by Len Webster
Savannah stood next to her and groaned. “It’s been in the Peters family for over two hundred years.”
She faced her best friend. “It’s very beautiful.”
“She lives a very wonderful life. My daddy lost it in the divorce, so he took a job in Vermont during my senior year. I followed him in the summer, so I could spend time with him before I started college. He’s happier in Vermont. He just hates that I have to work in college when he didn’t. And my momma is making my life hell because I didn’t want to marry my high school boyfriend and join our families. Cameron’s family is one of the oldest here in Southport—they practically run the town. She wants more money in the bank and more status to her name.”
It dumbfounded Alex how Savannah’s mother could do that to her. “Sav, you work long hours at Chino’s … You’re practically killing yourself to work through college.”
Savannah nodded. “I don’t take her money because it comes with strings. Strings that mean I end up like her. Like a lot of the women in this town. The trust my parents set up doesn’t come with strings if I graduate.”
“I’m sorry, Sav.”
“No. I’m sorry y’all drove all this way for me. Come inside. My momma might be manipulative, but she’s Southern, so expect some hospitality that y’all don’t get in New England.” Then Sav proceeded forward, climbing up the steps until she was knocking on the door.
“She okay?” Landon asked once he had made his way around the car to her.
Alex hummed. “I don’t think she likes being back home. She never talks about Southport, and now I know why. Let’s follow her.”
Landon nodded and then turned. Alex stepped forward and grasped his wrist to stop him. “Everything okay, Massachusetts?”
“Yeah. I just wanted a second to thank you. For doing this for Sav. I know you’re doing it for me, but I know you want to help her.” She released his wrist, and Landon grasped her hand, threading his fingers with hers.
“She’s your best friend and your roommate. I do it because I know how much you care about her. Come on,” Landon said as he led her away from the Range Rover and up the mansion steps. They came to a stop behind Savannah as the front door opened.
“Ahh, Miss Savannah, you’re home,” an elderly man said with a hint of glee in his voice.
“Hello, Mr. Keller. Is Momma home?”
The elderly man was dressed in a suit—complete with a jacket over his white shirt and black dress pants. He stepped aside and welcomed them inside. Alex took in the grand entrance and the crystal chandelier above them.
“Your mother is in the sitting room with Mr. Cameron. They’re expecting you.”
Savannah groaned. “He’s here? I told her that I wanted to speak to her alone. She never listens.”
“I’m sorry, Miss Savannah. Are these your friends?”
“They are. Mr. Keller, this is my roommate at Duke, Alexandra Parker. But she goes by Alex. And this is her boyfriend, Landon Carmichael. Alex and Landon, this is my mother’s butler, Mr. Keller—who I’ve spent more time with during my childhood than my own mother.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you both,” Mr. Keller said with a nod.
“Nice to meet you,” Alex said.
“Mr. Keller, I’ll take it from here. You mind making my friends some of Mrs. Keller’s sweet tea? They’re from New England, so they haven’t had proper sweet tea before,” Savannah teased.
“Yes, ma’am,” the butler said before he went down the hall.
“Did you just insult us?” Landon asked.
For the first time today, Savannah laughed. “I did.”
Alex shook her head. “Sav, you live in Vermont now. You’re one of us.”
“Never,” she hissed as she led them through a grand living room and down another hall until they stopped in front of white double doors. Savannah inhaled a sharp breath and pushed them open.
In front of them was a stunning and bright view of the water. Alex could see why this house had been in Savannah’s family for hundreds of years. She wouldn’t have given it up so easily either.
“Momma!” Savannah shouted as she walked farther into the room. Alex and Landon sheepishly followed behind her.
Alex watched as a blond woman, in her late forties it would seem, got up from the chair by the window. She was in a white sundress and her curls were pristine. She wore heels, and her makeup was perfect.
“Oh, Savannah, you’re finally home,” Mrs. Peters greeted. “And you brought some friends.”
Then a man stood from the opposite chair. He was a lot taller than Alex’s boyfriend, but he didn’t have a basketball player’s body. Instead, he was broader as if he played football. He had dirty blond hair and a crooked nose. He had a dazzling smile, but his eyes were a faint blue.
“There she is,” the man Alex presumed was Cameron said as he opened his arm.
Savannah held up her hand. “Now don’t you dare, Cameron. I did not come here for you. How dare you use my momma to threaten me? You know I won’t marry you. Told you no a million times in the back of your truck. Even told you when I left this town.”
“Savannah, sweetheart,” her mother pleaded.
“No, Momma! This is not fair. That trust fund is mine. Don’t you dare say I can’t have it when I graduate from Duke. I gotta pay Daddy back. And you know Grandpa Peters would be turning over in his grave if he knew you were blackmailing me. I’m not marrying Cameron.”
Cameron huffed. “Now you hold it right there, Savannah May. Your momma was just looking out for you. You run off to college and think you’re no good for me. You always run off for attention. You followed your daddy to Vermont so I would miss you, and you’re doing it with Duke, too. You don’t need college, baby. I’ll look after you.”
