She smiled. “Don’t you mean hook up?”
Langston held up both hands. “No comment.”
He got out, rounded the car and helped Georgina to stand. Threading their fingers together, he led her to the front door. Other than when they’d danced together at the Chamber dinner dance, this would be the first time they would be out in public together. Langston knew being seen with the Powell girl, as many of the locals referred to her, would generate a lot of talk but it was something he was more than prepared for.
He opened the door and allowed her to precede him into the noisy, crowded sports bar. Music blared from speakers, making it almost impossible for someone to be heard unless they were standing only feet apart, while a dozen televisions were muted and tuned to various sporting events. The line at the bar was two-deep as a trio of bartenders was shaking, mixing and pouring drinks. Icy pitchers and mugs of beer lined the mahogany bar as the waitstaff shouldered their way through the throng carrying trays. Langston preferred coming to the Den for lunch when he did not have to shoulder his way through diners to find a table.
He tapped the arm of a passing waiter to get his attention. “I reserved a table for two with Aiden. The name is Cooper.”
The young man, who didn’t look old enough to shave, smiled. “Come with me. Your table is in the back.”
Resting his hand at the small of Georgina’s back, Langston followed the waiter, stopping short when he realized they would be seated close to Dwight Adams and Sasha Manning. “What’s up, Doc?”
Dwight pushed back his chair, coming to his feet. “I should be asking you the same thing, Cooper.” The two men shook hands.
Sasha sprang to her feet and hugged Georgina before Langston was able to respond to Dwight. The two women were talking at the same time and he shrugged his shoulders when the dentist nodded and smiled. Langston and Sasha’s brother Stephen were best friends.
Georgina turned and smiled up at him. “Langston, would you mind if we pushed the tables together so Sasha and I can sit next to each other without having to shout to be overheard.”
He stared at Sasha’s date. “Dwight, are you all right with us sitting together?”
“The more, the merrier,” the retired army major quipped.
Langston removed the Reserved sign and he and Dwight pushed the tables together. He seated Georgina and lingered over her head. “Can I get you anything from the bar before we order?”
She met his eyes. “If I’m going to eat barbecue, then I’ll have a beer.”
“Wait for me, Cooper,” Dwight said. “I’m also going to the bar.” When they were out of earshot of the two women, Dwight asked, “Is it serious between you and Georgina?”
Langston chuckled. “A little, but definitely not as serious as it is between you and Sasha Manning.”
It was Dwight’s turn to laugh. “So you noticed?”
“It’s as plain as the nose on your face that there’s something going on between you and the town’s pastry chef,” Langston said, smiling.
Dwight flashed a wide grin. “I really enjoy being with her.”
“Good for you.”
Langston wanted to tell the dentist that he also enjoyed dating Georgina, because she was a constant reminder of the normalcy that had been missing for more than half his life. He’d convinced himself that he didn’t need a woman in his life after his divorce; that he was content to remain a bachelor and not commit to any woman. Until now. Unknowingly, Georgina had changed him where he did want to remarry, become a father and raise his children in Wickham Falls, West Virginia.
Chapter Ten
“I had no idea when we spoke earlier that I’d be seeing you here with Langston,” Sasha said in Georgina’s ear.
She leaned closer to her friend, their shoulders touching. “He wanted to celebrate the council approving my application to open a business.”
Sasha gave her a you’ve got to be kidding me look. “Do you really believe that, Georgi?”
A slight frown appeared between Georgina’s eyes. “What are you talking about?”
“Open your eyes, girl. Langston Cooper will concoct any story he can to see you, and includes celebrating your new business.” She held up her hand when Georgina opened her mouth to refute her. “Please let me finish.” Georgina nodded. “I suspect I’ve had a lot more experience with men than you have, so please believe me when I say that Langston looks at you the same way Grant Richards looked at me when I met him for the first time. And that translates into I like and want what I see.”
“Langston and I are friends, Sasha.”
“Like Dwight and I went from friends to lovers. No one was more surprised than I was once I realized that Kiera’s father was nothing like any other man I’d ever known or met. He was the first man who has allowed me to be me. My ex tried to control my career because he had to be the superstar in the family, while Dwight supports and respects the decisions I’ve made when it comes to the bakeshop.”
“Why shouldn’t he?” Georgina asked. “After all, the bakeshop is yours, and not his.”
