Southern Lights: A Novel

“Whatever you want,” he said with obvious disappointment, and a few minutes later, he left, without seeing her again. She stayed upstairs in her room. They had both been shaken by the conversation. Luisa never reached out to him, or even tried to be kind. It was just who she was. And their marriage was a disaster as a result, for both of them. And probably always would be, he realized now. And Luisa would do nothing different when Savannah left. His punishment fit the crime.

The dinner at FIG for Savannah was lively and fun. Travis had a little too much to drink and was very funny, telling stories from his college days at UVA, which was something of a party school. Scarlette was adorable to Savannah, and they talked about the wedding. Daisy was all excited and loved Savannah’s mother and grandmother, who were younger and much more fun than her own. And Turner looked adoringly at Savannah throughout dinner and sat next to her holding her hand under the table. And at one moment Tom and Alexa’s eyes met across the table and the years faded away. Whatever had happened between them, they were both proud of their daughter, and this was a very special day. It was a lovely evening for all of them. They were the last to leave the restaurant, and it had been a perfect celebration for Savannah. Her dreams had come true, she was surrounded by people who loved her, and this was just the beginning. And for the entire evening, no one had even thought about Luisa, not even Tom. She was at home, alone, hating them all.

Chapter 16

Alexa sat next to her mother on the flight home. The whole weekend had been festive and fun, and Muriel was glad she had gone with her, particularly for the opening of the envelopes when Savannah found out she’d gotten into Princeton. It was an unforgettable moment for them all.

But Muriel also noticed something different now about Alexa. She wasn’t as angry, or bitter, and seemed more at peace. Her mother suspected that having to go back to Charleston had done her good. She had faced all the demons of her past. Tom, his mother, Luisa. They seemed to have shrunk over time. She knew that Alexa’s marriage was still a huge loss to her. But when you saw who Tom really was, how weak and self-serving, maybe she hadn’t lost so much after all. She hoped Alexa knew that, and had seen it better now. He was a very selfish man, and the only reason he wanted Alexa back was because it hadn’t worked out with Luisa. If it had, he’d have had no regrets at all. Muriel thought he had gotten what he deserved, a woman who respected him as little as he respected himself. As Alexa had been recently, she was reminded of Ashley in Gone with the Wind. What her daughter needed now was Rhett Butler. She just hoped she’d find him one day. She had a right to some happiness after all these hard, lonely years. And she had done a great job with her daughter. That job was over now too. Savannah was all grown up and running. Her life had begun.

And best of all was Savannah, glowing with all that lay ahead. Muriel thought her boyfriend in Charleston was a very nice boy. She wondered if the romance would last when Savannah went to Princeton and he went to Duke. Those things were always hard to predict. Some early romances lasted. Some didn’t. Time would tell.

Muriel looked over at her daughter as they flew toward New York, and Alexa was sound asleep. It had been an emotional weekend for them all.

Savannah still had two big events ahead in the months to come. She would be attending graduation with her class in Charleston, and would then come back for the one at her school in New York. She was going to catch up with her friends again, just in time to say goodbye. And Turner had promised to come up. That was going to be fun for Savannah too. Her father still wasn’t coming, since he would be at her Charleston graduation, and he felt New York was her mother’s turf and he didn’t want to intrude. Savannah was fine with that. But first, her mother had to get through the trial. And then Savannah could come home. She was ready. Charleston had been great. She had gotten a father, sister, two brothers, and fallen in love. But New York and her mom were still home to her.

Alexa didn’t think she would be able to go back to Charleston again until after the trial. There was too much going on now, but Savannah understood. The final crunch was on.

The morning after their Charleston weekend, Alexa was in her office at seven. She had gotten up at five to read some material she needed to prepare for the trial, and motions that the public defender had submitted to the judge.