Reflection Point

chapter TWENTY-THREE





Have a nice victimhood.

After Zach sped off in a spray of gravel and tailpipe exhaust, Savannah sank down on her back stoop and tried to process the words he’d fired at her like bullets. Twice she glanced down at her chest to make sure she wasn’t bleeding. It felt like she’d taken a direct hit to her heart.

She didn’t know how long she’d sat out there alone when the back door opened and TJ came outside. “Aunt Savannah? Uh … do you want me to put Inny’s bed in the car?”

Long seconds ticked by before she said, “I think … I think we can wait until the morning to leave, don’t you? I’m tired. So, so tired.”

“I think that’s a good idea. I have to admit, the idea of driving over Sinner’s Prayer Pass in the dark didn’t make me happy.” He hesitated a moment, then asked, “Are you okay, Aunt Savannah?”

“I’m fine.”

“I heard what Sheriff Turner said. Want to talk about … things? He was right about some of it, but some of what he said was just damned wrong.”

“Don’t curse,” she said by rote. “I appreciate the offer, but I’m not in the mood to talk about Zach. Go on to bed, Teej. We’ll talk in the morning.”

“Okay. G’night, Aunt Savannah. Thanks for standing up for me tonight.”

“I love you, TJ.”

He spoke so softly, she almost didn’t hear him. “I love you, too.”

Have a nice victimhood.

Dammit, she’d already been having second thoughts about going. Even as she’d carried the suitcase out to her car, she’d been thinking about how foolish she was being. How emotional.

She’d been thinking about trusting Zach.

Have a nice victimhood.

Abruptly she shoved to her feet. She went inside and quickly changed into running clothes and sneakers, knowing that numbness was her only hope of banishing his accusation from her mind. She ignored Inny’s excitement at seeing her don her shoes and left the dog shut inside as she took off. She ran west to Spruce Street, then north to Eighth and east over to Cottonwood, where she turned south. She ran hard, trying not to think, vaguely aware that tears flowed down her cheeks.

At the footbridge over the creek to Angel’s Rest, she heard herself sob. She stopped to catch her breath and marshal her defenses. Drawn by the soothing sound of rushing water, she moved to the center of the bridge, sank down, and with her legs folded crosswise, buried her head in her hands and sobbed.

And sobbed.

And sobbed.

Just when the arms came around to hold her, when the gentle hand pressed her head against the soft bosom, when the musical voice began to murmur, “Hush, child. There, there. It’s okay. Everything will be okay. Hush, child,” Savannah couldn’t say.

It was as if Grams had come down from heaven to offer her comfort when she needed it the most. “Oh, Grams. He is so angry at me. I hurt him.”

“Yes, you did,” Celeste Blessing said.

“I didn’t mean to hurt him. I was scared. I am scared. Why am I so scared? He told me to have a nice victimhood.”

“Ouch.”

“Is he right? Is that how I act? Who I am?”

“Do you honestly wish to know the answer?”

“Yes!”

“It will require some honest self-evaluation. Are you ready to look deep inside yourself, Savannah?”

“No,” she responded glumly. Honestly.

“You must open your heart and your mind to heal, my dear.”

“I’m scared.”

“Actually, you are strong, very strong, and you have come a long way. But you must open yourself to the truth if you are to heal that broken heart of yours.”

“The truth hurts,” Savannah replied, recalling her reaction to Zach’s accusations.

“Yes, but the pain from lies scars a soul, especially those lies told to oneself.” A hand softly stroked her head. “Why are you afraid, Savannah?”

“It’s easier than being courageous.”

“Now there is a truth. And yet you have shown much courage in your actions, have you not? You took control of your life. Now your challenge is to take responsibility for it.”

“What do you mean?”

“Being convicted of a crime you did not commit is a terrible injustice and one not to be minimized. That said, blaming others for the bad things that happen to you empowers the victim mentality, which damages vital parts of your life—ambitions, achievements, and the big one, relationships. From this day forward, you must seize control of that energy. Resolve to stop the blame game and take responsibility for your life. Try it for just one day to begin with. The difference, you’ll discover, is really remarkable. You will feel so much better about yourself.”

“I don’t feel bad about myself. Not anymore, anyway.”

