“Um. . .” Savannah didn’t know what to say. He was close enough that she could smell the mix of grease and cologne on him. It was clear he had gone home to change and shower before the appointment, but his job kept him with a certain amount of grime. Savannah loved it far more than the men her parents always tried to set her up with. They cared more about her last name and having her on their arm than any kind of hard work.
“Let me take you to dinner.”
“I don’t know.”
“Please.”
The letter in her back pocket burned like an ember in her pocket, but there was no way in hell she would turn down the chance to spend more time with him – whatever short time they had. The letter could wait. Her time in Carson was short and precious.
“Yeah. Okay, it sounds nice. I just need to do a few things before closing up shop.”
“That’s fine. I need to get Belle home. Want me to swing back by in an hour?”
“You know, that would be perfect.” It would give her just enough time to hop in the shower and call Hilary.
“Alright, see you then,” he said, leaning down to press a kiss on her cheek, his lips lingering for a moment against her skin and she swore she could hear sparks crackling in her ears at their contact. “Come on, girl,” he added as he bent down to grab Belle’s leash.
Savannah stood in place and watched as they left the room and headed out of the front of the clinic. Beau waved as they stepped through the door and Savannah was already going through her mental task list, wondering what she could have Trisha do during the evening.
“Trisha!!”
***
Beau had already changed out of his work attire when he cut out early to take Belle for her check-up. If there was any chance of running into Savannah, he wanted to at least look as appealing as he could.
Earlier he could tell that he had surprised her when he called her out on her little daydream. She had that far-off, dazed look in her eyes that he had become all too familiar with in the last week. Just today, he almost drained the brake fluid instead of oil because he was too lost in thought over her.
After settling Belle in her bed, Beau grabbed his keys as his cell phone rang. His mother’s name flashed on the screen and he groaned as he considered letting it go to voicemail, but he knew all too well that his mother would keep calling until he answered. And that was not how he wanted to spend his second date with Savannah. He sure as hell considered their tower trip as date one. Really their rendezvous in the clinic at their first meeting should count as well.
Beau pressed the green button on the screen and held the phone to his ear.
“Hey, mom.”
“Hey, sweetie.”
“What’s up? I’m just headed out the door.”
“Oh, well. . .I won’t keep you. I just wanted to let you know that Ken and I eloped.”
What? Eloped? And who the hell was Ken?
“Eloped? And who the hell is Ken?”
“Oh, you know. The guy that I met at the bank. I told you all about him.”
“No, you didn’t, mom! How long have you known this guy? And is this marriage legit? Please, don’t do this again.”
“Well, I’ve known Ken for about seven months. And yes, we went to the courthouse in Asheville to make it official. I told him I wouldn’t be taking his last name, though. It’s too much paperwork.”
With a groan, Beau moved toward his couch and sat down, leaning forward to rest his head in his hand.
“Mom, seriously?”
“Yes, Beau. Your mother is happy. You should be happy for me.”
“I am,” he said with a sigh.
“Anyway, that wasn’t even the big news.”
“Oh, really?”
“Ken and I are moving in together. He has a beautiful house in Asheville. You’ll love it.”
Luckily his mother had only been renting the small ranch-style home they’d claimed as their own when they made it to Carson.
“Do you need help moving?”
“Nope. I’ve got it all squared away. Ken hired a moving company, but I’m going to need you to come to get a few things of yours and some of your dads.”
“Sure, mom. But, hey, I need to go. I’ll call you later this week to get everything squared away.”
“Alright. Well, I love you. I wish you’d be a little more excited for me, though.”
Beau wanted to tell her that it was hard to be excited about husband number seven, or was it eight? He’d lost count at this point. It was just another face to add to the wall of marriages. He wondered how his mother could forget about her marriage to his father. Ever since he passed away, she’d been chasing one romance after another. His mother loved to be in love. It was exhausting. That’s why Beau took his time and never promised women anything more. They knew the score if it was only going to be a night or two of hot passionate sex. And if it was just to enjoy each other’s company, they understood.
Even with Savannah, he knew that their time was limited. Her grandfather would be returning soon and she would be back in Baltimore. Beau longed to leave the small-town life, but Baltimore wasn’t in the cards for him. He was more inclined to move somewhere within driving distance of his mother. She was all he had, after all. And when her next marriage failed, she’d need somewhere to go.