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Chapter 8

eight

“What’s this?” Fallon’s voice was sharp as always.

The smooth black box came out of Savannah’s purse exactly as she’d planned, and she set it onto Fallon’s desk right in front of her. They’d barely talked since that night, but she felt there was more apology needed after Forrest had spoiled their fun.

The box was small enough that Savannah had been able to slip it into her largest purse, which she was glad about. She didn’t want to make a big deal over this. Well, she did, but not in the show of a gift. She wanted to make sure that Fallon knew how sorry she was for the upset.

“A gift, along with yet another apology.” Why did she keep having to apologize? It was like she messed everything up in the relationship that wasn’t even a relationship. Three bad half-meetups counted as a disaster that shouldn’t be tried again, right? Surely Fallon would tell her to get lost before she agreed to make time for her again.

“Another apology?” Fallon raised an eyebrow, flicking her gaze from the box to Savannah. “What do you have to apologize for that you haven’t already apologized for?”

“Forrest. Again.” Savannah rolled her eyes, embarrassment sweeping over her. She wished that could stop, but even getting divorced from the asshat hadn’t managed to put that to rest. He still put her in situations that she hated, ones that definitely pushed the boundaries of what she was comfortable with. “He interrupted our night, you left, and I…” Savannah stopped. She what? She was sad that Fallon had left? Happy that Fallon hadn’t forced awkward conversations with Brinley? Was ecstatic that for once someone actually defended her?

Fallon cocked her head to the side, curiosity lining those stunningly dark eyes.

“I was embarrassed.”

“No reason to be embarrassed. You weren’t the one who made a fool of themselves.”

“I did by marrying him.” That’s what it really was, wasn’t it?

Fallon hummed, moving her fingers across the box. “You really need to stop bringing me things.”

“I don’t think I do.” Savannah’s cheeks heated at that comment. She hadn’t expected to feel this warmth when seeing Fallon in person again. It’d been a few weeks, but it was long enough that being in her very presence again was stirring all those same feelings up. The ones where she’d enjoyed the flirting, the compliments, the teasing back and forth but also the openness and vulnerability that they’d shared. Just peeks during the weak moments into who they were. Those were more beautiful than anything.

Fallon sucked in a sharp breath when she slid open the lid. Small bottles were tucked in fabric around a glass. On the backside of the lid behind ribbons were directions for how to make your very own Long Island Iced Tea at home and all the mixings for it.

Chuckling, Fallon shook her head. “You really do know how to find a gift, don’t you?”

“Some say it’s a talent.” She’d always said that. No one else really had. But it had given her a wonderful advantage in her job when recruiting new coaches and students. “It seemed fitting, since you barely got to drink yours.”

Savannah would know. Because after downing her drink, she’d taken Fallon’s leftover one to bed and stayed up drinking and reading until she couldn’t keep her eyes open anymore. But she hadn’t been able to get the embarrassment out of her chest for at least another week. And even now, if she thought about the situation with Forrest too much, it would come back, rearing its ugly head once more.

“It’s only enough for one,” Fallon commented, gliding her fingers over each of the bottles and tilting her head as she read the labels.

“I wasn’t sure if…” Why couldn’t she just say the words out loud? “I wasn’t sure if you’d want company.”

Surprise lingered in Fallon’s eyes as she raised her gaze to meet Savannah’s. “I won’t lie and tell you that Forrest didn’t give me a lot to think about.”

“He does that.” Disappointment was right there to nip at the heels of the embarrassment Savannah had just managed to push behind her. Instead, that disappointment was ravenous, and it wanted every piece of her.

Fallon closed the lid of the box and slid it so it was right between them. “My father used to beat my mother daily. That might be exaggerating slightly, but I don’t remember every day of my childhood. What I do remember is that he beat her regularly.”

Savannah’s stomach plummeted.

Fallon glanced at the door behind Savannah, probably checking to see if anyone else was around. Then she continued, “Forrest bears a lot of similarities to my father. I’m not willing to put anyone in a situation like my mother was in or like I was in.”

