Chapter 3 Just Pizza
Just Pizza
Savannah
I drove home feeling two kinds of excitement. I had a new job which was always exciting even if this job filled me with extreme trepidation. My second kind of excitement came from the niggling feeling that Ted—no, Punc—was as attracted to me as I was to him.
That excitement, I had to nip in the bud.
I didn’t have time for being attracted to any man right now - especially if that man were Punc.
To be fair, I had forced myself to forget how sexy he’d become.
Far sexier than when I’d seen him at Dalton’s second birthday party.
Punc’s blond hair had darkened to more of a honey hue, maybe because working nights he’d need to sleep during the day.
I knew his eyes were blue, but this afternoon, I swore they seemed a more pure shade of sapphire blue.
He had stubble dotting his cheeks. When my eyes strayed along the sharp line of his jaw, I had an overwhelming urge to drag my lips - or better, my tongue - along it.
Taking care of my sister was my first priority. Even though she was old enough she thought she could take care of herself, losing Mom had been rough on her. Rougher than she let on most of the time, and that worried me.
My second priority was getting out from under Frank’s debt. No man wanted a woman who had that kind of baggage.
Giving into my attraction could create a huge problem with Alanis.
Yeah, I had to ignore Punc; not just because we worked together, but because I’d never ruin my oldest friendship. Not a chance I would do that. Alanis and I didn’t talk much about her brother… hell, until my senior year of high school, I hardly noticed Ted.
Plus, Turk and Yak made it explicitly clear: no dating coworkers or customers. That last was a no-brainer. I couldn’t imagine going there with a customer.
My first shifts were slated for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday afternoons. Those would actually be more of a training-slash-getting-my-feet-wet. Sunday would be my first full night.
My phone rang on the in-car system. The same number Frank Darren had used when he’d followed Catalina.
Ugh.
“Hello?”
“Where are you? I’m at your house.”
Alarm bells were clanging in my head at the idea of him being at the house, and that he’d forgotten the terms he mentioned last Monday. I didn’t want him to know more about me than absolutely necessary.
A lie rolled right off my tongue. “I’m working and on my way to a job site. You said I had until this Friday.”
A hollow laugh came across the line. “You’re right, I did, but you better have the money in cash, Savannah.”
I grimaced. “A check provides proof of what I’ve paid.”
“I don’t take checks. Cash only. Your mama knew the score. Now you do, too.”
The call ended, the radio blared through the speakers, and I turned it off. No matter how much I understood why Frank insisted on cash, I had the sinking feeling that it also allowed him to extract more money from people who owed… because no written records meant it was his word against mine.
God. Why did Mom put herself in this position?
I really needed answers from Dad on that, and I needed to get them in private.
Catalina’s relationship with Dad wasn’t exactly great, but it was far better than mine.
I thought it was worth trying to protect that for her if possible.
Overhearing this conversation might further damage whatever Cat had with Dad.
Their contact wasn’t frequent, but at least they were on speaking terms.
From the time I turned eighteen until Mom’s death, I’d reached out to Dad twice - tops.
My strained relationship with him had made Mom’s funeral a bit awkward, but then Cat had never been taken along to watch him hustle someone out of their hard-earned money or convince someone to sell something to him for less than it was worth.
At a red light, I pulled up Dad’s contact and hit the call icon. This would make the tenth time I’d called him since Frank had swung by the house.
As usual, it went straight to voicemail.
This time, I left a lengthier message than before.
“Hey, Dad. I’ve left a few messages for you, but I’ll be more informative this time.
A man named Frank Darren came by the house the other day.
He mentioned you. He also says Mom owes him money - he doesn’t care that she’s dead, and I’d rather not tap into Catalina’s college fund to pay him off.
Not that her school savings will cover half of what this guy wants, but…
you know, do your daughters a favor and call me. ”
I jabbed my finger at the red end-call icon on the screen. My gut said he wouldn’t call back, but maybe mentioning Catalina would motivate him to respond.
Not long after Cat got home from school, my cell rang. I snatched it up, hopeful and almost excited for it to be Dad, but the screen displayed a number I didn’t know.
Maybe Dad had to use a different phone.
I answered the call.
“Savannah? It’s Punc.”
My ass hit my bed so fast, it was a wonder I didn’t collapse.
“Um, really?” I asked.
