Chapter Twelve #2
Savannah reached across and gave her arm a gentle slap. "There's no 'not good enough' about it," she said sternly. "And I don't want to hear you talking like that, okay?"
Tiffany grinned. "Okay. I won't. If he's not interested, it's his loss, yeah?"
"Exactly," said Savannah. "But don't give up on him yet. Maybe you just need to try a different approach."
"Maybe." Tiff leaned forward eagerly. "What kind of approach do you think might work?"
"I have no idea."
Tiffany laughed. "See? There you go, getting my hopes up. But since they are up, I'm going to give it some thought. I'll do some scheming today." She reached for a pancake. "I wish you didn't have to work. We could hang out."
"I wish I didn't have to work too." As she said it, Savannah realized that for the first time in her life, she'd rather be at home spending time with people she cared about than at work.
Tiffany took her hand and gave it a squeeze. "Don't look like that. I know damn well that if you had the day off, you'd rather spend it with Jake than me anyway. You don't need to feel guilty about it. It's normal."
Savannah squeezed back. "Of course I want to see him. But I wasn't feeling guilty. I was feeling grateful. Grateful that I have you in my life, not just Jake. I've told you before and I'll say it again—I've never had such a good friend as you, Tiffany Blue, and I love you to pieces."
"Aw, love you too, babe. Now quit talking and help me work on these pancakes, would ya?"
~ ~ ~
It was nine o’clock by the time Jake and Josh said goodnight to everyone. Jake’s dad and Jo were ready to leave, too.
Harvey clasped Jake’s shoulder. “I’ll see you at work in the morning, Jakey.” He turned to Josh. “You should come over one night this week for a game of chess.”
Jake was a little surprised at himself that the invitation made him feel left out.
Harvey’s eyes twinkled as he met Jake’s gaze.
“I’d invite you as well, but the whole point is to get him out of the way so that you can…
” he paused, grinning, “so that you and Savannah can have the place to yourselves.”
“Thanks.” Jake glanced at his dad and Jo. His dad raised an eyebrow, and Jo smiled encouragingly.
“Of course we want to know what’s going on,” said his dad. “But we’re happy to wait until you’re ready to tell us.”
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to tell them — it just felt weird. He thought they’d all be happy about it, but it seemed strange to share it with everyone when Savannah was so close with Sadie and Harvey. He figured it would be up to her how much she wanted to share with them.
Jo came and touched his arm. “We’ll see you soon. Give your dad a call if you’d like to come over for dinner one night this week.”
He loved Jo. She was such a kind soul. He leaned in and kissed her cheek. “Thanks. I’d like that.” He winked at his dad as he told her, “I’ll give you a call.”
She was so respectful of his relationship with his dad and tried not to be too pushy, but Jake knew she loved it when he called her. He wanted her to understand that the two of them had their own relationship — that he didn’t see her as just the woman who was with his dad.
Harvey chuckled. “I’m going to take myself off to bed. I’ll see you all soon enough.”
Sadie and Dom walked outside with them, and just before Jake got into his truck, Sadie came to give him a hug.
“I kind of get the impression that you might be worried what I think,” she said softly. “I just wanted to let you know that you don’t need to. I haven’t seen much of her the last few weeks, but whenever I talk to her, she sounds happier — and I know it’s because of you.”
That made him feel better. “Things are still new between us, but she makes me happy, too.”
Sadie beamed at him. “That’s wonderful. That’s what I was hoping for.”
As they drove back down the hill through the development at Four Mile Creek, Josh glanced over at him. “We’re going to pass the lodge. What do you think — should we stop in at the restaurant? See if you can catch her?”
Jake thought about it, but only for a moment. “No. That wouldn’t be fair. She’s working. I’d love to see her, but we’d only get a couple of minutes at most — and I don’t know how her boss would feel about it.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right,” said Josh. “When do you plan to see her again, though? And hey, I can get my ass out of the way if you want to invite her over.”
“That’s okay. She’s coming to the garage tomorrow. It’s her day off. We’ve been talking about her helping me out in there.”
“What?” he asked when he felt Josh’s gaze on him.
“Nothing. I mean, it’s good that you guys will get some time together. But does she really need to be working with you on her one day off?”
“I know it’s not ideal, but she’s not coming in for the whole day to work work. She’s going to follow me over to Hidden Valley when I drop a car off and pick one up. I’m not going to have her working the whole day or anything.”
Josh let out a short laugh. “Well, be careful, because if I know Savannah, that’s exactly what she’ll do if she gets half a chance.”
When they reached the bottom of the development and passed the lodge before pulling back out onto the East Shore Road, Jake glanced up at the restaurant.
It was strange to know that she was right there. He wished he could go in to see her — even more than that, he wished she could come to see him when she got off work. He was hoping that it wouldn’t be too long before they were at the stage where she’d do that.
He’d go pick her up every night if she’d let him. But he knew she wouldn’t like that idea — and he had to respect it.
