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“You could say that,” he said in a monotone voice.
Callie’s eyes widened as if she couldn’t believe he had asked that question of her friend. Oh well. He might as well go for broke. “I was just telling Callie that she shouldn’t make any rash decisions.”
Mac frowned at him. “Callie knows what she wants. She’s a big girl,” Mac said.
“Yes. I am,” Callie said, her eyes full of hero worship as she gazed up at Mac.
Where had this guy come from? And why was Callie looking at him as if he had just brokered world peace and found a cure for cancer?
He had known Callie “Calista” Duvall for most of his life. And he’d worked for her father Lionel for the last six years. There had never been a sighting of this particular person or the slightest indication that Callie had a special friend named Mac. Calling Mac her friend was a self-protective move on his part. It spared him the agony of knowing that Callie might be falling in love with this man. Or that he could be her boyfriend. Just the thought of it caused a sharp sensation to lodge in his chest.
Callie Duvall. The woman he had loved for what seemed like the better part of his life. The woman of his dreams. The unattainable object of his affections. She didn’t seem to have the slightest clue of how he felt about her. And he liked it that way. For now anyway. It had always been his intention to come in and sweep her off her feet. Four years at separate colleges hadn’t allowed him to get anywhere near her. With every year they seemed to grow further apart.
“You ready to head to the cottage?” Mac asked, placing his arm around Callie’s shoulder. Just the sight of it made Jax want to push it off. He wasn’t a fool though. This Mac character looked like he could squash him with one single move. Jax wasn’t ashamed of that fact. He’d always considered himself a lover not a fighter.
“Yes,” she said with a huge grin. “The moving company will take care of the rest of this and meet us at Savannah House.”
“Savannah House?” Jax asked with a frown. “Is that where you’re moving to? The place needs some serious upgrading.”
“I’m moving into the guest house until I can get my bearings. It’s in perfect shape. It just needed some paint and polish, which has already been taken care of.”
“So Miss Hattie invited you to come and stay?” Just the thought of Miss Hattie made Jax smile. It brought to mind lemon cookies and sipping mint juleps out on the veranda. Even though he’d been a little kid she had treated him with such dignity and respect. Miss Hattie had a knack of making everyone feel like the best version of themselves.
“Yes, Jax she did,” Callie said in a cool voice. “I’ll be paying her rent of course.”
He let out a sigh. It had been only a few weeks since he had visited Savannah House, the once legendary B & B. His lunches with Miss Hattie were their little secret. “What are her plans for the place? Is she going to fix it up and re-open?” Jax asked, pretending he didn’t already know the answer. Miss Hattie had no intentions of entertaining customers at Savannah House.
Callie flashed him an annoyed look. “I don’t know. It would have been rude to pick her brain about that, especially since she was being so generous about offering me a place to stay.”
“Ready to roll?” Mac asked, slightly nudging Callie.
Callie’s expression was pure sunshine. He felt a stabbing sensation inside his chest. He felt as if he had entered an alternate universe where everything had been turned on its head.
“I’ll walk out with you,” Jax suggested. He gestured with his hand for Callie to exit first. Mac was right on her heels. He could have sworn Mac gave him an eye roll. Who did this guy think he was? He was in Savannah, on Jax’s turf. From the sound of Mac’s accent he wasn’t from these parts. New England perhaps? Massachusetts even? If so, he was a long way from home.
When they reached the bottom of the grand spiral staircase, Callie led the way outside. Tucked into one
of the most exclusive areas of the historic district of Savannah, the Duvall mansion was a large, three-story Gothic revival home. It had an elegantly appointed location on Magnolia Street. The grounds were a vibrant green with flowers dotting the landscape. Jax knew there were a team of gardeners who kept them in full bloom. The house was bordered by a black, iron gate that served to protect the inhabitants of the architectural masterpiece.
Nothing but the best for Lionel and Davinia Duvall.
The gate was propped open and a moving van sat out front with movers walking back and forth from the house. A big, red truck sat behind it. Jax grimaced. All of a sudden a petite, dark haired woman with hair the color of velvet, came bounding into the yard. Jax smiled at the sight of his childhood friend looking as beautiful as ever.
She was panting as she stopped beside them. “I ran all the way here. Sorry I’m late.”
“You’re always late,” Jax drawled, leaning down to press a kiss across Olivia’s forehead.
Olivia threw back her head and laughed. “Jax! What are you doing here? Helping?”
“Of course he’s not helping,” Callie said with a shake of her head.
Olivia looked over at Mac. She had a dreamy expression on her face. She nudged Callie. “Make the introductions,” she murmured. Callie and Olivia had been best friends since they were in elementary school. The two women shared an incredibly close, supportive friendship.
Again, Jax felt annoyed. Had Olivia come all the way over here to meet Mac? That had to mean something given the closeness of their friendship. Was this a sign that Callie was off the market?
Callie darted her eyes in his direction. She let out a sigh, then waved her hand at Olivia. “Mac, this is my best friend, Olivia Renault. Olivia, this is my brother, Mac Donahue.”
Brother? Jax waited a few beats for the punchline. He swung his gaze around and watched as Mac leaned down and swept Olivia up in a hug. He placed a kiss on her cheek. “Thanks for being such a great friend to my sister for all these years. She’s told me a lot about you.”
