Page 37 of The Grumpy Boss Agreement

Savannah touches my arm and points to a small tent selling jars of jelly and bars of soap. She heads there without another word and leaves me to follow. I do, watching her pick up a soap and smell it.

She wrinkles her nose and puts it down.

“I guess you probably had to give up that house when your fiancée left.” Savannah says it so softly that I almost miss it.

“No. Charlie and I have been living in a short-term rental home in Sandy Springs for six months. But the lease was up there. So I packed Charlie up and came here while I figure out what our next move should be.”

Savannah picks up another bar of soap and gives it a delicate sniff. She offers it to me, but I just frown and shake my head.

“That’s really nice of you.”

“Not really. We were together for eight years. In my mind, that’s too long to just kick someone out after you break up.” I shrug awkwardly and pick up an orange-speckled jar of hot pepper jelly. It’s Dad’s favorite condiment, but I’m not really buying it because Dad will love it.

I’m buying it to have something to do while I sneak side glances at bubbly, brilliant Savannah.

She’s so freaking beautiful today,

“That’s actually really sweet.” She slides me a grin. “Are you feeling feverish or something?”

“Ha ha ha.” I hold up the jelly to the young man working the stand, offering him a fifty. He gives me a dour look but scrounges around for change anyway. I slide the jelly into my coat pocket.

Savannah moves on, looking around at the other tent. “So, what’s next?”

“You mean which tent?”

“No, silly.” She smacks me very gently on the arm. “I mean for you and Charlie. Are y’all going to settle here?”

“Nah. I’m planning on going to London. I have an appointment to get us new passports in a few days.”

Savannah looks at me like I’m a talking dog. “What’s that now?”

I gesture with a hand, sweeping it over the horizon.

“It’d be a great career move for me. And we could start over fresh.”

She makes a face. Frustrated by her reaction, I say, “What? You have a problem with London?”

“No. It’s just really far away from here.”

I give her a funny look. “That’s the point.”

Savannah sticks out her tongue at me and bursts into a tuneless singsong. “I would think that coming from a big family, that’s the type of environment you would want Charlie to grow up in.”

I blink. “What’s with the singing?”

She shrugs and smiles. “I don’t want you to take it as criticism, so I deliver it in the form of a song.”

“You know what I just realized? You are really strange.”

“That’s fair.” She tilts her head back and sings. “Don’t you want Charlie to have a great childhood like you had?”

Her song gives me pause. I hadn’t quite thought of my move in those terms. But I shake my head.

“Why wouldn’t he have a great childhood in London? Also, you’re making some assumptions. I didn’t have it that great growing up.”

She squints. “But you were rich.”

“Yeah, I was privileged. But that doesn’t really have much to do with anything. Besides, Charlie’s the only grandkid, so I think he would get lonely if we stayed here. If we go to England, we can do our own thing. Charlie would be thrilled. He loves people with funny accents. And English wizards, too.”

---