“True, Georgi. But I’ve been around enough successful couples to discover that men have very fragile egos, and once they realized their wives’ or girlfriends’ popularity begins to eclipse theirs, they do whatever they can to tear them down. My relationship with Dwight works because we don’t have to professionally compete with each other."
Georgina wanted to tell Sasha that she couldn’t compare and base everyone’s relationship on her failed marriage. That couples broke up for myriad reasons and that envy could be added to the list of irreconcilable differences. And there was no way her enterprise would conflict with Langston’s. He was a journalist and she a needle worker, which meant there would never be any competition between them.
“Are you ladies looking for company?”
Georgina’s and Sasha’s heads popped up at the same time, both recognizing boys with whom they’d attended school. “No!” they said in unison.
“That’s enough, fellas,” Langston said as he approached the table. “Go and annoy someone else.”
“Now, gentlemen!” Dwight commanded when the two men lingered longer than necessary.
They saluted Dwight, backpedaled and made their way to the front of the restaurant. Georgina hid a smile. As a retired major, Dwight was the Falls’ highest-ranking officer, and was well respected by the community. The divorced single father had become a very eligible bachelor; women were drawn to his lean, sable-brown sculpted face, and his large, dark, penetrating eyes and dimpled smile were mesmerizing, while his buzz-cut salt-and-pepper hair was a shocking contrast to his unlined face. Georgina shared a look with Sasha before both dissolved into hysterical laughter.
Langston set a pitcher of beer and two frosty mugs on the table, while Dwight set another pitcher filled with pop on the table with two mugs. “What’s so funny?” he asked, sitting opposite Georgina.
“Those guys were our prom dates,” she volunteered.
Dwight took his chair, staring across the table at Sasha. “Y’all went to prom with the MacDonald cousins?”
“It’s not as if Liam and Chris Hemsworth were available to ask me,” Sasha retorted.
“Or Michael B. Jordan for me,” Georgina added, staring directly at Langston.
“Damn, brother Cooper,” Dwight said under his breath. “I suppose we’ll never be able to compete with their Hollywood heartthrobs.”
Langston smiled. “I wouldn’t worry too much, Major Adams. Those dudes have nothing on us.”
Georgina and Sasha shared a smile. Langston was right. She wanted nothing to do with anyone who lived their life in the spotlight. But then she had to remind herself that Langston had become a celebrity in his own right with a bestselling book that had garnered the attention of Congress.
All conversation ended when a waitress approached the table to take
their food order. They all agreed to order the newest item on the menu—Korean barbecue short ribs. Georgina had finished half her beer when the food arrived, and she sampled perfectly smoked chicken, fall-off-the-bone spareribs and melt-in-the-mouth brisket, but also sides of potato salad, collard greens, cole slaw and mac and cheese.
I was a carnivore tonight, she thought, touching the napkin to the corners of her mouth. Not only had she eaten more meat in one sitting than she’d had in a long time, she had also loaded up on carbs.
Georgina also knew the answer immediately when she’d asked herself why it had taken so long for her to come to the Wolf Den. She hadn’t wanted to dine alone. If Sasha hadn’t left the Falls, she was certain they would’ve hung out together. And inviting Sean to the Den had not been an option. They always dined in Beckley where he would occasionally run a tab with several restaurants, and not once had she questioned why he didn’t have a credit card, or rarely carried cash.
Dwight placed his napkin next to his plate. “Now that the weather is warmer, I’m spending more time at my lake house, where the rainbow trout and small-mouth bass are literally jumping out of the water. You guys are welcome to come and hang out with us whenever you need to kick back and relax.”
Georgina met Langston’s eyes, wondering if Dwight was extending the invitation to him or to them. Had he thought of them as a committed couple because they’d danced together at the fund-raiser and had come to the Den together?
“I’m afraid that’s not going to be possible,” she said, “until later in the year.”
“How much later?” Dwight questioned.
Georgina knew it was time to tell Dwight what she’d revealed to Sasha and Langston, because once the next issue of The Sentinel was published, everyone in Wickham Falls would know another Powell planned to open a business in town.
“I’m going into business for myself.” She told Dwight everything, watching as a smile parted his lips.
“It’s about time the Falls got another businesswoman.”
“I agree,” Langston said.
“The invitation is still open if and when you get a break, Georgi,” Dwight continued. “The same goes for you, too, Cooper.”
Reaching across the table, Langston took Georgina’s hand and threaded their fingers together. “We accept your rain check.”
