Whisper's Edge (32 page)

But most of all, she cried for the residents of Whisper’s Edge. These were their twilight years, and the upheaval of moving was going to be so very stressful and sad. Like Kate, Savannah would survive. She always did, but this was a blow—no, make that a knockout punch—that she hadn’t seen coming.

Finally, Savannah rolled over and stared at the paddle fan. Shadows fell across the walls as the sun set. She felt so tired, so drained, but just when she thought there couldn’t possibly be another tear left in her body, more moisture leaked out of her eyes, sliding into her ears and dampening the pillows. She sniffed hard and felt something in her hand. Looking down she realized she still had the note squeezed in her palm. With an outcry of pure sorrow she tossed the
note to the floor and wept all over again. Her eyeballs burned and her nose was stuffy. She was dimly aware of hunger pangs but the thought of food made her feel sick. Besides, moving her tired body from the bed wasn’t an option.

As the darkness grew, Savannah had to wonder…why? What was Tristan’s motive for letting her believe that he loved her? And then it hit her. Like her, many of the residents actually owned their little lots and mobile homes. Tristan might own everything else, but they would have to sell if he wanted to do something else with the property like the restaurant and marina. He wanted their cooperation. That had to be it. Why else would he do this to her? For his amusement? “Oh God…” Savannah whispered into the shadows. Was she simply a hot little roll in the hay while he was stuck in Cricket Creek doing his dirty business? The thought was simply too much to bear.

Savannah put her fist to her mouth, suddenly feeling like the lost little girl at the adoption fairs that nobody wanted. She stifled a sob and turned her head into the pillow. Her breath came quick as she tried to hold herself together. “You’re not that little girl,” she whispered into the darkness. She sat up. “You’re not that little girl!” she repeated with conviction and then smacked the pillow for good measure. Kate adopted her. The residents loved her. She deserved to be loved fully and without reservation! Anything less was…unacceptable.

Exhausted, Savannah slid back down beneath the covers. She must have dozed, because when her phone rang the sudden sound had her nearly levitating off the bed. Dazed, she shoved her hair out of her eyes and blinked in the dark before she remembered that her phone was still in her purse. She dug around until she found it. Her heart thudded. It was Tristan.

Savannah blinked at his name until the phone went quiet and dark. She flopped back down onto the pillows and released a shaky sigh. She was going to have to tell Kate
about Tristan’s real plans for Whisper’s Edge. But it could wait until after the dance tomorrow night. They might as well enjoy one last hurrah without the knowledge that all of their lives were going to be changed forever.

Savannah clenched her fists into the comforter. Putting on a happy face was going to be difficult but she was strong. She was a survivor. She could do it.

T
RISTAN TRIED TO FOCUS ON HIS BACON-AND-EGGS BREAKFAST
but his mind kept wandering.

“Something wrong with your food?” his mother asked with a frown.

“No, I’m just not used to such a big breakfast, I guess.”

“Since when?” she asked with a gentle smile.

“Since Savannah failed to answer my call again.”

Maggie McMillan pressed her lips together. “Oh, Tristan, I’m so sorry. This is all my fault! I kept you here much longer than I anticipated.”

Tristan took a drink of his orange juice and then shook his head. “Mom, please don’t beat yourself up. You didn’t know that this would get so complicated or that you would be personally named in the lawsuit.”

She sighed. “My sellers definitely didn’t know that the furnace was faulty when we listed the house.” She raised her hands in the air. “It was just unfortunate timing.” She looked over at Tristan. “You know I’d never do something as underhanded as that.”

Tristan sighed. “Unfortunately, juries are so difficult to
predict these days. Losing would have meant the full cost of replacement plus court costs. The compromise we worked out was the best I could do.”

“And I’m grateful. But I’m so sorry that Savannah is upset with you for not making it back for the dance.”

Tristan toyed with his scrambled eggs. “I know that she must be disappointed, but it isn’t like her not to be understanding.”

Maggie raised her eyebrows. “So you never got the chance to actually talk to her about it?”

“No. Since last night she hasn’t answered my calls.”

“Maybe she’s just busy preparing for the dance? Or her phone could be on the blink. Cell phones can be temperamental,” she offered with a soft smile. “Did you try calling the landline at her office?”

