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As an adult Jax knew he was gorgeous, and he used his good looks as a calling card. She felt a spurt of jealousy as she conjured up images of all the women in Savannah who had chased after him. A few of them had even caught him.
Ugh. Was this feeling roaring through her jealousy? Why would she be jealous of the women in Jax’s life? It was such a petty emotion and she felt ashamed of it. God don’t like ugly. It was an expression her mother had constantly said to her during her teen years. Although she had been a good child for the most part, she’d had a few rebellious moments where she had pushed her parents to their limit. Thankfully, it had been a short-lived period.
Her cell phone buzzed. Olivia’s name flashed on the screen. Callie reached for it and said, “Hey girl. What’s up?”
“I was going to ask you the same thing. How was your tea party?” Olivia asked, her honeyed voice full of interest.
“There was a surprise guest.”
“Really? Who was it?”
Callie paused for a moment. “Jax.”
Olivia let out a hoot that caused Callie to hold the phone away from her ear. “You almost broke my eardrum,” Callie said with a chuckle.
“What was he doing there?” she squealed.
“Miss Hattie invited him,” Callie explained.
“I guess that makes sense. I know she was always fond of him when we were younger. I wasn’t aware that they had kept in contact over the years.” Surprise resonated in Olivia’s tone.
“Turns out he’s been visiting her this whole time,” Callie said. It still surprised her that Jax had kept in such close contact with their old friend. Perhaps he was more sentimental than she had ever suspected.
“Was it nice? I know sometimes you and Jax are at odds.”
That was putting it mildly! Callie thought. As usual, Olivia was being tactful.
“Umm…well something happened,” she admitted. “Actually, a few things. Miss Hattie told us this really sad story about her true love. His name was Samuel and he was killed in the line of duty during World War II.”
Olivia made a tutting sound. Of all her friends, Olivia had always been the most sensitive. Callie thought it might have had something to do with growing up with a seriously ill mother who had dealt with a chronic illness until her death two years ago.
“I always knew she had a tragic loss in her past,” Olivia said. “I could feel it.”
“There’s something else.” Callie got quiet for a moment. She had no secrets from Olivia, but something about this made her feel a little shy. For so long Olivia had been telling her that Jax had feelings for her. She had always resisted that notion. Until today.
“What? Don’t get all quiet on me.”
“Jax asked me out on a date,” Callie confessed. Once Olivia began screaming, Callie held the phone away from her ear.
“We can’t do this over the phone. I’m coming to meet you,” Olivia said, practically squealing on the other end of the phone.
Callie looked at the clock on the mantle. It was only seven o’clock. She could order some Chinese and run out for a bottle of wine. “Hey, Olivia. Sleep over. It’ll be fun. We can have take-out and wine in our pjs.”
“And dish about Jax!” Olivia said with a chuckle. “I’ll go pack a bag. See you soon.”
Callie hung up with a feeling of exhilaration. It would be great to have her best friend sleep over, just like old times. How many nights had they whispered secrets between the hours of darkness and dawn? She felt a pang in her heart as thoughts of Morgan, Fancy, Hope and Charlotte invaded her senses. She missed them. Terribly. Olivia was her best friend, but the other girls had been a huge part of her life. She had once believed that they were forever friends.
Tears pooled in her eyes. Could she have handled things better? When Fancy’s engagement to her cousin Case had crashed and burned, her friend’s world had turned upside down. And Fancy’s suspicions that one of her best friends had been the source of her pain had caused a huge division within the group of friends.
It had hurt to know that Fancy had believed so strongly that one of them had betrayed her. And since Case had been hurt, her cousin Charlotte had been furious at Fancy on her brother’s behalf. The situation had become very complicated, with sides being taken and lines being drawn in the sand. It had turned into a huge, tragic mess.
The beauty of knowing her best friend so well was that Callie could look at a take-out menu and order Olivia’s favorite dish with full confidence. A quick check in the cupboard revealed a bottle of wine from Mac’s stay in Savannah. Callie pulled some dishes out from her cabinet and placed them on the kitchen table along with utensils. She let out a laugh as she looked around. Entertaining in her cozy little guesthouse was miles apart from what she’d grown up with at the Duvall mansion. The truth was, she had never needed chandeliers and drivers, fancy parties or ball gowns.
All she had ever wanted was to feel safe. After the trauma of her childhood and losing Mac, security had been her number one desire. A soft place to fall. Welcoming arms to greet her. To be loved wholeheartedly. And her parents had given her that love without question. But finding out she’d been deceived for so long and that she’d been adopted off the black market had changed everything.
Before she knew it Callie heard a rap on the door. “Come on in,” she called out, watching as Olivia sailed through the door with a duffle bag slung over her shoulder. Callie walked over, meeting her best friend halfway. They shared a hug.
“I’m so happy you came. I ordered Chinese food. It should be here soon.”
