Page 48 of Promise of a New Beginning
He pictured their kiss goodbye earlier that morning, the way her black slacks hugged her curves and drove a streak of jealousy through his heart. He’d had no competition when they were on the mountain, and the thought of her being ogled by men was unsettling.
“It went well. Ralph isn’t doing well, but we talked and it was good.”
“Yeah?” Savannah asked.
He could hear the restraint in her voice and knew she had a million questions. “Yeah. I’ll share the details when we see each other.”Crap. I shouldn’t assume you’re free to see me.
“Okay. I’m getting off work in about an hour. What’s on your plate tonight?”
“I was hoping you were.”I sound like a cheesy movie.“I mean—”
Savannah laughed. He loved her sense of humor.
“That sounds good to me, too. Want to come over? We could grab some dinner, talk?”
“I would like nothing more. I need to make a few calls, but I can leave here in half an hour or so. I should be there in less than two hours. Does that work?” It seemed like forever to him.
“Perfect. I’ll pick up some wine on the way home,” Savannah offered.
If I’m going to do this, I have to do it all the way.Jack hadn’t spent any time in the city since Linda’s death. There were too many people to avoid in the city, and he’d thought he’d seen accusations in everyone’s eyes. As if they’d all known he’d let Linda leave the house the night of the accident. But after talking to Ralph and realizing how wrong he’d been and how he’d misinterpreted so many things, Jack wondered if he’d been projecting his guilt on to everything and everyone in his life. He was about to find out.
“Let’s go out and have a nice dinner. Nothing fancy.”Another step in the right direction.“Is that okay, or are you too tired from work?”
“I’m tired…but not from work.”
Her seductive tone had him stifling a groan. “Savannah, if you only knew what you do to me with your innuendos.”
“Oh, I have a good idea.”
He heard her grin, and it only heightened his desires. “See you soon.”
Jack ended the call and paced the deck, trying to calm his urges and debating whom he should call first. It took only a few minutes for him to decide.
“Hello?”
His sister’s voice felt like coming home after a long trip: warm and inviting. “Siena?”
Silence stopped him in his tracks.
“Jack?” she asked in a hushed breath.
“Hi, honey.”
“Jack. I can’t believe it’s you. Oh my gosh, Jack. Where are you? How are you?” Her words tumbled fast and hard.
“I’m back in Bedford Corners, and I’m pretty good, actually. I have a favor to ask—” Before he could finish his sentence, Siena interrupted him.
“Anything, Jack. Whatever you need.”
Jack knew he didn’t deserve her unconditional love, but he was thankful just the same. He cleared his throat in an effort to push away the lump that tried to suppress his voice.
“I want to see everyone, but I know Rush won’t come willingly to meet me. Would you mind having a dinner or something at your place, or maybe Dad’s? I…I have a few things I need to say. Actually, I have a lot to say, and I want to say it to everyone.” Jack felt more like a favorite uncle than a brother to Siena, Dex, and Sage because of the age difference between them, whereas between Jack, Rush, and Kurt, there was a span of only seven years.
“I can’t tell you how happy that makes me. Mom and Dad are going to be over the moon, and yes, of course I’ll do it. I’ll figure something out. Rush is pretty grizzly these days when we bring up your name, so I’m not sure what you should expect, but I’ll do it.” She paused, and Jack imagined her running her hand through her long brown hair. Siena had been modeling since she was eight. Although Jack hadn’t seen his family more than a couple of times over the last two years, he’d made a point of keeping tabs on what they had going on in their lives, and he knew that Siena was more beautiful than ever, with his mother’s tall, slim figure and his father’s deep blue eyes.
“Thanks, honey. I really appreciate your help.” When Linda died, Jack had secretly wished that his family didn’t still reside so close together—all within an hour and a half of New York City. Now he was glad they did.
“Hey, Jack? Are you really going to try this time?”
