by E A Hunt
‘You’re having phone sex on company time. How do I know you aren’t sending out nasty and disgusting emails to your clients?” Harvey leered before continuing. “Until I know you’re not sending ass pics on a computer this company pays for, I will be monitoring your calls, emails and anything else I see fit!’
She’d left his office more pissed than she’d ever been in her life, knowing she couldn’t beat Harvey’s ass. Instead she’d pulled out her phone and looked for a place she and Anessa could go so she, Nia, could cool down before she did something she couldn’t take back. Scrolling through the ‘Things to do in Georgia’ website, she’d found the Peony Festival. It boasted five days and four nights of music, crafts and fine liquors. It had looked like so much fun plus it was during the week of Anessa’s break. The problem was she couldn’t spend the whole week at the festival. It would taking her at least three days to get the office in order for her to leave without everyone freaking out. She hated to leave the staff with Harvey, but she needed to get out or she would burn out and she didn’t want to do that – not with so many lives in her hands.
Knowing she could only spend the weekend at the festival, she’d called the Peony Bed and Breakfast to see if they had any rooms. She knew festivals like this could fill up the B&B months in advance. Coming to the end of the drive Nia found herself gasping at the three-story, pale pink and sky blue Victorian house that stood before her. It had to be the most beautiful place she’d ever seen. It stood tall and serene with a wide front porch with several rocking chairs on it and picture windows that seemed to glow with the fires she could see blazing inside. Pulling her car in front of the porch steps, Nia cut the engine and stepped out. Feeling relaxed already. She couldn’t wait to get inside and see if the beauty there matched the outside.
Opening the back door of her car, she roused Anessa who’d fallen asleep on the ride up. Nia couldn’t blame her. Driving through the Georgia mountains had a calming effect on anyone.
“Are we here?” Anessa asked sleepily.
“We are,” Nia replied, taking her daughter’s hand and helping her from the car. “Come on Puddin’ Pop. Let’s get checked in,” Nia said. She opened the trunk of her car and retrieved their three bags. Guiding her daughter up the expansive stairs, Nia walked across the porch and opened the ornate ten-foot-tall door.
The sight that greeted her and Anessa was nothing short of magnificent. Placing her bags close to them, Nia surveyed the room they’d entered. There were hardwood floors and wood-paneled walls. A warm fire was roaring in what looked like a sitting room directly to her right, with a dining room across from it, on her left. A curved staircase sat three feet from the entrance to the sitting room, while a huge, dark cedar, four-foot-high desk sat near the middle of the curve leading up to the second floor. Behind the desk were serval key hooks, most of them empty except for one. And that one belonged to her, she thought gleefully.
When she’d called the Peony looking for a room, she had thought the woman on the phone, who’d introduced herself as Sookie, would tell her she was all booked up. But to Nia’s surprise, Sookie had one room left. She’d had a cancellation and the room was Nia’s if she wanted it. She’d eagerly accepted, pulling out her credit card and paying for her saving grace before anything else could happen. Once her room was secured at the Peony, she worked on being able to leave work, Harvey and most of her troubles behind, if only for one weekend.
“Well Ms. Nia Collins, we’ve been expecting you all day!”
Nia smiled at the older woman who greeted them. Could this wisp of a woman be Sookie? She didn’t look like she could lift a can opener let alone run a B&B by herself.
“Ms. Sookie?” she asked.
“That’s what’s on my birth certificate. Though I’m not sure anyone would believe it. Sookie is not a common name around here,” she replied, coming to stand before Nia.
“No, it’s not,” Nia replied with a smile.
“Well. Come along. You and Miss Anessa must be tired from your drive,” Sookie said, placing a hand on Nia’s upper arm. “I know I am when I come all the way back here from Atlanta,” she continued, removing her hand. Sookie turned and headed to the desk. Walking around it, she smiled at Nia and added, “If you sign the guest book, I’ll take you to your room.”
Reaching for her bags, Nia stilled at Sookie’s tsk.
