Right Where We Belong (Silver Springs #4)(28)

Gavin watched them drive off while standing in her driveway, drinking a cold beer with Eli. He’d brought drinks for everyone from his place before Savanna and her kids had left.

Once they were out of sight, Eli gestured toward the ramshackle structure behind them. “They’re really going to live here?”

Gavin frowned. “Can you believe it?”

“No. It’s a dump. She can’t even lock the back door.”

“She’ll replace that—and a lot of other things.”

Eli lifted his beer for emphasis. “Renovations take time. Helps if you have money. That can speed up the process a lot. But considering what she chose for a fridge, I’m not getting the impression she’s sitting on a fortune.”

Apparently, Gordon hadn’t left his wife with much extra when he went to jail. She’d told Gavin she’d worked as an administrative assistant for an insurance agent, which meant she couldn’t have been making a lot more than minimum wage. And, according to the articles Gavin had read, Gordon had fixed mining equipment. His job had given him the freedom to roam but couldn’t have paid a great deal. “I can help her with basic fixes,” he said. “That’ll bring the costs down.”

Eli shot him a look. “That’s how you’d like to spend your off-hours—doing more maintenance and repair?”

“I don’t mind,” he said. “It’s what I’m good at.”

“And you don’t think Heather will have a problem with you hanging out at your gorgeous neighbor’s all the time?”

“I have no idea what’s going to happen with Heather...” Every time he saw Savanna, his future plans with Heather went a little out of focus.

Silence fell, but neither one of them moved.

“Savanna likes you, too,” Eli said at length. “You realize that.”

Finished with his beer, Gavin crushed the can. “No, she doesn’t.”

“The chemistry between you is unmistakable. I caught her looking at you so many times while we were moving that refrigerator—and when she’d see that I was watching, she’d blush and glance away.”

Part of Gavin really wanted to hear what Eli had just told him, and yet he tried to shrug it off. After the way she’d been betrayed, it would take forever and a day for her to recover. And now he had his own problems to deal with. “We barely know each other.”

Eli wiped the sweat from his forehead onto his pants. “You both live way the hell out in the boondocks—and it’s just the two of you.”

“So? A lot of people who live in the country have only one or two neighbors.”

“I’m saying it looks like you’re going to have plenty of time together.”

And Gavin was supposed to be falling for someone else, someone who might be the mother of his child. He hadn’t missed Eli’s point; he didn’t want to acknowledge that it could become a problem. He was tempted to believe he’d dreamed up Heather’s visit last night. But then a car turned down the street, coming toward them, and he knew he hadn’t. “Maybe I’m seeing Savanna as an escape from what I have going on in my own life,” he said, and gestured to draw Eli’s attention to the Camaro.

The second Eli glanced up, he lowered his beer. “Shit. That’s Scott, isn’t it?”

“No question.”

“You don’t think this will come to blows...”

“I have no idea. He’s not happy. He glares daggers at me, even follows me sometimes when he sees me in town like he wants to start something.”

Eli straightened. “Jealousy is a dangerous emotion.”

“I’m well aware of that.”

Scott pulled into Gavin’s drive, got out and waited for Gavin to walk over, which he did with Eli at his elbow.

“Can I have a minute?” Scott asked, glancing from Gavin to Eli and back again.

“Sure.” Gavin tossed his crushed can into the small recycle bin he kept by his chair on the front porch.

Although Eli had been planning to leave—he’d said something earlier about wanting to get a few things done around the house before his wife returned—Gavin guessed he wouldn’t go anywhere right now. As protective as Eli was, of his whole family, he’d stay to make sure he wasn’t needed to break up a fight.

“It’s hot out today,” Gavin said to Scott. “Why don’t you come in?”

When they moved toward the door, Eli didn’t follow, so Gavin turned to see what he was planning to do.

“Don’t worry about me.” He tilted his beer in a salute. “I’ll stay here and relax for a few minutes, finish this.”

Close, but not too close...

Gavin wasn’t afraid of Scott, but he wasn’t eager to get in a fight, either. That wouldn’t solve anything.

Knowing Eli’s presence would discourage that sort of thing, Gavin shot his brother a grateful look. “Can I get you a drink?” he asked Scott as they went inside.

Scott shook his head. He seemed upset, which, of course, came as no surprise. Gavin was upset, too—only in a different way. He was angry with himself for going back to Heather the last time.

“Would you like to sit down?” Gavin indicated the couch.

Scott’s chest lifted as he drew a deep breath. “No, I’ll make this brief.”