A Summer to Remember(59)
She smiled shyly in return and finished almost half her mimosa in a few sips.
“Hey,” I began, “how is business going? Jude says you have been working extremely hard.”
“He really wants me to start making men’s clothes. He needed some adjustments made to a few pairs of work pants because he’s been working out and improving his six-pack. They were a bit loose in the waste and I managed to do the alterations with no issues at all. He was beyond amazed and now he comes to me instead of going to the cleaners when he needs certain clothes re-tailored to fit him,” Savannah explained in soft tone that spoke of pride and happiness.
“Well, all I know is Jude is lucky to have you.”
Our omelets arrived to our table while both Jude and Paul had both opted for prime cut steaks served medium rare and two eggs over easy with endless cups of coffee.
“Am I really?” she inquired as she cut into her omelette and slipped a small dainty piece between her lips. “Personally, I feel like a goddamn bookend.”
I was a bit taken back by her tone and the words she used because Savannah rarely cursed. If Autumn and Talia were the resident potty mouths and I was pretty much in between then sweet, proper Savannah was all pretty dark brown hair with lighter shades of brown running through, perfectly light golden skin, clear blue eyes and the quiet, shy young woman who did not use a lot of profanity and kept her body a size six because it allowed her to eat what she wanted though she could still wear and maintain a fabulous wardrobe.
The waiter came by to check we were all right and I ordered two more mimosas.
“What are you talking about, Savannah?”
“You don’t think I know what kind of women your brother usually goes for and…look at me. I’m not the tall model type with legs that go on forever and a vivacious personality. It’s like I’m a charity case when you compare me to his other girlfriends and I honestly wonder why he is with me. He can have any woman he wants—”
“And he is with the woman he wants, Savannah, trust me on this. Jude doesn’t do charity cases. If there wasn’t a genuine connection between you two, the relationship wouldn’t have lasted as long as it has.”
“I don’t want to put you in the middle of what is going on between us because that isn’t fair to you. He’s your brother and you did try to warn me. I want you to know how very lucky I feel to have met you gals in college because I know we will always be there for one another.”
I reached out for her hands and held them within my own. “Listen to me, you are not a bookend and Jude really cares about you but…he’s dealing with his own issues. He feels you pulling away from him and it’s been very hard on him. He hopes you would share more of yourself with him but if you continue to act the way you are then you are going to lose my brother.”
Savannah’s features fell into a contemplative manner. She wanted to speak but she never got the chance.
“Hello!” a female voice said out loud and all four of us turned toward Autumn.
She looked stunning as she walked hand in hand with a very good looking guy. “I didn’t think we would get the chance to make it but the co-star of the film sprained her ankle so we’re here for the little soiree featuring Scarlet Fever and Winter’s Regret.”
Savannah covered her mouth before she removed her manicured right hand. “Oh my God…you’re…the—”
“—Brandon Wilkinson, Savannah,” Autumn cut her off before she rolled her eyes in an exasperated manner.
I sipped from my mimosa before I looked Brandon directly in the eyes. “I thought you were dating what’s her name—you know, the actress you failed to mention when you bought that painting from my gallery?”
He looked away, his face turning crimson as Autumn responded, “Well, not anymore because he’s dating me. We’re a couple now, can you believe it?”
The awkward silence at our table was so loud, we could have heard a pin drop.
Chapter Twenty-One
After Autumn’s drop in on our breakfast and her surprising news, we all left shortly in a Hummer limousine to the spa where we would be meeting Talia and Seth. Most of the time it didn’t bother me to see ex-lovers but this was different and I found myself clasping my right hand into Paul’s left and holding his firmly.
“Babe, are you okay?” he whispered to me.
I shook my head before I looked at him and smiled. “I’m fine, really. It’s the weather…I was expecting hot and humid but just not…this.”