on the street. “Saw you on CNN this morning. Congratulations on the arrest.”
“Thanks, LaNelle. Just doing my job.” And ever so glad to have his town back to himself. He whistled as he turned the corner onto Fourth and caught sight of Heavenscents up the block.
He stepped up his pace. Savannah sometimes shut the store down for lunch. Wonder what his chances were of talking her into having her sandwich in bed? Maybe if she really liked the scruffy look, he could convince her. Maybe she’d seen the interviews and would consider his fifteen minutes of fame a turn-on.
He bounded up the porch steps and entered the shop. The pleasing scents wrapped around him like a soft blanket on a cool night and he experienced a sense of coming home.
Then Savannah shocked him. Entering the room from the back of the shop, she took one look at him, burst into tears, and threw herself into his arms. “Zach!”
Whoa. She must have really been worried about me. “It’s okay, Peach. I’m okay. It was just a small exchange of gunfire.”
“Oh, Zach. You’ll never believe what has happened. I’m going to have a teenager!”
“Excuse me?”
“My nephew. My family. He’ll be here in three days and he’s going to live with me. Permanently.”
Permanently? But what about my sandwich in bed?
“How am I going to do this?” Her eyes were big brown pools of worry. “I don’t know anything about being a mother. He probably doesn’t even want a mother. I don’t think he’s ever had one. Not before Dad died, anyway. Dad wouldn’t let Gary’s girlfriend move into the house unless they were married, and Gary wasn’t going down that road again. He really got burned the first time. I know how that feels. We Moores just aren’t lucky in love.”
Well, then. So much for CNN and scruffy. “I’m a little bit out of the loop. I’ve been busy. Want to start at the beginning?”
He didn’t like hearing the note of petulance in his voice, but the facts had hit him like a two-by-four to the head. A kid? Now? Just when they were finding their way into a relationship?
She pulled away and shook her head. “Oh, what am I thinking? I’m sorry, Zach. That was rude of me. You’ve had a hard few days yourself. I’m so glad you weren’t hurt in the gunfight.”
“It wasn’t exactly a gunfight,” he muttered.
“Look at you.” She reached up and cupped his cheek. “Mr. Cable News Outdoorsman Hottie. I had five phone calls within three minutes of the interview. You’re the talk of the town. Sarah said women are going to be mailing you their panties.”
“She what?” Now Zach was embarrassed. Mollified, but embarrassed. “Forget about me. I want to hear about your nephew. Start at the beginning.”
She did, and as she talked, stress ramped back up in her voice. Hearing the story, Zach couldn’t blame her. The responsibility she was taking on was overwhelming.
It was also something he’d need to think about. The idea of falling for a woman was one thing. Falling for a woman with a kid was something else. Not that the idea of children bothered him. He wanted a family someday. Someday soon, to be honest. But to be fair to himself, to Savannah, and to the boy, TJ, he needed to move forward with care.
So maybe he wouldn’t try to talk her into a nooner after all. Damn the bad luck.
A customer entered the shop, interrupting Savannah’s story. She asked Zach, “Have you had lunch?”
“No.”
“I can offer you a chicken salad sandwich if you’d like to wait until I’m through with this customer and close up.”
“Sounds great.”
“Go on into the kitchen and make yourself at home.”
He did and decided to peruse her refrigerator. Spying the chicken salad, he made sandwiches for them both, then fixed himself a glass of iced tea. Savannah made delicious, traditional southern sweet tea that hit the spot. Inny came in through the doggie door to say hello, which made Zach miss Ace. He hadn’t seen much of his dog in the past week. Maybe after lunch he’d make a run out to the house and bring Ace to the office for the afternoon.
Events of the past week were on his mind when Savannah entered the kitchen a few minutes later. He wanted to hear more about her nephew, but first he had something he wanted to get off his mind. “There’s something I need to say to you, Savannah.”