Under a Summer Sky--A Savannah Romance

by Melody Carlson

  Not wanting to go past Cassidy’s parents’ house, Nicole had taken a different route. As a result, she was seeing some old homes she hadn’t noticed before. Or else they just appeared different in this amazing light. She had just paused to admire a tall, narrow Edwardian home when she heard a vehicle slowing down beside her.

  She normally felt safe in Savannah, but a twinge of concern ran through her as she realized it was twilight and the shadows were growing darker fast. Trying to appear unintimidated, she casually glanced over and was surprised to see Ryan’s pickup.

  “Hey,” he called out the open passenger-side window. “Whatcha up to?”

  As she went over to the pickup, she felt a small rush of pleasure. It was so good to see Ryan’s bright smile again. In the same moment, she felt guilty for liking it so much. “I was just enjoying this beautiful evening,” she told him.

  “Want some company?”

  She shrugged, trying not to look as eager as she felt.

  “Hey, I don’t want to intrude.”

  “No, no, I’d love your company,” she said quickly. “I mean, if you really want to.”

  He hopped out of the pickup and came over to join her. “I really like this time of evening,” he said. “Perfect time for a walk. You going anywhere in particular?”

  “I was considering going to town.” She told him her concerns about the messy kitchen as they strolled. “I just didn’t want to get involved.” She wrinkled her nose. “I’m not, by nature, very confrontational.”

  He chuckled. “Well, that should be Alex’s job.”

  “Yeah. It’s kind of awkward, though. I mean, I love Bernie, but I’m not ready to parent her.”

  “Alex shouldn’t expect you to parent her.” He glanced at her. “Even if you guys are involved, it shouldn’t be your job to parent her. That’s a formula for disaster—for everyone.”

  “I agree.” She tried to think of a good way to straighten him out. “But just for the record, Ryan, Alex and I are not involved.”

  “Hey, it’s none of my business. I really did feel bad for intruding on you guys Saturday night. Looked like a nice dinner too. Very romantic.” His tone was partly teasing . . . and partly something else.

  Nicole quickly explained how Bernie and Gina had put the whole thing together as a surprise. “I think Bernie might’ve been hoping that it would put us in a romantic frame of mind.” She laughed softly. “But that is so not happening.”

  “Really?” He sounded doubtful.

  She turned to look at him. “I’m not interested in a relationship with Alex. I mean, besides a friendship. Somehow I want to make Bernie understand that.”

  “That might be hard. Bernie really admires you. I’m sure she thinks you’d be a great stepmom.”

  “That’s flattering, but it’s never going to happen.”

  For a while they both walked quietly. Nicole felt sad to think about Bernie’s longing for a new and complete family, and how much work she’d gone to in the hopes of bringing her dad and Nicole together. Yet her plans had fizzled. Maybe that was why she had been distancing herself these past couple of days. Or else it was simply Gina. Nicole hoped it was the latter.

  They were nearly to town and about to cross a side street when Nicole spotted a bicycle light quickly coming toward them. “Better wait.” She held out her hand to Ryan.

  “That’s Cassidy.” He waved, stepping into the street as the bike quickly slowed down. “Hey, Cass,” he called out. “Just getting off work?”

  “Yeah.” She stopped next to them, turning off her light. “It slowed down at the hospital and they let me leave early.” She released her helmet strap, smiling brightly at both of them. “Where y’all going?”

  “To town to get a bite,” he said.

  “Nice.” She nodded with a hopeful look.

  “Wanna come?” he asked.

  Her eyes lit up. “I’d love to.” She glanced at Nicole. “If y’all don’t mind?”

  “The more the merrier,” Nicole said lightly.

  With Cassidy walking her bike next to Ryan, the three of them continued toward town. Cassidy told them about an eight-year-old boy she’d treated earlier. “He got into a bad wreck on the BMX trail.” She explained how he’d gone over a guardrail and down a rocky hillside. “I won’t go into all the details, but the kid was in a lot of pain. Five broken bones and about sixty stitches. It was a long afternoon.”

  “How’s he doing?” Nicole asked.

