Chapter 17
SEVENTEEN
SAVANNAH
This Christmas
Colorado Springs, Colorado
A few days later
The mouthwatering scent of Grandma Hattie’s dinner greets me and Garrett the moment we step off the elevator. As if we’ve forgotten our professional etiquette, Garrett slips an arm around my waist and presses a kiss against my cheek. I lean into him as we walk through the empty lobby.
When we arrive to her custom taste-testing session, I realize that we’re over an hour late. Not that anyone seems to notice, though. Our assigned chairs are at the end of the table, and everyone is too enamored with the huge plates of rolls and biscuits.
“Can we go ahead and skip the rest of the week?” Garrett whispers into my ear, handing me a napkin.
“That’s an entire third of the office party.” I’m not opposed to this idea at all, as long as we do some work. “Don’t you think everyone will notice we’re missing?”
“Yes, and they’ll be thrilled about it.” He smiles, his voice still low. “Yes or no?”
I nod. “Yes.”
“Good.” He caresses my thigh under the table.
“Um, Earth to Savannah?” Georgia’s voice snaps me out of my trance. “Earth to Savannah?”
“Yes?” I answer.
“Can you join the rest of us in reality and pass the biscuits, please?”
“Oh, right. Sorry.” I pick up a basket and pass it down.
“What do you think of the new golf course we're building, Savannah?” One of my aunts asks. “The designer I met in New Orleans flew in to build it.”
“I've seen the lights,” I say, “but I haven't seen the entire thing yet. I was planning to walk the path tomorrow.”
“Please don't do that.” She smiles. “Book a carriage ride to do it.”
“Did you notice the heated floors in the bathroom?” My cousin, Joy, smiles. “That was my idea and grandma updated every single suite with them. Sometimes I sit on them while I’m reading a book.”
“I didn't, but I’m going to turn them on in my suite tonight,” I say.
“Of course, you are.” Taryn glances my way, giving me one of her signature fake smiles.
I almost offer a fake smile in return until I notice the shirt she’s wearing. Peaking underneath her grey and white Versace blazer are the words, “Spelman College. Many Apply. Few Are Accepted. I Was Accepted…”
Even for her, this is low.
Strike two.
“Well, I've decided that I get to be the one who gets to show her the brand new Merry Christmas Lane,” Georgia says. “Unless you’ve already seen it. Have you?”
I don't get a chance to answer that.
“I highly doubt that she’s noticed much of anything.” Taryn purses her lips. “Everything except her bedroom and the lobby are probably all new to her. I mean, she never comes home, you guys. I have ex-boyfriends who know more about this resort than she does.”
Light laughter fills the room and I still.
My blood is beginning to boil.
“She had her reasons.” Grandma Hattie offers. “All that matters is that she’s back now.”
“Is she, though?” Taryn rolls her eyes. “She’s only here because her job requires her to be.”
“That counts.” Georgia stabs her dessert with a fork. “Instead of nitpicking why someone doesn’t come home that often, why don’t you suggest something she should check out while she is here?”
“You are so right, Georgia.” She clears her throat, giving me that fake smile again. “Dearest Cousin, I highly suggest that you check out the early morning light show on the lake. You can see it from your balcony.”
“Then again…” she continues, “since you’re spending your nights locked up in a room with your boss, you may want to know that the lake show is on the other side of the main lodge.
So, whenever you two get done discussing your next promotion between the sheets, maybe you can walk outside and enjoy something other than each other’s bodies.
I mean, who knows when you’re coming home just for your family again… ”
Strike fucking three.
“You want to know why I stopped coming home, Taryn?” I slam my fork onto the plate. “Do you really want to fucking know?”
“Savannah Marie Grey.” My grandmother chides me. “Your language.”
“I stopped coming home because of you.” I’m done with Taryn’s bullshit. “It wasn’t because of the grief over losing my parents in an accident. It was because of you.”
“Because I couldn't enjoy the holidays without you going out of your way to make me feel like I was nothing. And even then, you still sent me gifts that cost half my salary, for no other reason than to show me how much a braggadocious bitch you are.”
The room falls silent and I feel tears welling in my eyes. I don’t dare let them fall, though.
“You knew exactly what you were doing each time, too,” I say. “The subtle jabs that you tried to play off as jokes, the endless comparisons, the belittling of how my life was so much less than yours because I decided to work for a corporation instead of for myself.”
“I get it, okay?” I stand to my feet, keeping my eyes locked on hers. “You’re a self-made multi-millionaire, top thirty under thirty, and a ‘young mogul in the making.’ Congratulations. You’re also number one on my shit list, so feel free to brag about that the next time you try to speak to me.”
“Oh, and one last thing.” I narrow my eyes at her as I step away from the table. “I’ve never slept my way to the top, and I’ve never stepped on anybody else to get to where I am. The latter is your area of expertise. And I’m in love with my boss—I have been for a very long time—so fuck you.”
I storm out of the room without another word.