Page 85 of All Autumn
The taxi pulledup in front of Savannah’s apartment, and Jenn paid the driver. We’d checked into our hotel, dropped off our bags, and now we were about to surprise Savannah.
“We probably should’ve told her we were coming,” Jenn said as we took the elevator up to Savannah’s apartment.
“Why, so she could tell us not to?”
“Yeah, there is that.”
“What if she’s not home?” I was starting to feel a little uncomfortable about ambushing Savannah.
“We camp out at her front door.”
“That’ll work. Well, unless Jackson calls the cops. He’s not going to be happy to see us.”
Jenn made a noise that sounded a lot like a snarl. “Ask me if I care. We were her friends long before he ever came into the picture.”
We arrived at Savannah’s door, looked at each other a moment, then I fisted my hand and rapped my knuckles on the wood. I couldn’t hear anything from inside the apartment, no TV or radio.
“She’s probably out on a shoot,” Jenn said.
“So, we’re going to stand out here in the hall like stalkers and wait for her to come home? What if she’s on location somewhere? We should have told her we were coming.”
The door opened, and there stood Savannah, looking at us with wide eyes. “Autumn, Jenn? What are you doing here?”
“We came to see our friend who never calls us anymore,” I said.
Jenn threw up her hands. “Surprise!”
“I . . .” Savannah leaned past us and peered down the hall toward the elevator, then pulled us inside and closed the door. “I don’t know what to say.” She held out her arms as tears pooled in her eyes.
We fell into a group hug, the three of us sniffling and laughing, so happy to see each other. I pulled my head back and scrutinized Savannah. She was still too thin, but her face was devoid of makeup and she had her hair in a ponytail. She looked like a young Savannah, the way she had in high school. Her eyes, though, were sad.
I darted a glance around her apartment, my decorator’s eye cringing at the ultramodern decor. This place was a man’s idea of a hot bachelor pad. A black leather sofa and two black Euro chairs perched on a bloodred rug thrown over a glossy white marble floor. Chrome and glass end tables and a matching coffee table, along with abstract paintings in red, black, and white made me want to weep in despair that Savannah had to live here.
There was no warmth in this apartment, and I didn’t have to ask to know that Savannah had not been allowed any input into this cold place. Her favorite decor had always been a mix of shabby chic and vintage. She loved things that were warm and special to her, and I didn’t see one single item in this room that could be considered even close to being special to her.
“It’s so good to see you both, but you can’t stay here,” she said, her words trembling with emotion. “Jackson will be home soon.”
Jenn scowled. “And you’re not allowed to visit with your friends?”
Her gaze lowered to the floor. “You don’t understand.”
I put my fingers under her chin, forcing her to look at me. “Then explain it so we do. We flew seven hundred miles to see you, and we mean to spend time with you.”
She glanced over to my left, and I followed her gaze to see a clock on the wall. “You have to go. I’ll tell Jackson the photographer called from today’s shoot and said I need to come back in the morning. Where are you staying? I’ll be there by nine.”
“It’s not right that you have to lie to see your friends, hon,” Jenn softly said.
I wasn’t feeling so generous. “Swear to God, Savannah, if you don’t show up in the morning, we’ll come camp out on your doorstep. Screw Jackson and his sick idea that you can’t spend time with us.” I said that not at all softly. I was pissed.
Savannah Graham had been controlled all her life, first by her mother and now obviously by her manager or boyfriend or whatever the hell he was. I wanted to shake some sense into her, tell her to learn how to stand on her own two feet.
“I’ll be there. I promise,” she whispered. “Right now, please go.”
We went, but it took every bit of my willpower not to drag her with us out of that oppressive apartment.
“Imean it, Jenn. If she doesn’t show up, I don’t care what kind of trouble it causes her, we’re going right back to her apartment and refusing to leave until she tells us what’s going on in her life.”
Jenn lifted the silver cover to one of the plates. “Everything’s getting cold.”
