Love Me True (Love Me Book 2)

Chapter 4

Faye heard a rumble of thunder off in the distance and wondered if it would amount to anything. A summer evening storm wasn't at all odd in Savannah, and she watched as a massive bolt of lightning lit the sky. However, despite the impending storm, she and Dr. DeGraff walked on in silence.

They passed bars with people and music spilling out onto the street, walking tours with guides spewing forth the haunted tales of Savannah, and at one point, a couple of drunk guys passed them by and one of them bumped into Faye, knocking her off balance, but Dr. DeGraff's hand was there to hold her steady.

She knew he would have done the same for any woman he was with because his manners wouldn't allow him not to, but for just a moment it made her feel protected. It wasn't a feeling that she was used to so it made her feel flustered and tongue-tied.

If she had been Chloe or Lia, she probably would have made an offhanded joke and they would have laughed about it, but then again, Dr. DeGraff didn't strike her as someone who laughed all that much, even when social etiquette called for it.

As they made it past the streets with all the bars and restaurants and entered a quiet square, Faye looked up at the tree in the corner and because the silence was starting to get to her, she pointed towards it.

"Do you see that tree there, in the corner?" she asked, in an attempt to make conversation.

Dr. DeGraff followed the direction she was pointing with his eyes. "Yes."

"That tree has no moss, it's the only tree in the square that doesn't. Do you know why?" she asked, knowing that it was a story that fascinated most of Savannah's tourists.

"No, but I feel sure you are about to tell me." She could hear the amusement in his voice and stopped short, looking up at him. She couldn't make out his features in the dark, but she felt sure he wasn't smiling even though she heard humor in his voice.

Another bolt of lightning lit the sky and for a moment she could make out his grey eyes as they met her soft brown ones. Shaking her head in confusion because she couldn't get a read on him, she started to walk again. She was generally good at reading people and she found it odd that she was having such a difficult time with him.

"I'm waiting to hear your story," he insisted, taking her arm once more.

"I have a feeling that you're not really interested, and that you're only humoring me. I wouldn't want to bore you," she said, trying to keep her voice upbeat even though the thought made her sad. She couldn't help but wonder what a real conversation with the man was like and if she would ever get the chance to have one with him.

"What gives you that idea?" he asked, he didn't sound angry only curious.

"The laughter behind your words." Faye replied, jumping as another bolt of lightning lit the sky followed by a crack of thunder. The storm was close, but she wasn't in a hurry to make it home and beat the storm.

"Was there laughter behind my words?" he asked, almost of himself. "If there was it was not because I am humoring you, it is because I find you charming, I find your self-conscious shyness charming. There is something innocent and childish in it, and I find that unique."

"Childish!" Her eyes grew wide at the insult.

"No, please don't mistake me, I find nothing about you childish, especially in that pretty pink dress, but you seem very innocent like a child. Is that a better way of explaining?" His hand was still on her elbow and he stopped her, looking down at her, waiting for an answer.

"Barely," she conceded. His gaze wandered across her face but his expression was stony so she couldn't tell what he was thinking. He had figured her out in only a few days and a few conversations, but then she knew he was a man of the world so he was probably good at reading people himself.

"Now, please tell me about the tree," he requested as he stepped off the curb and led her away from the square and down the street that would take them home.

"It's the hanging tree," she said, not really focused on the story she had been about to tell. She was moving past the fact that he found her charmingly self-conscious and innocent, which seemed to be a conflicted thought to her, as she found herself more interested in the fact that he thought she was anything but childish in her pretty pink dress.

"Is there more?" he asked after she had remained silent for a few moments.

"Oh, sorry, my mind wandered." She blinked as if to clear her thoughts. "It was the tree where they hung criminals when the colony was first founded. Now the tree is haunted, and no moss grows on it, at least that's the story." She shrugged, there was more to the story but perhaps that was best left for another time. "Savannah is full of similar stories," she ended lamely.

"So, it is a haunted city full of the dead with lost souls looking for...what exactly?" he asked, completely serious.

Faye thought about it; if she were to haunt somewhere, why would she do it? "Salvation, maybe," she voiced the thought aloud. "Only I don't think that there are only dead souls looking for it, I think there are plenty of living ones as well." Faye gave a sad smile, thinking about the many lost living souls she treated in the hospital.

"Salvation," he mulled the word over, "salvation by God?" he asked, interested in her interpretation.

Faye was aware of how serious the conversation had become, and that she was now having a real conversation with him. Perhaps this was a chance to find out something about who he was, and she wondered if wanted to have the conversation just as much as she did. It was a sudden turn of events as if he had been reading her mind and decided to grant her wish.

"Salvation by God, or family, or friends maybe," she suggested.

"Or a lover perhaps?" he asked thoughtfully.

Were his words a warning or hint? Faye had the distinct impression that he was talking about himself and Chloe. Was she his lover, was he in love with her and hoping she could save him? If so, what did he need saving from?

However, she didn't have the chance to ask the question as the sky opened and rain poured down from the heavens above.

"Perhaps, in this case, it's from mother nature." He laughed and the sound was deep and full, and it filled Faye with warmth. She caught a quick look at a crooked smile under a porch light before he took off his jacket and draped it around her shoulders, once again making her feel protected, and then grabbed her arm while quickly walking her quickly down the street towards her house.

When they reached her gate, he pulled out his key and had it unlocked in moments, and he pushed her through it and under the porch that was made by the deep porch above. Faye reached up and pushed her wet hair away from her face with an impatient hand.

"Storms like this happen often I take it?" he asked.

"In the summer, yes," she agreed, removing his jacket from around her shoulders. "Thank you for walking me home Dr. DeGraff." She smiled sweetly at him.

He looked at her silently, taking in her wet and bedraggled state with another stony stare. The warmth of his smile, which had still been echoing in her mind faded. When he remained silent, staring at her, she strengthened her wavering smile and handed him his jacket, which he took without a word.

"Good night," she said softly and turned to race through the rainy courtyard towards the steps that led to her own part of the house.

So much for a budding friendship. Whatever the moment they had shared had been it was well past, and Dr. DeGraff was back to his austere self.