The Bookworm Next Door: The Expanded and Revised Edition (8 page)

              Closing her eyes to the computer screen for a moment to gather her wandering thoughts, Savannah began typing into the chat window. 

Savannah Blake: Hey, Hannah!  Do you have a minute?

Hannah Stanfield: Sure.  What’s up?

Savannah Blake: I was just wondering if you were going to be at bible study tomorrow night.

Hannah Stanfield: I was planning on it.  Why?

Savannah Blake: No real reason.  There’s just somebody I think you should meet.

              Yes, she decided while closing out the conversation, this was definitely the step that she wanted to take!  Now, she just had to make certain that Kelly didn’t decide to join them tomorrow night. 

              Things were not going to be simple.  Whoever would have thought that she would be breaking up with her boyfriend, setting him up with somebody else at the same time, and that it would make sense for her to do it?

              And it did!  It made sense to Savannah.  They were more friends than they were boyfriend and girlfriend and they let things remain the way they were because it was comfortable, like a pair of jeans that you had washed a million times until they were nice and soft and about to fall apart at some very vital seams.  That was their relationship. 

              One of those seams was the fact that she knew Brady would look over at Hannah during school or during Bible study, even if he failed to recognize or acknowledge what he was doing.  She had also caught Hannah looking at Brady until she found out that Brady was dating Savannah, and even occasionally after that.

              Savannah knew they rarely talked; they barely even passed each other in the hallway.  People would wonder how this unlikely pair would have met let alone gotten together.  But she knew.  She knew that they would make an excellent couple; it made more sense than Brady with her.  Savannah couldn’t adequately explain it, but she had a feeling that Brady and Hannah would click.   

              It was a risky move.  There were so many things that could go wrong with this plan.  Savannah hoped that Kelly wouldn’t insist on joining them, again.  If she did then it would be nearly impossible for Brady and Hannah to have the meeting that Savannah was hoping for!

              There were a few things in her favor though if Kelly did decide to tag along; she already knew Hannah, even if the girls were not close friends.  Savannah knew that Hannah was smart enough to know she would need to get on Kelly’s good side; she could probably even deal with Aimee Kirkland if necessary. 

              Picking Savannah up for Bible study, Brady didn’t miss the sigh of relief that Savannah let slip when she saw that Kelly was not already waiting in the car. 

              After about five minutes of companionable silence Savannah took a deep breath and blurted out, “This is going to sound completely odd, but I’m going to set you up tonight with somebody I think is a better match for you.”  As soon as she stopped talking another sigh of relief escaped her lips, as if she was thankful that she had been able to get her little spiel out.

              Brady looked in her direction briefly, “What?”  It was all he could manage to say to her.

              “Eyes on the road,” Savannah sputtered.  “Look,” she said calmly, “we both know that we are not made for each other.  We could string this relationship out until after graduation, until I move to Chattanooga for college, or we can end this now before you miss out on the chance to date somebody who is better suited for you.  Can you honestly tell me that we aren’t better off as friends than we are in a romantic relationship?” 

              Brady chuckled, “So this is why you wanted me to try to make sure Kelly didn’t come with us.”

              “Yes, exactly,” she stated, obviously relieved.  “I’m glad you understand!”

              Laughing, “I think you just want to be able to date my teammates.”

              “Well, the entire team is something to look at when you are all on the field practicing.”  Shaking her head, “But no, I don’t have a replacement in mind for you, just for somebody to replace me.” 

              Pulling into the church parking lot, “Why do you think that she’ll be a good match for me?”

              “I’ve seen the way you both look at each other without realizing it.  I think she would have a crush on you if you weren’t attached to me; she’s honorable like that and I know that loyalty and respect are important to you.  I also think that she could handle Kelly and Aimee.  Anybody who dates you would have to be able to do that.”  Turning to him with a smile, “and I have a gut feeling.”

              Chuckling, “And we both know your gut feelings tend to be spot on.”

              “I did call it when I thought that guy was shoplifting and then three seconds later the store manager came over and took him back to the office.”

              “I meant that time when the noisy, rude family didn’t tip the waitress that they had sent on a million errands and then left the table trashed.” 

              “Then you went over and put five dollars down on the table.”  Nudging him lightly on the arm, “And then you still tipped her for our meal.” 

              “What can I say?”

              “Brady Johnson, your mama raised you right,” Savannah whispered, purposely drawing out her southern drawl. 

