Page 16 of Inside Silence
When I called Tate to check in with her and let her know I was going to stop in at Safeway to grab something quick for dinner, she suggested steak. I already grabbed a tub of potato salad and a bag of the sweet kale salad she seems to like. Anything to keep my girl happy.
Things have been pretty good over the weekend and I’m hoping it can stay that way.
I toss the steaks in my cart and steer toward the freezer section to pick up some ice cream. My stomach does this weird little flip when I catch sight of Savvy, halfway down the aisle, staring into the freezer. She’s not moving.
She jumps at my “Hey.”
“God, I’m sorry. Hi, am I in your way?” She immediately steps aside.
“Nope. I was heading for the ice cream at the end.”
“Maybe that’s what I should do; grab a pint of Ben & Jerry’s and call it dinner.”
I glance into the freezer she’d been standing in front of, filled with frozen meals.
“Couldn’t be any worse than this stuff,” I volunteer. “Do you know the crap they put into these?”
“Oh, come on, those meals are better than the take-out food I’ve been scarfing down all weekend, and right now I’m too exhausted to cook,” she shares, a tired smile on her face. “Besides, I seem to recall you could wolf down a Hungry-Man Salisbury steak like nobody’s business.”
I grin at the memory. She’s right. I didn’t cook back then and existed on pizza and TV dinners.
“What can I say? I’ve changed. Improved, even.”
She gives me a smirk and a sideways glance. “Have you now?”
Jesus, I’m standing in the fucking freezer aisle of the Safeway in Silence, flirting with fucking Savannah Colter. You’d think I’d have learned my lesson, but apparently not.
Before I can stop myself, I blurt out, “I can prove it to you. Come over for dinner. Nothing fancy, but honest food. I’m heading straight home because Tate’s waiting, but you can follow me. I’ve got a couple of big steaks that’ll feed three easily. Hell, I’ll even supply the ice cream.”
I fully expect to be blown off when I see the shadow slide over Savvy’s face. But she surprises me.
“Okay. If you’re sure.”
Fuck, no, I’m not sure at all. In fact, I have a feeling I may be making a huge mistake, but that doesn’t stop me from leading the way down the aisle, grabbing a massive tub of ice cream, and heading for the checkout lane.
Tatum’s eyes widen when I walk in the door with Savvy in tow.
“Sheriff Colter is having dinner with us,” I announce.
“O-kay?”
“Call me Savvy, please,” Savannah suggests, taking off her baseball cap and running a hand through those lush curls.
“Tate, can you grab Savvy a drink? I’m gonna fire up the grill.”
I leave them both standing in the kitchen and step out on the deck. The chill hits me and I suppress a shudder. The days are still comfortably warm but are getting shorter, and as soon as the sun starts slipping behind the mountains, the evenings cool off fast.
I’m seriously questioning my knee-jerk decision as I turn on the propane and ignite the flame. Through the window I can see Tatum pulling a beer from the fridge and setting it in front of Savvy, who easily twists off the top.
I can’t recall her being a beer drinker, I remember she used to like those sweet premixed cocktail drinks, but apparently her tastes have changed as well.
I deadhead the begonias in the planter the real estate agent dropped off to welcome us to the new house. I’m stalling to avoid going back in there right away. It looks like they’re talking, and although I can’t hear what they’re saying, it looks amicable enough.
I watch as Tate pulls a bowl from the cupboard and hands it to Savvy, who throws together the kale salad while my girl sets the table. I’m surprised, we don’t usually eat at the table but in front of the TV. It makes me wonder if Tate and I have genuinely turned a corner at some point during the past few days.
Maybe I don’t suck at this parenting thing as badly as I thought I did.
“Dad, do you need the steaks out there?” Tate calls from the open sliding door.
