’t think they’ll mind me being there, we’re good. It’s only weird a little while.”
She smoothed her fingers over his collarbone. “I told you I don’t know what to do.”
A smile hitched at his mouth. “And I told you I do.”
After they picked up dinner specials from the Bistro, he watched her navigate the residential streets. She had a habit of flexing her fingers out over the steering wheel, and something about the gesture nudged at his earlier uneasiness.
“Savannah.” He knew voicing the question was probably tantamount to asking her to put him out on the side of the street, but what the hell? His mama could have told anyone he didn’t always adhere to the cautious side. “What happened to make you so afraid?”
The little car swerved in the lane, and she tossed him a shocked look before she shook her head. “No. I cannot talk about that with you yet.”
That small “yet” gave him hope, even though her voice cracked over it.
“Okay.” He nodded and rubbed a hand over his jaw. “What do you need me to do?”
“Nothing.” She flexed her fingers once more. “There isn’t anything you can do.”
He hated that small, broken tone. Damn it all, he wanted to fix everything for her, and didn’t that just go to show how far in over his head he really was. He didn’t know what to say to that either, and silence hovered over them for the rest of the drive.
Chapter Eight
Emmett’s phone rang while he was compiling a shift report. He lifted the rectangle to find his mother’s number illuminated on the display. “Hey, Mama.”
“Hello, my sweet boy.” His mama’s customary affectionate greeting washed over him, and he leaned back in the chair.
“What’s up?”
“I drove up to Tallahassee to see your sister for a few days, and I thought I’d take you to dinner tonight if you didn’t already have plans.”
He frowned, tapping a thumb on the arm of his chair. Savannah and he had loose plans for after work, a habit they’d gotten into over the past couple of days, but this was his mama. Surely Savannah would understand.
Besides, he needed his mother’s help with a couple of missions.
“I was going to grab a bite with a friend, but I can reschedule.” He rubbed his jaw. “Mama, if I needed a suit before the weekend, where should I go?”
“Feldman’s in Moultrie,” she replied without hesitation. “What do you need a suit for?”
“A friend’s baby’s baptism. And am I supposed to take a gift for that?”
“Emmett Isaiah, did you not pay attention to anything I taught you?” Exasperation and fondness warred in her voice. “Yes, you are supposed to take a gift for that. Feldman’s is open until nine, and I’m pretty sure Market on the Square is until around eight. We can run over to Moultrie, take care of your suit and gift, then have dinner on the square. I’ll see you around five.”
“Yes, ma’am.” With a smile, he told her he loved her and ended the call. He rotated the phone in his hand. Text or call Savannah?
If he called, he’d get a chance to listen to her voice, even if it was only on her voicemail message. She picked up on the third ring. “Hello?”
“Hey.” He cleared his throat. “Listen, I can’t do dinner tonight.”
“Okay. Are you working late?”
Was that a hint of disappointment in her voice? The possibility warmed him. “No, my mama called and is on her way up. She wants to see me.”
“I understand. I’ll go over to Rob and Amy’s, and maybe we can get together tomorrow night. Plus, there’s that fundraiser this weekend. We’re still doing that together, right?”
