Page 24 of Soaring Free
Jack leans in closer to me so the entire diner doesn’t hear what he says. “Sav, stop. You don’t need to thank me for taking care of my family, okay? And no shame, sweetheart. The only one that should be feeling any shame is that asshole who walked away from you and my wonderful nieces, okay?”
“Yeah, and that was before his explosion after court today,” Theo adds.
Jack snaps his head up with a lethal stare to look at Theo. “What happened?”
I wave my hand like shooing away an annoying fly. “Nothing, Jack. It’s fine.” I try to downplay the situation.
“Bullshit. That was not nothing, Savannah.” Theo’s eyes darken and he clenches his jaw.
“You can’t talk about it, you’re on my legal team,” I try to convince him; I don’t need him to get my brothers all riled up.
“You signed disclosure agreements for Jack to be fully read in on everything.” Shit, I did do that. “And this happened in a public setting, not a confidential meeting or court proceeding, nor is it privileged information. He cornered Savannah and physically intimidated her while behaving like some feral animal, foaming at the mouth while barking in her face.”
“Excuse me?” Jack’s quiet tone could be mistaken for calm, but I know my brother and see the storm brewing in his eyes. “I want details. In fact, I’m going to have Liam pull video footage.” He starts texting before stopping and tilting his head at Theo. “Where were you when this happened?”
“No, Jack. Theo didn’t do anything wrong. I had gone to the ladies’ room and Shane was waiting for me when I came out, it was maybe twenty seconds if that.”
“Twenty seconds too long. Shane never should have had a single opening to speak to you directly.” Theo’s admission surprises me, and the guilt on his face is clear. Jack lifts his chin in agreement with him.
“You got me out of there as quickly as possible, Theo. You didn’t do anything wrong. Please, let’s just let this go.”
“Well, I won’t be doing that,” Jack says to me before turning back to Theo. “But I’m glad you got her out of there. Next time, I would prefer he doesn’t have an opportunity, and if I need to have security there to ensure that, let me know.” He extends his hand for Theo to shake, and he does while nodding in agreement.
“Absolutely, and if that need arises, I will make the arrangements myself but will keep you in the loop,” Theo solemnly tells my brother.
“I appreciate that. We can talk more at the poker game, I’m sure my brothers will have a few suggestions as well.”
Theo nods. “Looking forward to it.”
Well, shit. That escalated.
“I’ve got to run though, just wanted to see you after the hearing. Will you pass my cell number on to him, Sav? The personal one, not my company one.” Oh wow, Jack doesn’t usually givethatnumber out. Masking my shock, I nod in agreement as he kisses my cheek goodbye before Theo and I sit back down and Jack walks out of the diner.
“What is it? You look … contemplative,” Theo states.
“I guess I’m just wondering what just happened and what my brother is up to. He doesn’t usually give out his personal cell to others, he has a private one that he keeps pretty guarded.”
“Well, it’s obvious. He clearly recognizes how awesome I am, both as an attorney and just overall. And don’t you remember? I told you I’m a great friend.”
“You’re so humble, Theo. It’s amazing, really. Doesn’t your neck get sore carrying that big head around all day?” I smirk.
“Oh honey, you know what they say about big heads?” My eyes widen as he smirks at me.What is happening?“Strong necks, of course.” Playful banter and then the man goes and winks at me—why is that so attractive? “But look at that, you’re smiling so my theory stands, milkshakes make everything a little better.”
“You may be right about that one,” I admit.
“Trust me, Savannah, I won’t steer you wrong.”
Why is there a part of me that wishes he wasn’t just talking about court cases and milkshakes right now? I don’t have the emotional capacity to tango with someone like Theo, but I think there’s a part of me that wishes I did. I wish I could flirt, and tease, and dance with someone like him. But wishes are like happily ever after: they belong in fairytales, and unfortunately, my life is far from one of those.
Chapter fifteen
“I’ve never seen Shane get physically aggressive … did he fly over the cuckoo’s nest?” Vivian asks after I relay the events of this morning at the courthouse. Our girls are upstairs playing Barbies, and my sister is keeping me company while I fold a basket of laundry before I start dinner.
I shrug in response to her question because I’m not actually sure what the correct answer is. “I don’t know. I feel like Shane has become a stranger to me. And if we’re going to add even more emotions into the blender of my life, there is a part of me that is sad about that. I’m sad about how our story ended. I’m sad he let me down and decided he no longer wanted to be my person. I’m sad that he thinks he can just walk away from our girls and that they aren’t worth him fighting for because damn it, Viv, they are worth everything.”
I grab another basket of laundry but still can’t find what I’m looking for. My eyebrows scrunch in confusion.Where did it go?
“What’s with the look?” She taps my knee with her hand to get my attention.
