Case narrowed his gaze. “When we spoke before…why didn’t you tell me all of this?”
Marc shuddered. “Because I was being selfish. It’s taken me years to realize what I did. And to face it. I’ve grown in my faith since then, and I know truth is my only option. If I can’t tell my truths, then everything from this point will be tainted. I want a clean slate. I think I was vague before because I was holding on to the idea of Fancy running to me if the two of you broke up.”
Case bit down hard on his front teeth. “That’s low down. You had to know how broken up I felt about everything. Not to mention what Fancy was going through.”
“I know,” he said, bowing his head. “You can’t possibly make me feel any more ashamed than I already feel. But I won’t run away again. My family shouldn’t have to suffer for my sins.”
“Are you saying that you deliberately caused me to question Fancy’s version of events?” Case asked, his nerves on edge as he waited for Marc’s answer.
Marc sighed. “It’s not that simple. Did I get the feeling you thought she was into me? Yes. Did I make it clear she wasn’t? No.”
Case muttered angrily. He didn’t even trust himself to speak out loud.
“Night. I hope this conversation has cleared some things up,” Marc said. “And I know I’ve said it to you many times, but I really am sorry.” Marc walked past him down the hallways and back into the venue. For a brief moment Case could hear the lively tempo of the jazz band emanating from the other room as the door swung open.
Case felt as if a can opener was cutting up his insides. Marc had been manipulative, and out of his own anger and jealousy, he’d fallen for it hook, line and sinker. Fancy had been telling the truth about not having any romantic leanings toward Marc. It had been all one-sided. Marc had been trying to put a wedge between them in the hopes that he would end up with Fancy.
After getting a fresh utensil, Case made his way back to the table. He sank down into his chair as if the weight of the world sat on his shoulders. Suddenly, it seemed as if everything he’d thought was gray and cloudy now appeared to be stark white. He swallowed a mouthful of his entrée, but it tasted like sawdust.
Meryl reached out and grasped his wrist. “Case, what’s going on? You seem a million miles away. Once you came back to the table everything changed.”
Case sighed. He didn’t want Meryl to think he wasn’t enjoying the evening. He really had been having a pleasant time with her. But seeing Marc had been akin to opening Pandora’s box. What Marc had revealed was startling. And he couldn’t stop thinking about it.
Had he treated Fancy badly by not believing her? Had he allowed his faith in her to be so shaken that he’d allowed Marc to manipulate him? And yet, Fancy had still betrayed him. No matter how many times he went over things, he couldn’t gloss over her behavior.
He reached over and patted Meryl’s hand. There was a look of strain etched on her face. She looked as if she might cry.
“I’m fine. Just ran into someone I’m not on good terms with. It was slightly awkward,” he explained. He didn’t need to give Meryl the nitty gritty details about running into Marc.
“Oh, that’s a relief,” Meryl said. “I want tonight to be special for both of us.”
Suddenly, Case realized that he wasn’t being fair to her. What Meryl wanted from him was shimmering in her eyes. This was a casual date for him, but for Meryl it was the sun, moon and the stars. It radiated from her eyes. He’d been hurt by love, and although he doubted whether Meryl’s feelings rose to that level, he still didn’t want to do anything to wound her.
“We’re just having fun, right?” he said casually. “Two friends enjoying a night out.”
Meryl’s lips trembled. “Of course we are,” she said, voice quivering. “And if something more develops, we should both be open to it, right?”
“I’m not really ready for anything serious,” Case explained. “I’m still getting over my last relationship.”
Meryl’s features hardened. “Of course you’re not. And I perfectly understand after what Francine put you through.” She let out a hissing sound. “Imagine her cheating on you like a common tramp.”
Fury surged through him at the tone and language of Meryl’s accusation. “Meryl! That’s not true. And don’t ever use that language about Fancy ever again. She doesn’t deserve that!”
