Seven (22 page)

All of a sudden Jamie’s expression changes to one of complete remorse. I actually start to feel guilty for being a bitch to her just now. She tilts her head, her eyes filled with sadness. “Of course…maybe that’s what you’re looking for then…someone to knock you up to replace the dead kid you no longer have. How could I have forgo…”

“GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY SALON YOU CRAZY FUCKING BITCH!”

Those words didn’t come out of my mouth.

Rachel…it was all Rachel.

I don’t even know what to say. The wind has just been knocked out of me. The room becomes a tilt-a-whirl for a full minute.

I don’t…even…know…what to do right now. Vacantly I look around the salon, catching every flabbergasted or snide expression staring back at me.

“Ex…” I clear my throat. “Excuse me.” I mumble. I’m not even positive the words come out of my mouth but my feet are moving toward the door.

“Savannah, no, wait!” I hear Rachel call after me but I don’t turn around. Not even once. I head out the door into the warm morning sunshine, not even sure of where I’m going. I just can’t be here.

Not now.

Chapter 25

Bryant

I hate Mondays. It’s always a slow night at the bar, but yet I have to spend most of the day doing inventory and running around town to make sure we’re stocked with everything we need. As the months pass and the weather grows warmer, Bardstown starts hopping with out-of-town tourist groups. They don’t call us the Bourbon Capital of the World for nothing. Everyone likes to come to town to sample what our local distilleries have to offer. My dad loves this time of year. I guess I sort of like the quiet months when it’s just the locals and I know I can take more time off to be with Ivy…and now Savannah too. But business is business and money is money so I’ll take everything I can get.

“Hey, Wood!” Sloan calls back to where I am in my office from the bar. “Add Baccardi Gold and Buckeye Vodka to the list if you’re working on it.”

“Will do!” I shout back to him. Inventory time is tedious but having my friend and business partner, Sloan, around makes things much easier and a bit more enjoyable. I add the needed drinks to my list and run another check to make sure I haven’t missed anything. Sloan walks into the office carrying a case of beer, setting it on top of the others I have against the wall.

“So…”

“So what?” I ask.

Sloan nods to a picture I have on my desk of Savannah and me from a few days ago. “You two make it official of anything? Cause everyone’s been talkin’ since you put your tongue down her throat a few weeks ago in the middle of our bar.”

“Oh yeah?” I try to seem uninterested but hell if I don’t think about putting my tongue down her throat every damn day. “Who’s everyone and what are they sayin’?”

“Just the guys that practically live here…Cliff, Woody, Norm…they haven’t seen you so fucking stupid over a girl in a long time, man.”

Sloan and I gave a few of our regulars nicknames to match the characters from
Cheers
. Seemed like the right thing to do at the time, and we were all pretty plastered, but it stuck.

“Yeah? When has anyone ever seen me ‘fucking stupid’ over a girl in my adult life?” I know I’ve been known to flirt with the female customers and all but I’m pretty damn sure nobody has ever seen Bryant Wood in love.

“True that. I guess just Sam…” he starts.

“I was never ‘fucking stupid’ over Sam, it was one night and we were both…fucking stupid.”

“So Savannah is different then? ‘Cause usually you’re an open book about the women you hang out with but this time it’s the silent treatment, so what gives? You were all about wanting her back in the day and now you’re tight-lipped about it. You got something with her?”

“Yeah I got something with her. That okay? I mean not that I need your damn approval or anything ‘Papa Sloan’ but you’re sittin’ here askin’, so is that okay?” I’m annoyed, but only because for the first time since I can remember, I’m in love with a girl and I don’t need the whole damn world knowing our business. I’m pretty sure Savannah would feel the same way if she were here.

Sloan’s smirk turns into a huge celebratory smile. “Hell yeah that’s okay Bry! I’m happy for you, man. Really…you deserve to be happy.” He rocks his body up off the couch and slaps his hand on my shoulder. “But if you don’t want people diggin’ on you, you may want to think about where you are when your tongue is playing hockey with hers.” He chuckles.

I look up from my desk and smirk at him. I suppose he has a point. It’s my fault everyone knows about us. “Yeah thanks for the advice, Douche.”

