Savannah was waiting for her when she got off the plane, and they hugged each other and held tight. Savannah drove her to the hotel in the little car her father had loaned her, and she went back to school, and promised to come back later.

Tom called her while she was unpacking, and congratulated her too. He had seen her on television the night before when she left the courthouse, and as always, had been impressed by how humble she was when she said justice had been served and let it go at that. She wanted no glory, just the conviction, and she had done it.

“You must be exhausted,” he said sympathetically, and she admitted she was.

“But it was worth it, for the conviction.”

“Are you staying for Savannah’s graduation next week?” he asked hopefully.

“No, I have to get back. I only have a week off, and I’ll be at the one in New York.” She was still grateful to him for keeping Savannah for four months. It had worked out perfectly for her too, and gave her the time she needed to prepare for the trial without worrying about Savannah.

“I’m going to be very sad when she leaves,” he admitted to her. “And so will Daisy. I hope you’re planning to come down at the end of June for Travis’s wedding.” She didn’t know if he was being honest or polite and just southern. It was hard to tell.

“It was sweet of them to ask me, but I think it would be awkward for your wife.” He was disappointed when she said it. He had hoped she’d be there.

“With eight hundred guests, you could bring a bear in a hula skirt and no one would notice.”

“But maybe not an ex-wife,” she said honestly. “I’m sure Luisa doesn’t want me.” This was her turf, not Alexa’s. She was respectful of that, although Luisa hadn’t been of hers.

“It’s not up to Luisa, it’s up to Travis and Scarlette. And I know they’d like you to come. Savannah wants to come down too.”

“She can do that if she wants to. I’ll talk to her about it. She’s a big girl, she could come alone.”

“I hope you come, Alexa,” he said softly, and she ignored it. The softness in his voice was too familiar and bittersweet, and much too late.

“We’ll see,” she said noncommittally, which they both knew meant no.

“I’ll see you sometime this week, before you go.”

“I’m just going to take it easy and spend time with Savannah, and get over the trial. I’m beat,” she said honestly, and she sounded it, but happy too.

Savannah was back by six o’clock, and they wandered the cobblestone streets together. The weather was hot now, the flowers lush and fragrant. It was Charleston at its most beautiful and romantic. Alexa spent her days wandering around when Savannah was in school, and went to visit one of the old plantations and took a tour. She and Savannah went to the beach that weekend, and Turner joined them. And Alexa took Savannah and a dozen of her friends out to dinner for a pre-graduation celebration. They were all in high spirits, and Alexa was too.

The week in Charleston flew by, with no problems or unpleasant moments, or even encounters with Luisa. She was ignoring Savannah completely these days, which seemed to work well.

Savannah waited until the last night to ask her mother about Travis’s wedding. She really wanted to go, and wanted Alexa to come with her. And it was a huge wedding, so Tom’s point about it not being awkward with Luisa was well taken. The rehearsal dinner that he and Luisa were giving at the country club would have been awkward, but not the wedding reception. Alexa had had lunch with him again, and he had pointed that out. He didn’t mention again how much he missed her, or how sorry he was, or how unhappy with Luisa. He respected the boundaries she had established, and she was grateful for that. She wouldn’t have seen him again otherwise. She was past it. It was over for her, all behind her now.

“Will you, Mom?” Savannah pleaded, looking more like five than seventeen, and her mother laughed.

“What difference does it make if I’m there? You’ll be having fun with your friends.” Everyone she knew was invited, even Turner and Julianne, as their parents were going too. It was a very small social circle in Charleston, and eight hundred guests represented everyone who mattered in town. Savannah said that even the governor was coming to the rehearsal dinner, and several senators to the wedding, at least two. Luisa loved showing off her social and political connections, and so did Scarlette’s parents. The two families were well matched, as were the bride and groom.

“It’ll just be more fun if you’re there. We can come down together.” She hadn’t told her mother yet that she wanted to come back in August to see Turner before they both left for college. The romance had lasted and was going strong. They were in love.

“All right, all right,” Alexa finally conceded, “but it’s awkward for me. I knew all those people while I was married, and now I’m an outcast.” She looked awkward and forlorn as she said it, but she felt that way.

“You’re not an outcast, Mom. You’re a national media star. You’re a famous prosecutor from New York.”

“Don’t be silly,” Alexa said humbly, denying it. But it was true. “You don’t have anything to be ashamed of, Mom,” Savannah insisted.

“Only that your dad dumped me, which was a big deal here, and to me. Huge, in fact.” No matter how important she was in her job, that still mattered to her too.

“You’re bigger than that. Besides, I think you’re over it,” Savannah said cautiously, not wanting to upset her mother. “You don’t want him anymore, and I’ll bet you could have him, if you did. He’s miserable with Luisa.”

“I know,” Alexa said quietly. He had told her as much himself. “And you’re right, I don’t want him now. But I did then.”

“I know, Mom,” Savannah said, putting her arms around her mother. “So you’ll come?”

“Yes, yes.” She rolled her eyes. “I’ll send the reply card back tomorrow.”

“I already told Scarlette I’d go,” Savannah giggled.

They spent a lovely last night together, and Alexa left for the airport when Savannah went to school the next morning. She had thought it would be her last visit to Charleston, but it appeared there would be one more, for the wedding.

Alexa told her mother about it when she got home.

“I don’t know how I let Savannah talk me into it,” Alexa complained. “And now I have to buy a dress.”

“It might do you good. Maybe you’ll meet someone,” Muriel said hopefully. It had always seemed ironic to both of them that Muriel had more of a love life than she did.

“That’s all I need is to meet some other southern charmer,” Alexa said ruefully. “One is enough in a lifetime. Been there, done that. I don’t need another one.”

“They’re not all like Tom,” her mother reminded her.

“That’s true. Or like Luisa. But their society is certainly inbred at times, and if you’re not one of them, you’re screwed. I hope Savannah doesn’t wind up there, and comes back to New York after college.”

“God knows where she’ll want to be, depending on her jobs, or who she falls in love with. I managed while you lived in Charleston.”

“Yeah, but you had Stanley even then. I don’t. I have Savannah.”

“Maybe you need more than that in your life,” her mother reminded her again. “You can’t hang everything on her. It’s not healthy for either of you.”

“Well, I’m about to get dumped anyway, when she leaves for college.” Alexa was worried about it, but their time apart for the last four months was a good practice run. Alexa was terrified of the empty nest thing. And even in the last four months, the apartment had been agonizingly quiet without Savannah. Alexa was glad she was only going to Princeton, and no farther. “Do you want to go shopping with me this weekend?” she asked her mother. “I need a dress for the wedding. It’s black tie.”

“I’d love it.” Muriel sounded delighted, and they made a date to go to Barney’s on Saturday, and have lunch.