Thursdays in Savannah

by Olivia Gaines

  Jesse was winded, breathing hard, mumbling while still entangled with her as he reached for the nightstand to get his phone.

  “Jesse, who are you calling at this hour?”

  “My bank,” he said as he scrolled through the numbers.

  Savannah didn’t understand how after making such passionate love, he needed to make a phone call, let alone to his bank. “No one is open at this time of morning. Can’t it wait until we’ve had our breakfast, showered, and prepared for our day?”

  He kissed her again and was shaking his head profusely. “Nope, I got to start the paperwork, sell some stock, some blood or something....”

  Now, she was getting irritated with him. “Jesse! What are you talking about?”

  “Shit, that was so good, I need to call some dammed body. Plus, you said you wanted a C-Class, Sapphire Gray Metallic, four doors. Fuck it! I think I am going to buy you two!”

  She laughed as she took the phone from his hands. “Funny, really funny,” she told him as she rolled him to his back and perched herself on top of him. “How about I call and order us some breakfast instead.”

  “Order whatever you want, as long as I can have a second helping of you.” His hands slid under her pajama top. A big laugh escaped her throat when at the most inappropriate time she thought of her brother. She was about to partake in some full-fledged dick riding and today, she felt like covering Jesse in some serious fairy dust.

  Things were about to get really messy. Especially considering she was really liking the idea of being his wife.

  Chapter Twenty- Six

  Jesse was brief in his explanation of her itinerary for the day, as it had changed since last night. She would spend the morning with driving lessons with his brother Joe and then have lunch with his mother, who had not made an appearance last night. The first thing Savannah commented on was his mother’s name, which was Ruth, who was married to Samuel. “Are you kidding me? You guys are Jesse, Mary and Joseph?”

  “We are Southern Baptist,” he said as he shrugged and headed for the door after kissing her cheek.

  Savannah’s head was still spinning. This was all going horribly wrong, but felt so damned good, so she decided to enjoy it versus ruining her first romantic getaway. Technically, it was a work conference for him, but she had been treated to the spa, was about to receive driving lessons, and have a late lunch with a man’s mother that she actually liked and respected. She was actually looking forward to meeting the rest of Jesse’s family. In rectitude she should be running, but his family was so accepting, not condescending, nor making her feel like she was a second-class citizen. She dressed in a hurry and headed downstairs. She wore a pair of loose-fitting black slacks along with a long-sleeved lavender polo with the Montgomery Construction logo on it that Jesse had brought her. When she rounded the corner, she immediately spotted Joe, who also had piercing blue eyes, and brownish colored hair, unlike Jesse and Mary Kate, who both had black hair. He was a cross between Big Sam and Mary Kate. She figured he must look like Ruth. “Hi Joe,” she said as she walked up and extended her hand. “I am Savannah. Nice to meet you.”

  He accepted her shake and led her out the door. He was far more reserved and less cordial than Big Sam. She held her judgment of him, as he was doing of her, until they had a feel of each other. No words were exchanged as they ambled along in the golf cart and arrived at the driving range. “Jess said you had never golfed before, so I am going to teach you some basic driving techniques.” She nodded and listened to everything he said, focusing mainly on grip and setting up the ball, the swing position, and the finishing position.

  Savannah watched Joe closely, asking him to repeat the movement at least three times.

  He stared at her.

  She stared at him.

  She took the club, speaking out loud his steps as she positioned herself over the ball.

  Joe corrected her verbally and then moved in closer to touch her. Savannah jumped like a cat in a room full of red laser lights. Joe held up his hands. “Sorry, didn’t mean to invade your space.”

  Savannah had nothing to lose. “After yesterday with your sister, I am just a bit more cautious.”

  “Oh, she felt you up, huh?”

  Savannah looked at him with genuine surprise registered on her mug. Did they discuss such things?

  “Did Mary Kate tell you she was gay?”

  The club hung loosely in her hand as her mouth draped open. Joe broke into laughter. “Nawww, she isn’t, I was just messing with you.”

