Chapter 23 Julian
JULIAN
The door to the house swings open, and our attention turns to the woman I’ve seen in pictures. Her hair dyed blonde in a natural way, and a smile that I’m not sure ever disappears.
I’m not nervous or feeling a need to impress, but the importance of this introduction and meeting still matters to me.
“You’re here.” She pushes out the screen door and opens her arms for Savannah.
“Yeah. Had to run around town for a bit.” She hugs her aunt. Savannah’s eyes divert to me, and she steps to the side of her aunt. “I brought company. My boss, Julian Haven.”
Her aunt travels her eyes between Savannah and me. “Wonderful to meet you. Savannah mentioned that you were in the area. Hopefully, she gave you a tour of town.”
“She did.” I bring my arm from behind my back and reveal the bottle. “And this is for you.”
“Oh, you shouldn’t have.” Her smile remains unchanged as she accepts the dark red. “Come on in.”
We follow her, and I instantly notice how clean everything is and the number of photos on the hallway table. I do a quick skim and spot it instantly. “Look at you in your royal glory.”
Savannah follows my line of sight and is quick to sweep up the photo of her in a dress and crown, even with a little wand. She was younger, her hair down and curled, makeup a little too much, but a beauty all the same.
“Don’t be a pain,” she mumbles so only I can hear. It will be hard to do because she’s fun to rile up.
We enter the kitchen, and the smell of baked cookies infuses the room. “I baked your favorite,” Aunt Bea tells Savannah as we stand around the island.
“Ah, thanks. Does this mean you have an entire stash of sugar cookies that I can take back to the city, too?”
“You betcha.” Her aunt sets the bottle down on the counter in passing as she walks to the wire cooling rack on the counter and uses a spatula to scoop cookies onto a plate.
“It’s interesting that you take a vested interest in where your PA is from, Mr. Haven.
” This woman might have a heart of gold, as Savannah claims, but she’s sneaky.
I understood that question clear as day.
“Please, it’s Julian, and I don’t take any interest in my PA's hometowns, only this one.” We both look at Savannah watching from the side.
“She is special, isn’t she?” Bea admires her niece.
“She is indeed.”
Savannah tucks a loose tendril of hair behind her ear and avoids looking at either of us. She hates the attention on her right now. “Let’s focus on other things, shall we? We went by the Riverbell.”
Bea continues to scoop the baked cookies. “Thought you would. I stay out of their way for the busy lunch rush.”
“My aunt prefers evenings to chat with guests,” Savannah adds.
“Well, I’m not a cook and only sometimes good at helping the wait staff. I stick to playing hostess and doing the books. Come, let’s sit down on the back porch.”
We take a minute to grab some soft drinks and the plate of cookies and find a home on the screened-porch table that overlooks a garden that backs onto the woods.
Savannah shoves the plate of cookies at me. “Eat it, or she’ll cry,” she mutters under her breath to me. I’ll do as I’m told on this one.
To be fair, I’m not a cookie person. But a flower-shaped cookie with blue icing and pink sprinkles kind of just won me over after one bite.
“These are good,” I compliment.
“Thank you. Savannah never wanted to learn the recipe.”
“Because only you can make them,” she validates.
Her aunt waves her off. “So Julian, what do you think of Everhope? I’m sure it’s nothing you’re used to.”
“Definitely quieter. Tranquil,” I admit.
Bea’s eyes lock onto me. “It is. It’s good for the heart.”
“Hopefully, because someone at this table used to say mine was made of stone.” I direct my gaze to Savannah.
Bea chuckles. “She can be spirited. And modest, too. She won’t even celebrate her accomplishment of getting a master’s degree.”
Savannah blows out a raspberry. “Is this why you asked me back?”
“It’s not crazy to want to celebrate. I want to have a special dinner tomorrow and give a little gift, too.”
“Savannah doesn’t like gifts, I’ve observed. Also, I couldn’t agree more that she shouldn’t be so modest.” It’s endearing, though.
Savannah shoots us both a warning glare. “Stop talking about me.”
“Is it so wrong that I paint you in a positive light in front of your boss?”
I grin and chuckle under my breath. “No need to do such a thing, and the pretense of the boss might need to be shaken while I’m here.”
Bea beams. “Oh, imagine that, you are more than a boss,” she plainly says because she isn’t surprised.
Savannah drops her face into her hands, exhausted and humored by our ruse. “What gave it away?”
“Darling, nobody takes their boss to meet their family for kicks. I also highly doubt Mr. Billionaire here really had business out this way. You also made a reservation at the Schoolhouse. Glenda let me know when I walked by the new donut place in town this morning.”
I like this lady a lot. “You’re a smart cookie, Bea. Yes, your niece got under my skin, and here we are.” I let my hand float over to Savannah’s arm to touch her the way a man who has her should—tender yet possessive purely by a touch of the fingers.
Savannah gives me a warm look. “It was unexpected. All of this. He and I. It’s new, too. But something chased us together,” she reflects.
“The way it should,” Bea laments. “I’m going to assume that the reservation isn’t for one and you’re a grown woman.”
“I don’t mean to steal her away, but I kind of can’t apologize, either. I never take time off.”
Bea’s face is neutral, unreadable. “You might want to take more time off, then. We lose precious things if time isn’t given.” That’s her warning shot.
A fair one, too.
“I don’t lose things that have value,” I respond.
“Good.” Her mood perks up, and she swings her focus back to Savannah. They quickly dive into a conversation about old photos.
I want to listen intently, but I can’t help but observe, as I’m surrounded by two people in the same family, showing every ounce of love, completely invested in one another’s words, mementos on the wall, and favorite cookies to be shared.
Everything that is foreign to me.
I only accept success, but I’m feeling uneasy about how I can be any good at this; what’s in front of me. I’ve never had anything that resembles family like this. I’m not even sure I’m jealous because I’m not sure what I’ve been missing, except that in front of me is the image of honest love.
Savannah deserves everything. I’m not even half that guy. I’ve never been anywhere near invested in a woman, and here she is bringing me into unknown territories, bringing out parts of me I haven’t seen before.
Some men would run away, but I’m determined to do the opposite and succeed, similar to everything else I touch.
Because she’s no exception.