wanted…"
"It's okay." She swallowed hard and stepped away from him. "Please," she urged. "I want to hear what you have to say."
Daniel sighed audibly. His brown eyes were soulful, and looking into them, Savanna felt her heart would break.
"I was only trying to tell you..." He faltered. "I felt...rejected. The humiliation..." He shook his head. "I had never experienced anything like it before. It was... difficult for me. So difficult, in fact, that I never stopped to think what you may have been going through."
He ran an agitated hand over his lower jaw before he continued. "Anyway, I want you to know that I'm .. .letting all that go. I may not agree with the way you did things back then, but I do understand your reasons for leaving. And this—" he pointed toward the box she held to her chest "—is my way—" he gazed deeply into her eyes "—of forgiving you."
Savanna looked down at the small box in her hand.
"Go ahead," he said, "open it."
She lifted the lid and her throat immediately constricted with emotion, hot and thick. Unable to speak, she could only look with tear-blurred eyes at the tiny pearl buttons nestled inside. The tiny pearl buttons from her wedding dress.
Chapter Six
"Thanks for coming to pick me up." Miz Ida said, closing the car door behind her. "Of course I'm perfectly capable of walking to the hospital, but it's nice to give these weary bones a rest."
"Weary bones," Savanna commented wryly. "You have more energy than I do. Anyway, there was no reason for you to walk when I was driving right by your place on my way to the board meeting."
"I'm glad you decided to come," Ida told her. "We could use some fresh ideas."
Savanna smiled in the fading light of the summer evening. "Well, I'm sure full of ideas and I'm happy to help the hospital."
"I have the figures from the flea market," Ida said. "I'll be presenting them tonight. The Ladies didn't raise much money, but every little bit helps."
"The Ladies' Auxiliary organized a nice little gathering." Savanna glanced over and saw Miz Ida's humble shrug, but the woman was clearly proud of her efforts.
"I heard you had lunch with Daniel that day."
The statement came out of the blue, like a grenade lobbed into a crowd of innocent by-standers. Ida relished the surprise attack, that was certain. Savanna had to scramble to gather her wits.
"Um-hmm," she said.
"I also heard..."
Savanna's stomach tensed at Ida's probing tone.
" That things didn't end on a very good note between the two of you."
Feeling the need to stop the gossip about herself and Daniel from traveling any further along the grapevine, Savanna said, "Ida, Daniel and I did have words, I guess you could say. But I want to assure you, I've seen him since then and we've worked everything out. Things are fine between us. Just fine."
"Well, that's good," Miz Ida commented.
"In fact," Savanna continued, "I've seen him several times this week. He smiled. He waved. He even stopped and talked to me in a most friendly fashion when we happened to meet in the post office." She couldn't help overdoing it. She felt a desperate need to look out for her reputation. And Daniel's. Savanna raised a cocked eyebrow at Miz Ida. "I'm surprised you hadn't heard about that."
"Now don't go gettin ' all bent out of shape," Ida said. "I only brought it up because Daniel is the attorney for the hospital. He's on the board, so he'll be at the meeting tonight. He'll get to vote on any ideas you bring up. And I'd rather not see you go into the meeting with one strike against you."
"I know that Daniel's on the board," she said. "And that shouldn't be a problem." Her tone was a little vague. She wasn't really worried that she'd be working with Daniel on this fund-raising effort. She was concerned to learn that stories were being passed around about the two of them. She was sure Daniel wouldn't like it, either.
As Savanna pulled her car into a parking space in front of the hospital, she caught
"It's okay." She swallowed hard and stepped away from him. "Please," she urged. "I want to hear what you have to say."
Daniel sighed audibly. His brown eyes were soulful, and looking into them, Savanna felt her heart would break.
"I was only trying to tell you..." He faltered. "I felt...rejected. The humiliation..." He shook his head. "I had never experienced anything like it before. It was... difficult for me. So difficult, in fact, that I never stopped to think what you may have been going through."
He ran an agitated hand over his lower jaw before he continued. "Anyway, I want you to know that I'm .. .letting all that go. I may not agree with the way you did things back then, but I do understand your reasons for leaving. And this—" he pointed toward the box she held to her chest "—is my way—" he gazed deeply into her eyes "—of forgiving you."
Savanna looked down at the small box in her hand.
"Go ahead," he said, "open it."
She lifted the lid and her throat immediately constricted with emotion, hot and thick. Unable to speak, she could only look with tear-blurred eyes at the tiny pearl buttons nestled inside. The tiny pearl buttons from her wedding dress.
Chapter Six
"Thanks for coming to pick me up." Miz Ida said, closing the car door behind her. "Of course I'm perfectly capable of walking to the hospital, but it's nice to give these weary bones a rest."
"Weary bones," Savanna commented wryly. "You have more energy than I do. Anyway, there was no reason for you to walk when I was driving right by your place on my way to the board meeting."
"I'm glad you decided to come," Ida told her. "We could use some fresh ideas."
Savanna smiled in the fading light of the summer evening. "Well, I'm sure full of ideas and I'm happy to help the hospital."
"I have the figures from the flea market," Ida said. "I'll be presenting them tonight. The Ladies didn't raise much money, but every little bit helps."
"The Ladies' Auxiliary organized a nice little gathering." Savanna glanced over and saw Miz Ida's humble shrug, but the woman was clearly proud of her efforts.
"I heard you had lunch with Daniel that day."
The statement came out of the blue, like a grenade lobbed into a crowd of innocent by-standers. Ida relished the surprise attack, that was certain. Savanna had to scramble to gather her wits.
"Um-hmm," she said.
"I also heard..."
Savanna's stomach tensed at Ida's probing tone.
" That things didn't end on a very good note between the two of you."
Feeling the need to stop the gossip about herself and Daniel from traveling any further along the grapevine, Savanna said, "Ida, Daniel and I did have words, I guess you could say. But I want to assure you, I've seen him since then and we've worked everything out. Things are fine between us. Just fine."
"Well, that's good," Miz Ida commented.
"In fact," Savanna continued, "I've seen him several times this week. He smiled. He waved. He even stopped and talked to me in a most friendly fashion when we happened to meet in the post office." She couldn't help overdoing it. She felt a desperate need to look out for her reputation. And Daniel's. Savanna raised a cocked eyebrow at Miz Ida. "I'm surprised you hadn't heard about that."
"Now don't go gettin ' all bent out of shape," Ida said. "I only brought it up because Daniel is the attorney for the hospital. He's on the board, so he'll be at the meeting tonight. He'll get to vote on any ideas you bring up. And I'd rather not see you go into the meeting with one strike against you."
"I know that Daniel's on the board," she said. "And that shouldn't be a problem." Her tone was a little vague. She wasn't really worried that she'd be working with Daniel on this fund-raising effort. She was concerned to learn that stories were being passed around about the two of them. She was sure Daniel wouldn't like it, either.
As Savanna pulled her car into a parking space in front of the hospital, she caught
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