this nonsense about you staying in Last Chance and trying to renovate The Kismet?”
“Who told you this?”
“Todd called me earlier. He apparently borrowed your cell phone when you were in the shower. Savannah, what about Greg? He has a right to see his son, you know.”
Great. Her son had tattled on her. It wouldn’t be the first time.
She took a deep, calming breath. “Mom, you know and I know that Greg couldn’t care less about visitation. It’s been months since he’s paid any attention to Todd. And then it was just to give him that infernal PSP that he plays all the time. Maybe coming to South Carolina will wake Greg up. I would be happy if that happened. Of course, we both know that Greg is sort of like Dad, and that is probably not going to happen.”
“Okay,” Mom said on a long sigh. “I’ll concede that point. But you don’t want to live in Last Chance, and you sure don’t want to subject your son to that. I know, I grew up there, and aside from church and football games there wasn’t much to do.”
“There was the movie theater.”
“Right, like that’s the height of culture.” Mom’s voice rose in pitch. “I knew I should have put my foot down when Daddy started filling your head with all those silly ideas about reopening that place. That was his dream, not yours. How are you going to pay for a thing like that? And have you any idea about the quality of the schools in that little town? This is a huge mistake you’re making. Don’t be an idiot.”
Savannah looked through the kitchen window at the Spanish-moss-laden oak in the side yard. She remembered the tree house Granddaddy had built for her. It was gone now, but the memory remained steadfast and true. Why couldn’t Todd have a father like that? Why couldn’t she have had a father like that? Or a mother who encouraged her to follow her dreams instead of pointing out how hollow they were.
“You know, Mom,” she said in a shaky voice, “it would be nice if just once you would support me in the things I want to do.”
“I certainly would support you if you were opening a business you knew something about, in a city where you might get customers. My goodness, Savannah, you can’t be successful in a place like Last Chance.”
“When was the last time you came down here?”
“I don’t know. Decades. I avoid the place. I don’t want you bringing up Todd in that one-horse town.”
Before Savannah could counter, Mom rolled on. “And Todd said Dash was there. He told me Dash destroyed his PSP. Really, I can’t believe you’re letting Todd have anything to do with that man. My God, Savannah, don’t you remember the way he treated you as a girl? He’s fully capable of abusing Todd. Or worse.”
Mom was silent for a moment, obviously letting her arguments take their toll, before she continued, “And I don’t think Greg will be wild about the situation after I explain it to him. And you should know that Claire is fit to be tied. How could you turn down her offer to pay Todd’s tuition to the Gilman School?”
Something deep inside Savannah snapped. “I turned her down because she wants to turn Todd into a big snob, just like you’ve become. Just like Greg is. I’m sorry, Mom, but I’m going to stay in Last Chance. Miriam needs a cook. Todd needs the fresh air. And Dash is not a child molester. I may not have approved of his methods, but he did me a huge favor by breaking that idiotic game. Besides, this is my life, not yours or Claire’s or Greg’s. It’s mine, and if I want to come live here with Aunt Miriam and Cousin Dash, well then, that’s what I’m going to do.”
She pulled the phone from her ear and pressed the disconnect button.
“Bravo.”
She looked up to find Dash leaning in the kitchen doorway clapping his hands. His fitted cowboy shirt accentuated his broad shoulders and narrow hips. He looked tanned and healthy and incredibly male. The puppy Todd found stood beside him looking up with total adoration on his face.
“I take it that was Aunt Katie Lynne on the phone telling you how to run your life?”
Savannah nodded, suddenly unable to get a word out. How much had he heard of her rant?
“Thanks for telling her off on my account. I’ve been wanting to do that