  “I checked on him right before I left and he seemed in good spirits. But it’ll be a while before he gets on a bike again.”

  “It must feel good to help someone like that,” Nicole told her.

  She nodded vigorously. “It really is fulfilling.”

  “She’s good at it too,” Ryan told Nicole. “I’ve seen her with kids. She’s a natural.” He pointed to the Fish Shack, where they could hear live music playing. “I don’t know about y’all, but I could go for fish and chips. And that band doesn’t sound half bad.”

  No one argued, and before long they were led to a crowded patio where strings of colorful lights added a festive feeling and a small bluegrass band was playing in the corner. The place was absolutely charming. So much so that it felt romantic. Well, it could’ve been if it were just her and Ryan—and if she were delusional.

  As the three of them sat down at a wooden picnic table, she pushed her silly fantasy aside. This was three friends sharing a meal. Or, more likely, it was a romantic couple who had generously allowed Nicole to join them.

  After they placed their orders, Nicole asked Cassidy where she lived, and she pointed toward the river. “The Shore,” she said. “They’re condos alongside the river.” She nudged Ryan with an elbow. “You know, where this guy lives.”

  Nicole nodded, although she hadn’t known that was where Ryan lived. She’d never thought to ask. For a moment she wondered if Ryan and Cassidy might actually live together, but then decided that was unlikely. Someone—like Alex—surely would’ve told her.

  “So . . . are you neighbors?” she asked casually.

  “Sort of,” Cassidy said. “But Ryan got in there first. He got one of the nicer units—his is on the third floor with a great view of the river.” She nudged him again. “I keep begging him to trade, but he won’t.”

  Nicole felt relieved to hear this, then immediately wondered why. She was grateful no one could read her thoughts. It was embarrassing to be this obsessed with a guy. She didn’t remember feeling like this about Peter, not even early on. Maybe it was simply because it felt like Ryan was taken. A case of wanting what you couldn’t have.

  Ryan and Cassidy were discussing a quirky neighbor who lived at the Shore, joking about how this woman and a dog she dressed in various strange outfits were driving the neighbors batty. As Nicole listened, she felt like no one would notice if she simply vanished. If she hadn’t been so hungry, she might’ve thought of a reason to excuse herself.

  Ryan turned to her. “I meant to tell you that I talked to my mom this morning. She called me at about four a.m. It wasn’t a good connection, but she just wanted to hear how everyone was doing. I told her the gallery was holding up fine.” He chuckled. “I think that was her biggest concern.”

  “I thought about texting her the other day, but I didn’t want to bother her.”

  “I’m sure she’d like an occasional text,” Ryan said. “As long as it’s just to reassure her that all is well.”

  Nicole nodded. “I’ll do that.”

  “I told her about Bernie helping out and she was really pleased.”

  “Oh, good.”

  “I didn’t mention about Bernie staying at the house, though.”

  “Bernie’s staying at your parents’ house?” Cassidy asked.

  They quickly explained, and Nicole mentioned her concern about how Bernie and Gina’s housekeeping skills were lacking. “I feel bad that Miss Doreen has so much more to do.”

  “You need to tell Alex to deal with it,” Ryan sai
d firmly.

  “Yeah . . . I guess.” Nicole wasn’t eager to have a conversation with Alex.

  “If you don’t want to, I will. Mom asked me to keep an eye on the pool and yard, so I have reason to be there, and I have no problem telling my big brother to step up.”

  Suddenly Cassidy was relaying a story about Alex and Ryan. “Ryan was still in high school, but Alex was in college. He came home for the weekend while their parents went to Atlanta.” She laughed. “You remember that?”

  “Are you kidding? Who could forget?” Ryan rolled his eyes. “Alex decided to have a house party. I told him not to do it, but he wouldn’t listen.”

  “Plus he pressured Ryan,” Cassidy said to Nicole. “He was always putting Ryan down. And he made him feel like a baby for not going along with it.”

  “Well, something like that,” Ryan conceded. “It seemed pointless to try to stop him. But I did tell him that he’d have to clean it all up by himself.”

