Page 30 of Soaring Free
“Hey there, Savannah. My sister mentioned some documents she needed to have dropped off, and full disclosure? I was more than happy to have an excuse to check in on you in person.” I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face if I tried. Damn, standing in front of her feels like basking in pure sunshine the way she brings my entire body to life. A small smile graces her face and she tilts her head, taking me in.Man, I wish I knew what she was thinking right now.
“Where are my manners? Please come in! I have a little bit before I pick up the girls from school.” She opens the door further, and after shutting it behind me, I follow her from the foyer down a short hallway to her kitchen. “What are the documents for? Do I need to sign anything?” she asks over her shoulder.
“Honestly, I didn’t look at them. But if you want to open them, I can walk you through whatever they are.”And hold your hand too while you read them.She smiles up at me and opens the manilla envelope as she leans against the kitchen island while I slip my reading glasses on to peek at the documents in her hands. “Oh, these are just updated evaluations of the joint properties. It looks like they added in the penthouse in Nashville.”
“That fucking penthouse. Sorry, excuse me, but I hate that place,” Savannah growls, her little kitten side showing again. Not every woman is cute when they are angry, but a pissed off Savannah is adorable. I’m smart enough of a man to not let her know that, at least not right now anyway.
I lean against the counter with my hip and try to read the mix of emotions on her face. “What’s wrong with it?”
She huffs and rolls her eyes. “Well, I don’t know that anything is wrong with the physical place, but it’s the match that blew everything up, you know? Ugh. Whatever, it’s fine. I just have zerointerest in ever setting foot in that place, unless it’s to piss off my ex, of course.”
“Of course. Have you been doing that a lot this week?” I want to know what has been filling her days, stealing her attention, and any other scrap of information about her and her life.
“You know, I haven’t had many chances to since his tantrum last week after court, but I’m sure the opportunity will arise soon enough.” She picks up the papers and looks through them before putting them back in the envelope. “Will you be at the meeting next week? I mean, I’m sure you have other cases and things going on, so I don’t actually know why I asked that. I’m confident your sister can handle it. It will be fine.” She flashes a well-practiced smile, but it doesn’t quite reach her eyes.
“Pippa absolutely can handle it, but Savannah, is that what you really wanted to say?”
“What do you mean?” She rolls her lips over her teeth.
“Were you asking if I was going to be there because you’re questioning my sister’s ability to handle it, or … were you asking if I was going to be there because you want me to be there with you?”
She looks down at her hands and bites that damn lip again. I have to ball my hands into fists to keep from reaching up and tugging it free with my thumb. I want to slide my hand along her neck and guide her face back up so her eyes are on me. But I wait. She’s going to be worth the wait—and whatever we have will be too. Savannah raises her gaze and searches my eyes, and I’m not sure what she is looking for, but she must find it.
She clears her throat before responding, “Yeah, I think I would like you to be there if it’s possible. I know your sister is great and I trust her, but after everything that happened the other week, I think I’d feel safer if you were there too. I totally understand if you’re too busy, or can’t make it, or even if Pippa wouldn’t want you there for some reason.”
Her quiet admission makes me feel like a king, even though she so quickly gave me an easy excuse to say no to her request. “My sister wouldn’t care; we aren’t like that. We take a team approachon a lot of our cases. I will do everything I can to be there, okay? I can’t prevent an emergency hearing or something popping up, but if it is possible, I will be there, at your side, watching your back, wherever you want me.”
“I know you’ll make sure I’m safe, so by my side would be nice.”
“Then that’s where I’ll be.” Or wherever else you want or need me.
Her smile widens as a ringing tone grabs her attention. “That’s my calendar reminder to head out for school pickup. Thanks for running these by, and also, for just checking in on me.”
I grab a business card from my pocket and scribble my number on it. “Absolutely, and I will see you next week, but you let me know if you have any questions or if anything else comes up, okay? This is my personal cell, so text or call whenever.”
Savannah picks it up and turns the card over in her hands before looking up at me, searching my face for … something, but I’m not sure what it is. “That seems to be going above and beyond a bit, right?” She sounds oddly vulnerable right now, and while I like her seeing that I’m willing to do whatever I can for her, I don’t want her to be unsure of anything either.
“Maybe, but some things—and people—are worth going the extra mile for, and I’m a big believer in following my gut instinct about people.”Keep it cool, man. Stay focused on the big picture here, and not how badly I want to literally sweep her off her feet and into my arms.
She hums and tilts her head. “And what does your gut say about me?”
I don’t hold back the grin that spreads across my face, nor do I miss the faint blush that appears on her cheeks as I answer, “That you are absolutely worth it.”
And as soon as she’s divorced from that asshole, I intend to do everything in my power to show her exactly how worth it she really is.
As I drive back to the office, Cian’s name pops up on my dash. “Hey man, I’ll be back at the office in a few minutes. What’s up?”
“Hey mate, it sounds like we will arrive around the same time. I just popped over to Java Jive to grab some fresh coffee and heard the most interesting tidbit.”
Cian always seems to know the latest gossip, and I think it’s in part his Irish accent and charming dimples. People naturally want to open up to him, and he loves collecting information. Pippa may be a dragon in the court room, but if one considers information treasure, Cian is a dragon in his own right. I smile, only guessing where this is going. “Interesting, huh? It must be pretty good if you’re calling me instead of waiting all of three minutes to see me in person.”
I can hear the grin in his voice. “You are correct, sir. According to what I just learned, your favorite college-foe turned arch nemesis is allegedly under investigation.”
My eyebrows shoot up at that news. “What for?”
“Well, I was in line at Java Jive behind two lovely—and chatty—secretaries from his firm. It’s been a real tizzy over there since an anonymous tip two weeks ago or so led to an investigation by Homeland Security for a potential federal sanction violation.”
A bark of shocked laughter escapes me. “What? No way he could be that dumb. Are you sure?”
