Right Where We Belong (Silver Springs #4)(31)

“How many siblings do you have?”

He hesitated as if there was a story behind that question. But he must’ve opted not to tell it to her because when he answered, he didn’t elaborate. “Seven brothers.”

“Wow! That’s a lot. Does Seth live here in town?”

“No, he’s in San Francisco.”

“He’s talented!”

“Seriously. I used to buy a lot of his stuff. His work really speaks to me. But it’s getting pricey these days.”

“He doesn’t give you a family discount?” she teased.

“He gives me a free piece here and there—for my birthday or Christmas. But he has some...issues that sometimes come between us. They come between him and everyone actually. He tends to wall himself off.”

“I’m sorry, especially because you’re obviously one of his biggest fans.”

“It didn’t help that he got married several months ago and lost his wife only weeks after.”

“To...”

“Sepsis. She got bit by a stray cat she was trying to help, went into the hospital and never came out.”

“How tragic.”

“Especially for someone like Seth. He doesn’t open his heart very often.”

She studied him. “You seem to do the opposite.”

“As far as I’m concerned, life only gets harder when you insist on going it alone.”

“You’d rather open yourself up to loss?”

“Loss is part of life. There’s no way to avoid it.”

She’d never met anyone like Gavin, she decided. He wasn’t arrogant. Didn’t act as though he was always right or that his opinion mattered more than everyone else’s. He seemed calm, forgiving, patient—and wise beyond his years. So what had he done as a teenager to be sent to a boys ranch? “I hope I can be as brave as you someday.”

Their eyes met—and something spine-tingling passed between them, something Savanna hadn’t felt in a long, long time. Her heart began to race, and she grew a little short on breath by the time she looked away.

“You’re going to be fine,” he said.

That seemed to be true, now that she had him as a neighbor. He’d already made a huge difference in her life. “Thanks for being there for me, even though I’m new and you don’t know me very well.”

“That’s what friends are for. Let’s go see your car.”





8

Gavin tried to keep his attention on Savanna’s vehicle, but it wasn’t easy. What had happened back at his house? The way her gaze had fallen to his lips had almost tempted him to move in for a kiss.

“Gets decent gas mileage, too,” she was telling him, still listing the features of the Fusion as he slowly circled the sedan.

“What’d you drive before?”

“An old Honda that had a big dent in the back. So even though this could hardly be considered a luxury car, it’s several years newer and it’s not wrecked. That’s a step up.”

Her phone went off. Surprised that she’d get a call so late, Gavin saw her look down at it and watched as the excitement and enthusiasm she’d exhibited a moment before dimmed.

“Everything okay?” he asked.

After first acting as though she’d shrug off the interruption, she seemed to reconsider her answer. “No. But there’s nothing I can do about it, so...it is what it is.”

Although “it” was none of his business, he could tell that call troubled her even if she didn’t care to admit it. “Was that Gordon?”

Confusion drew her eyebrows together. “How do you know my ex-husband’s name? Have I mentioned him to you?”

“Once, the day you moved in. You didn’t provide a last name, but his first name was enough.”

She blinked at him. “For what?”

“To be able to figure out why you moved to California alone with the kids.”

She didn’t seem pleased that he knew. “His first name was all it took to give away my recent past?”

Gavin came around the front of the car. “You mentioned a little more than that. A simple Google search did the rest.”

Folding her arms, she leaned against the driver’s-side door. “I should’ve made up a name for him and a whole new background for myself, but...that’s not as easy as it sounds, especially when you’ve got kids who know the truth and will correct anything you say,” she added ruefully.

“It’s too hard to be anything other than yourself, anyway.” He tilted his head to get her to look up at him again. “Don’t you think?”

“I think it’s better than carrying Gordon’s legacy along with me.”

He leaned against the driver’s side, too, next to her but not touching. “Why do you care if people know? Are you afraid they’ll gossip about you? That you’ll be put on the spot and have to explain?”

“I don’t want to be connected to something so horrible and embarrassing. And I don’t want to have to justify what I did or didn’t know like I had to do in Nephi. That’s why I moved. I’m tired of people assuming I must be stupid, or as bad as Gordon, simply because I was married to him.”

She seemed so beleaguered he couldn’t help feeling sorry for her. “You won’t be treated like that here. Silver Springs is far enough from the victims and their families that no one is emotionally invested in the situation. That’ll make a big difference. Anyway, I’m not going to tell anyone.”