“Leave those, I’ll have one of my boys bring them up once we have you all settled,” Sookie said, lifting the key for Nia’s room. She faced the young woman who was so very adorable with her shoulder-length chocolate brown hair. She had an oval face, which looked quite weary and caramel-colored skin which glowed slightly with the prospect of a relaxing weekend. Sookie had to admit that when she’d talked to Nia Collins on the phone, she’d felt the woman’s need to get away. To be free of her troubles for a while.
With Nia all signed in, Sookie walked back around the desk and headed towards the stairs with the Collins women close behind. “I know you’ll just love your room. It’s on the second floor and faces the mountains at the back of the house. There’s a huge king-sized bed and a little sitting area I put in there a while ago. Most of my guests love to stay in this room, even though it has a shared bathroom!”
Sookie shook her head as she started to ascend the stairs. “I wish I could have given you a room with its own bath but those are usually the rooms that book quicker than anything else. And with the festival, we’ve been booked for months.”
“It’s all right,” Nia replied as she followed Sookie up the curved staircase to the second-floor landing. “I’m just glad you have the room. And I just hope the person I’m sharing the bathroom with doesn’t mind a five-year-old going in the middle of the night!”
“They should be ok,” Sookie chuckled as she turned to her left. “I’m sure they would like the company since they have a five-year-old of their own staying with them,” she enlightened.
“I wonder if they’d allow Anessa to play with their child? I know we passed several places I would like to see. And the festival grounds look full of adventure… but Anessa will get bored doing only what Momma wants to do.”
“I’m sure they would love it,” Sookie replied, stopping before room 12. “Here we are,” she said as she opened the room door, stepping back to allow Nia entrance.
“Oh! Wow!” Nia gasped, walking into the room. The floor-to-ceiling double-paned windows not only showed the mountains but the forest valley below. Walking slowly to the window, Nia swallowed. From this view, it looked as if you were floating above the valley which seemed like a carpet below the glorious mountains. “Are we on a hill?” Nia wondered aloud, not remembering driving up any hills as she made her way to the inn.
“Yes,” Sookie replied with a smile. “The back of the inn sits on a hill which rolls into the forest beyond.”
Nia’s gaze traveled down the hill and towards the forest. She could see a few colorful tents through the forest trees. “This place is so very beautiful and I haven’t even seen the rest of it.” Nia faced Sookie. She couldn’t wait to explore this place and the festival.
“It does have a special charm,” came Sookie’s wistful reply. “Breakfast is from six to nine,” she informed. “Lunch is noon to two and dinner is at six. The kitchen is open any time you want to snack, and many do. Late at night I sometimes find guests sipping warm spiked cider on the back porch and enjoying the view.”
She walked over to Nia, lifted her hand and placed the room key inside. “Some say that between the cider and the mountain air they feel all their cares leave them and they can finally find some peace.”
She wanted that. Peace. “Thank you Sookie,” Nia whispered.
“My plea –”
“Sookie?”
Nia stilled at the sound of the voice calling out Sookie’s name. It couldn’t be? She had to be hearing things. Gideon could not be calling Sookie’s name… What was he doing here?
Turning her head, Sookie called out, “In here!”
&n
bsp; Turning back to Nia who was staring intently at the bedroom door, she asked, “Nia are you all right?” Sookie patted the back of the young woman’s hand. Gideon’s voice could be intimidating to some. “Don’t be afraid – that’s only my son, Gideon. He and his brother Saxton come to the festival every year to help out. Gideon brings my grandbaby Esme and they stay the whole week. He’s who you’ll be sharing the bathroom with.”
“I don’t want –” Nia started. She couldn’t share a bath with Gideon – not with how she dreamed about the man and the things she wanted him to do to her!
“You won’t. They usually stay on the second floor since my third-floor apartment is so small. Both understand they may have to share. And since Esme loves to look at the mountains, Gideon usually stays in room eleven,” Sookie finished, releasing Nia’s hand.