  “Yeah, like that happened.” Cassidy turned back to Nicole. “Anyway, it was around midnight when Ryan came running over to our house, saying he thought someone had died.”

  “You’re kidding.” Nicole looked at Ryan.

  “One of Alex’s girlfriends had consumed too many Jell-O shots.”

  “She probably had alcohol poisoning,” Cassidy said. “Fortunately, we got her to the hospital in time for them to pump her stomach.”

  “See, even then Cass wanted to be a doctor,” Ryan teased.

  “The next day, Alex was in really bad shape,” Cassidy continued. “He was so sick he could barely function. Of course, he begged us to clean up the mess.”

  “And you did it?” Nicole was surprised at that.

  “Not until Ryan insisted that Alex surrender his baseball card collection to him.”

  “And he did?”

  “He had no choice,” Ryan said.

  “Was the collection valuable?” Nicole asked, and they both nodded.

  “Yeah, but the house was pretty bad,” Ryan told her, “and my parents would’ve had a fit.” He grinned. “The cards probably covered it.”

  “Did you get some cards too?” Nicole asked Cassidy.

  “Nope.” Cassidy laughed. “Ryan still owes me for that one.” She turned to him with a sly smile. “So how about trading condo units, Ry? That would probably take care of it.”

  Ryan laughed. “Don’t hold your breath.”

  As they continued to joke back and forth, resurrecting old memories and bantering about the condo units, Nicole felt like she was invisible again. Fortunately, their food arrived and she was able to distract herself with eating. Still, Cassidy and Ryan seemed very comfortable with each other. In some ways, their friendly teasing reminded her of her own parents. They were almost like an old married couple. That was not reassuring.

  Ryan insisted on treating them, and since Cassidy didn’t protest, Nicole didn’t either. As he went up to pay the bill, Cassidy and Nicole went around to the front of the restaurant.

  “Well, I should probably get going.” Cassidy fastened her helmet strap beneath her chin.

  “It was nice seeing you tonight,” Nicole told her.

  “Yeah. That was fun.” Cassidy studied Nicole closely, making no move to get on her bike. “It’s weird to think how long I’ve known Ryan. But then I guess you’ve known him for almost as long.”

  Nicole shrugged. “I suppose so. But you probably know him better, living nearby and all.”

  “That’s true.” Cassidy swung a long leg over her bike, as if preparing to leave.

  “Our families quit vacationing together just as Ryan and I were going into our teens. We pretty much lost touch then.” Nicole wondered if things might have gone differently for her and Ryan if their parents had continued planning summer trips together. Maybe if they’d continually been forced together, she would have eventually fallen in love with him. Perhaps they’d even have gotten married by now. Or perhaps she was just being ridiculous.

  “Yeah, I remember how bummed Ryan was when that happened.”

  “When what happened?” Nicole tried to retrace what they’d been talking about.

  “When your families quit vacationing together.” Cassidy chuckled. “You know that Ryan had a big crush on you, don’t you?”

  Nicole felt her cheeks get warm as she realized how the tables had turned. “Yeah, I kind of remember that. But we were just kids.”

  “Maybe, but I remember how Ryan used to—” She stopped abruptly, smiling as Ryan came over.

  “What’s up?” he asked. “Y’all talking about me while I’m gone?”

  “What else?” Cassidy winked at Nicole. “Thanks again for dinner, Ry. I better get going. I have an early shift tomorrow.” She told them both goodbye, then swung into the bike’s saddle and took off down the street.

  “She’s quite a girl,” Nicole said as they started down the sidewalk together.

  “She is.” He nodded.

  “When you guys were going back and forth, you kind of reminded me of an old married couple,” Nicole teased.

  “An old married couple?” He looked confused. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  She laughed. “Oh, just the way you banter back and forth. My parents do that a lot.”

  “Oh, so that’s a good thing?”

  “Sure. It means you’re comfortable with each other.”

  “Well, we’ve been friends for practically forever.”

  “It’s obvious.”