“Understandable,” Savannah responded. She knew that was how it was going to be, even if she hadn’t wanted to hear the words out loud. Ultimately, she also knew that being in a relationship while Forrest was still barging into her life wasn’t going to do anyone any favors. And in a similar sense to Fallon, she didn’t want to repeat past mistakes. “I’m not looking for a relationship.”

“You’re not?” Fallon leaned back in her chair, steepling her fingers. “Could have fooled me.”

“I’m sorry if I gave you that impression, Fallon, but I’m not looking for a relationship. What I am looking for is friendship. I enjoy your company.”

Was that disappointment eating away at Fallon now? Something flashed across her eyes so quickly that Savannah hadn’t managed to catch a full glimpse of it. Nothing Savannah had said was untrue. She did enjoy Fallon’s company, and the last few weeks of quiet had given her that perspective. She needed someone who wasn’t tangled up in her life and drama, but also someone who understood the depth of pain that she’d been through.

“Friends don’t often buy friends expensive gifts.” Fallon tapped the box with one finger, but her eyes remained glued to Savannah's face.

“I do.” Savannah flushed. It was a half-truth, but one she was going to go with for now. “I like to give gifts with meaning, and unexpectedly. It’s one of my love languages.”

Fallon hummed and pulled the box closer to her. “I’m not sure you can talk about friends and love languages in the same breath and tell me you only want friendship with me.”

Was this Fallon asking for more? Savannah was so unsure, not only of what Fallon wanted, but of what she wanted. And this conversation seriously couldn’t be more awkward to have in the middle of the office.

“Can we talk after my meeting?” Savannah asked.

“Sure.” Fallon nodded toward the door to Athena’s office. “She’s ready for you now, anyway.”

“Oh?” Savannah spun around, finding Athena eyeing the both of them. Great, now she’d have even more questions to answer, ones where she wasn’t sure what to say. “Right.”

“Ready?”

“Yeah.” Savannah glanced at Fallon before she followed Athena into the small conference room that she was becoming very familiar with. Maybe the extra time for both of them to think was exactly what they needed. Depending on what Fallon said, Savannah would ask her outright what she was looking for from their friendship—or whatever it was.

Savannah’s head spun after spending an hour and a half with Athena. She had so many more questions to answer and things to find than she thought humanly possible. And it would, unfortunately, involve talking to Kyla—the one thing that Kyla had specifically asked her not to do.

Sighing, Savannah stepped out of the conference room and walked toward Fallon’s desk. Fallon had a stack of paperwork out, sprawled over the top of her desk as she looked from the paper to her computer.

“Having fun?” Savannah teased, hoping her tone didn’t make it sound like she was too drained.

Fallon glanced up and nodded. “I’m doing billing for the month.”

“I’m sure my name is at the top of the list.” Savannah tried to make it come off like a joke, but she was pretty sure that she didn’t manage it. “Sorry, that was a long and intense meeting.”

“The third one usually is,” Fallon answered absentmindedly while she finished typing on the computer. “When did she say she wanted to meet again?”

“In two weeks.”

Fallon nodded and pulled up the calendar. “Two weeks from now?”

Savannah shook her head. “Let’s make it three.”

“Same day and time?”

“I’ll make it work.”

It took only a few seconds for Fallon to input the appointment and focus on Savannah again. This time she remained calm and quiet. The box that Savannah had brought was nowhere to be found, but Savannah suspected that it was hidden away where no one else could see it. Surely not in the trash or something like that.

“I want to know something,” Savannah started before she could stop herself or mess this up again.

“Which is?” Fallon again had all her focus on Savannah. It was unnerving in some ways. Savannah wasn’t used to being paid such close attention to, and yet, the way Fallon went about it, settled her. She knew that Fallon was listening, that she was truly putting in the effort to hear what Savannah had to say or ask. When was the last time anyone had done that for her?

“Why do you want to be my friend?”

There. The question was out there. Now Savannah just had to wait for the answer and respect it. Whatever Fallon told her would be the truth, because Fallon never seemed to mince words in these moments. It was one of the things that Savannah had come to appreciate about her.

