Page 37 of Soaring Free
“Hey, Savannah. How are you?” I ask as I grab a few dishes to set in the sink before leaning against the counter to focus on the call.
“Hi there. I’m alright. How’s Gigi? Are y’all home yet?” Of course, she’s going to ask about my daughter first.
“We got home about a half hour ago and she’s resting right now. Unfortunately, she did break her wrist, but the distal radius fracture is stable, so she didn’t need surgery. Gigi chose hot pink for her cast and the doctor suspected four or five weeks with her new accessory.”
“Well, that’s good she didn’t need surgery. I bet the other girls at school will be jealous of a pretty and bright pink cast too. Did she have you sign it yet?”
I laugh at the question. “No, not yet. She actually said my signature isn’t very pretty, so she needed to think about if she was going to allow me to sign it.”
Savannah chuckles at that admission. “Ha! Fashion first—my kind of girl!”
“She’s not wrong, I do have a terrible signature, like most lawyers. Speaking of lawyers … How was your meeting? I haven’t had the chance to talk to Pippa yet.”
As though I summoned her, the front door opens and my sister calls out, announcing her arrival. I wave at her and point to the family room where Gigi is watching her movie. Pippa’s arms are filled with a gift basket under one arm and a very large stuffed animal under the other. I shake my head at my sister as she walks by with a cheeky grin. “Pippa actually just walked in to see Gigi,” I add.
“Do you need me to let you go?”
“No, I need you to tell me about the meeting.”
She hums at that. “Well, it was fine overall. Shane was an asshole, and there was another garbage settlement offer, so you know, typical on-brand behavior for him.”
I’m zero percent surprised at this update. “I’m sorry I couldn’t be there.” And I’m sorry she had to face him without me at her side.
“It’s okay, you made the right call, Theo; Gigi needed you. You’re a good daddy. And Pippa helps me feel brave.”
“You are brave, Savannah. All on your own. You are strong and magnificent. Don’t let his behavior dull your sparkle.”
“That’s kind of you to say, thank you. You’ll have to ask your sister about her … alternative strategy she deployed after the meeting, and in the women’s restroom of all places.” I can hear the smile in her voice and I can’t help the grin that spreads across my face.
“Oh yeah? What’s that all about?” And why was it deployed in the bathroom?
“I think she’s going to weaponize a tactic as old as time.”
“What would that be?”
“Gossip. And you know in a small town, gossip spreads even faster than in a highly populated area.”
“Oh? Is that a scientific fact?”
“It is if you hang out at Java Jive any morning of the week.” She laughs. Savannah’s not wrong, but I’m not sure how my sister is planning to use that to their advantage.
“I’ll have to ask her about it.” I take a deep breath before continuing, “Outside of strategy and settlement offers, how are you doing—really?”
“I’m okay. It was strange being in that building and being on the other side of things, you know? I saw one of the managing partners and they looked right through me as if they didn’t come to my house last Christmas for the staff holiday party. I know the culture at the firm and leadership there strongly discourage any negative attention that could reflect poorly on the company, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they were less than thrilled about our divorce proceedings, but that’s on Shane, not me. I was just surprised how quickly I was … overlooked.” Her voice wavers at the end and it’s clear by the vulnerability in her voice that it bothered her more than she is letting on.
“If anyone chooses to overlook you, Savannah, then they are choosing to be a fool.”
“Thanks. It’s just a bit strange, you know? I’m sure Pippa will fill you in on everything else. Do y’all need anything or can I drop anything off for Gigi?”
“My sister just arrived with an obscenely large gift basket, and I’m sure she has food on the way already for dinner but thank you for the offer.” And odds are, Pippa has food coming from multiple restaurants, which is impressive when there aren’t that many options in Forrest Falls.
“Will you let me know if you think of anything?”
“Yes, but just so long as that’s a two-way street.” I can respect her current situation while also laying the groundwork for where this could—and hopefully will—go after everything is settled.
She hums before responding, “Now that is a deal I can take.”
“Glad we are on the same page. We’ll talk soon, alright?”
