“The details hardly matter at this point,” Candace said. “The outcome is still the same—a family lost their beautiful teenage daughter because of you.”
Savannah flinched. “But that’s not the whole story.”
Oh, how she hated the desperate tone in her voice. “Please, Mr. Schubert, you have to believe me. Please just let me tell you what really happened.”
“It’s a little late for that,” he said. “You omitted important information, which is something we usually deem a deal-breaker. I’m going to have to consider withdrawing your name from the art teacher–applicant pool. I’ll send you confirmation of my decision in writing.”
“Please, no.” Tears pressed against the back of her eyes. “You have to believe me. I wasn’t responsible for the child’s actions.”
“Miss Morgan, I’m not about to rehash that story with you now. My main concern is you neglected to tell us something that would have caused considerable unease if it had surfaced after you were on board.” Anger and disappointment flashed in the man’s eyes. “Perhaps in the future, you should consider telling the truth. All of it.”
Savannah swallowed against the sour taste climbing the back of her throat. Then she turned and faced Levi. The pain in his eyes was almost unbearable to see.
“You believe me, right?”
He swallowed hard.
“Levi?” She stepped closer. “You know I’d never intentionally harm a child. Haven’t I shown you that I’m more than capable of taking care of Wren?”
“I—I’d have believed you if you’d given me the chance. But you didn’t tell me about this...incident. A girl’s death, Savannah. A girl under your care. Like Wren...” He swallowed again and stared into the distance. “Why did you hide it—because you knew I’d find it troubling?” he said.
He looked as if he were seeing her for the first time and not liking the image she presented. She could see the doubt and anger in his eyes, and it crushed her.
“I want to believe you. I do, Savannah. I want to hear your side of the story, but I can’t right now. I think it would be best if we had some space.”
Space. Right. A sob rose in her throat. She turned and fled the balcony. Her skin burned with shame. Why didn’t anyone believe her? How had Candace managed to turn everyone against her in a matter of minutes?
“Why isn’t Sabby coming over?” Wren stared up at Levi, her little hands clamped onto the front windowsill.
The confusion in the little girl’s eyes nearly made him crumble. Levi glanced at the driveway, half wishing Savannah was pulling in right now. Toting a bag full of kid-friendly activities and Wren’s favorite snacks. But that couldn’t happen. He had to think of Wren’s safety first. The scandalous news that had broke at the Fairview last night indicated that Savannah hadn’t been completely honest about her employment history. That could affect his ability to keep Wren, if the social worker found out he’d not done a good-enough job vetting a babysitter.
Or had Candace made this all up?
He shoved the idea aside. Candace enjoyed being in the thick of the drama, but she didn’t have the capability to manufacture false information about Savannah’s life in Colorado, right?
His head spun. Wren tugged on his hand, bringing him back to reality. He had to find a way to figure this all out.
A red Jeep turned down the road. Oh no. The vehicle slowed to a stop, then eased into his driveway.
Wren gasped. “Is that Sabby in a new car?”
“No, sweetie. That’s Tori. She used to be my...girlfriend.”
“Oh. Is Sabby your girlfriend?”
“Not anymore.”
Wren quirked her lips to one side. “That’s sad. No girlfriends.”
You’re telling me.
Despite the knot in his gut as Tori climbed out of her Jeep and walked toward his front door, he couldn’t help but smile at how Wren could make him forget about his worries with just one observation or phrase or laugh. She was already making him a better person than he had ever been before on his own.
“Wren, I’m going to speak with Tori outside. Do you think you could sit quietly on the couch and watch a movie while I step onto the porch?”
Wren nodded emphatically. “Yes.”
He leaned down and pulled her in for a hug. “You are a very sweet girl. Did you know that?”
She squirmed out of his embrace and tried to hide her smile. “Yeah, I know.”
Wren started toward the couch but then suddenly turned and ran back to throw her arms around him again to give him another hug.
“Thank you,” he whispered as she pulled away.
Tori knocked softly.
His heart kicked against his ribs. What could she possibly want? They’d said everything they needed to say months ago. “I’ll get your movie started in a second. Hang on.”
He straightened, then turned and opened the door. “Hello, Tori. What are you doing here?”
“Hi, Levi.” She smiled. Her sable hair moved softly in the wind, and her deep green eyes bored into his. “Can I come in?”
He shook his head. “No, you can’t,” he said gently. “But if you’ll wait, I’ll be with you shortly.”
Pain crossed her expression before she nodded and stepped away. Levi closed the door, feeling a heaviness he couldn’t explain sink inside him. The dramatic events at the dance still felt so fresh, and now here was Tori, of all people, throwing Levi off-balance.
He helped Wren get some popcorn and more water in her bottle, then queued up an animated movie. “I’ll be right outside if you need me, okay?”