“Jesus—”
“Don’t you say the Lord’s name in vain, young lady. Not in my house.”
“This isn’t your house, you impossible woman! It’s supposed to be mine.” Savannah spun around and faced Alex and Landon. “I’m so sorry. Why don’t y’all go check in at the hotel, and I’ll catch up later. Y’all don’t need to see this.”
“Sav,” Alex said, pulling her hand from Landon’s.
Her roommate shook her head. “It’s okay. I can handle it.”
“Like you handle running away? Savannah May, you tell your friends just how much you love attention. That’s why you went to college. So I’d miss you enough to marry you and not any of the other girls. Why don’t you just do us all a favor and quit college, move back home, and marry me. That’s all you’re good for—”
“Stop right there!” Landon said, raising his voice, causing both Savannah and Alex to wince.
“Landon,” Savannah warned, her eyes large.
Alex’s boyfriend shook his head. Then he took several steps forward until he was face to face with Savannah’s mother and ex-boyfriend. Alex walked over to Savannah and set her hand on her shoulder, reassuring her that she wasn’t leaving.
“I’m sorry if I’m being disrespectful in your home, Mrs. Peters. That is not my intention at all. But I’ve known your daughter for a while, and those accusations are not warranted. For all the time I’ve known my girlfriend’s roommate, she’s been nothing but kind and hardworking. Savannah is a determined young woman who doesn’t need to settle down with a self-righteous jackass. You don’t even speak to or about Savannah as if you love her. You speak as if she’s a prize you’re entitled to. Well, guess what? She’s not your prize, and some lucky bastard out there is going to treat her right. And as for you, Mrs. Peters, no mother should ever blackmail her daughter into marriage. You should be appalled with your actions—”
“Landon,” Alex said, stopping him from saying more. Then she stepped away from her best friend and grasped her boyfriend’s hand. She saw the shock on Cameron and Mrs. Peters’s faces. She had nothing to say
to Cameron, but she did have words for Savannah’s mother. “Mrs. Peters, you have an amazing daughter, and if you continue to do what you’re doing, you’ll miss out on being a part of the incredible life she’s working toward. No mother should subject her daughter to what you’ve done.”
Then Savannah was by her side. “Thanks y’all. I’ll deal with my momma and Cameron from here. I appreciate everything y’all said.”
“Okay, Sav,” Alex said as she released Landon’s hand and spun around. “Come on, Landon.”
“All right. We won’t be too far if you need us, Savannah,” Landon said before he followed Alex out of the old mansion.
When they were out of the house, Alex waited as Landon shut the door behind them. Then she pulled him away from the door and squeezed his hand. “Thank you for what you did in there.”
Landon pressed a kiss on her temple, and said, “No woman deserves that. Trust me, had it been you, I wouldn’t have been as polite.”
It was at that moment, on a porch in Southport, that she almost told him that she loved him for the very first time. Instead, she kissed his cheek and led him to his car, promising herself that she’d tell him before they made it back to Duke.
69 Tm
thulium
ALEX
Now
Sav: Landon got pretty drunk last night and fought with some of his teammates. Walt says he’s been losing it a lot since you left.
Alex: I’m not his girlfriend anymore, Sav.
Sav: But I know you care. He might get himself in trouble. He might even do somethin’ stupid like sign his eligibility away.
Alex: WHAT?
Sav: That’s what his teammates are saying. They’ve been looking for you and found me, hoping I can convince you to come back to Duke. He can go pro, and that’s college basketball over for him.
“Everything okay?” Evan asked next to her.
She glanced over to see the concern on his face, her lips pressing into a tight line. “Yeah,” she said in a small voice. “Everything’s okay.”
Then she focused back on her phone.
Alex: I’ll talk to him.
Sav: You don’t have to, Alex. I can just tell his teammates to back off. It’s Landon’s life. You owe him nothing. He broke y’all up.
Alex: I love him, Sav. Part of me will always love him.
Exiting Savannah’s messages, she opened Landon’s and ignored all his previous texts. She didn’t have the strength to read his desperate pleas right now.
Alex: Landon, you sign away your eligibility and that’s us done forever.
Landon: So there’s a chance you’ll forgive me?
Her heart stopped at his question.
There was a chance.
She still loved him and knew that wouldn’t change in a matter of days.
Alex: I’m not saying that. I’m not ready to talk about us. I’m just giving you what you wanted. You wanted to be captain when you lifted the conference trophy. You go pro now, and that dream of yours is over. That’s your senior year at Duke gone in a signature. Don’t be stupid right now, Landon.
Landon: I can’t think straight without you. Come back to me. Come home, Alex.
Alex: I am home.
Locking her phone, she slipped it back into her purse with a heavy sigh. As much as she loved her ex-boyfriend, she wasn’t ready to talk to him. He stripped her raw and ripped out her heart when he ended them. She wanted to find herself before she returned to Duke.
“We can go home if you want, Alexandra,” Evan offered.
She shook her head, taking in the grand entrance of Fenway Park. They were about to walk into the ballpark when she felt her phone vibrate in her purse, but she ignored it.
