Thursdays in Savannah

by Olivia Gaines

  “Jesse,” she said. “Savannah will need a household account with at least 20 so we can buy art for the all of those bare walls, and she has to get some new china. Savannah, I know a great place to get china at this outlet mall outside of Boaz. Get my number from Jesse and call me next week. I would love to sit down with you and your mama and help out wherever you need me to, Sis.”

  “It sounds great, Mary Kate,” Savannah said and her soon to be sister-in-law squealed again.

  “I’m hanging up on you, MK,” Jesse said and clicked off the line.

  China? Of all the things on her to-do list, buying china was not at the top. She was getting married next week. Before she could process her thoughts, his phone rang again. This time it was Ruth.

  “Hey, Ma,” he said.

  “Did she say yes, Son? Big Sam is here with me.”

  “She did and put it on speaker so I can talk to you both,” he said calmly as he maneuvered through Friday night traffic.

  Savannah could hear her calling her husband, telling him the great news. “Sam we are going to having genius grandbabies.”

  Jesse cleared his throat, embarrassed, “Grandchildren are a few years away guys. We have time.”

  “Oh pshaw. When is the wedding?”

  Jesse looked at Savannah. “I am thinking June.”

  Ruth yelled into the phone, “As long as it’s inside. Mary Kate had a June wedding in our back yard in tent! It’s way too warm in Alabama in June to be outside in a tent!”

  Savannah stared at Jesse’s profile and he seemed unfazed by any of it. “Ma, I’m driving.” Big Sam yelled hello into the phone and Savannah smiled in the dark cabin of the truck as Thursday mewled from her lap. Savannah imagined the two of them sitting there yelling at the phone on the table.

  “Savannah darling, get my number from Jesse and call me next week. Five months is not a lot of time. I would be happy to sit with you and your mama and lend a hand with whatever you need me to do, okay?”

  “Thank you, Ruth,” she said. It was nice that both she and May Kate had pretty much offered the same help. It was a refreshing change.

  “Call me Mom, Savannah.” The emotion could be heard through the phone.

  “I will call you next week, Mom.” Ruth began to blubber and Big Sam yelled in the phone. “I am hanging up now.”

  Savannah looked at Jesse. “Is Joe going to call next?”

  “Doubtful, he’ll just want to know when to show up and if there will be shrimp.”

  “Not in June, there won’t be!” She laughed a bit but was shocked when her phone buzzed. I‘m not expecting any calls.

  She answered it tentatively. Jerwane’s voice came through the phone, “Where you?”

  “In the truck with Jesse,” she told him.

  “Put me on speaker.” She hit the button. His voice boomed through the small speakers of her phone, “Where is the new facility, Mr. Rogers?”

  Savannah looked confused. What were they talking about? Why was he calling Jesse Mr. Rogers? What facility?

  “Vestavia Hills, on Boulder Lake Circle,” he said as he switched off of I-65 to I-459.

  Jerwane had a few questions. “So, what do you like, football, boxing?”

  Jesse’s eyes stayed on the road. “I am a Falcons fan and will on occasion watch a prize fight, but it’s not really my thing.”

  “What is your thing?”

  “I like to make furniture and fish,” Jesse told him.

  Jerwane exhaled loudly, “Damn, you are so white!”

  Jesse glanced over at her and she shrugged, What can I say to that?

  “Ahhh, Jerwane, is everything okay?”

  “Yeah, Button Nose. Are you sure about this?”

  “I am,” she said softly. “Are you ready to hand me over to him?”

  “I’m okay with it and I guess I am going to have to learn to fish. I am not making any furniture though, but I may watch on occasion.” Jerwane got quiet, not certain if the next part should be on speaker or not, but he wanted Jesse to hear, “Hey, Button Nose?”

  “Yes?”

  “I love you, you know that right?”

  “I love you, too, Jerwane.” She hung up.

  Jesse turned down Liberty Parkway, then onto Sicard Hollow Road and made a left onto Lake Colony Way. “Button Nose, huh?”

