Bitter Hearts (A Southern Loving Book 3)

by Thorn, Ava

  “Plus I can’t turn down Farrah’s cooking.” Hank rubbed his stomach that was growling. His mouth was already watering and he hadn’t even taken a bite of the food.

  ***

  Kari walked into her office with the biggest smile. That wasn’t her first sensual kiss in her lifetime; she’d had plenty of boyfriends in her past. Sitting in the chair behind the desk, her hands went to her lips that missed Hank’s attention. Kari never had a kiss that awakened her sexuality. Sighing, she picked up her ink pen to concentrate, but she couldn’t contain the giddy feeling she was having. She was behaving like a schoolgirl who just experienced her first kiss.

  “What is that look on your face?” Corey asked, eyeing her suspiciously.

  “Nothing,” she said as she picked up papers and stacked them on her desk.

  “Is this about that handsome cowboy, who looked disappointed when I went to see him the other day at the ranch?” Corey pried.

  “Who Hank?”

  “Who Hank,” he mimicked. “Duh! He was looking at the door the whole entire time I gave him the dimensions for the crib and the print out. If you asked me, he thought you was going to walk in the house at any moment.”

  “Hank and I are just friends. I’m employed to work for a client who wants him to build custom cribs.”

  “Nope,” he said, smirking deviously and waving a hand as if to dismiss idea. The expression upon his face indicated that he was having far too much fun toying with her.

  “Girrrrl, I think he likes you.” Corey grinned at her, reclining back in the rolling chair. He sat up and rolled his chair from his desk to her. “I think you like him too.”

  Kari rolled her eyes and moved away from her desk where Corey sat there laughing like a manic. “You make me sick,” she said.

  “Then go take some medicine,” Corey howled with laughter.

  “You’re so ridiculous. He doesn’t like me; we can barely work well together. Plus, I’m black and he is white,” she said, trying to calmly but desperately put everything into perspective. For the past few days they’d been bickering at one another. She’d rather keep their role neutral, her being the designer and him being the carpenter, if they went beyond the lines of professionalism it would cause them to have an odd working relationship.

  “You’re silly.” Corey shook his head. “What does your color have to do with the price of tea in China?”

  “Ugh, you getting on my nerves.” Her eyes bored into those of her assistant, taking on a look of steely certainty until Corey burst into a fit of laughter. Kari sucked her teeth. Would it be bad if she liked Hank a little more than she should?

  “Come on Kari, it’s not that bad. You haven’t dated in two years and I’m pretty sure your vajayjay has some cobwebs in it,” Corey said, rolling himself over to his desk. “Look at it like this, he likes you and you like him.”

  Kari went to the small kitchenette in the office and made herself steamy cup of ginger tea. “Why are you worrying about my Concha?”

  “I’m a good friend and I’ve been worrying about you since the day you broke up with him, whose name shall not be mentioned,” Corey said.

  “You don’t have to worry about me. I’ve bounced back great from that tragedy of a relationship,” she assured Corey. Her best friend was a hopeless romantic who thought there was always a happily ever after like those crazy Hollywood love stories. She wasn’t Cinderella and there wasn’t going to be a Prince Charming to sweep her off her feet. The only person responsible for her true happiness was her and no one else.

  “He doesn’t know how to approach you regarding setting up an appointment to meet,” Corey said hesitantly, as he busied himself with filing.

  Kari held the mug inches from her lips as the words came from Corey’s lips. Maybe a meeting with Sam was exactly what Rita said she needed to do in so many words the other night. She was done wrong and not once did she seek any type of resolution. For two years she pretended like him hurting her had never happened. “Arrange for a meeting when I return from Texas,” she said, taking a seat behind the desk.

  “What about Hank?” Corey asked.

  “What about him?” she asked with a quizzical looked on her face.

  “He likes you and you like him,” he muttered.

  “This is not Jr. High School,” Kari snapped, jotting down information on sticky note as she posted it on the desk. “I have to pick up some samples for my meeting with the McBride’s tomorrow evening, can you close up for me?”