He laughs, stepping towards the office door when my cell phone rings on my desk. My caller ID says it’s Rachel. I assume she’s calling about meeting up with Savannah for lunch so I swipe my finger across the screen to answer the call.

“Hey Rache. What’s up?”

“Is Savannah with you?” she asks quickly.

“Uh…no. She’s supposed to be working today. Where are you?”

“At the salon.”

“So she never showed or what?”

“No she was here but left about ten minutes ago.” The panic in Rachel’s voice alarms me.

“Wait, wait, wait.” I say. “What do you mean she left? Is she okay?”

Why the fuck would she just leave?

“Because Jamie Henders and her bitches came in this morning.”

“Oh shit.” I mutter. Jamie Henders is known in this town for knowing everything about everybody. She’s also known for throwing her spoiled rich married body at any man who looks at her, and yes, that included me at one point. I fucked it and chucked it many years ago and she’s never forgotten. I have no doubt that she’s heard about Savannah and me, which means I’m one hundred percent sure she was out for blood this morning.

And again, it’s all my fault.

I hold my head in my left hand slowly rubbing the stress out of my temples. “What did she say, Rachel? Tell me what happened.”

“She was being her regular damn self, Bryant. You know, certified grade-A bitch and her girls were just as harsh. It was like we were in an episode of
Glee
and Savannah ended up with a verbal slushie to the face. I finally had enough and told them all to go fuck themselves and to get the fuck out of my salon, but it was too late. The damage had been done.”

“Fuck,” I whisper.

“Yeah. So Savannah quietly excused herself and walked out. I have no idea where she went, because her car is still parked outside, and she’s not answering her phone. I thought maybe she would’ve walked down the street to see you.”

Where could she have gone?

“No, she never showed here. I haven’t heard from her. Maybe she just needed a time out for a few minutes. If she left her car there, then she has to come back at some point to get it… I’m sure she’ll come around eventually.”

“Bryant?”

“Yeah?”

“Jamie told her that the only reason she would want to be with you is so you’ll knock
her
up too, and give her another kid to replace the dead one she no longer has.”

Oh…

Fuck…

I’m up out of my chair in a split second. I get it. Savannah is strong-willed and can take a beating to an extent but a comment like that…from a bitch like Jamie Henders…I’m sure it broke Savannah into pieces. She could be anywhere…I have no idea where I’ll find her but I’m waving to Sloan and am out the door in a minute. “I’m on my way out the door Rache. I’ll look for her. I’ll find her. Let me know immediately if you hear from her. I’m getting in my truck right now! I’ll drive around a few blocks and see if I can find her.”

I don’t even wait for a reply. I disconnect the call, throw my phone onto my dashboard, and practically peel out of my parking spot from the back of the bar. The first place I need to check is the park. We’ve been there a few times together, always stopping at the same secluded spot where we bring our lunch to eat and spend some time alone. It’s beautiful piece of land where we can talk quietly and not have to worry about other people. I head down the alley and smoothly pull into the public parking lot. If she’s upset, I would rather she not know I’m coming. She didn’t run to me initially so…shit.

My feet freeze on the pavement.

She didn’t run to me.

She knew I was here.

She could’ve come here.

But she didn’t.

She doesn’t want my help.

Or she doesn’t want me.

Son of a bitch, if I ever see Jamie Henders or either of her two bitches again, it’ll be way too soon. That girl has fucked with me more than once and I’ll be damned if I’m going to let her get away with it this time. She’s got me doubting myself and Savannah’s part in my life and that doesn’t sit well with me at all. Just the thought of breaking Savannah’s heart into pieces has me immediately nauseous. If she doesn’t want to see me right now it’s okay, but I still need to find her, watch her…make sure she’s alright. I can’t do nothing when I know she’s upset. Swiftly I jog to our little spot in the park where I expect to see her curled up under the tree, but she’s not there.

“Where are you Seven?” I whisper to myself. She could easily be walking any of the several nature trails the park has to offer but there’s no way I could possibly search all of them at once to find her. Pulling out my phone I quickly send her a text to see if she’ll respond to me.

Me: Hey. I’m at the park, you here?

No response.

Maybe she turned her ringer off. Rachel didn’t say she left it at the salon. I slowly start to make my way back tto my truck, looking all around for her just in case I missed her the first time. Eagerly anticipating her reply, I text her again.

