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I swallow the pills down. “I told him I’d go to lunch. He’ll be at my room in thirty minutes. I’ve got to get the hell out of here ASAP.”
He nods. “Take the rental car. I’ll be occupied for the better half of the morning.”
I shake my head at him as he hands me the keys. “Thank you,” I tell him, giving him a big hug.
“I’m always here for you, Sav.”
“I know. That’s why I love you.” I grin.
The water in the shower turns off. “I’m calling valet to pull the car around for you. Call me later, okay?”
I nod and walk out the door. I go to the elevator and take it down to the lobby, and by the time I make it to the bottom floor and walk outside, the car is waiting for me. I climb inside and drive around for a while before I go to my parents’ house. As soon as I park, I flip the mirror down and see how swollen my eyes are. My mother is going to ask what’s wrong, and I don’t want to open that can of worms. Finding the courage, I grab my phone and go to the door and knock.
Within the minute, my mother is opening the door and pulling me into her arms. “What’s wrong?”
I roll my eyes and laugh. “Nothing, Mom. I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Okay, okay. Your dad isn’t home from work yet but should be in a few hours. I was just making a late lunch. Are you hungry?”
I grin, feeling the hangover settle in. “Starving.”
The smell of chicken fills the house, and on the counter, she’s arranged a beautiful salad with baby tomatoes and cucumbers. She pulls the head of lettuce from the fridge and makes me a bowl before she flips the chicken over.
“I wasn’t sure you’d come home. I know how busy you are trying to catch up with everyone while you’re here,” she says over her shoulder.
Tears start to well again.
“What is it?” she softly asks.
“Veronica Miller,” I tell her, pouting.
“Savannah. Don’t you dare let that bully work you up again,” she demands, her tone completely changing, and I feel like I’m sixteen all over again, sitting at the table crying over something stupid.
“Her and Hayden…” I can’t even finish the words. Mom pulls the chicken from the pan and sets it on a plate, then walks over to me.
“Oh, sweetie. You didn’t expect him to wait for you all this time, did you?”
I suck in a deep breath. “No. I didn’t.”
Our parents are best friends, and I made a strict rule for her not to talk about Hayden to me while I was in New York because it hurt too much, though I can’t deny I was curious. I think Mom knows I never really got over him, and my parents were more shocked than anyone when they found out we broke up. But they didn’t get involved because it was easier that way.
“It’s going to be okay, honey. You’ll be in New York soon. Rehearsals and auditions will fill your time, and everything will be back to normal.” She smiles, then goes back to the chicken, pulls a knife from the drawer, and chops it into chunks before throwing it on both of our salads. After handing me a fork and passing the ranch, she sits across from me.
She’s right, like always.
“I thought Donny would be with you. I miss him.”
I take a bite and the chicken practically melts in my mouth. I chuckle. “He’s currently preoccupied.” I make sure to keep it general, not daring to tell my mother he’s holed up with some guy in his hotel room.
“How’d the wedding go?” she asks.
“Lena was a beautiful bride. It was absolutely perfect. She got her fairy-tale wedding, and I’m so happy I was there.” I shuffle my food around, my hunger disappearing. “I don’t think I’m ever going to get married, Mom. I think I’m meant to be single for the rest of my life.”
My phone vibrates, grabbing my attention. I look down and see it’s Hayden calling. My heart drops, and it goes to voicemail, but then he immediately calls back, and I reject it. Flipping my phone over, I ignore it and am grateful my mom doesn’t say anything.
It vibrates again, and I know he either left a voicemail or sent me a text, which I plan to ignore. It’s better this way.
She smiles. “What did I used to tell you when you were younger?”
I think back to all the life lessons my parents gave me. “Life’s not fair?”
A laugh escapes her. “Well that’s true. But no, not that one. The one about love.”
“Not all love is meant to last forever,” I say. “Your lessons were kinda ruthless now that I think about it.”
