“Sweet baby Jesus, what did you do?” she takes Savannah’s hand in hers and directs her to the sink where she promptly puts it under cold water. “You need to wash off the germs.”
Savannah looks over her shoulder at me, her eyes questioning her aunt. I shrug, not having a clue what she’s talking about. Sue McGuire is what the town folk call “old country”. She grew up in a house full of women who cooked, cleaned and had their own home remedies for every ailment and injury. By all accounts, you’d think Aunt Sue was some grandma type just milling around the house, but that’s not the case; she can’t be a day over forty.
“What in the blue hell is going on in here?” Uncle Bobby comes stomping into the kitchen and sets his lunch pail on the counter. He immediately kisses Sue before looking from me to Savannah.
“Sugah, what’d you do to your hand?”
“I punched Jeremiah, Uncle Bobby.”
“Well, now why’d you go and do something like that?”
Savannah looks from him to me and back at him. She pulls her lower lip into her mouth and I see the tension in her jaw. I’m not going to let her get into trouble because I can’t keep my hands and lips to myself.
“Because –” I start to answer before I’m interrupted.
“Because I’m an ass, Bobby, you know that. I was pullin’ on her pigtails and makin’ fun of her boots,” Jeremiah saunters over to Savannah and stands between her and Bobby. “Girl’s got a mean right hook, I’m tellin’ ya. Look at my busted up lip, Bobby.” He moves right in front of Bobby so he can see his face.
“Y’all need to be workin’ and not flirtin’,” he mutters as he walks out of the room with Jeremiah hot on his tail. I breathe a sigh of relief. Sue finishes wrapping Savannah’s hand in a towel packed with ice and as soon as she leaves the kitchen, I’m moving to Savannah’s side. My hand grazes her hip sending this dynamic sensation up my arm and right into my chest.
“He just saved us,” she says, stepping closer. I’m getting the feeling that she likes living on the edge. I’m not sure how her Uncle will take it once he finds out we’re messing around.
“Yeah, he did.” My voice is quiet and Savannah takes that as a hint to give my lips and mouth some attention. My hands cup her face, holding her to me so I can relish in this brief intimacy we’re sharing. “I think we should go,” she whispers against my lips.
We don’t have to be at Jeremiah’s until later, so the fact that she wants to be alone with me excites me. I nod, pulling her hand into mine and walk us to the front door. We stop briefly to say goodbye and are shooed away by Bobby and Sue. We both shrug, but take it as a sign that they don’t care that we’re leaving together, although, Bobby probably thinks I’m just taking her to town to turn in her homework or shop. He doesn’t know about the thoughts going through my mind when it comes to his niece. If he did, he’d take me out to pasture and shoot my ass.
It almost makes me feel bad, until I look at her and realize that getting shot would be worth it.
We spend a few hours just driving the back roads, Savannah sitting next to me with my arm resting on her shoulder, until we pull into Jeremiah’s. Without a doubt, he invited everyone he knows and then some. The faint sound of music can be heard, the laughter is present and the flames of his massive bonfire are visible from the front of his house.
Savannah squeezes my thigh, letting me know she’s ready to go. I bring her hand to my lips, gently kissing her bruised knuckles before we leave my truck. She reaches into the back and pulls out the blankets I set back there for tonight.
“Want me to carry those?” I ask, reaching out.
“I got it,” she replies before kissing me quickly. It hits me right then and there, like a ton of bricks, that I’m screwed. This girl – the one I was trying to ignore – has already burrowed her way into my life whether I was ready for it or not. Who knew that something so simple as carrying blankets would be the trigger? We walk hand in hand to the backyard where Jeremiah has the most epic bonfire setup. Last summer we cut down logs and placed them in a circle. We also filled our trucks with sand and put that on the ground to give his area a beach feel. He said the chicks would dig it and they do, which is evident by the male-to-female ratio here tonight.
I introduce Savannah to the guys while Jeremiah boasts about his fat-lip, the tale changing each and every time. I’m going to have to tell him how much I appreciate him not saying exactly how he got it. I don’t want any of these guys to get the wrong impression of Savannah.
We scope out a spot to sit and I help her spread out the blanket. I don’t remember doing any of this stuff with Annamae. She used to do it all herself and never complained. Maybe that’s why she cheated.
Before I sit down, I take Savannah’s hand in mine and ask her if she wants a beer. I’m making an assumption that she’s had one before. I never thought to ask if she drinks.
“Yeah, I’ll take one.”
She holds my hand until our arms are extended and just our fingertips are hanging on. “Hey, Tyler?”
I stop and stare at her. The way she says my name makes my heart beat faster. I move forward so we’re chest to chest. “Savannah,” I say huskily as I slip my fingers between hers.
“What happens if neither one of us can drive home?”
I smile and look around, checking out the night sky. “I have a feeling with you next to me, the bed of my truck would be pretty damn comfortable.” She looks at me with a fit of fear in her eyes and I know I have to remedy the situation quickly. “I’ll only have a few, I promise.” I kiss the tip of her nose and wink at her before walking toward the keg.
“Hey Smalls, what’re you doing in town?” I pat an old classmate on the back while he fills his red solo cup.
“Not much, King. But it’s Dan now. I’m trying to grow out of that teen boy stage.”
I look at him all cock-eyed. “Right, what’s new?”
He moves aside so I can fill my and Savannah’s cups. Looking over my shoulder, I spot her talking to Annamae – this won’t be good. I regret chatting up Smalls because now I have to at least pretend to listen.