Southern Lights

The rest of the day sped by, and then it was time for Alexa to leave again. Tom met them in the lobby, as he had before, to pick up Sava

“Thank you for being willing to have lunch with me.” He realized now what a concession it had been for her, and how brave she had to be to do it. He understood now more than ever how much he had hurt her. He had focused on his own pain and loss for almost eleven years, but had never fully understood the depth of hers, and now he did. He had lost her forever. Just when he wanted her back. For her, it was way too little way too late, and no matter how much she had loved him, he was a man she could never trust again. For Tom, it felt awful. Hope died in him the day before. For Alexa, it had died ten years before.

Sava

She noticed that her father looked unhappy as they drove home, and she glanced at him with concern.

“You okay, Dad?” He nodded and smiled at her, but his eyes were sad. She suspected that what her mother had said the day before had affected him deeply. But Sava

When they got back to the house, Luisa was waiting for him. She was wearing a black Chanel suit and a lot of jewelry and makeup. She scolded him for being late. They were going to di

Chapter 15

It was the begi

Everything about the two cities and their lives there was in sharp contrast. In New York it was freezing cold, snowing, barren, gray, and Alexa was preparing the trial of a man who had murdered eighteen young women. The weather was as cold and dark as what she was doing.

In Charleston everything was blossoming, the weather was warm, and Turner and Sava

The best part about Sava

He went on long walks with her, showed her the places where he played as a boy, took her to the famous plantations outside the city, Drayton Hall, Magnolia, Middleton Place, and Boone Hall. They explored them together, and went for walks on the beaches near Mt. Pleasant. They spent hours talking and getting to know each other. She had a real father now, not just a cardboard figure who showed up twice a year in New York, and wouldn’t let her into his real life. And he knew for certain now, as did she, that he would never shut her out again. He wanted Sava

He took both girls to the aquarium. He played te

Her grandmother got a touch of the flu, and Sava

Sava

“Sit down,” her grandmother told her harshly, and looked at her daughter-in-law. “She’s not going anywhere, Luisa. Why don’t you try to relax? She’s not going to hurt you. She’s just a child. She doesn’t want anything from you. And her mother doesn’t want him either.” Her son had reported to her what Alexa had said to him over lunch. His mother wasn’t surprised, and respected her for it. She told Tom that Alexa was right, and at least had pride and self-respect. She was sure she probably did love him, but she didn’t want a man who could hurt her that badly, and wait ten years to come back, when it was convenient for him. Tom had been shocked by what his mother said.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Luisa said grandly, as Eugenie looked at her with narrowed eyes.

“Yes, you do. You’re afraid that Tom will do the same thing to you that you and he did to Alexa. He won’t. She won’t let him. You’ve got him. And Sava

“I haven’t punished her!” Luisa looked outraged. “Did she tell you that?” She looked daggers at Sava

“No. Tom did. He says you’ve been mean-spirited and rude to her since she arrived.” Eugenie pulled no punches, southern or not. And she ran the show. Sava

“How do you know that?”

“He’s not that kind of man.” She knew her son, and also that he didn’t have the guts. “You dragged him out of that marriage, and I pushed him. Without our help, he’s not moving. And a seventeen-year-old girl is no threat to you. All she’s doing here is waiting for her mother to finish her trial so she can go home.”

“Why is she spending so much time with you?” Luisa sounded suspicious and suspected a plot between them. It was the kind of thing she would have done, but not Sava

“Because she’s a nice girl,” her grandmother said kindly. She had grown fond of her in a short time, and she was grateful for the time they had shared. “And she’s probably lonely here, without her mother. You haven’t done anything to make her feel at home.”