Chapter 91
Savannah
Last week
Savannah stared at Jon as he stood in her hallway, talking to his wife about their affair.
She hadn’t expected that. She was furious and desperate to punish him, but now it was all feeling a bit…
too real? And now he was telling his wife to come here, to Savannah’s house.
Why would he do that? It would be horrifically awkward.
In Savannah’s version, she would call at Susan’s door, tell her who she was and what he’d done, then flounce off to leave them to it.
She didn’t actually want Jon’s wife in her house or in any kind of in-depth conversation. What was he thinking?
Jon had ended the call but was still in the hall, looking at something on his phone. Or pretending to, at least.
“Why the hell is she coming here? I don’t want to see your wife!”
“You said you wanted to talk to her?”
The puzzled frown was both fake and infuriating. The dynamic had shifted and Savannah didn’t like it.
“That doesn’t mean I want her in my house.”
“Fine, she can stay on the doorstep. It’s not a big deal, to be honest. We live quite separate lives, as I said. But if you insist on talking to her…” He finishes the sentence with an infuriating shrug.
“If the marriage is ‘all but over,’ why wouldn’t you come out to see me last night when I was outside your house?”
“Because it was after midnight. The baby was asleep.”
There was something in the way he said that—as though his and Susan’s needs trumped hers, just because they had a baby. Like a baby-on-board sign personified. Fury surged again.
“Then why did you take my car keys?”
“Christ, Savannah, do you think I want this drama on my doorstep? The other Oakpark isn’t quite as private as this one—the hedges aren’t so high and the driveways aren’t so long.
The entire neighborhood would witness it.
” He muttered something then under his breath, and she was almost sure she heard the words “broken window.”
“What was that?”
“Nothing.” He heaved a sigh. “We have a lot going on at the moment.”
We. She couldn’t help feeling he and Susan were still very much a family. A trio. And Savannah was the bit on the side. Disposable.
“So what happens now? Your wife gives us her blessing and we carry on seeing each other? I don’t think so, Jon.”
He held up his hands. “No argument from me. Best we end it.”
How magnanimous. She launched into another series of “how could you?”s while he stood there, head down, taking it all, saying nothing.
Just as she was about to take off her bracelet and fling it at his stupid head, a figure appeared at the front door, visible fleetingly through the glass at the side.
Jon opened the door. And Savannah came face to face with Susan.
She wasn’t what she’d expected, but then again, she’d only known of her existence for about twelve hours and she hadn’t found any photos online.
Susan was tall, taller than Savannah by a good six inches, and had long, curly auburn hair framing a porcelain-skinned face devoid of makeup.
No jewelry, no adornments of any kind. Without thinking about it too much, Savannah had assumed subconsciously, she realized now, that Susan would look like her, but an older, more matronly, more mediocre version.
She took in Susan’s clothes—navy tracksuit and Asics trainers, the kind of clothes Savannah wouldn’t be caught dead in. But somehow they suited Susan.
“Savannah, this is Susan.”
Still on the doorstep, Susan threw Jon a dagger look, and Savannah caught it. Interesting. However this woman felt about her husband’s affair and whatever truth there may or may not be to the open-marriage story, she clearly wasn’t happy to be there.
Jon was speaking again. “Susan, I’ve told Savannah that you don’t mind me seeing other people. Understandably, of course, Savannah didn’t believe me, so I thought it would make sense if you came and explained and we could all move on.”
Savannah shook her head. God. He was talking about it like it was a minor workplace dispute over unwashed cups in the kitchenette.
Susan stepped forward. “Savannah, I’m sorry you got caught up in all this and had to find out this way. In all honesty, Jon is a complete fuckwit.”
In spite of herself, Savannah grinned.
Jon looked like he wanted to argue, but clamped his mouth shut.
Susan kept talking. “I don’t care what he gets up to away from home, but we have a small baby, we live in a very nosy neighborhood, and I work in the local school, so I absolutely cannot have this brought to my door.
” She stepped forward again. Savannah stopped grinning.
Susan was kind of scary. “Do you understand?”
Savannah nodded, feeling like a naughty child being chastised by a teacher.
Susan tilted her head, as though appraising her. Then she turned to Jon. “Jon, why don’t you head into work? You’re going to be late. I’ll have a coffee with Savannah here to make sure we’re definitely on the same page.”
Jon hesitated, looking as though he wanted to speak. Then something else crossed his face. Relief maybe? He was dying to get out of there, Savannah realized, happy to leave Susan to deal with her. What a coward. What had she ever seen in him?
Jon hesitated for just a second more, then nodded and turned to walk out the front door.
Leaving Savannah alone with his wife.