  “Hush,” she told him wagging her finger in warning to never use that pet name with her. “And I will never find my way back up here.”

  “It’s programmed into the GPS.”

  There was a moment of silence. Then she gazed out the side window, speaking modestly, “Next week I am going to be your wife.”

  She did not realize he heard her until he responded, “In my mind you have been my wife since you packed my lunch and put apple pie in my tool box. Next week we just make official.”

  They entered Vestavia Hills and up to a relatively new two-story brick home. Jesse pulled around back to a four-car garage and steered the truck up to the rear sunroom. He opened her door and helped her out with the cat and guided her into the back door.

  The housekeeper came out to greet them. Jesse handed the matronly Hispanic woman the cat and the bag as he turned to scoop Savannah up in his arms to carry her over the threshold. They stepped into an immaculate kitchen with state-of-the- art appliances. “Jesse, where are we?” she asked.

  “You are home, my lovely. This is our house.”

  Chapter Thirty - Three

  Savannah was taken aback. This was a very large house in Vestavia Hills. She was standing in a kitchen any woman would be proud to have, next to a man that she truly loved. She watched the housekeeper unpack Thursday and give her some food and water. Jesse slipped his hand into hers after the housekeeper disappeared around the corner.

  “Let me show you our home,” he told her, pulling at her arm. Savannah didn’t budge.

  “What’s wrong, Savannah?”

  “I have not seen you or touched you in a month. The tour can wait. There is only one room I am interested in seeing.”

  Jesse exhaled a sigh of relief. “Thank Heavens, because I am so backed up, I am having headaches!” He told her to follow him as he made his way through the kitchen, across the foyer, and up the stairs. The master bedroom sat in the rear of the house on the second floor at the end of the hallway. As they walked down the hallway, a curved banister overlooked the formal living room. All of the walls in the home were beige with dark brown hardwood floors. Savannah shook her head. She would think about color schemes and bright rugs later. Right now, her mind was on Jesse.

  “I’ve had an easy day, but if you want to shower first to wash the day away, I can hold on a little while longer,” he said to her as she reached for the belt buckle on his khakis, pushing him toward the bed. She unfastened his pants and reached inside to grab the goods. “Or, maybe not ...” His words were lost as he felt her tongue flick across the head of his rapidly hardening interest.

  Think, Jesse, focus. “The great thing is, sweetheart, we get to be as loud and as messy as we want.” He sucked in his breath when she took him in her mouth.

  “Good Lord! You keep that up and I am going to get messy on your face!” He tried to pull away, but she wouldn’t let him. He urged her again to stop. “Savannah, it’s been a month, I only have so much resolve ... ooooh, that feels amazing.” He threw back his head back onto the bed, enjoying the pleasure she was bringing him.

  Enough.

  “Clothes off, now!”

  Savannah struggled to her feet while Jesse tugged at her clothes, his pants still around his ankles. He reached under her skirt and pulled at whatever he felt, the stringed thong giving way in his hand. Their shoes had been left in the mudroom by the door and Jesse reached for her right leg, lifting her up onto the bed, aiming for her sweet spot. He pressed his hips upward, experiencing her warmth. Not enough.

  “Come on, Baby,” he told her as he grabbed her by the hips, gently lifting her up then lowering her hips over his throbbing need until he ha
d completely impaled her upon him. Her arms wrapped tightly about his neck, her breasts smashed into his chest, and he jostled her up and down. Still not enough.

  Jesse pulled at her hips as he as he tried to create a rhythm, but they were both in hurry, not working together in the king sized bed. He asked her to stop, while rolling her to her back and disconnecting them. He kicked off his pants then pulled off her skirt. “Savannah, Savannah, my sweet Science Girl, my love, my wife,” he whispered in her ear as he slowly entered her and they began to move together.

  It no longer embarrassed her to meet her climax so soon. “Oh, Jesse,” she cried out as she began her ascent. He was not far behind her as they collapsed in a tangle of legs and clothing, holding each other, basking in the afterglow of their lovemaking.