  She playfully hit him with the club. “Not funny, Joe, especially since you knew it had crossed my mind. So how did you know?”

  “She has a thing for boobs. She is obsessed and wants to have the surgery, but she’s scared. So she feels up every nice pair she sees, testing which ones are real and which are enhanced by saline.” He admitted that she had done the same to his last girlfriend, as well as the current one, who now refused to be alone with Mary Kate.

  After a few cordial platitudes, Savannah told him “Okay, If I hit this ball a few times, can we head back to the hotel and order a couple of glasses of something alcoholic before I meet your mother?”

  “Only if you get it right, if not, I am going to torture you until you do,” he said it so matter-of-factly that Savannah accepted his challenge.

  She approached the tee and pinched her thumb and forefinger in a pattern that formed a V pointed toward her right shoulder. She overlapped her left hand on the grip and bent forward on her hips, standing shoulder width apart. A perfect triangle was formed as she brought her swing back so that the butt of the driver was aimed at the ball. Her hips began to turn as she brought the club into her downswing, making contact with the ball and sending it flying down the modified fairway. It was textbook perfect.

  Joe’s mouth was open. “No fricking way. I’ll bet you can’t do that again!”

  Savannah took her position, repeated the steps, and once again sent the ball flying down the fairway. Before Joe could open his mouth, she repeated it again, then again, and once more for good measure. She removed the glove and took a seat in the golf cart. “It’s simple mathematics Now enough of this shit. This is as close to a vacation as I am going to get for a while, so let’s get out of here, Joe.”

  Joe bent his six-foot frame over and began to laugh. “You are something else.” The ride back had a totally different vibe as he talked about himself and his role at Montgomery Construction. It did not take Joe long to understand that his big brother’s girlfriend had no inkling what Jesse did for a living.

  Joe explained that there were two divisions in the company, residential and commercial, with Jesse working the residential multi-unit side. The conference was an opportunity to broker new contracts and deals. The first few days, he told her, were all continuing education classes and product demonstrations. The last few days were family connection days. “I hate to believe such nepotism still exists in the business world, but in this business, it does. You do business with me, you do business with my family.”

  Savannah asked few questions, which perplexed Joe. “Aren’t you interested in what he does?”

  “Not really, because at the end of the day, he leads a team that builds stuff,” she said as the golf cart pulled up to the main entrance of the hotel. “When he steps through the front door, my job is to make him forget the office, decompress, and fortify him to return the next day. It makes little sense for him to bring the office into our home.” She extended her hand. “Nice to meet you, Joe.”

  At the doorway, she bumped into the ladies who were with Mary Kate last night, and they convinced her to join some of the other family members for board games in one of the conference rooms. Joe was intrigued and followed along. Once Savannah saw the chessboard, she took a seat, followed by Joe. Two hours had passed and she had beaten him three times. She looked at her watch. “Oh! Gotta run and freshen up before I meet your Mom for lunch.”

  She patted Joe on the shoulder. “Bishop to King Th
ree and checkmate.”

  Joe watched her walk away.

  Jesse was coming through the double doors. Savannah stopped and shared a few words with him, as Joe watched her caress his brother’s arm, then place her hand over his heart, whisper in his ear, and disappear. Joe was still staring.

  “So, how’d it go, Joe?” Jesse asked his younger brother by three years who served as the director of contracts for Montgomery Construction.

  “Where in the world did you find her?” he asked Jesse, still staring at the door.

  Jesse was concerned. “Why? Is something wrong?”

  “No,” he said as he turned back around to see Jesse resetting the chessboard. “I just need you to go back and get another one for me.”

  The two brothers laughed and enjoyed a few turns at the chessboard. It had been Jesse’s only break since arriving at the conference.

  Chapter Twenty- Seven

  Savannah entered the hotel restaurant and quickly spotted a woman whom she thought could be Jesse’s mother. To her embarrassment, the lady was not and looked at her as if she had grown an extra eye. As she turned, she spotted a matronly woman surrounded by a group of young girls, who looked up and winked at her. Ruth was a very attractive woman who dripped Southern gentility in her every word and move. She wore a Montgomery Construction pink silk blouse, a black skirt with pink, and black shoes on a kitten heel. There was no doubt in Savannah’s mind that the Wilma Flintstone-sized pearls around her neck were real and amazingly so was the smile she gave to Savannah.