  “Yeah, of course.”

  Kari finished the remainder of the tea before standing up. Going across the room she wrapped her arms around Corey. “I love you, Corey. You’ve been my best friend since college and didn’t question my ideas of opening a business here in Nashville.”

  “Yes I did,” he said, patting her shoulders. “I said girl ain’t nothin’ out there but a bunch of hillbillies, but look at us now. You’re climbing up on people radars as an interior decorator and designer.”

  “I couldn’t do it without you,” she said, as she kissed the side of his cheek. “I’ll call you later tonight.”

  “I love you, Kari,” he said.

  “I love you, too,” she said, before walking out the exit.

  ***

  Hank stood in the distance watching Kari going over the sample baby bedding with Farrah. She wore designer white skinny jeans with a navy blue silk halter top with ruffles all down the front that matched her designer high heel shoes. Long curly ebony hair fell just below her shoulders, she must had sensed him standing there looking at her, because those deep brown eyes met his.

  “Are you going to stare at her all night?” Austin teased, standing behind him.

  “I wasn’t staring,” Hank lied.

  “Whatever dude.” Austin walked passed him and to where the two ladies was conversing.

  “Honey, look at the bedding samples,” Farrah gushed.

  Hank found himself looking at Kari instead of paying attention on what was going on around him. He was so amazed at the work she did. He studied everything about Kari from her smile, the dimples in her chin and the laughter that sound like a melody.

  “Uh, yeah you did a great job,” Hank said.

  “Are you okay?” Farrah and Austin asked in unison.

  “Why do you ask?” he asked, plastering a fake smile on his face.

  “You were making this noise, more like a grunt,” Austin said, looking at him with a smirk on his face.

  “I should be leaving,” Kari said, standing up from the table and packing her tote bag quickly.

  “Why don’t you stay for dinner,” Farrah offered. “I made more than enough.”

  “I shouldn’t impose,” Kari said.

  “Don’t be silly.” Farrah shook her head. “I made a Mediterranean style dinner.”

  Hank held his breath waiting for Kari’s answer. He didn’t have a chance to talk to her about the kiss the other day.

  “Okay,” she said.

  “I’m going to check on dinner it should be ready in a few,” Farrah said, pulling Austin towards the direction of the kitchen leaving Hank and Kari alone.

  “Hey,” he said softly, moving closer to her. “Can we talk?”

  “About what?” she asked with a slight frown on her face.

  “Kiss me, and I’ll show you,” he said breathlessly.

  Kari exhaled a breath before she closed the small space between them and kissed him. There was something between them, something deep and real that was floating to the surface. He kissed her back with all the emotion she gave him.

  “Kari! Hank!” Austin yelled out. “Dinner is ready!”

  They broke apart. Kari opened her eyes slowly and Hank looked at her with lust filled eyes. That look told her that he wanted to skip dinner and go back his house. Looking away from his eyes quickly, Kari knew if she continued to stare into those eyes she would ask if they could leave.

  “Hank, I…We can’t do…”

  “We can just go with the f
low,” he said. “Just think about it,”

  “It’s time for dinner,” she said, walking away from him but not before she turned back to meet his eyes. Don’t be stupid, Kari told herself as she walked into the kitchen.

  Minutes later, Kari sat at a glass table in the kitchen in front of huge floor to ceiling windows that gave a scenic view of the ranch as the sun was beginning to set. Farrah had outdone herself with grilled lamb chops with roasted garlic.

  “This is so delicious,” Kari said, biting into her lamb. Her tongue was met with rosemary, thyme and cumin.

  “I’m happy you like it,” Farrah said between bites of her lamb. “My husband and his cousin would tell you in a heartbeat they only eat red meat and potatoes.”

  “I’ll have you know that we do eat chicken,” Hank said.

  “So, Kari, tell us about yourself,” Austin said, looking at her from the head of the table. “Why design?”

