Graceless (Grace Notes #2)

Cassidy tried to shake the tension from her shoulders as she continued back towards the house, Lane already fifteen feet ahead. She watched as they turned left at the pool and entered the guesthouse. She’d wondered if anyone lived there, secretly having had her eye on it for herself.

So Lane was also prone to sanctimonious lectures, that was just great. Clearly they were under Savannah’s spell, and of course, on her very extensive payroll. She was irritated to find that Lane’s words had gotten under her skin. She’d never experienced conflict where someone didn’t just shout at her and it had thrown her. And that line about learning for herself? That was incredibly condescending. She’d done nothing but learn for herself, thank you very much.

Was everyone here planning on underestimating her forever? She’d soon take care of that.

It was already warm enough that Savannah felt wilted when she’d ventured outdoors to eat breakfast with Tucker. Brynn was still in the gym and seeing Lane duck into the guesthouse after their morning run made Savannah green with jealousy. She’d exercised as long as she could into her pregnancy, but now the giant bump she was sporting, combined with the intense heat outdoors, meant a swim was the only movement she could make. It wasn’t remotely the same as a good long run though, and she felt the impact on her mental state, missing the flex of her legs and the feeling of escaping into the wild. As soon as this baby was out, they’d go on long walks back in nature together and she’d start to feel properly herself again.

Speaking of her mental state…Cassidy appeared on the lawn and approached the table on the patio, looking determined. She looked fresher, her long hair in an elaborate braid, her gray dress neat.

“Good morning,” Savannah greeted her sister cautiously, hoping they’d have a fresh start.

“Morning,” she replied, her tone even. So far, so good. “I met one of your many horses.” She took a seat across from them.

“Which one?” Tucker piped up.

“The chestnut gelding in the first field.”

“Spiderpig Superstar!” he exclaimed, pumping his fist into the air. Cassidy blinked, midway through pouring herself a bowl of cereal.

“Or Jasper, as I call him,” Savannah added with a smile. “He’s a lovely boy. Do you ride?”

“A little,” she said, adding milk and picking up her spoon. “Just my friend’s horses, that is.” Savannah wasn’t sure if there was a complaint in there somewhere, but she decided she was reading into it.

“You’re welcome to ride him,” she offered. “Lane might take you. I’d offer to go myself, but…” she gestured ruefully down at the swell of her belly. “And Brynn is not a horse person.”

“I have a functioning brain, that’s why.” Her wife slid into a seat next to her, freshly showered and looking good enough to eat. “I’m capable of assessing risk, and climbing on a thousand pound beast with sharp rocks for feet is not for sensible people.”

“But surfing in deep ocean where man-eating sharks live passes your rigorous risk assessment?” Savannah raised her eyebrows.

Brynn scoffed, but reached down to squeeze her knee. She knew how much Savannah fretted when she surfed any more than twenty feet from the shore. Savannah could frolic in the waves with the best of them, but the idea of empty ocean beneath her feet terrified her. Brynn, however, was a Californian beach babe through and through. Personally, Savannah preferred her safe and sound in landlocked Tennessee.

“Pfft, that’s nothing. Those horses have far worse teeth.” Brynn widened her eyes in horror.

“You’re ridiculous,” she informed her wife fondly. Two years together and Brynn was still adamantly not a country girl, despite their surroundings.

“Your face is ridiculous.” Brynn smirked like a five-year-old and Tucker – an actual five-year-old – giggled and high-fived her. She stole a kiss to revoke the tease and Savannah’s body instantly reminded her that yesterday they’d been interrupted on their way to an afternoon quickie, then she’d been too thrown by her sister’s arrival to be in the mood for anything more than a freaked out debrief when they’d finally made it to bed. She tried to calculate exactly how soon she could put that teasing mouth to good use.

“You’re such a great role model for our child,” she attempted to grouse, but it came out like a flirt. Brynn batted her eyelashes innocently at her, which – ridiculously – only made her want her more.

Cassidy was looking quizzically from one to the other, and Savannah coughed and straightened in her chair.

“Can I be excused?” begged Tucker, looking over to where Lane was coming out of their door to start the day.

“Let Lane have a minute to themself, kid,” Brynn suggested. Tucker adored his nanny and while Savannah knew it was mutual, she always worried about burning Lane out. Lane looked up and waved and then gestured at Tucker to race them. Tucker leapt out of his chair and hurtled his small frame across the lawn, his head start useless as Lane easily lapped him, then pretended to fall just before the fence line.

She glanced at Cassidy, who was watching the action curiously. She’d dreamed of getting to share her son with her sister, but she’d never thought it would actually happen. She wasn’t sure this was exactly how it should feel, though.

“Are you up for a conversation this morning?” she said gently, and her sister’s wary gaze jerked back to her. Cassidy’s spine straightened.

“Actually, yes, I am,” she said firmly.

“Oh, that’s great,” Savannah said, trying to hide her surprise.

“I’d like your help,” Cassidy announced, clearly planning to take the lead in the discussion. “I’ve been thinking about my options and I’d like you to help set me up in the music industry.”

Savannah blinked.

“I see,” she said slowly. “In what capacity?”