  Extending her hand, Ruth smacked it and opted to embrace Savannah. Her voice was laced with a deep Southern accent that was reminiscent of Scarlet O’Hara. “It is such a pleasure to meet you, Savannah,” she said. As Ruth held her at arm’s length, taking in every nuance of Savannah’s physical being as if to make a mental photograph of her features.

  Just as quickly as the love fest started, it ended when Ruth exclaimed, “Oh cement in a bucket!” Not quite sure what that meant, Savannah’s eyes grew wide as she followed the line of sight to what Ruth was staring at. There were two ladies about Ruth’s age barreling down on them.

  Ruth told Savannah, “Follow my lead. These two are the biggest gossips east and west of the Mississippi. I can barely stomach either of them....” Her voice trailed off as she faced the ladies with cordial grace. “Eudora, Katy Mae.” She grinned while greeting them as they exchanged air kisses, impersonating affection.

  Eudora sported a Baxter Construction shirt and Katy Mae wore a Waldorf Builders shirt-dress that did absolutely nothing for her figure. The figure, if one could call it that, was more obelisk in shape, leading up to a thin neck supporting a very large head. It took everything Savannah had not to stare at the woman, who had a horse-like face.

  Eudora was the first to speak. “Ruth, darling, who is this charming creature?” All eyes were now on Savannah. She looked to Ruth, who took the lead. “This is Dr. Savannah Niden.”

  Emily piped up, “Is she a new addition to the Montgomery Construction family?”

  It was sad how much Ruth was enjoying this. Savannah watched with amusement as Jesse’s mom began the game of cat and mouse with the two women, feeding them just enough cheese to lure them into her trap. “In more ways than one, girls.”

  Eudora’s eyes were wide as she looked at Savannah’s left hand, spying the ring and grabbing her hand, holding it in the middle of the group. “Don’t tell me Joe has finally settled down and decided to stop breaking hearts.”

  The look on Ruth’s face was worth the airfare. It was executed with perfection and Savannah was thoroughly impressed. “Joe ...” Ruth exhaled. “That young man goes through women like a bag of Lay’s. I swear he can’t snack on just one.” She paused, allowing the words to hover in the air before spreading the last bit on rather thickly, “Savannah belongs to my Jesse.”

  If she had not been standing so close to Eudora and Katy Mae, she would have sworn they had stopped breathing. This was fun. Savannah wanted in. “Mom, I think you might be right. Looking at this gem from this angle, the wedding ring should just be a gold band with no diamonds.”

  Ruth concurred. She looped her arm through Savannah’s and pulled her hand away from the bug-eyed women. They excused themselves and followed a waiter to their table. Savannah looked over her shoulder adding, “It was a pleasure meeting you both.”

  Savannah was uncertain if using ‘Mom’ had been appropriate and she was pleased when they reached their table in The Tavern. and Ruth said, “The Mom bit was a nice touch. Now let me see that ring.”

  Ruth special ordered a Niçoise salad and recommended it for Savannah as well, who declined. “That much oil, fish, and garlic in one meal makes you smell like a bad night in the red light district.” She immediately bit her lip. Ruth pondered her words then changed her order to a beefsteak tomato Caprese while Savannah opted for the Phillips salad on Belgian endive. Since her salad did not have meat, she also ordered tarte flambee flatbread with bacon and Gruyère cheese.

  “Ruth, I hope you don’t mind me asking if those two are the biggest gossips, why did we give them so much fodder?”

  Sipping on her ice tea, Ruth said, “Well, if people are going to gossip, I say give them something good to blather about.”

  “The ring was just a gift and it is a topaz, not a chocolate diamond. It doesn’t mean what we implied.”

  “It implied enough to keep Eudora from trying to fob that horse-faced daughter of hers off on us or Jesse.”

