Page 7 of Chasing Savannah
Chapter 3
It had been three weeks since Derrick had come into her life and subsequently left and Savannah was restless. He’d only been next door for a week, helping Laura and Theo get adjusted, but she missed him. Not that she’d been able to act on her attraction. Work had kept her from him the whole time he’d been in Tampa. The account that she’d been working on had only wrapped a couple days ago, so she’d been swamped and buried under swatches, paint samples and furniture choices while he’d been in town. It hadn’t stopped him from making up reasons to come over, making his presence felt, though.
Her son was with his father this week, and without the distraction of Jamie, acute loneliness weighed her down. Normally, the days without her son were spent working, but with the account wrapped up, outside of a couple of meetings, there had been nothing to do. She’d cleaned her house from top to bottom, and had run out of chores. Last night, alone in her bed, she’d been forced to examine her life and the results were depressing. She needed a life outside of her work and Jamie. She’d probably missed her chance with Derrick, but, maybe she could pump her new friend for information. With that thought, she’d called Laura and a couple of her cousins last night to plan a girls’ day. It would give Laura some other women to meet in the area and make her questioning less obvious.
She mixed together some mimosas, cut cheese and put out a charcuterie tray. She lit her oil diffuser and a couple of scented candles on the kitchen counter. Soon the smell of citrus filled the room and she smiled happily.
The doorbell rang as she was setting everything out on the kitchen island. She greeted Naomi and Charlotte as they came in the door. Out of all of her cousins, they were the closest in age and her favorites. She and Naomi were bonded by their shared latency.
Charlotte came in first, her willowy body in a black rock band T-shirt that barely reached the top of her thighs. She wore a pair of black boots that reached her knees and the two sizes too big army jacket she loved on top.
Savannah kissed Charlotte’s cheek, fiddling with the hem of her cousin’s shirt. “Is there anything under this?”
Naomi gave a soft snort as she came in the door. Charlotte’s sister contrasted her in every way. Where Charlotte was tall and svelte, Naomi was short and curvy. She wore a long black flowing skirt that tangled at her ankles and an off the shoulder black top that hugged her voluptuous figure.
“She already called me a hater.” Naomi leaned over and kissed Savannah’s cheek.
“Because you are.” Charlotte sang over her shoulder as she walked to the kitchen.
Savannah laughed and was about to close the door when she noticed Laura, in tight ripped jeans and an off the shoulder t-shirt, walking up the driveway, so she waited. Laura handed her a plate of brownies that were warm and smelled like heaven.
“Oh my God, I love brownies.” She kissed Laura’s cheek and moved aside so she could enter. “You look great.”
“Thank you, baby.” Laura looked around as she entered. “This is my second time in your house and I swear I can’t get over the difference between our décor.”
Savannah tried to see her house through a stranger’s eyes. She’d picked the place expressly for the open floor plan. Hardwood floors stretched from the small entranceway throughout the house. Her formal living room had an overstuffed sectional with fluffy teal pillows she used to accent the otherwise gray room. She used different shades of gray throughout the whole house, loving the calming color.
“She has an art degree and a thriving interior design business, don’t let her make you feel bad.” Charlotte joked from the kitchen.
“That hater is my cousin Charlotte and the one helpfully filling glasses is Naomi.” Savannah introduced the women to Laura.
The women all waved. They sat around the dining room table off of the kitchen.
“The flowers are a nice touch, cuz.” Charlotte indicated the fresh cut daisies she had in the center of her rustic table.
“Thank you.” Savannah had a clear glass pitcher of mimosa next to the flowers, the orange slices floating in it giving it a cheerful vibe. She poured drinks as they settled into the padded chairs to get to know each other.
“Savi tells me you guys moved here from Jersey?” Charlotte reached over to snag a brownie.
Laura nodded. “Yes, we heard good things about this area of Florida.”
“Is it just you and your boys then?” Naomi asked.
“For now. My brother is moving down. He should be here sometime today.”
Naomi leaned close to the table. “Do tell. You’re gorgeous, so your brother has to be fine as hell.”
Savannah choked on the drink she was sipping. She rolled her eyes and wiped off her mouth.
“I don’t know about all that. He is a handful though, so venture at your own risk.”
“Well, my kind of man.” Naomi winked.
Charlotte pushed her sister’s shoulders. “You don’t need that type of trouble. Vanna on the other hand…”
Savannah held up her hands. “Leave me out of this.”
“You’re not dating?” Laura asked.
