Chapter 6
Alex

He couldn’t believe she even mentioned George, let alone the idea of hiring him.

Alex thought he’d wiped George Stephanos from his memory, but as soon as the name had dripped from Faith’s plump lips, it all came back to him. Labor Day weekend six years ago, when he’d brought Rebecca to the island for the first time. When Mama had demanded the whole family go to the beach for the annual barbeque, he hadn’t argued. It would be a welcome change from watching Lee moon over Rebecca while she egged him on with her flirtations.

“Alex!” George appeared by their picnic table and clapped him on the back as if they were old friends. “Well, I can see what lured you away from Georgia. You must be the wife?” George looked at Rebecca as if he were about to sit down for a meal.

“Hi!” Rebecca said, twirling a lock of hair around her finger. “It’s always great to meet one of Alex’s old friends.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that, ma’am,” George said. “We went to high school together is all. I live in Savannah now, where I operate my contracting business. Just in town for the festivities.”

“George Stephanos.” Mama was suddenly at the table. Alex stood until she sat. “I haven’t seen you since you were eighteen and pumping gas at the island petrol station.”

“Mrs. Caldwell, ma’am,” George said. Is he blushing?

“How’s your mother?” Mama asked as she methodically set her plastic flatware.

“She’s good, ma’am.”

“That’s nice. So are you still in the petrol business? Or . . .”

Mama looked up at George innocently, and he turned bright red. “Uh, no. No, ma’am, I own—”

“Oh, well, things change. It was good to see you, dear,” Mama said.

Alex suppressed a grin as George stormed away.

“Rebecca, pass me the salt, dear?” Mama asked. When Rebecca handed her the little white tumbler, Alex noticed that she wasn’t wearing her wedding ring. That trend had been happening more regularly lately.

It was impossible to keep an eye on his wife the entire day. By midafternoon, she’d disappeared. Not that Alex could ask anyone where his wife was. That wouldn’t look too good.

Finally, he found her hidden on the side of the shaved iced stand with George. They giggled like schoolchildren. “Rebecca?” he said, and ignored George entirely. Alex took her by the elbow and led her away.

“What are you doing?” she hissed. “You’re embarrassing me!”

“Just be here with me and my family. Okay?”

“Okay, okay! Geez,” she said. Rebecca rubbed her arm as if he’d bruised her.

“Y’all enjoy the party now,” George called. Alex could still remember that shit-eating grin.

Apparently, George Stephanos didn’t have any respect for marital bonds.

Alex gripped the wheel tighter as the memory flooded him. He was ruined when it came to women, that was for sure. Trust just wasn’t something he could do anymore. Not even for a woman as hot as Faith.

His knuckles had turned white, but he couldn’t loosen his grip. Alex hated himself for how he’d let Rebecca ruin him. And Faith probably thought he was an asshole just for the hell of it. But there was no way he’d ever tell her why. If Caleb and his big mouth or Lee and his fawning over Faith spilled the tea, then so be it.

Finally, they reached the heart of the city. Alex maneuvered onto the exit. “It says to turn right at the second light,” Faith said.

“To where?” he asked. I know the goddamned city, Faith.

“George’s office. I texted him, and said I was with you. He’ll be in his office till ten.”

Alex was surprised he didn’t split the steering wheel in two. “Well, then you can tell him I’m dropping you off.”

She started to sputter but no words came out. Finally, she managed, “Sorry. It sounded like you knew each other. I thought . . .”

“You thought wrong,” he said as he pulled up to George’s building. It had been years since he’d driven by, and a lot had changed. The all-glass contemporary building stuck out like a sore thumb amid the otherwise brick buildings on the main drag.

“You mean you’re not even going to—”

“Call or text me when you’re ready to be picked up,” he said. There was absolutely no way he was going to see George. Alex wasn’t one to air his dirty laundry, but something about George brought it out in him.

He kept the engine running and stared ahead until Faith got out of the car. In the rearview mirror, he could see that she watched him drive away until he turned a corner.

George would surely spend as much time with Faith as possible. Probably ask her to dinner, or a show, with promises of showing her around town. Fuck.

He went to the aircraft supply shop to pick up a few items for the plane. Next, the big supermarket to stock up on the shampoo and soap he liked that couldn’t be found on the island. After two hours, there was still no word from Faith. Screw her, then.

He’d exhausted his own errands but needed to kill time. Alex drove to the Just Delicious sugar-free bakery and chocolatier on the other side of town. It was Mama’s favorite. He still remembered when she’d been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes twenty years ago. She’d been devastated; acted like the world was ending.

But within a week, she’d started to sweeten her tea with stevia leaf and had pinpointed the best sugar-free bakeries and chocolatiers around the country. Still, Just Delicious was her favorite. Alex suspected it was because it was one of the few that didn’t deliver.

“Someone’s got a sweet tooth,” the young clerk said, her hat oversize and comical. He remembered that look, the slow up-and-down assessment that women gave him. It used to give him an ego boost. Now, it did nothing.

“Yeah,” he said, adept at avoiding any actual engagement.

Of course, as soon as he was handed the receipt, Faith texted him.

All ready!

