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“That would make sense, especially if he’s afraid of getting picked up again if he stays around here.” Blake set his glass on the Formica counter and crossed his muscular arms. “So if it’s not the Morales case, what is next? I know you’ve got something in the hopper, and I’m sure it’s interesting.”
Hez laughed. “You know me too well. After the hearing yesterday, I got two calls offering me work. One came from my old buddy Paige in the public defender’s office. They’ve got a murder case they’d like to refer. The other call came from Jimmy Little. He wants me to help with a crypto case. I probably only have time for one of them.”
“Which one?”
“I’m leaning toward Jimmy’s case. The crypto stuff is really interesting, and I could use the money. It’s venued in Birmingham, so I’d need to move back up there.”
Blake arched an eyebrow. “What about Savannah?”
Hez swallowed the rest of his coffee. “Things don’t seem to be working out.”
Blake grimaced in sympathy. “Sorry to hear it.”
Hez stared down into his glass. “I gave it my best shot. She knows about the changes I’ve made, and we’ve spent a lot of time together—but my presence mostly seems to upset her. It’s hard to admit, but the only moments I’ve seen her relaxed and happy have been a couple of glimpses of her and another guy when she didn’t know I was there. Maybe coming down here was a mistake.”
Blake shook his head. “A mistake to show your wife who you are now and let her know how you feel? No. You did the right thing. But you can’t force her to love you back.”
And that was exactly what he’d been trying to do. Savannah needed help, and he leveraged that into making her dismiss the divorce case and not complain when he shoved his way into the new life she’d built for herself. It was like she asked him to put out a fire in her house, and he decided to move into her spare bedroom.
He knew what he needed to do. He used his law degree to get into her life again, and he could use it to get back out. Aside from burying Ella, it would be the most painful thing he’d ever done, though.
Chapter 21
This is it.
Savannah jumped to her feet and took a deep breath when she heard the car door outside. Marley’s excited bark told her it was Hez.
Her pulse jumped at the thought of the coming conversation. Hez had called an hour ago saying he needed to talk to her, and she began to plan what she might say. The thought that there might be a “them” in their future had her struggling to breathe. Nora had told her they needed to talk it out, but what if there was no resolution? Savannah would still be stuck in the same situation where she wanted either never to hear his voice again or to rush straight into his arms.
She was a crazy person.
She slicked on peach lip gloss in the mirror in the entry, then opened the door. The late afternoon sun outlined his broad shoulders, and she caught her breath as a wave of longing hit her. He wore slacks and a blue shirt that amplified the color of his eyes. His pulse throbbed in the open collar of his shirt, betraying his nervousness.
Marley, tail wagging, went to push his head against Hez’s hand. As his long fingers ruffed up the dog’s ears, she had a stab of longing that he would cup her face in those hands.
In that moment she knew she was going to say yes when he asked to start over. She missed him. Every cell in her body vibrated to his deep voice when he spoke. They’d always said they were soul mates. Maybe that was why it had been so impossible to forget him.
He held up a white box. “I brought a peace offering of beignets.” A manila envelope was tucked under his arm.
“And I made coffee.” Savannah clamped her lips against the nervous words that wanted to spill out. “Come on in.”
He followed her into the living room, where he settled on the sofa and didn’t speak. She rushed to the kitchen and poured two cups of coffee with trembling hands.
Could she do this—put the past behind her and demolish the walls she’d put up? Carrying the coffee, she rejoined him in the living room and handed him a cup.
“Thanks.” He inhaled the coffee’s aroma and took a sip. “You’ve always made the best coffee.”
He spoke faster than normal. Did he think she was going to shoot him down again? Yesterday she might have. But not today. Something had changed her. Maybe it was the tentative way he’d called or the pain and fear in those blue eyes. She didn’t want either of them to hurt like this any longer.
She settled on the sofa beside him with one leg tucked under her. The scent of his spicy cologne made her want to move closer. She opened the Petit Charms box and took a beignet. It was a perfect snack to celebrate what was about to happen. Her defensive walls had tumbled the minute she opened the door.
Hez set down his mug beside the envelope he’d brought. “I have so much to apologize for.”
Her smile faltered. “You’ve apologized, Hez. It’s not necessary.”
“It is.” He pressed his lips in a determined line. “Just let me get through this. I’m so sorry, Savannah. I lost our daughter, the most precious person in our lives. I became a man I didn’t recognize, let alone respect. I didn’t listen when you pleaded with me not to work so much. After Ella’s death, it got worse. My job was as much of a drug as the Vicodin and alcohol. I went from bad to worse, yet you still hung in there for so long. But I didn’t stop there with taking you for granted. I got clean and assumed you would forgive all of it. How presumptuous of me. I’m so sorry. So very sorry.” His voice choked, and he swallowed.
“I—I didn’t think it was presumptuous. I’m glad you’re clean, Hez. Really.”