When she’d first been released from jail, it had been a different story. She’d been a self-pity queen. She’d thought the whole world was against her, and she’d spent hours and hours thinking about how wrong things had gone and how people who professed to love her had let her down. You still spend hours thinking about how you can get revenge.

“Well, maybe I still have some work to do in that regard.”

“Recognizing that fact is an excellent step. Because the sooner you take responsibility for your life, the sooner you’ll feel gratitude for all the joys that fill it, and thus the sooner you’ll feel fortified for the most difficult task that awaits you.”

Love, Savannah thought.

“Forgiveness.”

“What?” Savannah pulled away. She twisted around to look incredulously at her companion—not Grams, as she’d pretended, but rather Celeste.

“Forgiveness. In order for your poor, wounded heart to heal, you must find forgiveness within it.”

“You want me to forgive who, the Vaughns?”

“Precisely. You are bound to them by your resentment. Isn’t it true that your thoughts return to them and the harm they did you over and over again? That activity inflicts enormous suffering on your psyche, Savannah. Forgiveness is the only way to sever that bond and free yourself.”

“You must have opened another bottle or twelve of champagne after I left, Celeste. You’re obviously not thinking clearly.”

“Look past your defenses, dear, and you will see that I am right. Think about how wonderful being free can be. Think about what a gift a whole heart would be to those who love you. TJ needs that gift from you. So does Zach.”

Savannah rubbed her eyes, now filled with new tears. “I blew it with Zach. He’s done with me.”

Celeste’s laughter bubbled like the creek beneath them. “Oh, honey. You’re smarter than that. Zach’s heart is wounded, true, but you know what it needs to heal.”

The familiar fear fluttered inside Savannah, and for the first time she gave it voice. “I’m afraid to love him, Celeste.”

“All right, then. You’re afraid. That’s perfectly understandable, considering. But let me ask you this. If you let yourself love him, what’s the worst thing that could happen?”

Savannah opened her mouth … and couldn’t think of what to say. It wasn’t about letting herself do anything. She did love him!

When a full minute had passed, Celeste patted her knee. “You think about that, sunshine. You think about that long and hard, then either throw yourself off this bridge or take your life by the horns and live it.”

Throw myself off the bridge? “Celeste, the water is maybe two feet deep.”

“And it’s cold. Cold enough to shock some sense into you if you’re still thinking silly. Good night, Savannah. Sweet dreams, and God bless.” She gave Savannah’s knee one last pat, then rose gracefully to her feet and left the bridge.

“Good night, Celeste.” Savannah leaned back on her elbows and lifted her face toward the sky. Against the inky blackness of the moonless night, a million stars shone. One in particular twinkled.

“Good night to you, too, Grams.”

Following a restless, mostly sleepless night, Zach left Reflection Point that morning with one task on his docket—to solve the mystery of the stop-sign-behind-the-fridge before the hotheads of Eternity Springs did something stupid. He didn’t know how the news had gotten out, but the fact that it had was small-town ordinary. He’d already fielded three calls, and he wanted to put this whole disaster behind him.

He needed to quit thinking about Savannah Moore before he blew out an artery. He was still incredibly pissed, which was why he opened the door of the Mocha Moose, where he knew Linda Treemont worked the morning shift, with a little more force than was necessary.

At least his timing was good. The coffee shop appeared to be empty. “Good morning, Sheriff. Do you want your regular?”

“No. I’m here on official business. Where is Christina?”

Linda set down the paper cup she’d picked up to fill for him with the house bold brew. “She has a doctor’s appointment this morning.”

“Oh? Is she pregnant, too?”

Her mouth dropped open in shock, and while he had her off balance, he asked, “Is TJ Moore really the father? You know, false paternity claims can get you in a lot of trouble. So can being eighteen and having sex with a fourteen-year-old boy.”

She blinked rapidly. Once. Twice. “I don’t … I never … oh, damn. I’m not pregnant.”

“Why did you tell TJ otherwise?”

She picked up a dishrag and began nervously wiping the counter. Judging that she was casting about for an excuse, he pressed, “Was it Aiden’s idea or yours? You’re still going out with Aiden, right? Aiden is pissed because you and TJ hooked up, so he told you to lie to the Moore kid.”

Linda’s shoulders slumped. “He said I had to prove myself.”

That little ass. He folded his arms and studied her. “What else did he ask you to do, Linda? Steal a stop sign? Or did he steal it and ask you to ditch it inside of Heavenscents?”

