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Savannah stood up from a booth as he walked into the coffee shop, hope and anxiety battling in her eyes. Simon’s face appeared around the edge of the booth.
Hez swallowed hard. “The hearing went as well as it could. The DA dismissed all charges. The jail should be processing Jess’s release right now. She should be home in time for dinner.”
Simon punched the air. “Yes! That’s ace!”
Savannah threw her arms around Hez’s neck and kissed him hard. He kissed her back and wrapped her in his arms, savoring the taste of her lips, the tropical scent of her hair, and the warmth of her body after the cold outside.
She finally released him and stepped back, her face flushed and happy. He hated what would come next, but he had to tell her. He held out the divorce decree. “As I was walking out, the clerk handed me this.”
She took the paper and read it. The color drained from her face.
Hez glanced around. They couldn’t have a private conversation about their future in the middle of a busy coffee shop while their nephew listened. “I’ll text these to you. We need to talk. Let me know when you’re ready.”
He motioned to Simon. “Let’s go get your mom.”
Chapter 40
Divorced.
Savannah drove to Jess’s house on autopilot and parked in the driveway. Hez had said nothing about how to fix this. Could he be relieved this had happened now? But no, she was being emotional. He hadn’t wanted to discuss it in front of Simon, that was all.
Wasn’t it?
Her heart warred with her head. Simon would be happy to see them living together again. Maybe Hez had used his presence as an excuse to examine his own feelings. A lot had happened since he showed up in her classroom asking for a second chance.
She shoved open her car door and got out with her phone clutched in her hand. The documents had pinged into her messages a minute ago, but she couldn’t read them. Not yet. She spotted Nora getting out of her car to walk up the drive.
The wind blew Nora’s brown hair around her face, and she poked her glasses up on her nose. Her smile faded when she reached the porch and caught sight of Savannah’s face. “What’s happened?”
When Nora hurried up the steps toward her, Savannah’s control crumpled. She sank into her friend’s embrace, and the comforting press of Nora’s arms around her released the floodgate holding back her tears. Savannah sobbed against her shoulder until she managed to get a grip on her emotions. The familiar scent of peppermints and Nora’s vanilla shampoo strengthened her as much as Nora’s patting her on the back.
Nora’s brown eyes were soft with concern when she released Savannah and stepped back. “I’m so sorry. I thought for sure the charges would be dropped.”
Savannah swiped the back of her hand over her wet cheeks. “It’s not that. Jess is being processed for release right now. I realized on the boat I didn’t want the divorce. I still love Hez, and I thought he felt the same. But look.” She thrust her phone with the decree on the screen into Nora’s hand. “The judge signed the decree. We’re divorced.”
Nora glanced at the decree. “Let’s get inside out of the wind. We can talk while we decorate for the celebration.”
Savannah unlocked the door, and they stepped into the house. The place had a still, expectant feel as if it knew Jess would be home soon. “I should be focusing on Jess’s release, but I can’t think past this news.” She sank onto the sofa and stared at the document on her phone.
Nora sat beside her. “You can always get remarried. What’s driving this fear you have?”
A few minutes ago Savannah would have said she didn’t know, but the truth bubbled up. “Hez tossed it back in my court again. He said we needed to talk and to let him know when I was ready. He didn’t try to reassure me it would be fine.”
“What did he say when you told him you loved him?”
“He said I could kiss him again, but he didn’t say he loved me too.”
“Maybe he wanted to show it. It sounds like you have doubts yourself. You both suffered such trauma. Are you worried you can’t get past all of it for a true fresh start?”
Savannah slumped against the back of the sofa. “Maybe.” She choked back fresh tears. Everything in her wanted Hez back in her life.
Nora squeezed her hand. “I can’t tell you what to do. You and Hez will have to figure it out together. You could part on good terms and be friends.”
Savannah shook her head. “I don’t think that would work, not when I still love him. And I do love him, Nora. I’m not sure it’s what he wants now, though. Wouldn’t he have said something about getting remarried if that’s what he thought we should do? Maybe our marriage seems like too much work. Jess’s release today rested on his shoulders. He worked tirelessly to bring Beckett to justice. Rebuilding things won’t be easy. We’ve been apart so long, and we’re different people than we used to be. Grief has changed and reshaped us.”
Nora fished a tissue from her purse and handed it to Savannah. “Life usually does, but we grow and adapt together. I don’t think Hez has forgiven himself for Ella’s death, and that’ll make everything harder. You both have to be ready to face the demons from your past.”
The past four and a half months had been full of trauma and fear. She’d hoped being truly with Hez again would help them both get beyond the past, but what if Nora was right and rebuilding caused more stress?