Me: Babe, are you ok? I can’t find you.

No response.

Damnit.

“Come on Sev. I need to know you’re okay.” I mutter to myself again. Knowing she can’t have gone too far on foot, I drive around a couple blocks through town in hopes that I’ll find her sitting on a bench or something. After another five minutes of driving I still haven’t found her. I check the flower gardens near the historical museum, I ask the drivers of the town carriage rides if she’s stopped by, and even drive out to the elementary school to see if she’s there watching the kids play.

Where the fuck can she be?

Me: Seven I just need to know if you’re okay. Please.

No response.

The way I see it, I have two choices. I can go back to work and pray to God she makes her way back to me when she’s calmed down, or I can go back to town and stop in every store on Main Street to see if she’s been in. Unless she took a cab, and there aren’t many of those in this town, there’s no way she’s far away from town. My head says go back to work, but my heart unequivocally wins out as I turn my truck around to head back into town. Peirson’s is my first stop. I step into the gift shop and look around quickly for anyone resembling Savannah. I don’t see anyone in the store at all except for Mrs. Peirson who is smiling at me expectantly from the register.

“Good morning Bryant. What can I help you with this mornin’?”

“Mornin’ Mrs. Peirson.” Although I know her first name is Linda, I can’t ever get myself to be on a first name basis since Mrs. Peirson was my seventh grade math teacher. Her family has always owned Peirson’s gifts, so since she’s retired from teaching she’s made herself available to help at the store. “I’m sorry ma’am, I was just stopping in looking for someone this morning. That’s all.

“Oh, well who might you be lookin’ for? Jamie Henders perhaps? She was just in not too long ago with her girlfriends.”

Fuck no. Anyone but her.

“No, actually I’m looking for Savannah Sanders…uh…Turner. Savannah Turner. Has she been in at all this morning?”

Mrs. Peirson immediately gives me the sympathetic I-know-all-about-Savannah’s-loss expression before she says “No, I’m sorry. I haven’t seen her at all today, but if she stops by I’ll certainly tell her you’re looking for her.”

“Thank you ma’am. Have a nice day.”

“You too Bryant,” she waves as I back out of the store.

I head to the next place on the block, Bardstown Books, but don’t see her in there either. As I step back out onto the street my cell phone buzzes in my pocket, alerting me to a text.

Sloan: Savannah’s here for you.

Oh thank Christ!

Me: Is she ok?

Sloan: Don’t know but it does look like she’s been crying. She’s been

here for about fifteen minutes. Didn’t want me to tell you she was here.

What the hell?

Why not?

She really doesn’t want to see me?

Me: DON’T LET HER LEAVE! I’ll be right there. Keep her safe!

Sloan: She’s fine, Dude, what the fuck? Did something happen?

I don’t even bother to respond to his last text. I jump in my truck and speed down the next few blocks. Standing outside the back door to the bar, I stop and force myself to take a deep breath to calm myself down. If she’s feeling beaten down and is overwhelmingly upset, I can’t run in there upset with her. I’m not upset with her. If anything I’m pissed at myself for what she’s gone through this morning. In one way or another, I’m directly related to the problem. This is all my fault and I now all I can do is hope that she’ll forgive me. Quietly I pull the door open and step inside. Sloan is standing against the wall outside my office fiddling with his cell phone, ready to ambush me with questions.

“Hey man. Is everything okay? What’s going on? Did she get hurt?”

My eyes grow large at the thought of someone physically hurting Savannah. “What do you mean did she get hurt?” I whisper so she doesn’t hear me. “Does she look like she got hurt?”

“NO. No, calm down Bry.” Sloan shakes his head. “She looks fine physically…just a little tired and like she had been crying. She got here and didn’t know you were out. I wasn’t sure where you went so I told her you would most likely be back soon. She didn’t want me to bother you so I didn’t text you. But dude, you gotta see…”

“You should’ve bothered me, Sloan. I was out looking for her! Rachel called and told me she ran out of work upset and she couldn’t find her. I’ve been looking everywhere.”

“Oh…fuck. I’m sorry, man. Really I am, but if it makes you feel any better, it seemed to me like she got the therapy she was apparently looking for.”