~ ~ ~
Sunday nights were usually quieter in the restaurant, but tonight had been the exception. There were a few big tables, and from what she gathered from some of her regulars, everywhere was busier because there’d been an early-season—or pre-season—Christmas sale going on up in Stanton Falls.
Savannah liked to go up there in December when she could.
It was such a cool little town. She didn’t get the appeal of people going up there to do their Christmas shopping year-round, but in December it was perfect.
It was pretty magical to see the whole of Main Street lit up and decorated for the holidays.
That tingly ball of excitement that had become so familiar seemed to fizz in her chest as she wondered whether she and Jake might go up there this year.
Christmas wasn’t all that far away. She didn’t know if he was the kind of guy who’d hate the idea of riding around town in one of the horse-drawn carriages, but that didn’t stop her from spending a few moments fantasizing about snuggling with him under a blanket, in a world wrapped in twinkling lights.
“Order up!”
She snapped to attention and grabbed the plates she’d been waiting for. As she hustled them out to her table, Taryn caught her gaze as she passed.
“Are you doing okay?”
“Doing great, thanks.” Savannah immediately felt guilty, wondering if Taryn had seen her standing there daydreaming. Even though she couldn’t have done anything else in those few moments, she still felt bad.
Taryn gave her a puzzled look. “Are you sure?”
She smiled. “I am. Thanks. I’m great.” She held the plates a little higher. “Just delivering these.”
On her way back to collect a drink order from the bar, Dalton gave her a nod. She smiled as she passed, then stopped in her tracks when he said, “Did you have a good time at The Boathouse last night?”
She met his gaze warily, and he let out a short laugh.
“Shit, sorry—that came out wrong. What I meant was that it looked like you were having a good time, and that’s good.
” He shook his head. “See, this is why I sit here scowling to myself. It makes people not want to talk to me, which works out best for everyone since when I talk, I put my foot in it.”
That made her smile. “You didn’t put your foot in it. I did have a good time, thanks. I didn’t realize you were there.”
“I wasn’t for long.” He glanced over at Taryn. “I had to run over there to see one of the guys. I stuck my head in for a while, that’s all. I would’ve stayed longer, but it doesn’t seem fair while Taryn’s working.”
Taryn grinned as she came to join them. “I’ve told you before, just because I’m working doesn’t mean you can’t go.”
Dalton curled his arm around her waist. “I know, but it’s no fun without you.”
Savannah loved the way Taryn smiled. She was a tough cookie, and it was awesome to see her turn all gooey when Dalton was sweet to her. She left them to it and went to collect her drink order from the servers’ station.
She was grateful that the rest of the night seemed to fly by, and before she knew it she was collecting her bag from her locker. As she came back out through the restaurant, Taryn beckoned her over.
“I’ve been thinking about taking on an assistant manager.”
Savannah smiled. “That makes sense. Apart from anything else, if you had someone you could leave in charge, you and Dalton could go and see Clay play on a Saturday night.”
Taryn chuckled. “See, I knew you were a smart young lady. So—what do you think?”
Savannah gave her a puzzled look. She’d already said what she thought and didn’t understand why Taryn was asking her opinion in the first place.
“Would you be interested?” Taryn clarified.
“Me?”
“Yes, you. I’ve been watching you. You’re good. You’re efficient. You handle the customers well. You know what’s going on, and you handle your teammates well, too. They all look to you. You’re responsible.”
“I guess I am.”
She knew she should probably sound more enthusiastic. She was grateful that Taryn thought so much of her, but it was that word – responsible. She’d always had to be responsible. Not just for herself, but for so many things in life. Her mom had set the tone for that.
Taryn held her gaze for a long moment. “Sorry. I should’ve waited till the beginning of a shift.
You probably want to get out of here and get home.
Go on. We’ll talk about it tomorrow. And if you’re not interested, it’s fine.
I’ll find someone else. Maybe you can help me interview. But it could be a good move for you.”
“I know. Thanks. And I’m sorry—you’re right. I’m just tired. I’m really grateful that you thought of me.”
Taryn smiled. “You don’t need to be grateful, sweetie. You’ve earned it. But go on home. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
As she crossed the parking lot back to her car, Savannah’s mind was spinning.
Taryn was right; it would be a good opportunity, and it would no doubt mean more money – more regular money.
She wouldn’t have to depend solely on tips.
She didn’t know how she felt about being a manager, though.
She’d kind of been one over at the diner, but that was different.
There were only a few of them who worked there, and everyone automatically looked to her anyway.
But the restaurant was different. There was a much bigger team.
More importantly than that, though, if she took the role, she’d probably have to be here almost every night.
Her heart sank. What would that mean for her and Jake?
She’d enjoyed last night so much and was looking forward to many more nights like it—but the trouble with working in hospitality was that your nights were rarely ever your own.
She sighed and dug her keys out of her purse—then gasped and dropped them when a low, familiar voice behind her said, “Hi, Savannah. It’s been a while.”