“What?” Her brow wrinkled in confusion. “I don’t know … whoa. Did you find the missing stop sign? At Heavenscents?”

“You need to answer my questions before asking ones of your own, Linda.”

“I don’t know anything about the stop sign. Honestly, Sheriff Turner. I’m telling the truth about that. Aiden didn’t say a word about it before he left. I don’t think he had anything to do with that, either.”

Damn, he thought. He believed her. Zach swallowed a sigh and reached into his back pocket for his wallet. “Go ahead and get me my usual, Linda.”

The relief on her face was clear, but Zach wasn’t ready to let her off the hook completely. He inhaled the rich aroma of his coffee, took a sip of the flavorful brew, then said, “What you did to TJ was cruel, Linda. You should be ashamed. You also should give some thought to what kind of guy would ask you to do such a thing. Character is important. You should look for it in those you surround yourself with, and work on improving your own.”

He exited the coffee shop and waved absently to Gabe Callahan, who was walking his dog on the opposite side of the street. His mind chewed on the stop sign problem as he began the walk to his office. He’d honestly thought he’d had it figured out, that Aiden had stolen it and Linda had stashed it.

“Back to square one,” he muttered.

Stop sign stealing happened everywhere, and most people considered it a relatively harmless prank. Nine times out of ten, kids were the culprits and the most serious consequence was that taxpayers had to foot the bill for a replacement. This time was different. This time the consequences involved the loss of a life.

Zach knew his town, knew the kids in his town. He’d learn the identity of the thief—or, more likely, thieves—sooner or later.

He also knew he needed to talk to TJ again ASAP and let him know he was off the pregnancy hook. Another time he would have walked straight to Heavenscents and taken care of it. Today, though, he didn’t want to go near Savannah’s house. If she’s even still there. For all he knew, she’d finished packing up her car and run last night anyway. After all, she didn’t trust him, did she? She probably thought he’d lied to her.

In order to avoid her place, he turned down Fifth Street. Halfway down the block, his gaze skimmed over a house, then his steps slowed. He knew his town. He knew the kids in his town.

His gaze jerked back and fastened on the house. Hmm …

It shared a back fence with Savannah’s place. Wouldn’t be hard at all to sneak the sign into the back door. Part of the problem that had niggled his brain was how did whoever sneak the sign down the streets. Hmm …

He walked up to the house and knocked on the front door. A minute later, a teen answered it. “Hello, Sheriff Turner.”

“Hello, Mandy. I’d like to talk to you about the stop sign.”

She burst into tears.

As Savannah hung up the phone, she realized her hand was shaking. Thank God.

She sucked in a breath, then smiled at her customers, a woman and her teenage daughter from Kansas. “May I help you? Answer any questions?”

“We’re fine, thank you.”

“Okay, then. If you’ll excuse me for a moment, I need to check on something in the workshop. I’ll be right back.”

She hurried through the kitchen and almost ran to the back. “TJ, Ginger Harris just called. They want us at the sheriff’s office. She said they have good news.”

TJ all but melted with relief. He stepped away from the box he was filling with an order from the pet supply line—quickly becoming one of her bestsellers—and said, “Let’s go.”

“I have customers. I’ll hurry them on their way as quickly as possible.”

“Okay,” he said, rushing past her. “I’ll meet you there.”

He took off running, and Savannah stared after him, a little peeved. She’d intended for him to wait for her.

Back in the shop, she waited with outward serenity and inward impatience for her customers to make their selections. It proved to be a sixty-five-dollar sale, so when she thanked them and handed them their bags, her smile was genuine.

It faltered when a new group of shoppers entered Heavenscents as the others made their way out. Twenty minutes later, they finally left, Savannah flipped the door lock and turned the open sign to closed, then dashed out the back door. Arriving at the sheriff’s office, she was surprised to discover that TJ and Zach had gone for a walk.

Gabi invited—no, instructed—her to sit down. “I have information about the stop sign to share with you, but before I do it, I need your word that you will keep it quiet until this office gives you permission to share. Do I have it?”

“Yes.” The coldness in her friend’s tone didn’t surprise Savannah, but it did bother her. Gabi was loyal to Zach. Very loyal. Almost too loyal. It was weird.