  “My grandfather owns a successful architecture design firm where they specialize in the exterior and interior. I followed in his footsteps, except I wanted to earn my way in life and not have it handed it to me.”

  Hank’s fork clattered on his plate, he was shocked to hear that come from Kari. He pegged her as a spoiled brat with the designer clothes and shoes she wore. “Why move to Nashville?”

  “I’m from the 90210 and moving to Nashville gave me the opportunity to slowdown my life a lot. Everything you see that glitters is not gold,” she said with a shrug.

  Hank sat there eating, but his mind was occupied with thoughts of Kari. His judgment about her was way off. He’d allowed his bitterness to get in the way of seeing Kari for who she was. Hank tried to look away from her but he couldn’t, her smile, the excitement her eyes, the laughter and the angriness she sported after argument with him. Those were all the things he liked about her. Deep down he wanted to get to know her a little better.

  Sitting there, he watched as Kari and Farrah interacted together. They acted like there were old friends. Natalie wasn’t close friends with Rebecca, but somehow found it to hate Farrah with a passion.

  “What’s wrong with you?” Austin whispered. Sitting next to him.

  “Nothing.”

  “That look don’t say anything,” Austin said. Cutting in his lamb chop and eating another bite. “I swear you have this look on you face like you did when you was in 12th grade with Ally.”

  Hank picked up his fork and knife and cut into his food. He tried to appear unbothered by the mentioning of his ex-girlfriend and first real love of his life. Was it odd that he was thirty-three years old and had a crush on a woman? He needed to get a grip and figure out what was happening to him. Hank tried to convince himself mentally that the only reason why he was smitten with Kari was the physical attraction he had to her. Yeah his body craved to have her underneath him, but let’s face it, he wanted it all.

  Damn he was in trouble, especially if Austin could see that Kari had an effect on him. Hank felt like he was crossing the line with Kari. He was still married on paper. It had to more than a physical attraction that he had for her. Maybe it was because they shared an emotional connection from the time she flipped him off or when she’d cut her hand. He tried to pay attention to something other than Kari but nothing was working.

  “Ask her out to the state fair,” Austin said in a low voice. “Jiggy saw her when she came up and he was asking about her earlier.”

  Hank wasn’t about to allow Austin’s sound engineer, Jiggy, to take Kari out anywhere if he could help it.

  Hours later after dinner, Hank and Kari left the McBride’s house at the same time. The short walk to the car was in silence. When she unlocked the car Hank knew his time was almost up for him.

  “Have you ever been to the state fair?” Hank asked, looking down at her.

  “Not that I can recall,” she said, tucking her hair behind her ear.

  “Austin asked me to play back up for him.” He stuck his hands into his pockets to keep himself from touching her. “And I want you to be my date.”

  “I thought you were married?”

  “I’m separated,” he said quickly. “I don’t cheat it’s not in my vocabulary.”

  “Why don’t you come to my house for dinner tomorrow?”

  “You don’t cook,” he reminded her.

  “I’ll order something.”

  “Chinese food, I haven’t had that in a long time.” He reached pass and opened the door.

  “I live above my design studio.” She gave him a quick peck on the cheek before getting inside her car.

  “Drive safe and I’ll call you when I think you’ve made it home.” He closed the door and watched her drive away.

  ***

  Kari just took a shower and was in bed anticipating Hank’s phone call. Her eyes drifted to the wall. Should she really do this? Kari thought to herself. This man was still legally married to another woman. Her mind was telling decline the date but her heart was telling her to go out with Hank. The two shared a connection and that was hard to ignore. Immense with her thoughts she barely heard the phone ring.

  “I didn’t think you would call,” she said softly, laying her head back on the pillow.

  “I needed to hear your voice to make sure you made it home safely.”

  A shiver of want and need ran though her as she listened to his deep, southern voice. “What is going on with us?”

  “Kari…I haven’t felt this way in a long time.”

  “Hank, what happen with you and your wife?”

  Silence.

  “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked you that.”