Yeah, sure you are. As soon as I’m on the other side of Savannah. He took his time getting there. Faith waited on the ornate white iron bench on the curb, covered by an awning. Thankfully, George was nowhere in sight. The feeling is obviously mutual.

Faith hopped into the car, and he knew she expected him to ask about the meeting. He said nothing. “So,” she said slowly. “I’m hungry. You? Can we get something to eat?”

You mean George didn’t take you wining and dining? He bit his tongue and shrugged.

On autopilot, he drove to Captain Sam’s. The casual barbeque joint used to be a favorite of his and Lee’s back in the day. It was on the riverfront and known just as much for the views as its burned ends, brisket, and ribs. “This is so cute!” Faith said as they settled at a table on the patio. “I’ve never actually had real southern food before.”

“You can’t be serious,” he said. Alex pushed the menu aside. He didn’t need to look at it.

“I mean, there are so-called southern restaurants in San Francisco and other places I’ve traveled, but I know it’s not the real deal. It’s always fusion or elevated or something. Oh, look, hushpuppies! I’ve always wanted to try those.”

“You’ve never had hushpuppies.” He was flabbergasted.

“Nope. And what the hell. The barbeque sampler platter, too. Might as well go big or go home.” She pushed her big round sunglasses onto the top of her head, and he sucked in his breath. Her long, lush lashes and piercing green eyes were almost too much.

Alex went to the counter to order and came back armed with a beer carrier filled with condiments.

“So,” she said as she examined the sauce names. “Tell me more about your family. I still don’t quite get how everyone at Greystone is related.”

“It’s not that complicated,” he said. “Caleb’s my Irish brother, and—”

“Irish brother?”

“You know. When kids are born less than a year apart.”

“Oh! I’d never heard that. Maybe it’s a southern thing.”

“Yeah, you know. Or an Irish thing.” She blushed and looked down. For just a second, Alex felt a pang of guilt. Why am I being so mean to her? “Anyway, Matt’s our cousin, but he’s lived with us since we were kids and his parents died.”

“I’m sorry,” Faith said.

Alex shrugged. “Not my parents. I don’t even remember them.” It was a dick thing to say, but he couldn’t help it.

“And Lee?”

“Lee? He, uh—”

Just then, their number was called at the counter. Alex was happy for the excuse to get up. He couldn’t really tell Faith that Lee used to be his best friend until he’d started drooling over Rebecca. “Ain’t nothin’ fancy,” he said as he sat the tray down.

“It looks amazing!” she said.

“Try the hushpuppies first, when they’re freshest. That is, as fresh as straight out of the deep fryer as you can get.”

She smiled at him, and that guilt kicked at his stomach again. Why am I always such a jerk to her?

He took a long pull of his beer as he watched her bite into the fritter. Faith closed her eyes and licked those ripe lips. When she gave a little moan, he couldn’t help but smile for a second. “You know, I don’t know how everyone around here doesn’t weigh a million pounds,” she said. “I’d eat here every day if I lived here, calories be damned.”

“Yeah, well, you haven’t seen the Deep South. I can’t speak for everyone else in Savannah, but I run five miles per day minimum. Kind of helps balance things out.”

“A runner, huh?” she asked. “I ran one marathon, but that was it. It was my one and done. My runner friends all told me I’d get addicted, but I knew better. I’m more yoga oriented.”

He rolled his eyes. “Why doesn’t that surprise me?”

“Hey!” she said. “There’s nothing wrong with yoga. In fact, it really complements running. There are even yoga classes just for runners. But you know what? I might take up running while I’m down here. It’s not very fun in San Francisco. Too busy, crowded, so you’re usually just stuck on a treadmill.”

“But the hills have to be great for hill work,” he said.

“Yeah, I don’t even know what that is. But trust me, anyone who lives in the city gets plenty of ‘hill work’ without having to seek it out.” She’d devoured two more hushpuppies and had started to work on the barbeque plate.

“Hey!” he said. “That sauce is really hot. You might want to—”

“I can handle it,” she said with a laugh. “You southern boys aren’t the only ones who can take the heat.”

Alex wasn’t going to argue further. He watched her dig into the spice-covered ribs and expected to have to run for a glass of milk. But she was nonchalant. Faith didn’t even reach for her sweet tea.

“So, uh, how long do you actually plan to stay down here?”

“Why? You going to miss me?” she asked. Her lips were stained with the barbeque sauce, sticky and sweet.

“No,” he said quickly.

She sucked in her lower lip and worried it. Alex dropped his gaze, unable to watch. “I don’t really know,” she said. “A month, maybe?”

Alex nodded. He wished it was less. Or at least that the piece-of-crap property she’d been left was decent enough for her to stay in. One month was too much of this girl, that was certain. She sparked something in him he’d never even known he had.

By the time they’d finished, she’d matched him cornbread to cornbread, and end to end. After she’d wiped her long fingers on the wet wipes, she groaned and cradled her flat stomach. “I’m never eating again.”

“Let’s get going,” he said. “Or we’ll miss the last afternoon ferry.”

He couldn’t get back to Greystone fast enough, but he knew they’d be stuck in Savannah rush hour traffic. That’s just what I need, to be stuck for hours next to this girl.