Nia swallowed as first Gideon’s silhouette appeared then his muscled frame followed. His face wasn’t what most people wouldn’t call beautiful, but she would call hers if given the chance. Gideon Price looked nothing like the picture she’d seen on his company’s website. He was alluring, striking and absolutely panty-wetting. Was that a tattoo peeking out from the beck of his too-tight-for-her-own-sanity t-shirt?
“Nia, my son Gideon Price,” Sookie beamed.
Trying not to tremble at the beast of a man before her, Nia spoke. “Hello, Gideon.” Her voice sounded normal to her but once she’d spoken, Gideon was staring at her like she was the last piece of cake on the table.
“Nia!” Gideon breathed. What was she doing here? How had she found him? Placing her bags on the bed he walked over to her. She was so very adorable. She reminded him of a doll. A beautiful, adorable doll you protected at all cost. “How?”
Fate. This had to be Fate. Gideon thought
“I was looking for things to do in Georgia and came across the Peony Festival and knew I wanted to go. My daughter, Anessa, and I have come for the weekend.”
Gideon took her free hand in his. “A weekend with me,” he corrected, as he laced his fingers through hers. He was not going to miss this opportunity.
“That sounds like fun,” Nia replied, stepping closer to him.
Gideon closed the gap between them and said, “It’s going to be more than fun, Nia.”
Nia smiled up at him. She couldn’t wait to see how much.
Chapter Five
“And you know our newest guest, how?”
Gideon ignored Sax as he poured Anessa and Esme two glasses of milk and made them a plate of cookies. Since seeing each other, both girls had been on the back porch spinning around and around with their ribbons, laughing and giggling for all the world to see. Looking out the kitchen window, he could see the girls had moved on to coloring at one of the kid’s tables Sookie had placed out there. Both girls had huge grins on their faces.
“Gideon?” Sax stepped next to his brother. He’d been waiting for thirty minutes to ask him about the woman Sookie had been talking about. He’d come out of the pantry after putting away the last of the groceries Sookie had sent him to the store to purchase before Nia’s arrival. As soon as he was out, Sookie had bombarded him with questions about the woman upstairs with Gideon. He hadn’t been able to answer any of the rapid-fire questions Sookie had tossed at him because he hadn’t known who Sookie was talking about.
And he still didn’t. Gideon had come into the kitchen, sans Nia, with both girls talking a mile a minute and a delighted expression on his face, making Sax more and more curious about a woman he knew nothing about. Who had his otherwise stoic brother smiling as if he’d found the meaning of life. He, like their mother, wanted to know who this woman was and why Gideon hadn’t mentioned her before.
“The girls are waiting for their milk and cookies,” Gideon replied, picking up two glasses with one hand and a plate of cookies with the other. He knew Sax and Sookie had questions, but right now the girls needed his attention. Walking around Sax, he headed towards the back door and stepped outside. He smiled at the girls as they sat at the kid’s table, coloring. “What are we coloring?” he asked them, placing the cookies in the middle of the table and glasses of milk before each girl. They still had a few hours before dinner, so this little snack wasn’t going to spoil it.
“Pumpkins, Daddy,” Esme beamed up at him.
“And you Anessa?” Gideon smiled down at Anessa. She had her mother’s chocolate brown hair and deep-set eyes. In fact, she was just as adorable as her mother.
“Kittens, Mr. Gideon,” she replied.
“Nessa, call him Daddy. I told you we could share!” Esme told her friend, facing her.
Crouching between the two girls, Gideon softened his voice as he turned his head to Esme. “Esme, I’m not sure Anessa’s Momma would like for her to call me Daddy.”
“Why?” Esme questioned. “She doesn’t have a Daddy and I do. Nessa is my bestest friend and I want to share my Daddy with her!” Esme sniffled.
Anessa placed her hand on Gideon’s face and turned it to hers. “If you were my Daddy could you protect my Momma?”
“Who am I protecting your Momma from?” Gideon questioned, seeing the tears pooling in the little girl’s eyes.
“The bad man. He hollers at Momma when she thinks I’m sleeping in the car. But I’m not. I hear him tell Momma how stupid she is. Stupid is a bad word. He makes Momma cry!” Anessa said, shaking her head. “And I don’t want my Momma to cry.”