Meryl’s expression appeared wounded. She raised a hand to her throat. “That’s what I heard!”
“Not everything we hear when we lower our ears to the ground is true. Did Fancy disappoint me? Yes. But in a million years I would never stoop to calling her names,” he said in a fierce voice. “And I’m surprised you would go there, Meryl.”
“I-I’m sorry,” Meryl said. “It’s just that she’s always gotten everything she’s ever wanted just because she’s blonde and beautiful. It’s not fair. And the way she pranced off to New York to become a model after all the pain she caused you.” Meryl shuddered. “She always comes away smelling like a rose. It just makes me sick.”
“Meryl, no one has a perfect life. Not even Fancy. I’m sure it seems so from the outside looking in, but she has her troubles just like the rest of us,” he explained in a voice way more gentle than he felt on the inside. He hated the offensive, hateful word Meryl had uttered. And he knew in this very moment he would never take Meryl out again. She had just proved that she had a cruel heart. Although he still had lingering animosity toward Fancy, Meryl had crossed a serious line by name calling.
Meryl wrinkled up her nose. He watched as she struggled to compose herself. All of a sudden the real woman was coming out from behind the shadows. And she was struggling to get her act together so he wouldn’t see the cracks in her foundation. Too late, he wanted to say. He’d already seen Meryl’s hatred for Fancy and it wasn’t a pretty thing. It made him feel sick to his stomach.
“I’ll pray for her,” Meryl said, her face expressionless.
Case frowned at her. The tone of her voice wasn’t sincere. It sent a chill straight through him. He felt certain that Meryl didn’t have a single prayer to offer up for Fancy. She was simply offering up platitudes.
“It’s getting late. I’ve got an early meeting at Duvall in the morning. Why don’t I see you home?”
Meryl’s face fell and she swung her mouth open as if she might protest. He stood up and placed cash down on the table, then reached for Meryl’s arm. As they walked out of the supper club and onto River Street, Case couldn’t help but think of a much happier evening in this very place when he’d been on the cusp of a new life with Fancy. Those hopes had turned to dust. Yet he still believed with all his heart that his soulmate was out there somewhere. Now if he could just convince his heart that it wasn’t Fancy Tolliver.
**
“Can I talk to you for a moment?” Although Case tossed the words out casually, there was nothing casual about the impact of his statement on Fancy. Her heart immediately began to thunder loudly in her ears. She opened her mouth to say something, but not a single sound emerged. All she could do was nod like an idiot.
“Why don’t we step outside for some privacy?” he suggested, darting a glance at the other ladies of Savannah House. Although the five women were trying to appear disinterested, their faces were dead giveaways. They all wanted to know what she and Case were discussing. She felt their eyes trained on the two of them like laser beams.
“Sure thing. Let me just grab my sweater and I’ll meet you outside,” Fancy said, keeping her voice even. It wasn’t necessary for Case to realize that his mere presence made her feel like a high school girl on her first date. She walked back into the library and grabbed her navy-colored quilted jacket from the love seat.
Morgan raised an eyebrow. “Going somewhere?”
Five pairs of eyes were focused on her without apology.
Fancy shrugged into her sweater, then folded her arms across her chest and regarded them.
“Seriously? Is this an inquisition?” she asked in a
clipped tone.
“Nope,” Callie said in a light voice. “We were just about to go back to minding our business.”
Chuckles erupted from the group. With a shake of her head, Fancy left the library and headed outside. As soon as she pushed the door open, sunlight slanted down on her from a cornflower blue sky. The weather had warmed up considerably. It had been overcast and rainy earlier. She draped the sweater over her shoulders and strode over to where Case was standing by the driveway.
“What’s up?” she asked as soon as she reached his side.
He met her gaze, his eyes flickering with intensity. Uh oh. Something told her that this wasn’t going to be good news.
“Did you know Marc Cabron was back in town?”