Tristan ran a hand down his face. “Yes, but her hours are sporadic. No luck there either.”

“Well, Tristan, it’s only been since last night since you haven’t connected with her. I’m sure everything will be okay. And maybe you can make it back in time to surprise her by showing up at the dance after all. We should be able to wrap this headache up this afternoon.”

“I know. I’ve just never felt this way about a woman before. The thought of losing her terrifies me.”

Maggie took a sip of her coffee and nodded slowly. “That’s why you need to rethink what’s important you.”

“I want you to be able to retire.”

She raised her palms upward. “Do I look ready to retire?”

Tristan sighed. His mother was a beautiful, vibrant woman. Although she was over fifty you’d never know it. “No, but this lawsuit is a glaring example of why you deserve to relax and enjoy life without the stress of selling homes in a depressed market.”

She arched an eyebrow.

“Oh no, I know that expression. What?”

“You know me all too well.” She laughed but then gave
him a serious look. “We’ll get to that in a minute but first I want to ask you a couple of things.”

Tristan leaned back in his chair. “Shoot.”

“Do you miss your fancy condo?”

“No, not really.”

“Do you miss your law firm?”

After inhaling a deep breath he said, “I don’t miss the crazy long hours or the stress, that’s for sure.”

“What do you miss, Tristan?”

“I’ve missed living near you.”

Maggie’s eyes misted over. “Me too…” she said but then cleared her throat. “Go on.”

“Savannah,” he admitted gruffly and then angled his head. “Even more than I thought I would.”

“That’s pretty evident.”

“And I do miss practicing law. Helping people. It’s why I went to law school in the first place. Well, that and I wanted you to have a secure future and early retirement.” He frowned. “That’s why I needed to consider Mitch Monroe’s offer.”

“And to show your grandfather up.”

Tristan ground his teeth together. “I’m sorry, but he needs to be put in his place.”

“Oh, Tristan…” Maggie rubbed her lips together and then gave Tristan a level look. “Whatever you do in life, do it for the right reasons.”

“And showing Max McMillan up can’t be a reason?” Tristan didn’t want to even call the man grandfather. He wasn’t a good father and there was nothing grand about the man.

“No. Tristan, my father is a miserable man. You have always done the right thing. Don’t let his hatred suck you down.”

“Easier said than done.”

“Not really.”

“Mom, some of the things he did…said, have stuck in my craw since I was a kid.”

“Purge it.” She flipped a hand in the air. “You’ll feel better.”

Tristan sighed.

“Look, if it helps, living well is the best revenge.”

“And how do you do that?”

Maggie pointed to a decorative plaque hanging on her wall. “Live, laugh, love.”

Tristan gave her a level look.

“Okay, you have to make money,” she said with a crooked grin.

“That’s the problem. I either have to sell Whisper’s Edge or find an investor and then develop the property. I’ve made some basic improvements, but I don’t have the funds to do what I really want to do.”

“And that is?”

“I want to do what Savannah suggested. I want to add streets and lots to sell. Maybe even add some more homes. Remodel the community center and the pool. In other words, expand.”

“I think that’s an excellent idea.”

“I can only do that if Mitch Monroe comes on board, and he wants to buy it outright.” He sighed. “Well, that or find another investor.”

Maggie McMillan gave him a wide smile.

“What?”

“There’s a little something that you don’t know about your mother.”

“That you won the lottery?”

She tilted her head back and laughed. “No, but I saved a bit of a nice nest egg during the boom years.”

“Look, I know I got some scholarship and grant money but you still had to help pay for law school.”

“Mmm, not all of it. And even when the market got so tough, I worked my tail off and managed to make a decent living. I stayed in this little house and lived frugally.” She smiled. “And it’s paid off.”

“Mom, what are you telling me?”

“I’ve always wanted to have the opportunity to develop property. I want to invest in Whisper’s Edge.”

Tristan blinked at her. “Really?”

“Absolutely. I’ve given it some thought. And you know, even though my father was a tyrant, I always loved it there. It was more of a fishing camp back then, but everyone treated me with kindness, something I was lacking in my home life. It would do my heart good to keep Whisper’s Edge a retirement community. So what do you say?” She gave him a wink. “I know a thing or two about selling real estate.”