  Somewhere in the middle of the night, they found their way back to the kitchen. Theresa, the housekeeper, had cooked a ham for dinner and Savannah found some rolls in the pantry and made sliders for them to nosh on before they returned to the bedroom for a second round.

  “Jesse, I love you,” she said as she settled into his arms and drifted off to sleep.

  “I love you back, Science Girl” He kissed the top of her head and experienced a newfound peace as he drifted off to his own private Neverland.

  Savannah awoke to an empty bed. Turning slowly, she saw the morning sun shining brightly into the room, even for late January. She sat up in the bed and took stock of the bedroom. The king sized bed did not have a headboard, only an ecru colored Matelassé covering for bedding, and two king sized pillow. The walls were beige, there were no rugs on the floor and outside of a gentleman’s chest of 15 drawers and a mirrored dresser, the room was bare.

  The floors were not cold as she tiptoed to the bathroom. The fireplace that resided in the wall had been lit, emanating warmth into the bedroom as well as the bathroom, a bathroom that bordered on amazing! It boasted two separate vanities, with hers having an overstuffed dressing chair. There was natural light from the window and she even had her own private water closet. Jesse had his own as well. Well, now don’t that beat all? The oversized Jacuzzi tub sat in the middle of the bathroom, dividing her side from his with the shower next to the tub.

  Savannah showered quickly and dressed, placing her items in the dresser. To the left of the bed were two doors; she figured these were closets. She opened the one on the left, and his scent wafted out, filling her nostrils and igniting her hormones. The shirts were lined up by color, then by sleeve length. Almost every one had the Montgomery Construction logo. The back of the closet held his shoes, all six pairs including the sandals she had purchased for him. The right side of the closet held a few suits, some ties, and slacks in three colors: khaki, blue, and black. Okay, then.

  She closed the door and went to the other closet. Her breath caught. She could almost hear the angels singing as she noticed the lingerie chest, a full-length mirror, a settee, a tea table, and a rack from ceiling to floor for shoes! Savannah pinched herself to make sure it was real. The rumbling of her tummy halted her fantasy romp through closet heaven and shoe racks than ran to the ceiling.

  As she made her way down the hall, there were three empty bedrooms on the master bedroom floor. She peered inside the first, which was mid-sized – her bedroom furniture would go in here. The second room she peeked in was slightly smaller. Her guest room furniture could go here. But near the stairwell was another set of stairs that went up. She followed the stairs to an empty space that would be ideal for a children’s play area. It must have been what Jesse had in mind as well, as an antique tricycle sat in the corner of the room. Okay, four bedrooms upstairs with a bonus room.

  Slowly, she went to her starting point in the upstairs hallway and looked over the balcony into the formal living room. It was empty, but the fireplace was beautiful, with large hand set stones surrounding it over what appeared to be a hand carved wooden mantle. Unlike the gas burning one in the bedroom, this one burned wood. Great for winter storms and power outages.

  The formal dining room held a wooden table that would easily seat ten, but there were no chairs. She eyed the wood closely, grinning from ear to ear when she realized Jesse had made the table. Burned into the wood was a logo featuring a large O, with cursive JM in the center. Off the side of the dining room was an office filled with papers, blue prints, and two overstuffed chairs. This was his space.

  Savannah walked back through the dining room and headed toward the other side of the house, to the kitchen. She entered from the other side, versus the way they had come up the stairs last night and found herself in a humongous great room, with another wood burning fireplace and walls that were also beige. The room held no furniture. By her calculations, the house in total was easily 4,500 square feet. It is going to take me five years of penny-pinching just to furnish this place.

  In the kitchen was a small table with two chairs. The legs were very similar to the dining room table and Savannah peered underneath the table to look for his logo. It is there, as well as on the chairs. She heard someone clear their throat and popped up on her feet to see an older white man standing there. Relative?

  “Good morning there, Mrs. Montgomery, I hope you didn’t mind me helping myself to coffee. Jesse will be back inside in a minute.”

  Savannah looked over her shoulder to see if anyone was standing behind her. Mrs. Montgomery? She played it cool. “No problem, I think I will grab a cup myself. And may I ask who you are?”

