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“God brought you back here to Savannah. Perhaps He is trying to show you that forgiveness is a healing balm, Francine Tolliver,” Pearl said in a robust voice. Callie was pretty sure that Pearl was going to wag her finger at Fancy in a few moments. If the situation hadn’t been so serious, Callie might have been tempted to laugh out loud. Pearl was fierce on any given day.
“I’ve lost too much to forgive,” Fancy spit out. “Or should I say it was taken from me?”
Callie reached out and tugged at her arm. “Fancy, you’re being stubborn about this whole thing. You have no proof that any one of us betrayed you by telling Case about Marc…and even if one of us did, you’re taking it out on all five of us. That’s not fair.”
Fancy’s blue eyes pooled with tears. “I confided in the five of you. No one else! It stands to reason that one of you betrayed me. I lost everything because of it.”
“No!” Morgan said in a raised voice. All eyes were suddenly focused on her. She slashed her hand through the air. “Enough! You lost Case because you were running around on him. That wasn’t our fault. And no matter how many times you try to blame us, it’s not going to stick. You have to hold yourself accountable so you can move forward. Because until you do…you’re only going to be stuck.”
Fancy’s mouth hung open. Her blue eyes were awash in tears. Her lips were trembling. The grand air she’d been carrying around with her dissolved. She resembled a beautiful, broken doll.
Morgan moved toward Fancy and wrapped her arms gently around her. “I didn’t say that to hurt you, but you’ve been careening around like an out of control train. It’s been more than eighteen months, Fancy. Aren’t you tired of being angry?”
Fancy raised her hands and covered her face. She burst into tears. She began speaking through her sobs. “Of course I’m tired. I miss you all. And I miss living here in Savannah. And most of all, I miss Case. But I’ve been so angry about how the bottom fell out of my world. I’ve just felt so lost.”
“And here we thought you were living it up in New York City, living the life of a top model,” Callie said. “All that glitters isn’t gold, huh?”
Fancy scoffed. “Are you kidding? The modeling world is cutthroat and cold. I’ve never been more miserable in my life. Which is why I came back here as soon as I received the call from Attorney Mayhew. I just didn’t know how to face all of you.”
“You never have to worry about that,” Charlotte crooned as she reached out and hugged Fancy. “No matter what, we’re always going to provide sheltering arms for each other. That’s what true friends do for one another.”
“Yes!” Olivia said. “We’re going to put all of this in the vault, lock it and throw away the key. We’re never going to dwell on the past.”
Fancy cried and sniffled and swiped at her eyes with the back of her hand. “I-Is there still room for me at Savannah House? I told Attorney Mayhew I wanted you guys to buy me out, but that’s not true. I want to come home,” she said with a sob.
By now everyone was sobbing with the exception of Attorney Mayhew who was rolling his eyes and muttering under his breath.
Callie placed her arms around Fancy and held her tight. “You’re already home, Fancy. The minute you stepped into Savannah, you were already home.”
“I always feel we’re at our very best when we’re all together. Six is such a lovely number.”
Olivia Renault
Chapter Nine
The next week passed in a flurry of activity. With Fancy back in the fold, it seemed as if everyone was walking on egg shells trying to restore the friendships that had been so strained for the past year and a half. They had established a fragile peace. No one dared to bring up the fact that sooner or later Fancy was bound to run into Case. Callie knew her cousin didn’t want anything to do with his ex-fiancé. In his estimation, he had been badly burned by her once before. Case Duvall wasn’t the type to forgive and forget. And although they were all curious about the identity of Ella’s father, no one had the courage to ask Hope outright. And Morgan…Callie still had the feeling that something had caused her to flee from Savannah, although she had no idea what it might be.
The girls were all having lunch at Pearl’s house where Morgan had grown up. Since she had just returned to town, Morgan had arranged to stay with her mother until she could find a permanent place to live. Once they fixed up Savannah House, it was possible that Morgan and Hope could live there in one of the available rooms.
Pearl had cooked them an amazing meal—fried chicken, potato salad, corn, kale and baked bread. Callie’s stomach did flip flops at the sight of the spread. Pearl had arranged for them to sit out on the patio so they could enjoy the mild summer weather. A pitcher of lemonade added the perfect touch to the meal.
Callie enjoyed the light mood at lunch. It was the perfect distraction for her from thoughts of Jax. All night she had tossed and turned, wondering when she would see him again. Pondering whether she should apologize to him and try to make amends. There was no point in doing so unless she was going to get real with him. He had made it quite clear that the next move was hers to make. She couldn’t go to him unless she was willing to go the distance. It wouldn’t be fair to seek Jax out unless she was willing to tell him she loved him.
Why was it so difficult for her to tell him her truths? Reaching out for love shouldn’t be so scary. Had she been so damaged by the past that she would never be able to accept Jax’s love or profess her own to him? It was hard for her to lay her feelings on the line. She felt paralyzed with fear about having a heart to heart conversation with him. It made her feel vulnerable. Somehow she had to find a way to get past it. Every day it was becoming more and more clear to her—a life without Jax in it would be unbearable.
“What are you daydreaming about over there?” Olivia asked, waving her hand from across the table. “You’re a million miles away from Savannah.”
The rest of the girls laughed.
“Sorry. I haven’t been sleeping well,” Callie admitted. “These past few weeks have been filled with chaos.”
“Tell me about it,” Hope moaned. “Ella doesn’t seem to know day from night. I can’t wait to get a full night’s sleep one of these days.” She cast a quick glance at her daughter who was sleeping like a log in her playpen. Ella looked like sweetness and light, although Callie knew from listening to Hope’s stories that she could be a little bear at times.
“I’ve always wanted a house filled with children,” Fancy said in a wistful voice.
“You’ll have them,” Morgan said, patting her on the hand with encouragement.
Callie’s phone began vibrating next to her from the bottom of her purse. Over and over again it rang until she was forced to take a look at it. Her mother’s number showed up on the caller ID, time after time. As she was holding her phone, it began buzzing again. It was her mother calling her. Again. Knowing she couldn’t ignore another call, she excused herself from the table and picked up.
