Page 9 of Imperfectly Perfect

“Me too,” Fallon answered. “I could easily live off cheese and wine for the rest of my life if my body could handle it.”

Savannah laughed lightly. “The cheese for sure for me. Not the wine, though. I much prefer a good mixed drink.”

“Pity,” Fallon answered, her voice dropping into a realm that could be considered flirting. But she couldn’t be flirting, because Fallon had decided a very long time ago that she would never fall in love. Which meant that any kind of dating and most flings were off the table. They came with far too many complications, and she didn’t want to deal with broken hearts that could potentially lead to danger.

“Do you not like mixed drinks?” Savannah asked.

“Oh, I do. But a glass of wine is sometimes exactly what I need.” Fallon lifted hers up as if to make a toast.

Savannah grinned broadly and brought her glass up to meet Fallon’s. The chink was loud before it melded into the rest of the room. The way Savannah’s lips curled up was stunning—they pulled thin at the ends, which made her full lower lip even more pronounced. Fallon could watch her smile for hours, and shewas lucky enough that Savannah seemed perpetually gleeful, so she’d gotten the chance to see that beautiful smile often during their unofficial wine apology.

If only Fallon had seen it earlier in the office. But she’d been too upset, too thrown off from her typical rhythms to take note of just how beautiful Savannah was. It wasn’t just her looks though, Savannah seemed to be entirely in contrast to Fallon. The fact that she had a family, a close-knit one it seemed, and the fact that she didn’t seem weighed down with the terrors of the world.

Is this what Fallon would have turned out to be had her father not intervened?

No one would ever know. But her aunt, Tia, had often commented that she’d once been happy and outgoing before the abuse had really started to affect the family. Fallon popped another piece of cheese between her lips and moaned around it.

“Gouda is always good.”

Savannah’s responding giggle warmed her. “I will say, I do like a good sharp and aged cheddar myself.”

“Are you saying something about the romantic interests you have?” Fallon asked, keeping her eyes directly on Savannah’s. Perhaps she was too buzzed for this conversation. She’d never quite been this bold before. But she was curious about what kept Savannah coming back to beg for her forgiveness.

Savannah choked on her wine. Fallon didn’t move to help her as she cleared her throat and gathered herself together. “Are you asking if I like older women?”

Fallon didn’t respond. Instead, she carefully sipped her last glass of wine, one she was barely even tasting now.

“Then yes, older women,” Savannah agreed, her cheeks flushed with what Fallon could hope was arousal and not embarrassment. “But men my age.”

“Interesting.”

“And you?” Savannah held her ground, waiting for Fallon to answer.

Fallon finished her drink and set it on the table. She gripped the strap of her purse and pressed her lips together before standing up and leaning over where Savannah sat. “I don’t.”

“Don’t? Don’t what?” Savannah sat dumbfounded as Fallon straightened her back and started to walk away.

“I just don’t,” she called over her shoulder.

four

“Kyla! It’s just me!” Savannah called through the front door as she stepped inside.

“In the kitchen!”

Savannah walked through the small living room and stepped into the galley kitchen. Kyla stood over the stove, stirring something in a pot. “Where are the kids?”

“Bedrooms, the ones that are here anyway.” Kyla frowned, her face sad and forlorn.

Savannah wanted nothing more than to be able to wipe that look off her face, to make it disappear and never reappear. She’d worn that look so many times in the last six months, and all it did was make Savannah worry about what she didn’t know.

“Who’s not here?”

“Cael is at soccer practice and Evie is at dance. I have to go get them in an hour.” Kyla stirred the pot again. “The others are just chilling on tablets.”

Savannah bit her lip, not quite sure what to say or how to say it. She’d never really wanted to broach the topic, though it wasn’t the first time she’d done it over the last six months. It would bring even more hardship onto Kyla, but since there was no one else around, now would be the perfect time.

“I spoke to a lawyer this week.” Savannah leaned against the counter and crossed her arms, protecting herself from whatever was about to happen. She couldn’t stop thinking about Fallon and their little excursion to the wine bar. But what had brought her there had been the lawsuit.

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