by Reese Ryan
She unlocked the main door, and Blake trailed her up the stairs to her apartment.
“Kayleigh’s done a good job with the place.” He glanced around the small space. The entire apartment was probably smaller than his great room.
“It’s not a house on the lake with mountain views, but it’s home.” Savannah closed the door behind him and dropped her bags on the sofa.
“You think I’d look down on you because you have a smaller place?” Blake’s brows furrowed. “Is that why you keep trying to push me away?”
Savannah didn’t respond.
“You can’t convince me this weekend didn’t mean anything to you.”
Savannah’s throat tightened and her lungs constricted. “I thought I’d been clear. I’m not looking for a relationship. That would cause problems for both of us.”
“I’m not saying we should run out and tell the world.”
“You don’t want your family and friends to know you’re slumming it.”
“I never said that.” The vein in his neck pulsed. He raked his fingers through his hair. “You’re purposely being combative.”
“But it’s the truth.” She sank onto the sofa. “Besides, I doubt that Iris Abbott would want any of her precious boys to fall under the spell of some poor girl from the wrong side of the river.”
Blake shoved aside the magazines on the coffee table and sat in front of her. He lifted her chin, forcing her gaze to meet his. “You don’t really believe that.”
“Because you know me so well.” She pulled free of his grip.
“I know you better than you think. I know your fears, what turns you on...” He leaned in closer, his voice low. “I know how to satisfy you in ways no one else has.”
Blake was too close. He was taking up all of the air in the room, making it difficult for her to breathe.
“So what?” She shrugged. “You haven’t known me long. Maybe you wouldn’t like me if you really knew me.”
He leaned in closer, his gaze softer. “That’s something I’d like to find out for myself.”
She swallowed the lump in her throat. “Why is getting to know me so important to you? Most men would be content with a no-strings weekend.” She forced a laugh. “You don’t even have to pretend you’re going to call.”
“I’m not most men. Not when it comes to you.” Blake kissed her.
She held back, at first. But when he took her face in his hands, Savannah parted her lips to him and pulled him closer, needing more of the connection they’d shared.
When he pulled away, one edge of his mouth curled in a smirk. “Is that your way of admitting that this weekend meant something to you, too?”
“If I say yes, will you take me to bed?”
“No.” He stood, the ridge apparent beneath his zipper. “But it does mean I’m asking you on a date.”
“Around here? Are you crazy?” She stood, too. “Everyone will know before dessert.”
He sighed heavily. “True.”
“Then where do you propose we have this date?”
“My place for starters.” He tucked her hair behind her ear. “But pack for the weekend. I’ve got something special in mind.”
He kissed her, made a quick inspection of the apartment, as promised, and left.
Savannah closed the door behind him and exhaled.
What have I gotten myself into?
She needed to vindicate her grandfather and get the hell out of Magnolia Lake before she fell any deeper under Blake’s spell.
She’d barely sat down when there was a knock at her door.
Had Blake changed his mind?
“Savannah, it’s me—Kayleigh.” A wall separated their apartments, though there were separate staircases leading to each.
Savannah opened the door. “Hi, Kayleigh. Is everything okay?”
“I bought too much food and I thought you might be hungry.”
“Starving.” She let the woman in. “Thanks for thinking of me.”
“Haven’t seen you around since the storm. I was worried.” Kayleigh set containers of barbecue chicken, wedge fries and coleslaw on the table.
“Got caught on the other side of the river.” Savannah gathered plates, napkins and silverware.
“I hope someone put you up during the storm.” Kayleigh was trying to figure out where she’d spent the past few days.
“Thankfully, yes.” Savannah put the dishes on the table and sat across from her landlord and neighbor.
“Well, that’s a relief.”
Savannah was eager to change the subject and avoid the question she knew would come next. “Everything smells delicious. Thanks for sharing.”
“My pleasure.” Kayleigh spooned coleslaw onto her plate.
Savannah fixed a plate for herself, hoping the other shoe didn’t drop.
“I noticed that Blake Abbott followed you home today.”
The other shoe dropped.
Savannah couldn’t deny what Kayleigh had seen with her own eyes. But she could spin it.
“I’m about the only person in town who doesn’t have a truck or SUV. Blake was nice enough to make sure I made it back across the river safely.”
“And it was kind of him to see you inside.”
Didn’t the people in this town have anything else to do with their time?
“He mentioned that the building’s roof has leaked in previous storms.”
“Damn Abbotts think they’re better than everyone else.”
“He mentioned that you won’t let his brother fix the roof.”
“I’m not one of their charity cases.” Kayleigh opened a jar of preserves and spread it onto her biscuit. “I can afford to get my own roof repaired...eventually.”
They ate in companionable silence. But even the delicious food wasn’t enough to keep Kayleigh quiet for long.
“It’s none of my business what you do and who you do it with.” The woman took a sip of her sweet tea. “But getting involved with an Abbott isn’t too smart, if you ask me.”
