Page 36 of Promise of a New Beginning
“Blake, you look so happy,” Riley said as he wrapped her in his strong arms.
“What’s not to be happy about? I’ve got a beautiful wife, her sister’s singing soulful songs, and I’m with family. I’m a lucky guy.” He put his arm around Danica.
“Savannah, Treat tells me that you went through Jack Remington’s survival camp. He’s got such a great rep. How was it?” Blake asked.
She couldn’t keep herself from smiling. “Awesome. I learned a lot.”
Josh raised his eyebrows. He masked his comment—that’s not all—with a cough.
Savannah and Riley both punched him in the arm.
“Oh, did you meet someone there?” Blake asked. “I’d be surprised if Jack allowed that. He’s a surly guy these days.”
Surly and passionate.“He is surly, to most people.” Savannah moved out of the way for someone to pass and repositioned herself beside Danica. “But there was a young couple who hooked up and he didn’t seem to pay much attention to it. He kind of ignored that aspect and just went on with the course.”Probably because we were too busy trying to keep our feelings in check.
“Remington? That’s Rush’s brother? The one who lost his wife?” Danica asked.
“Yeah,” Blake answered. “He closed himself off from everyone, and I don’t think Rush even knows where he lives these days. Anyway, did you meet someone special there or just a weekend fling?”
His family doesn’t know where he is?“I’m not really sure yet,” Savannah answered.
Kaylie began another song, and Savannah was glad for the distraction. She really wanted to bend Danica’s ear. As the others turned their attention to the stage, Savannah moved closer to Danica.
“Can I pick your therapist brain for a few minutes?” Savannah asked.
“Of course. What’s up?” Danica turned away from the stage and stood shoulder to shoulder with her, giving Savannah her full attention.
“I know you helped my brother Dane and his girlfriend, Lacy, deal with her fear of sharks and relationship anxieties, and I’m a little worried about my ability to choose the right men in my life. I wondered if you’d mind helping me sort of figure out why, or at least how to stop doing it.”
“Well, Lacy’s my sister, so I knew a lot about what she’d been through already. I don’t know that much about your background other than your mother passing away when you were little and your father raising you, and he seems warm and loving, but also stern enough to have raised you all to be successful—and, I thought, confident.” Danica furrowed her brow. “A lot of times we can get clues to our issues from our own thoughts. Why do you think you pick the wrong guys? And how often do you pick these guys?”
“Well, I’m thirty-four and I haven’t picked the right guy yet, so that must mean I’ve picked a lot of bad ones, and I’m not sure why.” The music had become white noise in the background of their conversation. Luckily, the others were wrapped up in the white noise and not in Savannah pouring her heart out.
“Tell me about your last three relationships,” Danica said.
Savannah sighed. “Last three. Well, I dated Connor Dean, and he cheated on me several times and I kept going back to him. Then there was Paul Chaste before him. He was an attorney, and we dated for a few months, but he was just too boring. No spark, you know?”
Danica nodded.
“And before Paul I dated Matt Brewer, and we got along great, intimacy was great, but we had different goals in life. He didn’t want a family and I did.” Savannah shrugged.
“I’m not seeing a pattern here, Savannah. Clue me in on what I’m missing.”
“What do you mean? There’s a definite pattern. I can’t seem to pick the right men. Am I insecure? Am I needy? Bossy? I know I’m a royal pain and stubborn sometimes. Is that the issue? I can take it, Danica. Whatever it is, just give it to me straight.” Savannah crossed her arms, bracing herself for the painful truth.
Danica smiled.
“What? Is it all those things?”It’s worse than I thought.
“No, no.” Danica turned to Blake and said, “I’ll be right back.”
“Everything okay?” Blake asked.
“Yeah. We’re going to step away from the stage for a minute.”
Great. Now we need privacy. This must be horrible.
When they were away from the others, Danica pulled Savannah down beside her on the grass. “Okay, here goes. A pattern is when you do something over and over, like Blake or Kaylie before they settled down. They went from person to person, never forming any attachments. That’s a pattern, Savannah. You’ve dated the wrong guys. There’s a huge difference, unless each of those guys possessed some quality that made it impossible to have a relationship with them.”