“No,” Alex said as she led him through the gates. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been to Fenway.”
“Me, too,” Evan agreed as he followed her toward the security guard.
“Hey, lookie here. If it isn’t Alex and Evan back at Fenway,” Caesar, the stocky security guard said. “You two haven’t been home together in a lil while.”
“No, we haven’t,” she agreed as she reached into her purse and pulled out her Red Sox lanyard Kyle had sent her. It gave her all access to Fenway Park whenever she wanted.
“I ain’t gotta see your pass, Alex,” Caesar said, waving her and Evan through. “Ev, great series against Michigan. You killed it, man.”
Evan nodded. “Thanks, Caesar. It was a tough game. We’ll see you on our way out.”
Then they made their way toward their seats. Even though she hadn’t been to a Red Sox game in so long, her parents ensured that her season pass was still paid for. She knew that even if she told her parents not to pay it, Kyle would make sure that it remained hers. All the Red Sox fans knew that those two seats were hers and Evan’s. It had been that way for years.
Alex walked down the row first, not able to take her eyes off the perfect field. Seeing it on TV was nothing compared to seeing it in person. The grass was cut to perfection, and the bases were clean of dirt. Alex sat down in her old seat and took in the thousands of empty chairs. On game day, even outside of the stadium, you could hear “Sweet Caroline” being sung by the fans.
At that moment, Alex truly felt like she was home. It was the first time in a long time that she felt like herself. At Fenway, she wasn’t the Duke basketball captain’s girlfriend. She was Alex. She was where she belonged.
In Fenway … with Evan.
She spent most of yesterday in Rhode Island with him watching the sunset. When the cold wind made her shiver, Evan had suggested they make their way home. Once they were back in Brookline, a million different confusing emotions collided within her. She had no idea where she stood when it came to Evan. She still had so many unanswered questions. She should be cautious of him, but she couldn’t. He knew the happier parts of her that she wanted back. And when he asked if he could see her today, yes fell naturally from her lips.
She craved their past. She desperately needed it. For once, she was tired of being lost and wanted to be found.
“I’ve missed this,” Alex said in a small voice.
“You never came home for games,” Evan stated.
Alex glanced down at her lap, refusing to look at him. She neglected her love of baseball to protect her heart. She lifted her chin, her eyes meeting his. “I wanted to stay at Duke for Landon’s games. And …”
“And?” His brown eyes held a curious gleam to them.
The truth would slowly escape them, she knew that. And she knew she had to be the first to tell her secrets in order to hear his. “I didn’t want to take the chance that I might see you.”
Evan’s lip twitched. He let out a heavy exhale, and said, “I understand.”
She felt horrible that she might have hurt his feelings, but it was the truth. “You almost ruined my relationship with Landon, Evan. I couldn’t come back and take that risk again.”
“I know, Alexandra. Trust me, I know. I went back to California with disgust for what I did to you when I saw him. Sure, I wanted to hurt him. He had you. But I didn’t want to hurt you. Seeing you with him … I wasn’t expecting you to bring him home to meet your parents.”
“Evan, I need answers,” she stated.
He nodded. “Okay.”
Alex shifted in her seat so that she faced him. “Why did you call me over a month ago? Why did you choose then to call?”
“I saw an article in a magazine. It was an interview your ex-boyfriend did. He said that you two weren’t romantic, and that there was no relationship—which I knew wasn’t true. So I thought he broke up with you. I called you that night because I wanted to make sure you were okay. I knew how much you loved him, so I wanted to be there for you if you needed me.”
She blinked in astonishment. “You knew about that article?”
Evan nodded. “I did.”
“I only found out about that article last week. It’s what started the discussion that ended our relationship. He hid it from me. I was no one to him within those words. That’s why you called?”
“Yeah. Alexandra …” He paused. “I know you hate me for what I did to you. I deserve it. But I’m always going to care and love you. You’re still my best friend. You will always be my best friend. After I read it, I just reached for my phone and called you. It was the only thing that made sense to me. To make sure you were okay.”
She saw it. The sincerity in his eyes.
She felt it in his voice.
This was Evan Gilmore at his honest.
What she had been deprived of for over a year.
“I’m sorry,” she said in a tight voice. “I thought you … I shouldn’t have said you had the wrong number. I just couldn’t open that door that let out all our problems. I couldn’t let you back into my life because I thought I was happy. I was happy. I just didn’t want to go through all that again.”
“I know,” Evan said with a small smile to his lips.
“Alex? Evan?”
Alex peered past Evan to find the manager of the Red Sox, Adrian Whitaker, walking toward them. “Hey, Mr. Whitaker,” she greeted when he reached Evan.
“Hello, sir,” Evan said as he stood and shook the legend’s hand before he sat back down.
Adrian took off his Red Sox baseball cap and scratched his salt and pepper hair. He had retired after a severe knee injury in his fifth season with the Red Sox and went into coaching, becoming one of the best coaches in MLB history. “It’s good to see you both back together at Fenway. It’s been a long time since you were last here, Alex. Welcome home. The both of you, welcome home.”