Savannah chewed her food. She had no intention of confirming her involvement with Blake Abbott, but she didn’t bother denying it, either.
“You’ve made it clear you don’t like them,” Savannah said. “But you’ve never said why.”
Kayleigh’s scowl briefly shifted to a pained expression. Then her mask of anger slipped back in place.
“They’re always throwing their money around like they can buy anyone they want.”
“Did they do something to you specifically?”
Maybe the Abbotts had a pattern of cheating business partners. If she could prove that, it would go a long way toward supporting her grandfather’s claim that Joseph Abbott had done the same to him.
“I went to school with Parker.” She groaned. “That one is a piece of work.”
Savannah couldn’t disagree with that. Parker was smart, but his people skills were nonexistent. Everyone at the distillery seemed to understand that was simply who Parker was. No one took his overly direct approach personally. She’d learned to do the same.
“Is Parker the reason you don’t like the entire family?”
“Parker is only part of the reason.” Kayleigh’s mouth twisted. She dropped her fork, as if she’d lost her appetite. “The other reason has to do with my father.”
“What happened?”
The fire that always seemed to blaze in Kayleigh’s eyes faded. “When I was growing up, my dad was the town drunk. In and out of the local jail all the time. Generally horrible to my mother, my sister and me.”
“That must’ve been difficult for you. Especially in a small town like this one.”
“There wasn’t a week that went by when I wasn’t humiliated by some kid talking shit about my dad’s latest antics.”
“Kids like Parke
r?”
“Not at first. At first, he and his brothers were about the only kids who didn’t tease me. But then Parker started hanging with a different crowd... He wanted so badly to fit in back then.”
“Doesn’t sound like the Parker Abbott I know.” Savannah tried to imagine the abrasive man as an impressionable kid who just wanted to fit in. She couldn’t. “The guy I know doesn’t care much what anyone thinks of him.”
“It’s true. Parker was different from the other kids. Smarter. More direct. Way too honest.” Kayleigh shook her head and sighed. “So he tried to be part of the crowd. That meant embarrassing me, like all the other ‘cool’ kids.” She used air quotes to emphasize the word.
“I see why you dislike Parker, but why don’t you like the rest of the Abbotts?”
“Because Duke Abbott is a liar and a thief.” The fire was back in Kayleigh’s eyes. The icy tone returned to her voice.
Now we’re getting somewhere.
Savannah leaned forward. “What did Duke Abbott steal from you?”
“We didn’t have much, but my grandfather had left my mom a ton of property adjacent to the distillery. The old house and barn were dilapidated, but when my dad was sober we’d take a ride out there and walk around. He wanted to fix the place up. Make it a working farm again.” She swiped angrily at the corner of her eye.
“In those moments when my dad was completely hammered, those walks on my grandfather’s property were the one good memory I held on to. The only hope I had that one day he’d finally come through and be a real father to us.”
“What happened to the farm?” Savannah knew the answer before she asked the question. Why else would Kayleigh hate the Abbotts when everyone else in town fawned over them?
“While my sister and I were away at college, Dad got really sick. Sicker than he or my mother were telling us. His liver couldn’t take any more. My mother didn’t want to burden us with their financial problems. So she sold the property to Duke Abbott for a fraction of what it was worth to pay hospital bills and help with our tuition.”
“Must’ve been a tough decision for your mother.”
“Selling her dad’s property for a song broke her heart. She died not a year later. That’s when I learned that greedy bastard Duke Abbott had bought it.” Kayleigh paced the floor. “He’d already torn down the old house and put new buildings up.”
Like father, like son.
The sound of her own heartbeat filled Savannah’s ears. She was getting closer to establishing a pattern of the Abbotts cheating neighbors and friends. It evidently hadn’t been much consolation to Kayleigh, but at least her family had received something for their property. That was more than her family could say.
“Sorry—I don’t want to dump my issues on you. And I don’t mean to be the kind of petty person who doesn’t want her friends to have any other friends.” Kayleigh returned to her chair and nibbled on a wedge fry. “But I had to warn you. The Abbotts seem like sunshine and roses. But when it comes to something they want, they’d as soon stab you in the back as smile in your face.”
Savannah was surprised Kayleigh had referred to her as a friend. She hadn’t thought of the woman that way. Kayleigh always seemed closed off, and Savannah hadn’t been eager to make new friends, either. But maybe together they could form an alliance against the Abbotts.
She opened her mouth to tell Kayleigh who her grandfather was, and the reason she loathed Joseph Abbott. But the truth was, she didn’t really know Kayleigh.
What she did know was that Kayleigh was part of the town’s gossip circle. If she told her the truth it would be all over town by morning. She’d lose her one advantage over the Abbotts: the element of surprise.
Blowing her cover wasn’t worth the risk.
Instead, she thanked the woman for her advice and turned the conversation elsewhere, while her grandfather’s advice played on repeat in her head.
Never trust an Abbott farther than you can throw one.