  “I never had a guy best friend in school,” Ryan confessed as they waited for the traffic to stop so they could cross the street. “Remember, I was kind of nerdy. I didn’t do sports or a lot of that stuff that guys seem to bond over.”

  “Yeah.” She nodded, suddenly seeing Ryan as he was then—the scrawny book nerd with ill-fitting glasses.

  “And I’ve never had much of a friendship with my brother.”

  “Yeah, I know.” Based on the kinds of things Alex still said about Ryan, she didn’t feel hopeful that they’d ever have a real friendship.

  “But Cassidy was always there for me.”

  “That’s nice.” She smiled stiffly. “I bet she made a very good friend. I’m sure she still does.”

  As they discussed Cassidy’s fine traits and why she had all the right ingredients for a long-lasting friendship, Nicole couldn’t help but think that Cassidy would make a good wife too. Smart, kind, compassionate, funny . . . She even loved kids. Really, Ryan could hardly do better!

  24

  To Nicole’s relief, the conversation had moved on from Cassidy by the time they got back to Ryan’s pickup.

  “Here, let me move some of this junk and make room.” Ryan reached for a box as he opened the passenger side of the cab for her. “I’ve been collecting stuff for an open house.”

  “What kind of stuff?” She picked up the other box, peeking into it as she handed it to Ryan.

  “Décor,” he said with a slight tinge of disgust.

  “But I thought you liked architecture and design.” She picked up a potted plant from the floor and handed it to him.

  “Yeah, I do.” He squeezed the last of the items into the backseat and closed the door, and they both got in the front. “But I’ve got so much to do, and I doubt these things will make much of a dent on the McDaniel Mansion.” He started the engine. “My realtor insists I need to add some character and warmth to the place, so I’m trying.” He jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “I was taking this load over there tonight.”

  “Need any help?” she offered.

  “Sure.” He nodded eagerly. “If you really want to.”

  “I’d love to.” She reminded him of the state of his parents’ home. “I’m not really eager to go back because I’m afraid I’ll feel responsible to clean up their messes.”

  He shook his head. “Yeah, I know what you mean.”

  “So where did you get all your décor stuff?” Nicole glanced over the seat to where the boxes and items were stacked,
noticing there were even more things in the pickup bed.

  “Here and there. Some of it’s from my condo, some from my realtor and a design friend who helps me out sometimes. I wish I could afford a real stager, but my budget is pretty wiped. The place would be pretty hard to stage anyway.”

  “People will just have to use their imaginations.”

  “Exactly.”

  Before long they were at the McDaniel Mansion and Nicole was carrying one of the boxes to the front door. “This place looks different at night,” she commented as he unlocked the door.

  He chuckled. “Scared?”

  “No. Well, not really.”

  “This place does have a reputation, Nicole.” He went inside and disarmed the security system. “But don’t worry. I’m on friendly terms with the ghosts. You’ll be safe with me.”

  She laughed as he turned on more lights. “Wow, it looks beautiful in here at night.” She set her box on a large marble-topped entry table near the front door and looked around. “But I can see how these big spaces could prove a challenge to stage or decorate.”

  “Hey, you’re an artist,” Ryan said. “I bet you’d be good at staging.”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know.”

  “Well, it takes a certain kind of eye,” he said. “An artistic eye. Wanna give it a try?”

  “I’d love to!”

  “How about I keep bringing stuff in while you put some things out?”

  She agreed, and as he brought in load after load, she began to unpack the boxes and started setting things around. He’d already brought in a few random pieces of furniture, mostly large ones. As she played with the various pieces, trying them here and there, she felt like she was sort of getting it. But it would take more pieces to really bring the place to life.

  “Hey, it’s looking better already.” Ryan set an oversized urn on the floor. “You really do have a knack for this, Nicole.”

  “It’s fun,” she admitted. “But I’ve barely made a dent in it.” She began to tell him some ideas for bringing in items that would help. She pointed to the urn. “For instance, a bunch of tall branches in that, over there by the fireplace, would be a nice touch. Maybe a nicely stacked pile of firewood too. And you need something alive and green, like a plant, on that table.”