  “It’s okay. It’s hard to tell people that my wife left me for another man,” Hank said.

  “Are you okay?” she asked.

  “I’m moving on. You can’t keep marinating a heart break. I learnt that I don’t have to stay hurt,” he said.

  “Don’t you wish you could remove the bad part sometimes? You want to forget but you can’t.”

  “You speak like a person who knows what a broken heart feels like,” he said.

  “Yes…A bad break-up that sent me running away from my problems, but I think I’ve been running in circles.”

  “For almost a couple months I’ve been analyzing and obsessing over my actions and wallowing in self-pity-”

  “You realize that nothing gets solved,” she said, interrupting him.

  “I learned at a young age when my mother died, that life always go on even when you don’t want it to.”

  “How do we seek closure?” she asked.

  There was a long pause, then he replied softly “You want those questions answered, you want to know what exactly went wrong. We want them to know they caused our heart some pain, but I wouldn’t give my ex or yours the satisfaction that we’ve been hurting.”

  “It’s easy to self-indulge in the pain,” she admitted. “I guess my mother is right when she says that other people hurt and I’m not the only one hurting in this world from a measly broken heart.”

  “Everybody hurts including him, especially when he realized that he let an amazing woman walk out his life.”

  “So it’s time to wish them the best and move on with our future,” she said. “Are you ready to move on?”

  “Kari…I’m ready to move on from the past…there is something about you.”

  “Hank…” She closed her eyes, reliving the beauty of his touch and kisses. She fought back telling him to come to her house.

  “Kari…” Hank breathed her name like a husky undertone that caressed her skin. “I can’t get enough of you, it’s like your some type of drug and I need more.”

  “So, we’re driving to Texas this weekend,” she murmured thickly, trying to deflect.

  There was a long pause, and then he replied in a low sensual voice, “I want to hold you.”

  “Hank…”

  “I know you want the same thing.”

  “I do.”

  He chuckled. “Ms. Kari Hayes wants me,” h
e breathed softly. “That makes me feel good.”

  She gave a small laugh. “I have to go.”

  “No, I’m getting in my truck to hold you.”

  “That’s not a good idea. We shouldn’t.”

  “I’m only coming to hold you and…talk…nothing else.”

  “Hank…”

  “Kari, I’m already here.”

  As soon as the words left his mouth, her doorbell rang. Jumping out of bed, Kari ran to the bathroom and checked her reflection. Not bothering to put make up on, brush her hair, or change out of her 49ers t-shirt. It was night time and she wasn’t going to bed to impress anyone. Sprinting to the front door, she opened it and stare into Hank’s grey eyes.

  “I think we can’t be friends anymore,” he said, tugging on the 49ers t-shirt. “We’re Cowboy fans for life.”

  Kari felt her cheeks heat as Hank walked past her, she closed the door.

  “You have a nice place,” he said, holding a grocery bag.

  “I’ll give you a tour, but before I do that you must tell me what’s in the bag.” She grinned.

  “I’ll raise you if I can have a hug, then I’ll feed you the item in the bag.”

  Kari went into his outstretch arms, his mouth claimed hers; her hand in his thick, curly hair. “I should show you around,” she said against his lips.

  “Okay,” he murmured, brushing a thumb across her cheek. “I brought you ice cream and brownies.”

  She leaned her cheek into his palm with a soft smile, prompting a soft groan to escape him before he reached for her lips again.

  “Hank…We should stop,” she moaned, eyes closed as she enjoyed his mouth traveling down her neck.

  “Okay,” he whispered, nibbling on her ear.

  Kari shivered again and stepped away from him. “Come on.”

  After the tour around the house, they sat on the sofa in the living room sharing an ice cream sundae that Hank made for them. Kari giggled as Hank teased before gliding the spoon with vanilla ice cream and warm brownie into her mouth.

  “This is so good,” she moaned.

  “Farrah made the brownies and I decided that ice cream would go great with them,” he said.

  “Best decision you ever made,” she laughed and took the spoon from him. “It’s my turn.”