“Cool, man,” he finally got out.

He silently asked Savannah with an arched eyebrow, Politician?

Her eyes rounded out with a warning, Don’t you dare mention it!

All right. Off-limits.

“So, where do you want to go to law school? Just served my time. It’s the worst three years of your life, and then there’s clerking.”

Easton laughed, but Clay really hadn’t been joking. He’d been lucky to have Andrea through it. Easton would be lucky to have Savannah.

“Don’t listen to him. It’s not all that bad,” Marilyn said.

“We’ll see how the LSAT scores come back, but I’m pretty open to anywhere. Ideally, top ten.”

Clay had wanted Yale and only Yale.

“Good luck with that. Glad it’s not me again. It’s cutthroat, but if you have the right woman at your side, it’s all worth it.”

Savannah coughed and then stood. “Hey, baby, since Clay is here, I think I’m due some sibling time. I’ll see you later?”

“Damn,” Easton said, rising to his feet. “I lose you all weekend and then tonight, too?”

“All weekend?” Clay prodded.

“I’ll tell you on the way to Franklin,” Savannah said to Clay.

“All right.” Clay bent down and kissed his mom. “Love you. Be back in an hour or so.”

“Y’all have fun,” Marilyn said. “I have so much work to do anyway.”

“Bye, Mom!” Savannah yelled from the doorway.

Clay wandered out after Savi and Easton. Savannah gave him an exaggerated long kiss at his driver’s side door and then waved as he got inside and drove off.

She sighed and then trotted over to Clay’s hybrid. He’d driven it to Chapel Hill since the gas mileage was so much better, but he already missed his Porsche and her pickup.

“So,” he said as they started toward Franklin Street in downtown Chapel Hill, “where are you going this weekend?”

“No one told you?” she asked, shifting awkwardly in her seat.

“Told me what?”

“You know…that Liz’s bachelorette party is this weekend, too.”

“Right. No, I did know that. Forgot about it, but I knew. Where are you going? Vegas?” he asked hopefully. He could just envision Liz at a strip club. He found it both highly amusing and extremely provocative. He would need that image for his fantasies later.

“Um…no. Hilton Head.”

Clay slammed on the brakes at the red light, and they both rocked forward. “What?”

“Jesus, Clay. Easy on the brakes.”

“Sorry. But…what? Did Brady set this up? Are y’all going to be at the house?”

“No. No. Um…it was actually Andrea’s idea,” she said softly.

“Andrea’s idea,” he repeated hollowly.

“She offered her parents’ house for the beach weekend when our house was taken by you and the guys.”

Clay was reeling. He floored it when the light turned green and got into a parking spot before he found words again.

“So…Andrea is going to be there?”

Savannah nodded as she climbed out of the car, and they started up the street. “Yeah. She’s coming with the bridal party—me, Victoria, and Massey.”

Fuck.

Andrea was going to be at Hilton Head this weekend at her place where they had first met, just down the beach from where he was staying. That was a world of possibilities.

“Just don’t tell anyone I told you,” Savannah said. “I didn’t know that you didn’t already know. I probably wasn’t supposed to say anything.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

They entered Sugarland, a small cupcake and gelato shop on Franklin Street that was everyone’s favorite dessert place in town. Savannah got pink champagne gelato, and he got a double-chocolate cupcake. They took their desserts to go and wandered the all too familiar streets.

“Oh, by the way…can I drive down with you since you’re here?” Savannah asked.

“You’re a hellion, Savi.”

She nudged him. “Pretty much. Learned it from my big brother.”

“Which one?”

“Well, we both know I didn’t learn to be a hellion from Brady. He doesn’t even know what that word means,” she said with a giggle. “I doubt you’re going to have any fun at this bachelor party. He’s probably going to have one drink, declare his love for Liz, and go to bed by ten.”

Clay snorted. “Oh, joy.”

Savannah giggled and then they headed out to walk around campus situated just off of Franklin Street. Savannah stopped in front of the Old Well for a picture with her half-finished gelato. Clay snapped one with his phone and then they took a selfie.

“Send that one to me!” Savannah said.

Clay shook his head, but did as he was told. “So…you and Easton, huh?”

“Uh…yeah.”

“Seems pretty serious.”

“Ew. Are you going to have a birds and the bees talk with me?”

Clay laughed. “Definitely no. I’m just curious. Politician?”

Savannah groaned and looked away. “I can’t help it that the profession he’s interested in happens to coincide with something I detest.”

“True,” he admitted. “Just doesn’t seem like you.”

“Maybe he’ll change his mind,” she said hopefully. “Law school changes people right?”

“That’s a fact.” Clay was thinking about all the couples who broke up and got divorced while he was in law school. He didn’t wish that on his sister and hoped she knew what she was getting herself into.

“Hey,” she said as they veered back toward the car, “can you try not to fuck it up this weekend?”

“Language, Baby Maxwell,” he joked.

Savannah punched him. “I mean it!”

“Yeah,” he agreed. “I’ll give it a try.”

Chapter 19

BACHELOR PARTY

Savannah piled into Clay’s car the next morning for the drive south. If he’d been in D.C., he would have just flown, but it was good to spend the time with Savannah. They’d argued more than gotten along while growing up. It was weird sometimes to think she was of legal drinking age and would be graduating from college in a year. He still saw her as that little kid, but she clearly wasn’t that anymore.