All I Need (Hearts of the South) Read Free

when you didn’t choose to start over, is hard. You can’t stay in one place, though. You get stagnant, and there’s no life in that.”
    Mouth tight, Emmett glanced from Troy Lee to Clark. “I’ll polish up my resume.”
    “Great.” Troy Lee reached for his tea glass. “And join us to play Saturday night.”
    “No.” He hadn’t played since a week before the shooting. “I can’t stand up that long in one place. It still hurts if I try.”
    “We’ll get you a stool.”
    “I’m out of practice.”
    “You have two weeks. We’ll do old favorites.” Troy Lee shrugged, a grin lurking at his mouth. “Be ready.”
    Emmett stabbed his fork into his potato salad. “I really hate you sometimes.”
    Bennett nodded, his face set in solemn lines. “Yeah, me too.”
    “It’s unanimous.” Clark glanced at Troy Lee and chuckled. “I bet Chris would vote with us.”
    “Some friends you guys are.” Shaking his head, Troy Lee flipped all of them the finger, and rich male laughter hovered over the table throughout the remainder of their meal.
    * * * * *
    Southwest Georgia’s summer heat lingered into late September. Leaves turned straight to brown and dropped to sidewalks that radiated the sun’s warmth even in early evening. Sweat trickled down Savannah’s spine and formed damp pools under each breast in her sports bra. She slanted a wry look at her sister, walking beside her. “Tell me again how this is better than yoga?”
    “Maybe not better than yoga.” Amy brushed her damp bangs away from her forehead. Perspiration glistened on her upper lip, and she lifted her water bottle for a long swallow. “But you’re not supposed to talk during yoga. We can have a conversation while we do this.”
    “How about next time we wait until the heat index isn’t so high?”
    Amy laughed and bumped Savannah’s shoulder with her own. “You know you’ve missed walking with me.”
    Savannah admitted no such thing. When they’d both lived in Valdosta, these evening walks had been a sisterly ritual, a time for chatting and laughing, sharing and weeping. She had missed this, but letting Amy know she was right could be a recipe for disaster.
    “So, is this transfer as bad as you feared?” Amy glanced both ways at the intersection of Broad and Harney Streets, and they hustled to cross against the light.
    Enjoying the momentary cooling shade of a magnolia tree, Savannah pondered the question. When Southwest Georgia Medical had bought out a set of small hospitals in the counties close to Lowndes, she’d dreaded being transferred away from the ER she’d served for three years. She’d thought being closer to her sister would be the only positive, but she had to admit Coney had its own charm.
    “Not really, but I don’t want to stay here forever. The staff at the hospital is great, even though they really need to hire on some more nurses. Small towns are not my thing, but at least there’s a coffee shop and a decent grocery store. The parks are pretty.” She let a half-smile, half-smirk curve her mouth. “So’s my neighbor.”
    “Really?” Amy’s bright pageant-princess smile lit her entire face. “That’s awesome.”
    “I said he was pretty, not welcoming. He’s kind of grouchy, but that may be because he’s recuperating. You could tell he was in pain when I got to introduce myself last night, and he had a cane with him this morning. He has a nice smile, though.”
    “Oooh, you could help him recuperate .” The pageant-princess smile took on a decidedly naughty note. “You know, give him the benefit of your vast knowledge of human anatomy.”
    Amy’s enthusiasm could only be described as infectious, and Savannah laughed despite herself. She wouldn’t mind exploring Emmett’s anatomy at all. His rugged features—a square jaw, high cheekbones, and thin lips—kept him from being too pretty, and those blue eyes of his were gorgeous, contrasting with thick, tobacco-brown hair. He had lovely hands, too,