Not even Blake.
But that didn’t mean she couldn’t enjoy whatever it was that they had. For now.
Thirteen
“Hello, darlin’. Miss me?”
Blake glanced up from his laptop to find the whirlwind that was Iris Abbott in his office.
“Mama.” He met her in the middle of the room so she could give him one of her trademark bear hugs. “Dad didn’t tell me you were back.”
“I wanted to surprise you.”
“How’s Aunt Constance?” Blake straightened his collar and sat behind his desk.
“Much better.” She sat in one of the chairs across from him. “She’ll only need me for a few more weeks. Then I’ll be home for good.”
“How long are you staying?” Blake studied his mother’s face. Iris Abbott considered flying a necessary evil. If she took a voluntary plane trip, she had a damn good reason for it.
“A few days.” Her eyes roamed the space, as if it were her first visit. “Just long enough to have a couple of meetings with this Savannah girl.”
The hair on the back of Blake’s neck stood up. “Thought you two were holding video conferences about the gala.”
“We have been, and we’ve gotten lots done. She’s sharp, and she’s not just talk. She makes things happen.”
Blake crossed one leg over the other. “Sounds like the arrangement is working. So why the surprise trip?”
“What, you didn’t miss your mama?”
“I did.” Blake leaned on the armrest. “But you haven’t answered my question. Why make a special trip just to meet with Savannah?”
His mother shifted in her chair, brushing imaginary crumbs from her summery floral skirt. “Technology is great, but it doesn’t replace sitting across the table from someone and getting a good read on them.”
“And why do you suddenly need a better read on Savannah?”
She folded her arms. “A little birdie told me her car was here all weekend.”
“We had one heck of a storm. The bridge was closed, and she lives on the other side of the river. She obviously got stuck on this side.”
“And where do you suppose she spent all that time?”
“Why are you asking me?” Blake composed an email to Savannah, warning her of his mother’s suspicions.
“Tread carefully, son.” Iris flashed her you-ain’t-fooling-me smirk. “I saw the video of you bringing her back to her car on Monday afternoon.”
Damn blabbermouth security guards.
“What if I did?” He shrugged. “She’s new to the area. Didn’t know it’s prone to flooding. I wanted to make sure she was all right. What’s wrong with that?”
His mother hiked one brow. “You still haven’t answered my question. Where did she spend that long weekend? In your bed?”
“Just so we’re clear, that question will never be okay.” His cheeks flooded with heat. “Who I sleep with—or don’t—is my business.”
“Except when it threatens our business.”
“You’re being melodramatic, Mother.”
“Am I?” She folded her arms. “You remember how ugly things got when Parker made a mess of things with his secretary?”
Blake groaned, recalling how angry the woman had been when Parker broke it off.
“This situation isn’t the same.”
“So you are sleeping with her.”
He wasn’t a good liar, which was why he preferred to take the it’s-none-of-your-business approach. But his mother never had trouble getting to the truth.
Still, what happened between him and Savannah wasn’t up for family discussion.
“Blake, you were the one son I could count on to not break the rules. What happened? Did she seduce you?”
“I’m a grown man. Nothing happened I didn’t want to happen. Let’s leave it at that.”
She folded h
er arms, pouting.
“I need you to promise me something, Mama.” He moved to sit beside her.
“And what is that?”
“Don’t mention this to Savannah.”
“Now you want to dictate what I can say to her? This is why I made the rule in the first place, son. Can’t you see the problems this is causing already?”
“Do this for me. Please.”
“Fine.” She stood, flipping her wrist to check the time. “I won’t say anything—”
“To anyone,” he added.
“For now.” She leaned down and kissed him. “Come by for dinner tonight. I promise you and your little girlfriend won’t be the topic of discussion.”
“I’ll be there around six.”
Blake groaned in relief as his mother left.
His weekend with Savannah made him realize that his feelings for her were deeper than he’d imagined. Savannah evidently had feelings for him, too. Yet she was hesitant to explore them.
If she found out what his mother knew, it would only spook her. She’d pull away again.
Blake returned to his desk and discarded the email to Savannah. He could handle his mother, and what Savannah didn’t know wouldn’t hurt her.
Fourteen
Savannah pulled her car into Blake’s garage and parked, as he’d requested. She’d spent the previous weekend at his place out of necessity. But this was a deliberate decision.
She’d crossed the line and the guilt bored a hole in her gut. Savannah could only imagine what Laney would say, if she knew.
Her sister would be gravely disappointed in her.
But she hadn’t slept with Blake as part of some grand scheme to elicit information from him. What had happened was precipitated by the very real feelings that had been developing between them.
But didn’t that make what she was doing worse?
She was giving him hope. Making him believe something could come of the game they were playing. Only Blake had no idea he was playing a game.
Savannah got out of her car, her hands shaking.
This was a mistake. I should go.
Blake stepped into the garage, a dish towel thrown over one shoulder. He seemed to know she was grappling with the decision to come inside.