  “I’m Jeb. Jeb Montgomery, I’m Jesse’s uncle. I guess I’m yours too, or will be once you to make it official. Big Sam is my brother.”

  Her eyebrows went up. “Pleasure to meet you, Jeb, and please call me Savannah.”

  Savannah’s hands shook as she poured her coffee. Jesse was a Montgomery of Montgomery Construction. She thought about Darwin’s words, “He would let me keep my job.”

  Anger coursed through her as she rifled through their conversations. He had lied to her and told her he didn’t make six figures, remembering his words, but between your new raise and what I make, we would do okay.

  She wasn’t sure how okay he was going to be when he walked through that back door. Why did he lie to me? And why do I not ask for people’s last names?

  Chapter Thirty - Four

  Jesse entered the backdoor and saw her sitting at the table with Uncle Jeb. “Good morning, my lovely,” he said as he bent down to kiss her good morning.

  Savannah rose and fetched a cup. “Let me pour you some coffee, Mr. Montgomery. Uncle Jeb, would you like to join us for breakfast?”

  Jesse’s eyes were wide with her realization. He was planning to tell her this morning, but Jeb had shown up earlier than expected.

  Uncle Jeb declined on breakfast. “I am just here to get the keys to your place so I can get the movers in a get everything over here this weekend and you will be ready to rock and roll on Monday.” Savannah retrieved her keys from her purse and passed them over to Uncle Jeb.

  “Great, we should have everything here at least by 4 pm, so all you have to do is point to where you want it.” Jesse gave the man a hug as he took his cup of coffee and headed out the backdoor, nodding his head to Savannah.

  At this point she didn’t care. A serious conversation was needed.

  “We’ll see you at four, and it was a pleasure meeting you,” she told him as she retrieved eggs from the fridge, along with some turkey bacon, and started breakfast.

  Uncle Jeb waved goodbye and Jesse knew in the way she beat the eggs that she was madder than a wet cat. Thursday made an appearance, rubbing against her legs begging for food. Jesse picked up the little ball of fur and set out some food and fresh water for her.

  Savannah made the plates and set them on the table, pushing Jesse to ask, “Is this our first fight and if so, afterwards can we have some messy makeup sex?”

  “How could you not tell me you were Montgomery Construction? Isn’t that a detail I needed to know?”

  “Nope, it wasn’t relevant until now,” he to
ld her after he blessed the food and started eating.

  Jesse explained again that it was a family-run business and after the conference, he thought she knew. He further described his role in the company as a worker, moving his way through the ranks by earning every job title he had sported. “Orison is my middle name, so the workers would not see me as the company, but as their boss.”

  “Your middle name means truth and you couldn’t tell me you run Montgomery Construction?”

  “Thanks to you, I do now. I got a promotion recently,” he told her as he sipped his coffee. Jesse explained at each convention, it was his job, along with Big Sam, Jeb, and Bart to bring in new business. “Taking over the reins from Big Sam was between me and my cousin Bart, Jeb’s son.” Did I meet Bart? “We both have the same credentials, same training, and the same years in the company, but with one difference.”

  “What is that?”

  “On that Friday and Saturday night in Colorado, somehow, and I don’t know what you said to those men, but you got me four new contracts. Those four contracts made me president of Montgomery Construction.”

  Savannah sat at the table, staring at him. “What do you expect from me as your wife, Jesse, to do more of the same?”

  “I expect you to love me. As you told my brother, your job is to make me forget the office, fortify me so I can go back each day and do the job. My job as your husband is to keep you happy and give you the things you want to keep you satisfied. WE raise some kids, and they go off to college at Alabama.” He lowered his head in reverence as he said, “Crimson Tide ... and grow old together.”

  “You make it seem so simple, but you lied to me.”

  “Tell me what I lied to you about, Savannah?”

  Her hands flew in the air, pointing around the house, the room. “This! You. What is this? Did you buy this house for us?”

  “No. I bought this house for me. It just happens to be in an area you wanted to live in, which further proves my point about us belonging together.”