He chuckled. “Yeah. I’m sorry for the way I acted today. It wasn’t cool.”
My lips tipped up and I leaned back on my pillows. “You were cool, Ted. You’re protective, and I’m not sure anyone can fault you for that.”
His low hum gave me an unexpected thrill. “You’re being too kind, Smythe.”
I grinned. “As Rita says, the world can always use a little more kindness. Especially when it comes to seeing things from someone else’s perspective.”
“Why are you dancing?” he asked in a gentle tone. “Can you come clean about that? Something tells me it’s more than dealing with your mom’s death.”
I fought off a sigh. “If you repeat this, I’ll deny every word, but Catalina can put some food away, Punc. Add in all the upcoming expenses for the end of Cat’s junior year and… I don’t know. I want her to have everything she would have had with Mom alive.”
“What kind of expenses does she have for the end of her junior year?”
The deep timbre of his voice asking after my sister made me bite my lip. I wanted more of this. His gentle tone, his concern about what I had to deal with, and his insistence to apologize…I’d never had a man be so attentive.
It struck me that I’d been quiet too long, and with a chuckle, I answered his question.
“Her class ring is on order, but the balance hasn’t been paid in full.
Cat offered to cancel the order, but I meant what I said.
Mom would have made this happen, and I’m determined to do the same.
I could be wrong, but if nothing else, dancing will help me cover the cost of her bling. ”
To be fair, that bit about Mom might have been a lie, but I’d like to think she wouldn’t have gone into debt with a loan shark and left Catalina hanging.
“What’s the damage? I can help with the class ring,” Punc said.
I tilted my head back and mouthed the word, “Crap.”
I righted my head and lowered my voice. “That is incredibly sweet. However, I can’t let you do that, Punc.”
“Want to say the same thing about you dancing, Savannah,” he murmured.
His voice coming at me in that murmur did things to me. Like spark my imagination of what it would be like having him in my bed murmuring in my ear.
I shivered at the thought and forced myself to focus on the conversation. “I’m good at it though. How did you put it? ‘Too fuckin’ good at it.’”
“Don’t remind me.”
My lips tipped up as I fought a smile. “It won’t be forever. Just long enough for me to build up a bigger cushion.”
He paused. “I’m not trying to overstep here, but it seems to me that moving to a smaller place with a more affordable mortgage would give you a cushion.”
I made a noise, but he continued. “Before you interrupt, I’m guessing you aren’t moving because of your sister, too.”
Even though he couldn’t see it, I nodded. “You’re right. Plus, losing Mom and me shifting from sister to more of a guardian-role is more than enough of a change for both of us.”
He groaned. “Forgot about that. Where’s your dad? I’m surprised Cat isn’t living with him.”
I explained about Mom’s insistence on visiting a lawyer years ago. Somehow the subject of lawyers got Punc to talking about his parents and their estate planning. Our conversation was easy - even when the topics were heavy - and the next thing I knew, we’d spent almost two hours on the phone.
“I better let you go, Savannah,” Punc said.
“All right. Sorry to bend your ear for so long.”
“Don’t be. I called you, remember?”
“Yeah.”
“Add me to your contacts. You need someone to walk you out, I’m your man, got it?”
“Yeah,” I murmured, loving the idea of him being my man.
“Good. Catch you later.”
The phone did the double beep of the call ending, and I set it on the bed. The best sensations took hold inside me. Warmth and the feeling of having a weight lifted off my chest. I’d had no idea I was even carrying that weight.
It was similar to how I felt after talking to Alanis…but it was different. Exciting and almost reassuring.
I made dinner while portions of my conversation with Punc replayed in my head. By the time I locked up the house for the night and went to bed, it hit me.
So much for nipping my excitement about Punc in the bud. If anything, I’d given it Miracle Grow and a hefty dose of water.
Monday afternoon, I’d called Rita to rearrange my schedule, so my afternoons were free. That gave me time to train with Desiree. I parked next to a car where a woman was grabbing a bag from her trunk.
I hurried out of my vehicle. “You must be Desiree, right?”
She locked eyes with me over the top of her trunk, then nodded. “Sure am.”
With a sigh of relief, I nodded “Oh, good. I’m Savannah. Or I guess you can call me Ava, since that’s the name I’m using on stage. I hope you can show me where I’m supposed to enter the club since whoever’s at the door probably doesn’t know who I am.”