“Mandy West saw Aiden Marshall and his brother throw the stop sign on the side of the road the morning of the accident. She picked it up and was going to use it as a decoration for her bedroom because she’s nuts about Aiden, poor thing. After the wreck, she got scared and didn’t know what to do. She took it to your house to ask for TJ’s advice, and when something happened that hurt her feelings, she hid it in the kitchen and called in an anonymous tip. Zach will deal with the Marshall brothers upon their return at the end of the week. In the meantime, as I mentioned, you must keep this information confidential.”

“I don’t understand. I thought the Marshall family was out of town.”

“They left later that morning. The boys were out causing trouble early.”

Savannah was shocked. Mandy West had tried to place the blame on TJ? “Why did Mandy do it? They’re friends.”

“That’s something we’re going to let TJ explain to you. So that’s the story.” Gabi folded her arms, lifted her chin, and added, “Now, aren’t you glad you didn’t run off last night after all?”

“Zach told you.”

“No, actually, TJ mentioned it. Dammit, Savannah, I am so pissed at you! It’s one thing for you to be afraid of being in love. I get that. But running out on your friends? You couldn’t call me? Why?” She pointed to her badge. “Because of this?”

“Gabi, you don’t understand. I wasn’t thinking clearly.”

“That’s totally obvious. You couldn’t trust us to do our jobs? This after Zach has busted his ass to prove your innocence?”

Savannah recalled the words Zach had thrown at her last night. I don’t think it’s necessary to tell you about the progress I’ve made toward proving Kyle Vaughn and his mother ran those drugs, not you. “I don’t understand. What has he done?”

“Only called in every marker he had with both the feds and with people in Georgia. He went to bat for you, Savannah. He put his reputation on the line for you. He believed in you. And what do you do? You’re ready to run out on him at the first sign of trouble. You should be ashamed. That’s not how you treat people you care about. People you love and who love you. Well, guess what. I think I’ve changed my mind about you. You don’t deserve Zach. You don’t—”

“That’s enough, Gabriella,” Zach snapped.

Savannah twisted around to see the sheriff, tall and handsome and cold as a winter wind, standing with his hand on TJ’s shoulder. TJ looked both happy and pained, as if the weight of the world had lifted from his shoulders at the same time as he wanted to melt in embarrassment.

Savannah stood, her heart pounding, her mouth suddenly dry as burnt toast. “Zach, can we talk? Privately?”

If possible, his expression grew harder. “In my office.”

He led the way into his office and gestured for her to take a seat. He shut the door, then took his seat behind his desk. Silence dragged out for a long moment. “You wanted to talk?”

“Yes.” She started out with the easy one. “Thank you for what you did for TJ. I appreciate it more than you’ll ever know.”

“I did my job.”

Short. Clipped. Still angry. She knew she deserved that.

She went on to the next subject, this one more difficult. “May I ask about something that isn’t your job? Will you tell me about Georgia?”

A muscle twitched in his jaw. “Gabi made it sound like more than it is. I made a few calls. Asked a couple people I know to take a look at the case. They found someone who was willing to talk, and we used what they learned to convince Georgia to reopen your case.”

Reopen my case? “I don’t understand. They can’t revoke my probation, can they?”

“They’re working to overturn your sentence, Savannah. They followed the money and ran a sting. Got Kyle Vaughn to talk to an undercover. We have on tape that he and his mother used you as a mule without your knowledge. Francine would load up your car, and while you were in class, Kyle and his cohorts would make the transfer. Nobody likes a dirty cop, so they are moving quickly on what we found. They’re pounding the last nails into the coffins now. You should expect arrests within the next couple of weeks.”

“Arrests?” She couldn’t believe it, so she wanted him to say it flat out. “Whom are they going to arrest?”

“Kyle and Francine Vaughn. After that, you’ll need to work with a Georgia attorney to get your conviction overturned, but you won’t have trouble finding someone good. Don’t hire a shark, though. You’ll have a settlement coming your way, so the scum lawyers will be circling. Talk to Mac. He’ll help you figure all that out. In the meantime, you should sit back and let Georgia do its thing.”

She sat back and attempted to take it all in. They had believed her. Zach had believed in her. Somebody had been on her side.

She couldn’t believe it. “It’s that easy? Just like”—she snapped her fingers—“that?”

“Once someone looked at your case without wearing blinders issued by Detective Vaughn, it was pretty straightforward.”

