AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Yo,” Savannah answered. “I'm not sure I'm supposed to be talking to you.”
I rubbed the back of my neck. “She told you?”
I paced back and forth in my home office. I knew the sisters had left first thing in the morning, but I didn't have work until noon, so I spent the morning planning how I'd make things up to Whitney, marking off my gala to-do list, andnotdriving to see her.
Savannah tsked me. “You should have been up front with her about Katie.” She started to defend her sister. “Or maybe I should have been. I was too chicken shit and didn't want to do anything that might push her away now that she's finally back.”
I ran a hand through my tangled hair. “I know I should have been up front with her. This wasn’t your mess, Savannah, it’s mine. I fucked up royally.”
We both sat there silent for a minute.
I braced myself for what I needed to ask her. I barely recognized my quiet, whispered voice. “Is she going to leave?”
Savannah inhaled quickly. “Oh, Jack. That's not going to happen again. She's pissed, but she doesn't plan to leave. But I'd be lying if I didn't say that might have to do more with me being pregnant than her not being hurt.”
My hands clenched at my sides. “I just need you to promise me that she isn’t going to skip town.”
“I promise,” Savannah said, pausing for a second. “But you better fix this soon because she’s really hurt, Jack. You know I love you like a brother, but she is my sister first and I hate to see her go through this pain. It’s just like ten years ago all over again.”
Sucker punched, my body tensed. Now that I finally understood the full extent of the damage I caused Whitney, inadvertent though it was, it made me sick to think that Whitney was going through it all over again.
“I need you to do me a huge favor,” I told Savannah, filling her in on my plan as I continued my militaristic march back and forth across my home office.
Savannah easily agreed. Between her and Barb’s help, I felt like I at least stood a chance of making this crazy plan work.
I just had to have faith that the engagement bomb hadn’t been the final straw for Whitney.
“Oh hey, Jack.” Savannah caught me before I hung up.
I pulled the phone back to my ear. “Yeah?”
“Umm, do you mind if I stay at your place even though Whitney isn’t there? I know she’s determined to rough it at my house with all the construction, but I’d really prefer not to.” The normally confident Savannah sounded nervous even asking.
As if I’d toss her out of my house. She knew better than that. “You always have a place to stay with me, you don’t have to ask.”
She sighed. “Oh, thank God, because there was no way in hell I’m going to give up that bed until I have to.”
I tried to laugh, but it came out more like a cough. “I’ll see you at home later.”
Savannah signed off with a quick, “See ya.”
I tossed my phone onto my desk, took a seat, and waited to implement my plan.
I stomped up the pathway to the football field, grinning from ear to ear.
Between the help from Whitney and the students and parents that came forward thanks to Janine, I had what I needed to take down Ramstrom.
The asshole wouldn't see it coming.
And if I was being frank, I could have decided to take him in in private. Maybe collected him from his house, or his office, but that would be too easy.
He deserved it to be a little more public.
Besides, I wanted to show the players that the police had their backs. They'd risked a lot coming to us in the first place and I was glad we weren't letting them down.
The cold grass crunched underneath my boots as I made my final approach. Jeremy spotted me first, his lips tugging up in a private smile. I focused my attention on Coach Ramstrom but could feel the weight of the stares from the other players as I got closer.
A second set of footsteps trailed behind mine, as the chief served as my back up.
