Chapter 3

“Oh, Mom, there’s nothing like hot chocolate and cinnamon apple muffins in the afternoon,” Savannah spoke around said items currently filling her mouth.

“I wouldn’t have guessed.” Her mother Maxine stared pointedly at the half empty mug and the third muffin being stuffed in Savannah’s mouth.

The confrontation with Micah had set her on edge. Her nerve endings had stretched like rubber bands when she’d finally left the hospital hours later, long after Micah had gone. Although they kept the rest of their discourse focused on her niece, their hostility with each other simmered beneath the surface.

When problems and unresolved issues came into her life, she drowned them with snack food when she got home. Sinking her teeth into the decadence of Maxine’s muffins, she rolled her eyes with pleasure as the sweetness combated the acidity of the altercation she’d endured with Micah.

“You know, eating all those won’t make the problems go away,” Maxine warned.

“I’m aware of that, Mom. But it releases those hormones in my brain and gives me the false security everything will be okay now that I’ve taken a bite. Or two.”

“If it were only that easy,” her mother murmured, taking another sip of her lemonade.

Savannah reached for another muffin when her mother took the plate away and got up from the table.

“No more for you, my dear.”

Savannah sipped her hot chocolate. When she’d taken over Bart and Fiona’s home a year ago, she thought she’d never be able to get used to living in the house where her sister once lived. After all, it was their house they had built together ten years ago. She felt like an intruder and wasn’t sure if she should remove anything from the home.

Then her mother had arrived from her second home up North, and slowly boxed Fiona and Bart’s things away over a period of three weeks. Despite the sorrow that accompanied her, Maxine let her know it was okay to make changes. “She and Bart are alive in Liliana,” Maxine told her that day when she’d boxed up the last of their clothes, ready to give them to the local charity shop. “I can pretend to try to keep her alive with things or I can rejoice that she’s with my Lord and King. I can mourn her absence or I can take comfort in the Lord’s graciousness that He gave me a granddaughter to continue my baby’s legacy.”

Savannah studied her mother. At fifty-four, Maxine retained a youthful appearance with a short pixie cut of blond hair and smooth, unblemished skin. Over the past eighteen months, lines had formed around her eyes and mouth but no one would say those lines detracted from her beauty.

Despite the pain of their present circumstances, having Maxine and Lawrence with her made everything bearable.

“Thanks, Mom,” Savannah vocalized her thoughts. “And not just for the muffins and hot chocolate.”

Maxine went over and hugged her close. Enveloped in the scent of her mother’s favorite perfume, Savannah sent up a silent prayer of thanks.

“I’ve always enjoyed reading the story of Job.” Maxine pressed a kiss to the top of her head and then released her. “But I never thought my life would in any way resemble his.”

Her parents’ unquenchable faith remained a source of comfort, yet Savannah saw how difficult it was for Maxine yesterday when she’d gone to see Liliana for a few short minutes. Though the little girl had given Maxine a weak smile when she saw her grandmother, the sight of her granddaughter in that state almost broke her. Once she’d gone out of Liliana’s eyesight, Maxine crumpled into Lawrence, who took her back to the house.

“Snuffy was more alert today, just like Dr. Yamaguchi said she would be.” Savannah took her cup over to the sink and swished water inside of it. “She talked to me for a little bit, asking where Markita was.”

“How is her little friend? God forgive me, I forgot to ask about her.”

“No worries, Mom.” Savannah picked up the plate with the last few muffins on them and placed them on a display stand in the center of kitchen table. “I saw Markita’s mom yesterday and today. Her daughter is doing a little bit better than Snuffy. I know Dr. Yamaguchi is working with her, as well. I think they want to keep the girls apart for another day or so and then they’ll let them see each other.”

“Will it help them? Seeing each other in that state?”

“Dr. Yamaguchi thinks so. The girls are close.”

A quick stab of sorrow pierced the middle of Savannah’s stomach. Although a three-year age gap existed between them, she and Fiona had gotten along well. Perhaps it was because Fiona had a gentle, loving spirit. She was content to be in the background, comfortable with anonymity. When Nascha approached Savannah about a career in modeling, Fiona had encouraged her to pursue it.

