Sweet Tea and Southern Charm

“ Well, that went quite well.” Savannah murmured to herself as she headed toward her station to straighten it up before heading home. It was now well after midnight, and just as she had suspected, everything had went well. Quite well, in fact. Marilyn had everyone freaking out over nothing, it seemed. The supposed ‘big shot’ that had come to observe was named Bob Ford, and despite being a complete smart alack, he was a pretty decent guy. Well, he seemed to be, at least. Savannah didn’t stick around much after the introduction. She still had touch ups to do before the show started, and many times a ‘touch up’ could turn into a full makeup redo.

Though she couldn’t help but think that he looked a bit familiar. He probably just had one of those faces, however. Or maybe she had seen him before. It was possible, as Marilyn had mentioned that the man had a heavy background in theatre and independent films.

“Oh well, it’s too much to think about right now.” She sighed, placing her now cleaned brushes in the proper place and making sure all of the makeup was in put away in her case. It wouldn’t do to have a messy station when she came in a few hours later. “Honestly, I should just sleep here and save myself the trouble.”

“I don’t think that’d be too comfortable, especially with that tiny couch of yours. And the last thing we need is a cranky makeup artist.”

Savannah turned to see a worn out looking Izzy standing in her doorway. She chuckled a bit and grabbed her purse. “Yeah, you’re right. Besides, I need my own bed. And my shower. Are you coming in early tomorrow?”

Izzy shook her head. “Are you kidding me? I’ll be here around 4, my usual time. If Marilyn wants me here early, she’ll have to drag me here herself.

“And what about Mr. Ford? We’ll have to be taking orders from him as well pretty soon, ya know.” Savannah rolled her eyes. “Why on earth did Marilyn bring him in, anyway? The company seems to be doing just fine as we are. We were sold out tonight!” She headed out the door on onto the sidewalk, Izzy following suit.

“”Who knows.” Izzy muttered. “Oh well, I guess we’ll find out more tomorrow. See ya, Vannah.”

“Bye, Izz.” Savannah continued her walk toward her flat, her arms wrapped tightly around herself. It wasn’t quite autumn yet, but the air had a slight chill to it as it now neared 1:00 am. The wind had picked up from the ocean a few miles away, bringing a wonderful salt scent with it. She took in a deep breath, allowing the fresh air to clear her mind as she approached her flat.

“Home.” She murmured, picking up her pace slightly. The sooner she reached her flat, the sooner she could curl up in her bed and sleep. After setting her alarm first, of course.
Just as she was about to enter the code to her building, she heard a stream of swears followed by what sounded like a boot colliding with a car fender. Of course, this was also followed by another series of obscenities. Savannah rolled her eyes and proceeded to enter in her code, choosing to ignore the unfortunate individual. Well, at least she tried to ignore him. That all changed the moment he spoke. Though, at first Savannah was certain he wasn’t speaking to her.

“I don’t suppose you know anything about cars? Or a good towing service here in town?”
Savannah froze her hand gripped firmly to the door handle. She stared through the glass at the reflection of the individual. Everything within her told her to hurry inside and bolt up to her apartment, away from this bold stranger, but she seemed frozen in her tracks. As if any quick movement would set him off. Though, she tried to tell herself that he was just a nice man having a bit of car trouble.

“Yes, I’m speaking to you, don’t look so shocked. Should I repeat myself? Or would you like to continue ignoring me?” The man asked, taking a few steps toward her.

Savannah’s face turned to an expression of slight annoyance. “And what makes you presume that I would help you?” She questioned still keeping her back toward the stranger.

“Well, this is the south, isn’t it? Southern charm and all that crap? Listen, I just want to get home at a somewhat decent hour, though that isn’t looking very likely.”

Savannah let out a quiet sigh rolling her eyes as she turned to face the stranger. She couldn’t help but gasp when she realized just how close the stranger had gotten to her. Instinctively, her hand went to her purse, where a can of mace was disclosed. “I don’t know a thing about cars, but my uncle has a tow service. I can get you the number, but I can’t help you further than that.” Savannah reached for the phone in her pocket, still keeping her hand on her purse. She didn’t feel as threatened by the man as she did before, but better safe than sorry. As she searched through the phone for the number she could feel his gaze on her. The silence in the air was thick with tension, but she didn’t dare look up.

