Page 53 of Grady

Then he and Savannah entered the bathroom, took a shower, then crawled into bed, and fell asleep holding each other.

Chapter Eight

Monday morning, Savannah opened the door to her shop, entered, then headed toward her office. She was tired, but happy. The weekend with Grady had been wonderful. She was getting in so deep. But she wasn’t scared. She knew she wanted Grady in her life, but even though he said he wanted to see where this could go between them, she wasn’t sure if he would stick around.

As she put her purse in the file cabinet, she heard the door open and knew that Maggie had arrived.

“Vanna?”

“I’m in the office, Maggie.”

“Good morning,” Maggie said when she stood in the doorway.

“Put your purse in here, then I’ll lock it. I think it’s going to be a busy day.”

“The sidewalks are crowded already.” Maggie smiled. “Did you have a good weekend?”

“I did. Grady came back and we spent the weekend together.” Savannah sighed.

“Then why that sigh?”

“I just don’t know how he feels. We’re great together, and he’s a wonderful man, but I also know he never wants to settle down.”

“Never? Are you sure?”

“Honestly, no. He had said he’d never been interested in settling down, but he liked me, and went on to say it was our first date, but he wanted there to be more.” Savannah shrugged. “Then he said, how about we see if this goes anywhere.”

“Sounds to me like he’s willing to try. So, give it a try. Do you feel comfortable around him?”

Savannah frowned. “Of course, I do. That’s a weird question,Maggie.”

Maggie shook her head. “Not to me, it isn’t, but that’s a story for another time. As long as he’s a good man, see where it goes.”

Savannah continued to stare at her, but Maggie wouldn’t meet her eyes. Something had happened to her and one day she hoped Maggie trusted her enough to tell her.

“I suppose that’s all I can do.”

“You said you were divorced. Did you have any children?” Maggie asked.

“Our four month old son died from SIDS. I’m divorced because my ex blamed me for his death—” She stopped and shook her head when Maggie gasped. “It was horrible, but I’m past it now. Well, not reallypastit, I’ve learned to live with it. I know it wasn’t my fault.”

“Of course, it wasn’t. I’m so sorry for your loss, but sorrier you were married to a man who could do that when you were going through such pain. I hate men sometimes.”

“So, what led to your divorce?”

“Well, besides the fact that he treated me like a punching bag, he forced me into marriage. His name is Frederick, but I hate even saying it. When we first met, he was working as a banker. I went to the bank with my father one day when he was trying to save his home from foreclosure. As we sat across from Frederick, he couldn’t seem to take his eyes off of me. It made me feel uncomfortable. And then when he told my dad there was nothing he could do to help us, I knew my dad had lost all hope. In desperation, I offered anything to save our home. Little did I know what kind of person Frederick truly was. He said he would only help if I agreed to marry him and he would erase our debt.”

Savannah gasped in shock. “Oh, my God, what a pig.”

“You can say that again. My father immediately stood up and told him to go to hell.”

“Good for him.”

“But I convinced my dad to accept Frederick’s offer. Looking back now, I know it was a mistake, but at the time my father was devastated about losing the house that held so many memories for him and my late mother. He bought it for her twenty years ago before she passed away from cancer. Losing it would have been too much for him to bear. So, I felt like I didn’t have a choice. After Frederick lost his job at the bank, which I still don’t know why, he decided to open a car dealership. His father owns a beautiful ranch but Frederick hated it and couldn’t wait for his father to die so he could sell it. God, I hate that man.”

“What did he do to you?”

Maggie took a deep breath before continuing. “He raped me on our wedding night and there was nothing I could do about it because I knew he’d make mine and my father’s life miserable. He even broke my jaw at one point. He wanted children but I lied and said I couldn’t have them. But the truth is, there was no way I was going to bring a child into the world with such a horrible man.” Maggie let out a heavy sigh. “I know it’s not right to hate anyone, but I truly despise him.”

---