              Opening the car door for his now-ex-girlfriend, “Okay, I’ll go see who you want to be my next girlfriend on one condition.”

              “What’s that?”

              “I’m still taking you to the Prom.  It’s in two weeks and it is not fair that you’d have to go stag when this was all your idea.”

              “Deal,” she agreed, shaking on it.  “I’m sure she will agree.”

              Hannah Stanfield paced the entryway that lead in to the Bible Study classroom.  She knew that Savannah had caught Hannah checking out her boyfriend a few times, but she was extremely careful about not looking at him whenever she was around.  She even stopped going to the baseball practices to watch her younger cousin practice, opting to sit in the parking lot to wait for him to get out. 

              She wasn’t about to miss getting paid twenty-five dollars a week to take him home after practice. 

              There were some benefits to waiting.  She had managed to get a fair amount of homework and reading done in that back parking lot at school.  All of the out-of-class reading of
The Scarlet Letter
and
The Crucible
had been done in that parking lot.  She went to great lengths to avoid Brady Johnson. 

              When she saw Savannah and Brady entering the building – for a moment she hoped it would be one of those sessions that Brady wouldn’t be able to attend – Hannah resisted the urge to deflate.  Looking around them in hopes of spotting somebody behind them, she deflated a little when she saw nobody else with them. 

              Maybe it was one of Brady’s teammates that Savannah wanted to set her up with and they would end up having to double date – talk about torture.  Having to stare across the table at the unknown baseball player and Brady.  Making small talk.  Acting like she felt nothing for her new friend’s boyfriend. 

              “Hey, Hannah,” Savannah smiled.  “Have you met Brady Johnson?”

              “Maybe a time or two.  My cousin plays on the baseball team with you.”

              Nodding his head, Brady stared at Savannah.  Was this the girl that his new ex-girlfriend wanted to set him up with?  She would always take off running (he was exaggerating a bit) in the opposite direction whenever he approached her general direction at school. 

“Brady, this is Hannah Stanfield.”  Turning to Hannah, “Hannah, this is the person I wanted you to meet.”

              Hannah could feel all of the blood draining out of her face.  “Why?”

              Brady blinked at the rude comment.  This was the sweet, polite, and smart girl that Savannah wanted him to date?  The nice girl he’d discussed the differences between homemade and store bought cookies with only the week before?

              Shaking her head, Hannah closed her eyes before saying, “I’m sorry.  That’s rude.  But, Savannah, this is your boyfriend.”

              “Ex-boyfriend,” Savannah smiled.  “Brady and I don’t really suit each other.  We’ve given it the old college try, as they say, and we are better off as friends than anything else.  I have a feeling that you would make a better girlfriend to him than I was.” 

From the doorway leading to the Teen Bible Study class somebody called, “Are you coming?”

“Of course,” Savannah smiled.  “We’ll be right there.”  Turning back to her semi-captive audience, “We’ll talk after Bible Study. 

              Savannah watched Hannah and Brady from her spot across the table from them at the ice cream parlor.  First, she had insisted on going and getting a cupcake from next door to eat with her ice cream.  Dinner of champions she had joked. 

              “Okay, look,” she acknowledged without prefacing anything she was about to say, “I’ve seen the way that you look at him without trying to look at him.  It’s ingrained in you and no I’m not saying that you were thinking about going after my boyfriend.”             

              “Ex-boyfriend,” Brady interjected.

              Savannah glared.  “Anyway,” she drawled out, “We were not working out.  Brady and I are too much alike and all we’ve been doing for the last month is holding hands and doing the expected things like going to the movies on Friday nights.  It is not working and, no offense, I’m bored out of my mind.  But I’ve seen him looking at you too.  He doesn’t know he’s doing it, but I’ve seen it.” 

              “Hey!”

              “It’s fine.  You did nothing about it.  Geez,” Savannah rolled her eyes.  “Not that it really matters since I broke up with you.” 

              “True.  Continue.”

              Hannah started giggling.  “You two sound like my cousin and me when we are arguing about something.”

              Throwing her hands up in the air, without noticing that she was flinging ice cream, “Finally!” she exclaimed. “Somebody gets it.”

              Brady’s response was, “You are close to your cousin?”

              “He’s like a younger brother to me, especially since I don’t have any siblings and my father likes to play catch with him in the backyard.”  That was all that Hannah was willing to share with somebody she barely knew, especially about her lack of siblings and father’s disappointment.