“I could have hit my head,” Tripp snaps. “And that was the moment I knew Heston and I needed matching tattoos. It only took a few more shots for me to make him do it. His is the other half of the heart and it saysfriends,” he says proudly.
“Wow. That’s—” Savannah struggles to find the right reaction, but can’t help but smile.
“Dumb as hell,” I laugh. “They didn’t even spell friends right. There’s no ‘i’ in it.”
“I don’t think it’s dumb. It’s a great story. If I had someone that saved me and then got a friendship tattoo with me in the same night,” she stops to think, shaking her head in wonder, “I’d brag about it too.”
“Thank you. Exactly,” Tripp exclaims with his hand stretched out toward Savannah. “Are you two love birds still messing around for shits and giggles by the way?” Tripp asks through a mouthful of food.
Savannah whips her head around to check the front door and make sure my mom wasn’t lurking around before answering, even though she’s been gone for a while already.
“What do you mean for shits and giggles?” she says while clearing her throat, attempting to not look horrified.
“Heston told me it was all for show for your boss or something,” Tripp says with a straight face like it’s no big deal.
I look straight to Blythe because she and Tripp gossip like a few middle-aged divorcees at the hair salon.
“I told Heston,” Blythe chimes in to confess.
Then, it’s Savannah’s turn to make an accusatory glare, and I’m on the receiving end of it.
“I told Gage and Blythe,” I admit. “Can’t hide much around here.”
Savannah’s cheeks turn bright red and I feel a little bit guilty seeing the nervousness in her expression.
After one more small bit and a quick sip of her drink, her fork clangs against her plate as she gathers up her dishes and brings them to the sink. There’s a pretty good chance she’s going to chew my ass for making our arrangement common knowledge around the ranch. I put my dishes up as well, hoping to talk to her before she has a chance to bolt out of here.
“I better go, I have a meeting,” she says right on cue.
“Savannah,” Blythe stops her by standing from her seat and blocking her way out of the kitchen. “We won’t tell anyone else. Promise.”
She nods and smiles, quickly turning to sling her bag over her shoulder and leave. Before she closes the door, I catch it with one hand and follow her outside to her car.
“I’m not mad, you can stop following me,” she says without turning to face me. Her heels dig into the gravel with determination, each step quick and hard against the ground.
“Look,” I say with a deep breath once I catch up to her. How is it, I’m always chasing after this girl? “I might be able to pull it off around my parents and other people, but I can’t lie to my sister or my friends,” I explain.
“Yes, Warren. I know that. It’s okay,” she seethes through her teeth as she practically jumps into the front seat of her SUV.
Not mad, my ass.
Again, I stop the door from closing by catching it with my hand.
“You can trust them if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“That’s the problem, isn’t it?” she stares out the windshield with both hands on the steering wheel. She’s frustrated, and laughs in a way that’s more out of hysterical realization than humor.
“Your friends are all funny andniceand seem more than trustworthy. You’re honest with each other. I can’t be mad about that. And your sister, well, she’s only the most gorgeous and kind human being I’ve ever met. Your mother,” her hands are animated and waving around her face as she rambles on, “she’s—she’s downright delightful. It’s maddening!”
I bend my body toward her and get closer to eye level, trying to understand what she’s getting at and why she’s acting the way she is. I never tire of trying to figure her out, but it still drives me insane when I can’t.
Slowly, her head finally turns in my direction, and I search for what emotion she’s fighting off this time.
“I’m envious, okay?” she whispers. “That’s a terrible thing to feel, I’m sorry, I just . . .”
My face falls. I can’t imagine that was easy to admit, but she’s being open with me right now. I don’t want to break that new and fragile line of trust.
“You can feel that way. You can feel any way you want, and you don’t have to apologize to me.”