She froze at the mention of Marc’s name. It was hard to believe she’d just heard it coming out of Case’s mouth. He’d made it clear a long time ago that he hated Marc with a passion.
“N-No. Of course not. Why would I know that?” Just the mention of Marc’s name made her feel defensive. She was waiting for the other shoe to drop. Was Case going to accuse her of something new with Marc?
“I ran into him last night in town.” Case folded his arms around his chest. “He had a few things to say to me.”
“Oh no,” Fancy groaned. “Did the two of you get into it?”
“No, we didn’t. He told me a few things that surprised me.”
Fancy arched her brow. “Such as?”
Case’s penetrating gaze seemed to push past all of her defenses. “He admitted that back when everything came to a head in our relationship, he deliberately made me believe you were…interested in him. That he wanted me to think certain things that weren’t true.”
Fancy blew out a huff of air. “Why would he do that?”
“Because he wanted you.” Case’s words were blunt and to the point. “And he thought if we broke up, he might end up with you.”
“That’s crazy,” Fancy said in a raised voice. It made her uncomfortable to even reflect on her past friendship with Marc. What had started out as innocent had transitioned into something complicated and messy.
“Not really,” Case said with a shrug. “He knew that I was angry with you for meeting up with him all those times and that our relationship was on the rocks because of it. He figured if he gave it a little push, the whole foundation would crumble.”
“It seems to me he had a little help in the matter,” Fancy grumbled.
Case turned back toward her. “What does that mean?”
“It means that you were his partner in crime, for all intents and purposes. If you’d only trusted me, listened to me…he wouldn’t have gotten away with his manipulations. I know that I let you down, but you thought the very worst of me when I was actually pretty innocent.” Fancy felt her cheeks getting heated. It happened to her every time she got feisty or upset. “If there’d been a level of trust in our relationship, perhaps you would have believed me.”
“Oh that’s rich, coming from a woman who wasn’t necessarily acting in a trustworthy manner,” Case snapped. “And I don’t think you should try to make yourself the victim in all of this. You went behind my back how many times and went out with Marc. Dinners. Being entertained by him at his apartment. Going to the movies.” Case let out a snort. “Sounds like date nights.”
Fancy stomped her foot on the ground. “Oh, are we back to this again? As if we haven’t completely dissected all of my shortcomings. Well, Case, how about we pick yours apart?”
Case narrowed his gaze. He nodded at her, as if inviting her to speak on his shortcomings.
“You wanted to believe that I was unfaithful in every sense of the word. Admit it. You wanted to believe every low down and dirty thought that popped into your head about me, even though I came clean to you and told you everything.” She wagged a finger at him. “And there wasn’t anything salacious going on.”
“But there was emotional intimacy, Fancy. And that’s equally devastating.” Case shoved his hand through his hair, the gesture full of anger. “I can’t believe you still don’t get it.”
“Of course I get it. My point is that you took it even further. You made my crimes worse than they really were. And that’s not fair…not then and not now. You owe me an apology.”
Case sputtered. “What? An apology? Are you kidding me?”
Fancy moved toward Case, quickly swallowing up the existing space between them. She stretched her arm out and poked him in the chest with her long, graceful finger. “Do I look like I’m joking?”
“Ouch! What did you do that for?” Case asked, placing his palm over the spot on his chest.
“To emphasize the point,” Fancy said, tossing her hair over her shoulder. “You seem to be a bit tone deaf on this issue.”
“You can emphasize it all you want. You can hire a pilot to fly a message around in the sky. You can take out a billboard in downtown Savannah. You could put a hundred messages in bottles and dump them into the ocean out there,” he said, pointing his finger toward the water in the distance. “But it still won’t get you what you want, Fancy. I don’t hand out apologies like candy. If I’m wrong I’m a big enough man to admit it, but I wasn’t wrong.”