“Hey, I know you..” He said after a moment or so.

This caused Savannah to look up from her phone. Her eyebrows were knit together in confusion as she took in his appearance. It took her a moment but soon a look of realization came over her face. “Mr. Ford.” She said feeling relief wash over her. ‘Sorry I didn’t recognize you sooner. You can’t be too careful in the dark.” She chuckled awkwardly. At least he wasn’t a murderer. Well as far as she knew he wasn’t.

“Please, it’s Bob. No one calls me Mr. Ford.” He replied, laughing a bit as well. “I’m sorry I startled you. I guess I didn’t realize how creepy I must have seemed.”

Savannah shrugged. “It’s not problem at all…Here you could just use my phone to call my uncle. He’s only a few miles away.” Savannah dialed the umber and handed the phone to Bob stuffing her hands in her pockets awkwardly as he spoke to her uncle about his car.

“Here ya go..” Bob said once the call was over. He handed the phone back to Savannah, clearing his throat slightly. “He said he’d be here in 15 minutes..”

Savannah laughed. “Wow, so he can really get here that fast, huh? I’ve never known my uncle to hurry on a pick up…Ever.”

“Maybe it’s my charm..” Bob smirked, leaning back against his car and crossing his arms over his chest. “So, what brought you to Charleston? Or did you grow up here?”

Savannah quirked a brow. “ Well, I suppose I could ask you the same, sir. And no, I didn’t grow up here. I grew up in Myrtle Beach, just a couple of hours away from here. Though I have quite a few of my family members here…What about you? You don’t seem the type to just show up in the Charleston Theatre scene…”

Bob stared at Savannah for a moment, as if he was considering his words carefully. “I needed a change.” He replied simply. The tone in his voice indicated that he wished to drop the subject.

Savannah nodded. “Change can be a good thing.” She glanced down at the sidewalk, feeling the awkward silence fall over them once more. The wind began to pick up even more than it was before causing then both to shiver.

“You know, I thought the beach was supposed to be warmer than this, especially in September.” Bob noted, finally breaking the silence between them.

“Believe it or not, I’ve seen it much cooler than this. Especially nearer to the coast.”

Savannah replied with a chuckle. “Have you had a chance to make it to the beach yet?”

Bob shook his head. “No, I just got into town this morning. I rented this car, headed to my hotel, and went straight to the theatre. But hey, I could use a good tour guide when time allows.” He flashed a smile toward Savannah. “Especially one that would be familiar with the city.”

“I might not be as familiar with it as you think. When I’m not home I’m at the theatre and vice versa.” Savannah tucked a loose strand behind her ear.

“Ah a true thespian, then?”

Savannah shook her head. “Not exactly. Stages and I don’t mix, I’m afraid. I prefer to be behind the scenes. I work at Dock Street as a makeup artist, actually. I’ve officially been with the company for two years, but including my internship, I’ve been there four years.”
Before Bob had the chance to respond, the bright lights of a tow truck cut through the darkness, interrupting their conversation. “Ah, and that would be one of my uncle’s guys.” Savannah noted, pointing toward the truck. “And on that note, I should get to bed. It’s nearly 2:00 am now. I suppose I’ll be seeing you around?”

Bob nodded. “You suppose right.” He smiled. “Thank you for helping me out, uh…Ya know what, I never got your name.”

“Oh wow, I’m sorry.” Savannah’s eyes widened, her cheeks heating slightly in embarrassment. “It’s Savannah. Savannah Ward. I guess I’m not the best at introductions.”

Bob chuckled. “Well, thank you Savannah. I really appreciate it. And sorry again for frightening you.”

“Hey, it was nothing. Have a good night.” She offered one more smile before entering her code into the door and stepping inside. She made no hesitation in hurrying up the stars to her fourth floor flat, quickly unlocking the door, and going inside. It took no time for her lock her door once again, change, and curl up in bed where she fell asleep in a matter of minutes. The last thought that crossed her mind was the admittedly attractive Bob Ford.