“I will talk to the bad man,” Gideon replied, leaning forward and kissing Anessa’s hair. Straightening, he turned to head back into the house when he saw Nia in the doorway staring at her daughter with tears streaming down her face.
Walking over to her he pulled her into his arms. Before he left her room with the girls, he’d seen the tension slightly leave her body. He’d wanted to talk to her about it but was waiting until the girls were occupied.
“I didn’t know. I try to talk to Harvey when she’s not in the car or sleeping. I didn’t know she heard him,” Nia sniffled.
“Why does he talk to you like that?” Gideon asked softly, not wanting the girls to know Nia had heard them.
“Because his father loved me,” she replied softly as she looked at him.
Gideon gave a small nod. Was Anessa Harold Tridal’s daughter? “Let’s talk,” he said, releasing Nia and turning her back into the kitchen. “Sit at the counter. I’ll make you some tea,” he instructed before he turned to Sax who was standing by the counter. “Go watch the girls.”
Sax gave a small nod before turning his gaze to Nia, “I’m Sax, his brother. I wanted to introduce myself because I’m sure Gideon won’t do it,” he said warmly. He placed a reassuring hand on her arm for just a moment, before turning and heading out onto the back porch.
“Sit,” Gideon told Nia when he saw her still standing. He walked around the counter to retrieve the copper kettle Sookie kept for tea. He filled the kettle and placed it on a burner. Grabbing a mug, he put a sage and wildflower tea bag inside. Once all that was done, he faced Nia. She looked so natural standing in the Peony’s kitchen. Like she had been in this place for years instead of just hours.
“Gideon –”
“Your daughter is concerned about you. Your boss was an ass to you. And I want to know why. And it can’t just be because his father loved you,” he replied.
Nia huffed out a mirthless chuckle as she took a seat on one of the clothed stools at the center island. “But it is,” she replied, shaking her head. “When I started working at Tridal, Harvey, my boss, was just a young kid. OK, young is exaggerating. He was in his early thirties and still working temp jobs because he said there wasn’t anything else out there which appealed to him,” she scoffed, remembering the shouting match Harvey and Harold had had.
“By that time Harold, Harvey’s father, told him he wasn’t going to pay for his lifestyle anymore, and that he needed to work for a living like me and the other Tridal employees.
Harvey wasn’t happy. He hated working at Tridal. His first job at the compa
ny was in Customer Service,” Nia shuddered at the disaster that was. “He wouldn’t answer calls and when he did, he wasn’t kind or helpful to the customers. So we moved him to local van pickups and deliveries. That was even more of a disaster. He’d miss pickups that were scheduled, and some deliveries never made it to customers. We couldn’t prove it, but we think Harvey was selling the higher-end goods on the side. Once the suspicion was there, Harold moved him back inside and gave him a Vice President role.”
“Another mistake,” Gideon surmised. Harvey Tridal sounded like your typical trust fund kid. Never wanting to work for anything and always thinking everything should be handed to them. Gideon had known kids like Harvey growing up. His birth mother was always looking for the next rich man to take care of her. Last he’d heard, she was on husband number five – this one richer than all the others – but she hadn’t spoken to him since he’d graduated college fifteen years ago. She’d gotten husband number three; whom she’d divorced three months after he graduated, to pay for that; while Gideon worked odd jobs around campus not wanting anything more from the man or his mother. Once GidMaron had been making money Gideon had paid the man back releasing him from his birth mother’s antics.
“Unfortunately,” Nia sighed, “he would be cooped up in his office all day. Or he wouldn’t come into the office at all. He wouldn’t take meetings with our salesman Deni or with me. When he did sit down with me, he would always scowl at me and make snide comments. ‘You should be at home where no one can see you.’ ‘Who in their right mind would fuck someone who looked like you’.” She gave Gideon a weak smile before continuing. “’Your pussy must have dust on it because the last time anyone saw it was when your kid was made, and no one has touched it since.’” She couldn’t believe she was telling Gideon this or how close Harvey had come to the truth that day.