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After turning the television to a kids’ channel for Harper and setting the little girl up with her favorite snacks, Laney slid onto the couch beside Savannah.
“You ready for this?” She indicated Harper, singing along with her favorite educational show.
“I will be.” Savannah’s hand drifted to her belly and tears stung her eyes.
“Aww, honey, don’t cry.” Laney squeezed her hand. “Everything’s going to be all right.”
“Everything is not all right. I really screwed up.” Savannah shot to her feet and paced the floor. “I still don’t have anything to support Gramps’s claim. I’m apparently the worst burglar in the history of burglars. There is still the very real possibility the Abbotts could send me to jail. Then let’s not forget that I’m unemployed and pregnant…by an Abbott.”
She dropped onto the sofa again, cradling her face in her hands. Her heart squeezed in her chest as she remembered Blake’s face. How hurt he’d been to learn the truth. The tears started again.
“And my baby’s father hates me. He doesn’t want anything to do with either of us.” Savannah wiped away tears.
“Did Blake tell you that?”
“No. But I got the hint from his radio silence.” Savannah sighed. “I honestly don’t believe things can get any worse.”
A soft smile played on Laney’s lips. “Then they can only get better.”
Savannah loved how her sister saw the good in people and had an optimistic view of the world. But in the midst of her personal hell, with the world crumbling around her, she had no desire to pretend everything would be okay.
“Laney, maybe you missed some of what I just said.” Savannah swiped a sticky bun from the box, took a bite and murmured with pleasure. “So far, the only upside to this has been that I can eat whatever I want without an ounce of guilt.”
Her sister’s smile grew wider. She stood and extended a hand to her. “You’ve been cooped up in this apartment too long. You need some fresh air. Let’s go for a ride.”
“I’m not supposed to leave town, and believe me, Magnolia Lake is so small that by the time we start the car, we’ll already be out of it.”
“I made an appeal to the sheriff. Got permission to take you on a little field trip.” Laney pulled Savannah off the couch and steered her toward the bedroom. “Now take a shower and put on something nice. We’ll take a little ride and get something to eat. You’ll feel better. I promise.”
* * *
Savannah shoved her sunglasses on top of her head and returned her seat to the upright position as Laney pulled her rental car into the parking lot of a medical center in Knoxville.
“Why are we coming here?” Savannah turned to Laney. “Are you all right? Is Harper?”
“We’re both fine.” A wide grin spread across her sister’s face. “As for why we’re here…you’ll see. C’mon.”
Savannah and Harper waited in a sitting area while Laney spoke to the attendant at the front desk. Then they had their pictures taken for temporary badges and rode the elevator to the fourth floor.
Laney tapped on a partially open door.
“Yes?”
Savannah’s heart nearly stopped when she heard the familiar voice. She turned to her sister.
Laney nodded and smiled, taking Harper from her arms. “You two need to talk. Harper and I will be in the cafeteria.”
Savannah burst through the door. “Grandpa, what on earth are you doing in Knoxville? And why were you admitted here? Is everything okay?”
“You won’t believe me when I tell you.” He chuckled, raising his arms to her. “Come here and give me a hug.”
Savannah gave him a bear hug, hesitant to let him go. Delaying what she needed to do next.
Come clean and tell him everything.
She sat beside his bed, gripping his hand. “I have so much to tell you.”
“It’ll have to wait.” He sighed as he rubbed his beard. “Because there are a few things I’d better tell you first.”
“Like what?”
“Your sister told me why you came to Magnolia Lake, Vanna.” He squeezed her hand, halting her objection. “Don’t be mad at Laney. She did the right thing by telling me. If you should be upset with anyone, it’s me.”
“Why?”
“Because I left out an important piece of the story.” His shoulders hunched and his chin dropped to his chest. “Joseph Abbott bought me out as a partner.”
“You mean he already paid you?”
Her grandfather nodded. “A lump-sum payout to dissolve the partnership and secure full ownership of any recipes I helped develop.”