Tristan jumped up so fast that his chair almost tumbled backward. “So, then you’d move to Cricket Creek?”

“I’d have to list my house, wrap things up, but yes, that would be the plan.” She stood up and gave Tristan a big hug. “This way you can practice law while I lay the groundwork for expanding and improving Whisper’s Edge.”

“This is too good to be true.”

Maggie laughed. “When you were a little boy and we’d be at a baseball game or something like that, you would often turn to me and say, ‘Mom, this is the best day ever.’” Her eyes filled with tears.

“I think this qualifies.”

“Yes, as long as you get back to Savannah early enough to make it to the dance. Let’s wrap things up here so you can get on the road.” She put her hands to her chest. “Tristan, she sounds wonderful. I can’t wait to meet her.”

“You’ll love her,” Tristan said with a smile. “Now, I’ve got to hightail it back so I can make it to the Hoedown Throw Down.”

After wrapping up the final paperwork, Tristan was finally on the road. He tried calling Savannah several times with no luck and his exuberant mood dulled a bit. She knew that there was a chance that he wouldn’t make it back in time, and her lack of response could no longer be shrugged off. This wasn’t like her at all.

Something wasn’t right.

But as luck would have it, pouring rain made for slow going. Still, he turned on the radio and tried to keep his spirits up. He gobbled up the miles as fast as the weather would allow and sang along, very poorly, with the radio.

“He went skydiving…” Tristan was belting out the Tim McGraw song when his car started feeling…weird. Frowning, Tristan turned off the music and listened.

Thwap
,
thwap
,
thwap
.

“Please be the road,” he prayed but deep down he knew what was wrong. “I think I’ve got a damned flat tire!” he grumbled beneath his breath. After easing off to the side of the road he got out into the pouring rain and confirmed his suspicion. Uttering an oath, he opened the trunk and hefted the spare tire out. Water sluiced down his back and soaked his jeans. “Ahhh! Damn!” he shouted when mud splattered the side of his face. Cars whizzed by, unnerving him as he worked as fast as he could, considering the circumstances.

Forty-five minutes later Tristan was wet to the core and splattered with mud and grime. He had about an hour to go but hopefully he would make it there for the last part of the Hoedown. Shivering, he turned on the heat, only to have the windows steam up. But he forged on and smiled despite his discomfort. Whatever reason Savannah had for not returning his calls would fly out the window when he gave her the news that his mother was going to be his investor in expanding Whisper’s Edge.

“Ah, finally!” Tristan exclaimed when he came to the Cricket Creek exit. A hot shower was calling his name, big-time. As soon as he pulled into the parking lot, he hit the ground running. Once he was inside his condo he made a beeline for the shower, pausing only to text Savannah that he was home and would head over to the dance as soon as he could.

A few minutes later he was warm and clean but a glance at the clock had him grimacing. The digital numbers said that it was nearly midnight. Tristan sighed. The dance would surely be over by the time he got there. But he wanted to
see Savannah, and so he decided to head over to her place instead. He picked up his phone and called her. The no answer once again sent a shot of alarm up his spine but he left a message, sat down on the bed, and decided to wait for her to call back.

* * *

When Tristan opened his eyes, rays of sunlight were reaching through his blinds. “What the hell…”

He glanced at the clock. “Damn, it’s almost seven o’clock in the morning.” How could he have fallen asleep? He looked down and realized that he was in the jeans and shirt he had changed into after his shower. In a bit of a panic he picked up his cell phone and frowned. Savannah hadn’t called or texted him. Something was definitely wrong. Without waiting, he decided to drive over to her house and find out what was going on with her in person.

As he headed through his condo he spotted the cowboy hat she had promised, sitting on his dining room table. He hadn’t seen it last night. Tristan grinned. If she left the hat, surely she wasn’t angry, just disappointed, and he sighed in relief.

Ten minutes later Tristan stood on her doorstep, knocking. Her car was in the driveway but she failed to answer. Thinking she must already be working, he drove his car over to the front office. Tristan’s first clue that something was terribly wrong was when he waved at Clyde Camden across the street and Clyde—or maybe it was Clovis—flipped Tristan the bird! Then Miss Patty walked by and didn’t even wave, and damned if Willie seemed to give him the snub.