“I don’t.”

“What?” Savannah’s voice was louder than she’d anticipated, and she hadn’t managed to keep the hurt out of her tone.

“I first went with you to the wine bar to get you off my back, to acquiesce to your insane need for apologizing when unnecessary. I didn’t go with the intention of making a friend or getting to know you any better than I had to.” Fallon folded her hands in front of her.

Savannah’s stomach twisted hard. “Is that still true?”

“No.” Fallon shuffled the papers on her desk, sliding them into a folder and then putting them into a drawer at her side. She leaned forward and turned her computer off. “I’ll be right back.”

“What?” Frowning, Savannah watched as Fallon stood up and walked away from her. She went into Athena’s office, shut the door behind her, and then Savannah was left all alone.

Again.

Fallon had done this once before, but that time it had at least made sense. This time it didn’t at all, and Savannah was left wondering just what she’d done wrong. Was Fallon going to tell Athena that she had to drop her as a client? That didn’t seem much like Fallon’s style though. That felt far more like Savannah’s fear kicking up a few notches.

The door opened, and relief washed through Savannah when Fallon stepped back into the main office area. “Walk me to my car.”

“Okay,” Savannah agreed without even thinking.

She glanced at the clock and it was far later than she’d realized. Fallon must be done with work for the day and not just leaving at a random whim. With Fallon’s things gathered, they stepped out into the hallway and walked side by side until they reached the elevator. Neither of them said anything until they were inside, alone for the first time that day. Truly alone with no one else to eavesdrop or wonder just what they were doing that they shouldn’t be doing.

“I don’t want a relationship with you,” Fallon said.

“I don’t want a relationship with you,” Savannah answered. “I don’t want a relationship period.”

“Good.” Fallon turned her head, her chin tilted down as their eyes locked together. “I don’t do relationships.”

“But do you do other things?” Savannah asked.

Fallon’s lips pressed into a thin line before she slid her gaze from Savannah’s eyes to her mouth. She lingered there until Savannah’s heart rate kicked up a few beats, reminding her that even after all the drama with Forrest, she was still a woman who had very physical needs. And Fallon might be just the person to fulfill those needs.

She stepped in closer, and Fallon stayed right where she was, her gaze slowly dragging back up to meet Savannah’s eyes.

“Do you want to do other things with me?” Savannah pushed for an answer. “Because I’m more than willing to let that be what we are to each other and nothing else.”

“I don’t think anything else will work out. We’ve already crossed that line.”

A shudder of arousal ran through Savannah. Fallon was right, of course. They’d already started a tentative friendship, so this wouldn’t be just sex. But they could be both and nothing more, right? Swallowing hard, needing to be more forward than she typically was, Savannah took one more step toward Fallon.

“Then just adding that to what we’ve already created.”

Fallon shook her head once before stopping. But her gaze had moved back down to Savannah’s lips, locked on her mouth. Her cheeks were bright and rosy. Her chest rose and fell far more sharply than before.

“I need to think about it,” Fallon finally answered, stepping back to put some space between them. “I’m not ready to make that decision yet.”

“That’s fair.” That disappointment monster was nipping at her heels again. “It’s a lot to think about.”

“In some ways,” Fallon answered, her voice sounding farther and farther away by the second. “And in others, there’s no decision to make at all.”

The elevator dinged, and Fallon stepped out of it. She nodded toward Savannah, that sly smile playing at her lips, the one that Savannah loved to see.

“Thank you for the gift, Savannah.”

“Yeah, sure. Anytime.” How even after all of that was Fallon able to steal her breath like this?

“I’ll text you.”

“I look forward to it.”

With that, Fallon was gone. Savannah stood in the empty elevator, not going anywhere because she couldn’t even remember what button to hit or the fact that she needed to hit a button. Had she really just asked Fallon Schroeder to be her fuck buddy?

Who was she? And what had she done with the meek woman who had survived a nasty divorce and the death of her best friend and brother?

Then again, she wasn’t sure she wanted that Savannah back.

She quite liked this new her.

She was bolder.

Stronger.

Sexier.

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