It's the Way You...

Chapter 2

Looking up from the engine he was tinkering with, Gabe Matthews, watched as the little woman known as Savannah left the little bookstore at the end of the street. From this distance he couldn't make out her expression but there was no tension in her shoulders and she seemed calm and relaxed. With a frown he checked his watch as he wiped the grease from his hands.  Five hours has passed since he had ventured after her into that store.  He had been on his way to the garage when he had crossed paths with her.  Had Jim and his idiot wanna be biker gang not shown up, he may not have given her a second glance but the way she had stiffened at the sound of the bikes, way before even he had noticed them, made him curious.  Then to have her scream bloody murder and bolt when he'd tried to hand back the bag she had dropped, had made him all but want to ripe the heads of the assholes shouting crap at her.

It had take him all but a look to get them to cut the crap and he'd followed her into the store.  He hadn't been able to get her out of his head since.  Those eyes were something else, peering out from beneath the lip of her hoodie.  Come to think of it, there wasn't much else he remembered about her, other them the fear.  She was just another women with no distinguishing features.  Of course that may very well not be the case given that he hadn't been able to look anywhere other than at those teal eyes shining openly up at him, drawing him deep into their depths. Now everytime he blinked he saw teal, it was doing his head in.

Shaking away his thoughts, he followed her progress along the sidewalk up the street towards him.  For the entire four blocks he stood, mesmerised, staring at her like some besotted teenager.  Trying to figure out what kept his focus trained solely on her.  She had walked the whole way with her eyes downcast, concentrating on her feet.  So when she looked up, directly at him, it was so unexpected he stumbled back into some diesel drums in his vain attempt to appear to be doing anything else but staring at her.

"You alright, Man?" Dylan asked from another bay where his was restoring another '69 Mustang.

"Yea I'm good. Stupid barrels.  Harris?"  He shouted into the back. "Come move this shit.  How many times do I have to tell you?"  He cast a quick glance back towards Savannah, who was just passing their entrance. To his relief and slight disappointment she was once again staring down at her feet. 

Dylan walked up next to him, "What's up with you today? He asked nudging him. When Gabe didn't respond he turned to face the street. "Damn, would you look at that!" 

Gabe felt his fists clench at his sides, his control slipping.  It must have been apparent as Dylan's eyes widen when he looked back at him.  Dylan raised his hands and took a step back.

"Jeez man, what the hell?"

"Nothing, just..... nothing." He needed to get his shit together, that woman was doing his head in, if the throb in his brain was anything to go by.  He took one final look in her direction and forced himself down into the pit beneath the car.  "Make sure Harris moves those," he added with a snarl as he disappeared.

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Savannah hadn't slept a wink, the perdawn glow mocked her as she tossed around again.  She has struggled to get comfortable all night, kicking the blanket off as it was too hot, then pulling it back over her when she realised the ac was actually working.  The pillow was too flipping hard, then it was too soft, in the end she had thrown it clean across the room.  Only to have to retrieve it in order to block out the party noises from three doors down.  Then when the party had finally ended it had been to quiet. 

When the sun finally dawned, she sat up with a curse. Her whole world was off kilter.  Today was day eleven in the little town of... oh who the hell cares.  It didn't really matter after the previous day, she didn't know if she was staying anymore.  However this time she wasn't sure if it was the bikers or the Kevin look-a-like that was troubling her the most.

Every instinct told her to pack her things and leave, only she wasn't doing it!  Instead she was sitting at a wobbling table in an inexpensive motel, staring out of the window.
In three hours she would be meeting with an agent to exchange contracts on her new home. For the first time in seven years she was signing on for more than six months. That on its own was an achievement.  She had resolved to make this town work, she was tired of moving constantly and living out of a suitcase.

The sun was well on its way up when she finally made up her mind, again! She would no longer be pushed out and live in fear.  Packing all her belongings into her suitcases, Savannah headed out to her car and made her way into what was left of the morning traffic.

The neighbourhood she had picked out was a quiet residential area, populated mostly by young families.  There were beautiful parks,  an award winning school and a mini mall with a movie theatre.  There had also been no bikers in sight on the several occasions she had driven through. The place was upscale and well maintained. The towns folk took pride in their homes and gardens.  Houses were close enough to remain neighbourly  but spaced far enough apart that you couldn't over hear a conversation being held next door. 

For Savannah the house she had selected was the perfect spot to start again and if things went well in the first six months she planned to give the owners an offer they couldn't refuse to let her buy it.  The agent,  Olivia, a woman in her late forties, all but bounced out of her car as Savannah pulled into the drive next to her. 

"Good Morning, Dear!"  Olivia called as she made her way over.  Savannah smiled up at her as she stepped from her car.  The woman had been a godsend when Savannah had pulled into town. She had listened to all the requirements Savannah had listed out and had pretty much found the perfect house.  She had even arranged a meeting with a furniture rental company who had met them on their second viewing.  They were due to pull up in the next hour or two with all of her new furniture.  Savannah had spent hours picking out all the pieces for her new home and had shown Olivia on her third visit.

The front of the property housed a double garage to the side, with a drive that looped past the front door and back around a large manicured lawn.  Large evergreens formed natural boundary lines to the property.  The house itself was laid out in an L shape, consisted of an open plan kitchen/diner and a living room that opened up onto a beautiful decked area and the further back yard. There were four bedrooms, two of which had ensuites.  The master and one other also led to the backyard, only the master opened onto its own private deck.  Savannah had decided to turn the other bedroom into a private sitting room and office.  Stairs off the hallway lead down into a refurbished basement that she planned to transform into a training room.

Savannah loved it, the place was a maze of rooms and platforms and even though it was built over a single story there were steps leading up and down to different rooms giving the interior character.  But despite how much she loved the house it was the backyard that had sold it. From the decked area the yard stretched and sloped down to meet the shores of a beautiful lake that spanned for miles.  To the left of the property there was a small jetty and boat house and adrift out in the lake floated a wooden platform, home to two deck chairs.   Savannah had immediately added a morning swim to her routine, just so she could make use of that little unique feature.  She could see it now, swimming out there and basking in the sun, away from everyone and everything. Heaven!

By three o'clock she was done, the contracts had been signed, the furniture had arrived and the team had expertly unpacked and set up the whole house, complete with everything she could possibly need.  Its had been a smooth and successful operation, she had even had time to slip out and load up with groceries, which upon her return, one of the furniture crew, had thrown her the keys with a grin and left.  She had found a chilled bottle of wine in her fridge, which had been an added touch and had welcomed her to her new home perfectly.

She was home! What a thought. She couldn't wait to tell Mera. Her friend would be thrilled. but first things first... she was going for a swim!