“You did this for me. You believed me.”

He looked at her stonily.

“Zach, I—” She reached a hand across the desk toward him. “I’m so sorry. I’ve been so stupid. I …” She hesitated, working up her nerve.

He stared down at her hand, then shook his head. “Look, Savannah, I don’t have the energy for this. It’s been a long week and I’m whipped. A woman I liked and respected is dead because of stupid teenage drama that could have been avoided. So I’m not in the mood for any more adult drama. I’ve had my fill. So let’s just go on about our business, okay? We had something, we ended something. It’s done. But in the meantime, TJ has something to tell you, so take him home and listen to him.”

Her pulse had begun to race. She felt him slipping away and it frightened the truth from her. “Zach, I love you.”

He looked at her and gave a snort of disgust. “Sure you do. Now. Because I proved myself. It’s all about that, isn’t it? You couldn’t take me and all of this”—he waved his hand around his office—“at face value. I had to prove it. Prove I wasn’t like that dickwad in your past. Prove that I’d stand by you—unlike your brother. Over and over and over. Well, I’m done proving myself. I managed just fine before you. I’ll be peachy keen after you, too.”

“But I was wrong. I know that. I love you.”

“It’s too little, too late, Savannah. You should have trusted me. You should have loved me for who I am, not what I do.”

“But I do love you for who you are, Zach! I trust you.”

“Oh, really? Well, guess what? We’ve had a bit of a sea change around here. I don’t believe you. I don’t trust you. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have work to do.” He stood and exited the office, leaving her shaken and trembling and brokenhearted.

Savannah sat frozen, devastated and uncertain, staring blindly through her tears at Zach’s empty chair. At some point TJ entered the office and said, “Jeez, Aunt Savannah. What did you do to make Zach so angry? He didn’t do anything wrong. He’s a good guy. He really helped me.”

“I know that, Teej.”

“I, um, need to talk to you about something. It’s nothing bad. Just stupid. I’m not in trouble or anything.”

“Yes, he mentioned that. Can it wait? I’m a little … distracted.”

“Absolutely! No rush. No rush at all. I’m going to go talk to Mandy if that’s okay with you.”

“Sure.”

The boy hesitated, then stepped toward her. He bent over and pressed a kiss against her cheek. “Everything will be okay. Don’t worry. Thanks for being there for me.”

TJ left, but Savannah still didn’t move, remaining lost in her thoughts and sunk into her misery. Eventually she noticed that Zach’s chair no longer sat empty. Gabi was watching her with pity in her eyes. “You told him you loved him, didn’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Your timing sucks, girlfriend.”

Savannah’s tears spilled. “I blew it. I am so stupid. Gabi, it wasn’t because of what he did, I promise. I had a long talk with Celeste last night and she helped me see what was in my heart. I spent this morning practicing how to tell him. But I’m too late. I don’t know how to fix it. I’ve lost him and it’s all my fault. I really screwed up.”

“What you’ve lost is your good sense. He’s angry, Savannah. His feelings are hurt. You shot him down, and guys never take that well, especially not men like Zach. His pride has been wounded. That’s almost more serious than wounding his heart.”

“I know.”

“But that doesn’t mean you’ve lost him. It means you’re going to have to work to get him back.”

At Gabi’s words, a little flame of hope flickered to life inside Savannah. “Do you really think it’s possible?”

“Yeah, I do. People don’t fall in and out of love that easy. You know that. He’s mad right now, but he’ll calm down. What you need is a plan for how to heal his wounded pride.”

“Okay.” Savannah nodded. “That sounds good. What will it be?”

“Honestly, I haven’t a clue. I think we need help from people who have known Zach Turner longer than you and I.”

“What? You want to call a town meeting?”

“In a manner of speaking, yes.”

Savannah’s throat went tight with emotion. “Thank you, Gabi. Your friendship means …” Choked up, she blinked back tears. “Everything.”

“Oh, just calm down. I’m sure there will be a point when you have to do something like this for me. No one is perfect, Savannah. You gotta remember that. You just have to trust people who care about you.”

Gabi picked up the phone on Zach’s desk and punched in a number Savannah recognized. “Sarah? Gabi Romano here. Savannah did something stupid and now she needs our help. Can you call a meeting? We need the Eternity Springs matchmakers to do their thing.”