Chapter 50
Chapter fifty
LEE
Iwas almost finished settling into Charlie’s studio apartment after helping him move into the townhouse he was sharing with Tally and her baby girl, Libby.
Sutton was on speakerphone as I unpacked and somehow had roped me in to planning some weird, southern tradition called a baby passing, where, like the phrase, you passed around the baby to new people in his or her life shortly after they joined the world.
“I mean, we really don’t know Tally, so a baby shower would be weird. Plus, it’s not Charlie’s. But now it is? I don’t know. Can you find some soft, soothing songs to sing?”
“Sure can, doll. Ryan probably can, too,” I laughed.
“I might be dating him, but he’s not Leland Wilder. See you Sunday. Thanks, babe!”
I hung up and almost immediately there was a knock at the door. I shoved a box out of the way, clicked open the lock, and flung the door open, which let out a huge, ancient creak. Definitely needed some WD-40.
Magnolia stood in the hallway with her hair, now longer and curlier, stuck to her face and neck with sweat from the humid, Savannah day.
“Hey, is everything okay?” I reached out to grab her, but she pushed past me and dropped her purse on my counter top, looking around what was once her brother’s place.
“So, you’re staying? And you’re renting Charlie’s place?”
“Subleasing for now, yes. Is everything okay?” I asked again, as I watched her fling open the fridge, finding a couple of beers and yanking them out. She popped off the top and handed one to me, cheersing as we clinked the bottles together.
“They found Dane. In the Keys. He’s been using my uncle’s identity and got nabbed now that the death certificate and will have been filed.
Apparently the ‘life insurance’ money was just a cash payout from Dane that he pushed through some shady associate of your dad’s.
Almost as if, I don’t know, he and Kasey had been planning this all along. Anyway, I thought you should know.”
I watched her drink the entirety of her beer in one long gulp, then turn to scour the cabinets for something stronger.
“Check the box by the window,” I said. “There’s bourbon in there.”
“Thanks.” She found the box, opened up the bottle, and took a long, hard pull before passing it to me. “You’ll need it.”
“Maggie, are you—”
“Shut up, Lee. Listen to me.” She stretched out an arm so I wouldn’t move closer toward her. “I love you. And you’re staying in Savannah, right?”
I swallowed, trying to hide just how elated I was to finally hear her say those words again. “You love me?”
“Hush it, you idiot. Yes, I love you. You know it, I know it, your momma knows it, your brother knew it. Anyway, are you sure you’re staying here? For good?”
“I’ve thought about it, but…”
“Are you staying here, Lee? In Savannah, Georgia? Or will you leave again? Or want to leave again, I should say? Answer the question.”
I put both bottles down on the counter and crossed the small kitchen toward her, putting my hands on her shoulders. “No, Maggie, I’m not leaving. This is my home, and I intend on staying. Is that okay with you?”
She sighed and pushed me off her before crossing the room and flinging open the door. “It’s fine by me. You and I have a date tonight, by the way, 7:30. And don’t be late. Pick me up at my place. No Pickle petting beforehand, either! See you then.”
I nodded and watched her fly out the door, slamming it behind her, my heart pounding in my chest. She was gone in a flash, her words still hanging in the air, but I couldn’t help the grin spreading across my face.
She actually wanted me to stay. After all this time, after everything, she finally wanted me here. For the first time since I’d come back, I felt like I had a real reason to stay—and that reason was happy about it.