  Savannah wasn’t buying it and Ruth surmised as much. “This is a cutthroat business. You either move with the times or get rolled over. You are a breath of fresh air to these stale proceedings and I am glad you are here.”

  She sipped at her water, looking at the clear blue eyes that Jesse inherited from his mother. “I just don’t want to upset Jesse when it gets back to him.”

  Ruth threw back her perfectly coiffed gray-haired head and let out the most unladylike guffaw. “Dear, you are the first woman he has ever brought to any conference and he has been attending them for the past twenty something years. That, in itself, speaks for him.”

  There was nothing more for Savannah to say, so she enjoyed her lunch. Much of the conversation focused on personal interest as the two women spoke of hobbies and career choices. Ruth took a minute to go over some facts about Jesse that Savannah did not know. The one that made her arch her brow was when Ruth told her, “Jesse has an IQ of 170 and loves to build things. He is great with his hands, which works well for the family while harnessing his energy. That man has more energy than a bunny on speed.”

  “He does have a lot energy. It even amazes me sometimes,” she said. Her mind went to this morning, thinking of her lover going at it like a rabbit in heat. It was difficult to stay focused as Savannah agreed that the man was wonderful with his hands and she loved his energy levels.

  Savannah remembered trying to explain some of the bigger words she had used, thinking he didn’t understand when his IQ was higher than hers. She tuned back in to hear Ruth comment, “Just think, Big Sam and I will have beautiful genius grandbabies.” Savannah almost choked.

  Ruth went on to order tea as if what she’d said had no more bearing than telling those women that “Savannah belongs to my Jesse.”

  All in all, it was a great lunch. Savannah took care of the tab with some of the funds she had left over from Jesse’s check then headed back to her room for some R & R. She was asleep in less than 30 minutes.

  Jesse arrived at the room at 3:30 to find Savannah sprawled out on the bed, sleeping peacefully. The woman had such a beautiful spirit. He tried not to wake her as he slipped into the bed. She turned on her right side in a fetal position. He draped his arms over her waist and his hand came in contact with the ring. Idly, his fingers toyed with his gift. It was the perfect colored chocolate diamond for the woman he was determined to make his wife. The words that accompanied the present had been lost in the confusion on her face over breakfast yesterday. He had wan
ted to ask her to marry him. It took him several days before her arrival to find the right combination of words. As she slept, he whispered the words he had chosen into the back of her hair.

  “Choose me as your husband, Tinkerbell, and give this lost boy a home.”

  The instant Jesse’s weight sank onto the bed, Savannah came awake. She heard his words and understood what he wanted. What bugged her most was she was uncertain if she possessed the wherewithal to give it, not only to him, but also to Darwin. Her heart had been closed off for so many years that loving Jesse as she did elicited a bevy of unresolved issues yet to be addressed.

  Tinkerbell was the one who was lost.

  Chapter Twenty- Eight

  The black tie affair was truly a grand spectacle. All of the men were in black tuxedos and the women wore black evening gowns. It was dinner and dancing and no one was on the podium pontificating about construction. It was an opportunity to dress up, trip the light fantastic, and get really fancy. Savannah loved it.

  Jesse looked flawless in his tux and the whole family cleaned up rather nicely. Joe and his girlfriend, Alana, looked magnificent as they posed for pictures in front of the makeshift photo studio. The photographer and his assistant had a sweet set- up which printed pictures on site. She and Jesse took a few shots together. Savannah refused to even think about where and if she would ever be able to display them.

  Savannah made her way to the bar to once more hide in her glass of wine but was approached by a tall dark-skinned African American gentleman as well as a fairer, younger version of himself. Cordial was her middle name; she acknowledged both men and addressed the bartender for a glass of Chenin Blanc. The younger of two gentlemen moved in closer and uttered something revolting to her, then had the audacity to actually reach out to touch her. “Put your hand back in your pocket and take two steps back,” she said as quietly as he had spoken to her so no one else could hear them. “I am uncertain of which manhole you chewed your way through, but you will not denigrate or disparage me with your tawdry retorts. It is not that type of party.”