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Jenna looked at him and rolled her eyes. “Seriously, Brock? Do all roads lead to real estate? I never want to hear you complain about my jewelry collection again.”
Brock held both hands in the air and smiled. “Truce. If I had a white flag, I’d fly it.”
“Okay, truce, now be quiet and let me enjoy the scenery.”
By the time they got to the hotel, the sun began to set. After getting out of the car, Jenna stood for a moment to look around. It had been years since she was in her beloved Savannah. She put her right hand over her heart as if she could protect it from the memory of her last visit. She and Dan said their final goodbye here at this same hotel. Though, at the time, she didn’t know it would be final.
Brock gave their bags to the porter and nudged her along toward the hotel front door. “Come on, Jenna, I’m starving. Time to check in. You can get reacquainted with Savannah tomorrow.”
Jenna followed Brock inside, and she scanned the crowd in the hotel lobby while Brock checked in. Her stomach clenched at the idea she might spot Dan in the area. Dan’s image was burned into her brain, and she could recall it in vivid detail. His weather-tanned face, the scar near the right temple, that almost-black hair that always needed a haircut, and those dark blue eyes that looked black when he was angry or excited.
“Who are you looking for?” Brock asked.
“What? Oh, just looking around to see what has changed since I was last here.”
“We’re all checked in. Let’s go up and dump this luggage. How about we call room service instead of going out?”
“Oh no, you don’t. I’m in the mood to walk and see the river, enjoy the fresh air, and have some great seafood. I want to treat you to a nice birthday dinner.”
Brock sighed dramatically. “Perhaps you might really mean we will sweat and breathe hot and humid air. Why you like that river is a mystery, but I guess I can’t refuse a birthday dinner.”
Jenna followed him into the elevator and tried to ban Dan from her thoughts—again, at least for the rest of the night.
After a quick change of clothes, they made their way back through the hotel lobby. Jenna looked around at the crowded lobby and recognized some faces. “Wow, we just beat the crowd. Some others from the media crowd have arrived. All my competition to cover this event.”
Brock nodded his head toward the right. “Everyone who is anyone; that’s a congressman I do believe. Do you really like hanging out with these people?”
Jenna pushed her sunglasses to the top of her head. “Hanging out, as you put it, is my job. I write about people in the news for whatever reason. My job is to write about what is going on in their world because it impacts the lives of so many others.”
Brock, seeming to lose interest in the conversation he started, shrugged and put his hand on her back. “Come on, let’s get out of here before one of your cronies strikes up a boring conversation. Let’s get to the Blue Rose before we have to stand in line for a table.”
Jenna sighed. “Speaking of cronies, birthday boy, no table-hopping once we are at the restaurant. If you leave me just once to talk golf or real estate, I am out of there.”
Brock opened the door, and they walked out into the sultry air. “Message received, but you know you are handicapping me and my quest to be a multi-multimillionaire by forty-five.”
“Yes, well, I know you’re in your element. All these rich people around means connections and future business deals. You must be in heaven, and I get that, but dial it back for a few hours, please. I know it will be a huge sacrifice to concentrate on your dinner and me for an hour.”
Brock slowed his stride and looked at her. “How do you make what I do for a living always sound so sleazy? Let me remind you, it’s a nice living, and it’s paying for this little trip.”
Jenna laughed as they picked up their pace. “That you can write off on your taxes. But okay, it is your birthday.”
Brock shook his head but smiled. “So, be nice to me. Ah, food straight ahead.”
The Blue Rose, known for its seafood and fine service, was a three-block walk from the hotel. The weather in Savannah rarely got cold enough to prevent anyone from walking, even in the winter. Jenna slowed her pace as they approached the restaurant, telling herself she was taking in scenery and not looking for Dan.
They were seated within minutes, and Jenna realized she was hungry. She picked up the menu.
Brock ordered drinks.
Jenna followed his gaze as he looked around for someone he knew. He would never let an opportunity to make a business connection slip by.
The restaurant began to fill, and she was glad they left for the restaurant when they did. She looked across at Brock, who was unusually quiet, and saw he was distracted because his phone kept pinging. “Why not turn that off at least until we finish dinner?”
“Okay, yeah, I guess I can try. So, happy birthday to me. Wish we could have spent it in my favorite city and not yours. Not that I don’t enjoy Savannah now and then. But it’s not Paris.”
Jenna picked up her water glass. “And thank heavens for that,” she whispered. She had her reasons for avoiding Paris, but they weren’t ones she could tell Brock about. He was too absorbed in looking around for prospects to comment. For once, she was happy to be ignored.
The evening did not improve much from that point on, except for the food, which did not disappoint. By the time they returned to the hotel, they were both tired and irritable.
