My feet were glued to where I stood. I’d forgotten how powerful and magnetic Savage’s presence was. He grinned as if he knew what I was thinking and was daring me to come inside.
“Yeah, I was wondering that too,” Mr. Walner yelled from across the street. He was dressed in a maroon robe and leaned on his walker, shaking a newspaper up in the air. “I read about you in the paper. Now you’re highfalutin, living up in your mansion. They had pictures of your wedding in the Savannah paper. Said you invited the whole town.”
Guilt swamped me. I hadn’t even thought about extending invitations to anyone in the neighborhood. The wedding had been such a cluster I couldn’t even imagine adding them to the mix.
“I think the news coverage had more to do with Savage getting shot than my marriage,” I called out.
He hmmphed and his screen door slammed shut as he went back inside, but I could still see him watching us at the window.
“You married a rich city boy instead of one of your own kind,” another voice called out. I turned to look at the house next door to mine and saw Leonard Winkle standing on his stoop in what looked like a Chewbacca onesie.
“Hi, Spock,” I said. “One of my own kind?”
“From the neighborhood,” he said. “We stick together here. NAD Squad forever.” He made some kind of complicated hand gesture and finished it up with a peace sign.
Since the NAD Squad had consisted of twenty-something fantasy nerds, Mrs. Rodriguez, a computer geek, a hermit, and Savage, the potential for marrying within the neighborhood seemed like slim pickins.
On the surface, Savage probably seemed like a respectable choice, but he’d been a no-no from the start for me. There were some men you just knew would be bad for you, and Savage was that man for me. He was a great guy, and the sex would’ve been amazing, but Savage and I would’ve eventually imploded. And no matter how much he liked the pursuit, I didn’t see Savage as the marrying kind. Nick was my perfect balance to the insanity of my life. Savage only fueled the fire.
“It’s good to see you, Spock,” I said.
“You too,” he said, grinning. “I’m having a get-together later if you want to drop by. I’m making my famous pimento cheese dip and we’re doing Harry Potter charades.”
“I would if I could, but I’m heading out of town,” I said.
“Maybe next time,” he said.
I looked up and down the street. Several of my former neighbors stood on the porches, staring blatantly, scowls of disapproval on their faces. Their judgement was thick in the air.
I noticed the For Sale sign in Savage’s yard, and it reminded me that his days on the block were numbered as well. A pang of sadness that I hadn’t been expecting hit me square in the chest. I thought about where we’d started and how much we’d changed during our relationship.
I blinked rapidly to dry my eyes, and I carried the gift basket up to the front door, ignoring the stares.
“I can’t decide if they’re mad at me or you,” I said.
“A little of both,” he said, grinning. “Ever since the For Sale sign went up in the yard Mrs. Rodriguez has been doing the voodoo on me pretty regularly”
“Yikes,” I said. “Seems kind of harsh for a man who’s just been shot.”
“She’s hardcore,” Savage said.
“Any offers on the house?” I asked, looking around.
I’d never actually been in Savage’s house before. I always figured if I crossed the threshold that it would be the point of no return. He had moving boxes stacked and neatly labeled—which I appreciated—and his furniture consisted of a beige couch and a leather recliner that looked well used. There was nothing left on the wall, and no personal touches of anything lying around that I could see.
“Just got one this morning,” he said. “We’ll see if it pans out. Is that for me?”
“I know how your body is a temple, so I got you a fruit basket. But just in case you’ve let things go to hell the last few weeks, there are chocolate bars hidden under the fruit.”
“You got those for you, didn’t you?” he asked.
“I wouldn’t turn one down if you wanted to share.”
“Come on in,” he said, shutting the front door behind me. “You want coffee?”
“No, I’m off coffee,” I said. “It’s not good for the…baby,” I finished softly.
“I’ve got water,” he said, smoothly.
“Thanks, I appreciate it,” I said, realizing I was still holding the basket in front of me like a shield.
“Just put it in here,” he said, pointing to the tiny kitchen island.
The farther I walked into the house, the more it felt like I was walking into the lion’s den. I put the basket down and took the bottled water, chugging half of it quickly.
“So you’re really doing it,” I said. “Really moving.”
“Yeah, I’ve got a couple more weeks of PT before my doctors will release me, but after that I’m free to go. I’ll send you a postcard once I get there.”
“Where is there?” I asked.
“I found a house in a town called Normal.”
I burst out laughing. “You’re kidding,” I said. “That’s like inviting karma to be your roommate.”
He shrugged. “It definitely has its quirks. But it’s the Wild West up there. People are using the local Indian reservations as body dumping grounds, which means it falls under the jurisdiction of Bureau of Indian Affairs. But they don’t have the resources or manpower the FBI does, so I’m the bridge between the two agencies.”
“You think it’s a serial killer?” I asked, intrigued.
“No,” he said. “Drugs and trafficking for the most part. It’s wide-open land.”
“I always forget how depressing your job is,” I said.
“Believe me, working with you and the agency is my downtime,” he said.
My smile was pressed tight. People didn’t realize how men like Nick and Savage suffered in their jobs. But if somebody like them didn’t do it, who would?
“It looks like you’re