Fancy let out a squeak of outrage. He’d just admitted that he had fallen for Marc’s manipulations, which meant he had been in the wrong. Why was it so hard for him to say he was sorry? Lord knows she’d said it a hundred times or more to him. His apology wouldn’t absolve her of all guilt for her mistakes, but it would go a long way in bridging the gap between them. At least they wouldn’t be at such odds over the past.
They stood facing one another, both breathing heavily, both dissatisfied with the other’s position. Fancy folded her arms across her chest and glared at Case. She couldn’t believe this man! He was way too proud for his own good! For the life of her, she wasn’t certain at this moment as to why she loved him so fiercely. And she feared that she always would.
**
“Should someone go outside and referee for them?” Hope asked, biting her lip as she looked out the window of the library inside Savannah House.
“I wish we could hear what they were saying,” Morgan said, pressing her ear against the glass window.
Callie pulled Morgan back a bit. “Don’t be so obvious. I don’t want them to see us snooping.”
“Oh this is terrible,” Charlotte fretted, twisting the fabric from the curtain between her fingers. “I hate that they’re fighting again.”
“I love it,” Olivia said, whirling around in a circle. “It’s the best news I’ve had all week.”
“Seriously?” Callie asked. “You need to get out more. Have that billionaire husband of yours take you on a trip around the world or something.”
Olivia turned around and faced the other women. She threw her hands in the air. “Don’t you girls get it?”
“Umm, nope. Not getting it,” Hope murmured. A look of confusion was stamped on her pretty face. She ran a hand through her long, dark hair. “They seem like they’re about to kill each other. And frankly, I feel a little guilty about having a front row seat for this spectacle.”
“Where there’s all this angst and passion, there’s also love. Don’t you see it? They’re so animated and invested in each other. If they were truly done with one another, they wouldn’t be so energized and explosive,” Olivia said in a raised voice. “All this energy they’re utilizing comes straight from their hearts.”
“You’re right,” Callie said with a shake of her head. “They are so into each other. It’s not over between them when fireworks are going off like gangbusters out there.”
Charlotte took another peek out the window. “I don’t know about that theory. Couldn’t it just be that they’re royally angry at one another?”
Morgan let out a chuckle. “Nope. Olivia is right. They can’t quit one another. Neither one of them has moved on. Bless their hearts.”
Charlotte cleared her throat. “I hate to mention it, but Case has been seeing Me
ryl.” Charlotte spit the name out as if it had tasted strangely on her lips.
“She doesn’t count,” Callie said. “Not really. I mean, do we really think that Case is going to walk off into the sunset with someone like Meryl?”
Charlotte shuddered. “Not a chance. I’d have to beg Luke to intervene for the good of humanity. Luke is just about the only one he’d listen to.”
“How is Luke doing?” Morgan asked. Although her voice came out sounding neutral, her eyes were full of keen interest. Luke Duvall, Callie’s brother, had been run down by a car several months ago. Although he’d made a great recovery, it was clear to everyone that something was off with Luke. He wasn’t the same, happy-go-lucky guy.
“He’s great,” Callie said. “Fully recovered from the accident and back to work at Duvall. My father is even bugging him about getting engaged to Violet.”
Morgan placed a hand over her stomach. The smile on her face seemed a bit forced. “Wow. That’s exciting. Another marriage in the Duvall family.”
“I don’t know,” Callie hedged. “Luke seems to be the very opposite of Fancy and Case. He doesn’t seem too eager to tie the knot.”
“Well, if not for family pressures, would he even consider an engagement?” Charlotte asked. The two women exchanged a glance full of hidden meaning. As cousins, both of them knew the Duvall family hierarchy. The demands of the family often dictated business and personal attachments. It wasn’t right, but it was, more times than not, the Duvall way.
“Luke’s a big boy,” Callie quipped. “He’ll figure it all out.”
“I hope so. He deserves to be happy,” Morgan murmured as the women continued to check in on the scene unfolding outside of Savannah House.
The Last Kiss (Secrets of Savannah Book 3) Page 6