I shake my head. “I sit in front of that man for an hour a day,” I say. “I see the way he looks at you. He likes you, Abigail.”
She smiles back at me.
“Let’s plan to have him over for dinner this week.”
“Yes, let’s!” June chimes in.
I beam at June then turn to see Abigail blush. “Don’t let someone good slip through your fingers, Abigail. You deserve to be happy.”
“Speaking of deserving to be happy,” Sue sits back in her chair and looks at me, “what’s going on with you and my son?”
Oh, shit. I lean over and pour myself some more wine, and Sue laughs.
“Ladies,bon appetit,” Zack announces as he and Adam serve our lunch. “Chicken Souvlaki with roasted potatoes and grilled asparagus,” he says with a flourish.
It smells amazing. Everything looks so perfectly placed on the plate I almost don’t want to touch it.
Adam leans over my seat and whispers, “You must have come from the spa…you smell of vanilla.”
I nod, fighting the blush I feel rising in my cheeks.
“Can I get you anything else?” I notice he isn’t asking the rest of the table.
“No, thank you. I’m fine.” I glance at Sue, who is chuckling.
We are all pretty quiet as we start eating. I’m hoping to God they don’t bring up Cole again, but I know it’s highly unlikely.
“What do you miss most from home, Savannah?” June throws me with her question.
“I-I’m not sure,” I stammer. “I mean, I miss a lot of things, but my life was so different.” I lean back to allow Adam to clear away my plate. “It wasn’t exactly going the way I thought it would. I was becoming less and less connected to the outside world because of the paparazzi. I was trying so hard to be what my father wanted and so hard not to be what the press was convinced I was, that I lost who I actually was.”
June nods. “So, who is the real Savannah, and what does she want out of this life?”
“Umm…” I hadn’t really thought about it. “I guess I’m still figuring out who I am. As far as what I want out of life, it would be to find someone who loves me for me.” I tilt my head, giving it some thought. “Someone to curl up with on a stormy night, holding me until it passes. Someone who, no matter what, kisses me hello and goodbye.” I think of Cole. “Someone who can melt my heart with just one look, make my knees weak when they say my name. Make my breathing stop when they reach out to touch me.” I look up to see three women staring at me with dreamy eyes like I’d been singing a love song. I cough, and we all sit up a little straighter. “I’m tired of putting my life on hold. I just want to be happy. I know I have a long road ahead of me and a lot more hurdles to get over, but the fact that I know I will be doing it with all of you makes it a little easier,” I confess.
“That’s a lovely thing to say, dear.” Sue reaches for my hand and gives it a squeeze.
God, it feels nice opening up and letting them in, even if it’s only baby steps. I smile to myself. Something else pops in my head and makes me happy.
“The piano, June.” I glance at Abigail, who gives me a wink. It means so much that she’s never spoken about me playing it when I first arrived. I know she understood it was a private moment for me. “I’ve only played twice since my mother passed, but I love to play the piano.”
“There’s one in the living room, dear,” June says. “You’ll have to play for us some time.”
“We have a piano here!” Zack booms, coming toward the table.
How the hell did he hear us?
“You want to play?”
“No, no, I’m too rusty.” I hold up my hands. “Perhaps another time.”
“Okay, but I’m holding you to that,” he says through a grin. “Ladies, I hope you enjoyed your lunch. We’ll see you soon, right?”
“Of course.” Sue stands and gives him a hug.
We say our goodbyes as Adam races ahead of us to open the door.
“Have a good afternoon,” he says with a bow. “I hope to see you again real soon, Nicole.”
“I’m sure you do,” June jokes on the way over to the SUV.
Keith is on the phone with someone and watches me as I come toward the car. “She’s fine. We’re about to head home. Okay.”
He smiles. “You got the boss in a knot because you didn’t text.”
“Oh, shoot!” I hit my forehead. “I forgot.”
“No worries.”
“Sorry.”