“You’ll always wonder if you didn’t do it, Savvy,” Fiona’s words echoed in her mind. “If you find out you don’t enjoy it, you can leave and come back home to Tawas.”

“Or, you can come stay with me at my high-rise apartment in New York,” Savannah had responded back with a soft laugh.

Fiona shook her head, her gray eyes warm and shining. “Oh no, sister mine. Everything I want is right here. I’ll raise my children here with Bart and we’ll die here.” Savannah surfaced from the past. Dear God, did you have to take both of them away? Couldn’t you have just left one to help Liliana?

No, she couldn’t think like that. Despite the fact she didn’t know how Fiona and Bart’s death served a purpose, the fact was it did, whether she understood it in this life or the next.

Thinking of her sibling made her think of Micah and her back stiffened once again at the memory of their quarrel. “What is it, my dear?”

Savannah glanced over at her mother, who studied her with calm blue eyes. She wondered how the other woman would take the news of Micah’s presence. Talking about their failed relationship had been a taboo subject for her for a long time. When her parents tried to approach it years ago, they were met with her insistence she didn’t want to rehash the past. It made sense she’d be the one to bring it up.

“I contacted Micah yesterday. He came into town today and was with me as we went over Liliana’s condition with the doctor.”

Maxine froze and blinked like an owl, the glass of lemonade suspended on the way to her mouth. “You did?” Savannah made herself busy, opening the dishwasher to her left and starting to remove the dishes from it. ‘Yes. I thought it was best if he were here to give his opinion on her case.”

She tried to keep her voice dispassionate. Her mother didn’t need to know how much it cost her to reach out to her former fiancé and ask for his help.

“No wonder you ate three muffins and downed two cups of cocoa.”

The plate she held in her hand clattered to the counter top. “Mom.”

“Well, my dear. I’m surprised you’d reach out to him after all this time. I believe you told me you never wanted to see or hear from him again.”

“Well,” she answered, mimicking her mother’s tone, “desperate times call for desperate measures.”

Maxine went on to drink her lemonade. “Desperate? I don’t know about that. I think you needed him because out of everyone in the world, he’d be the most logical choice.”

The memory of the text message she sent Micah made Savannah squirm.

“I’m glad you contacted him, Savvy.” Her mother’s face lit up. “Your father and I liked him. We still do. Fiona adored him. I know if there was anyone she’d trust with her daughter’s life in a situation like this, it would be Micah.”

Savannah knew that to be true, too. Fiona had discernment about people. An awareness if a person was genuine or not. “Fiona was heartbroken when you two split,” her mother said as if Savannah had expressed her thoughts aloud. “It bothered her you two couldn’t work things out.”

“There was nothing to work out, Mom. Micah turned out to be someone I couldn’t trust anymore.”

“Then why is he here?”

The question brought Savannah up short. Why was he here then? She pursed her lips. Because she trusted him with her niece’s life, that’s all. As a plastic and reconstructive surgeon, he specialized in burn and complex wounds. If anyone could help her, it would be him. Her niece’s needs outweighed any personal problems she had with him. So, it wasn’t that she couldn’t trust him with Snuffy. She just would never again trust him with her heart.

“I need his advice to help me make the right decisions when it comes to Liliana’s care.”

“Are you sure that’s all?”

She tried to keep her hands from shaking in reaction. “Of course, Mom. The only person that matters is Snuffy. Getting her well. Whatever Micah and I had is dead. But he’s good at his job.”

“You didn’t think so when that whole fiasco with Nascha happened.”

She couldn’t do this right now. Thinking of Micah brought up Nascha. Thinking about Nascha made her remember why she fell out of love with Micah. Thinking of that only made her angrier that she had to reach out to him despite the fact she had no desire to do that. The memory of his mocking words that she would be the one to need him before he’d ever want to lay eyes on her again lifted its head. She hated him for it. He’d always been right whenever it came to her. When they were together, she adored that aspect of their relationship – the ability he had in understanding her. Now she despised it.