* * *
The drive from the Den back to her home was accomplished in complete silence as Georgina closed her eyes and chided herself for eating and drinking much too much. The time she’d spent with Sasha, Dwight and Langston had passed quickly and when she glanced up at the wall clock, she realized she’d lost track of time. It was close to eleven when they’d finally left the restaurant.
“We accept your rain check,” Georgina said, repeating what Langston had said once they stood in the middle of her living room. “Do you realize you gave him the impression that we are sleeping together?”
Langston pushed his hands into the pockets of his jeans. “No, I didn’t, babe. People see what they want to see and draw their own conclusions. If he believes we are sleeping together then do you want me to tell him that we’re not?”
“No, but—”
“If it’s no, then you have nothing to worry about, Georgi,” he said, cutting her off. “Now, if you were to ask me whether I want us to sleep together, then the answer is a resounding yes.”
Georgina went completely still. She hadn’t expected Langston to be that candid. He wanted to sleep with her, and she’d convinced herself that she did not want or need passion in her life; that becoming an independent business owner was enough. But even before opening the doors to A Stitch at a Time, she knew she needed more cutouts to complete the puzzle that had become her life. She’d known she wanted to live on her own and start up a business, but not falling in love, marrying and starting a family after she’d broken up with Sean, and looking back she wondered how she had allowed distrust to turn her off love.
“At least I know where you’re coming from.”
Langston angled his head. “And where are you coming from?”
She chewed her lip. “I like you, Langston. A lot,” she added. “But I need time to sort out my feelings for you.”
Taking two steps, he cradled her face in his hands. “And you can have all of the time you need because neither of us is going anywhere. I know where to find you and you know where to find me.”
Georgina rested a hand alongside his lean jaw, went on tiptoe and brushed her mouth over his. “I promise not to run away.”
“You better not,” he whispered against her parted lips.
She lowered her hand. “Thank you for tonight. I really had a fun time.”
Langston lowered his hands and dropped a kiss on the bridge of her nose. “It’s only the first of many more to come.”
He kissed her again, this time on the mouth, increasing the pressure until her lips parted, while Georgina’s stomach muscles clenched and unclenched before trembling like frozen gelatin. Every nerve and muscle in her body screamed from the sensations holding her captive and reminding her of how long it had been since her self-induced celibacy. Langston kissing her, feeling the strong beating of his heart against her breasts, the pulsing between her thighs, forced her to acknowledge that she was a woman who’d denied the strong passions within her for far too long.
Pushing against his shoulder, she managed to extricate herself. “Please go, Langston, before I beg you to stay and make love to me.”
He buried his face in the wealth of curls cascading down her back. “You’ll never have to beg me, sweets. All you have to do is tell me what you want me to do with you.”
Georgina nodded and pulled her lip between her teeth. She was unable to speak because of the pleasurable throbbing drowning her in a maelstrom that threatened to tear her apart. She’d just opened her mouth to plead with Langston to leave when he turned on his heel and walked out. Muffling a sob, she walked on shaky legs to the bedroom, fell across the bed and waited for the sensations gripping her traitorous body to ease.
She lay facedown on the quilt, eyes closed as she thought about what she’d shared with Langston since sitting next to him at the fund-raiser, and she could not believe the months had passed so quickly. He’d cooked for her, and she in turn had cooked for him, and tonight was the first time they’d appeared in public as a couple. Wickham Falls was a small town and gossip spread quickly, which meant she had to be prepared for the fallout.
Although Sasha had admitted to seeing Dwight in secret, it was apparent she was either tired of hiding or did not care who knew it, but her being seen with him at the Wolf Den spoke volumes.
Turning over, Georgina stared up at the ceiling, wondering why it had taken her so long to come into her own. She was thirty-two, unmarried, childless, solvent and only recently had become emancipated. She’d dated a man for nearly eight months and hadn’t been willing to introduce him to her parents until wearing his engagement ring. However, in her naiveté, she’d believed having a fiancé was necessary for her to ensure a modicum of independence. Combing her fingers through her hair, she held it off her face.
Circumstances beyond her control hadn’t only affected her, but were also the impetus that changed her life once her father made the decision to eliminate Powell’s crafts section. Rather than putting the items on sale with deep discounts, she’d boxed and stored them for what would become the next phase in the journey to control her destiny. And when she’d used Sasha as a sounding board about how stagnant her life had become, Georgina’s friend confirmed what she’d already visualized.
And like Cinderella she was no longer the stepsister, existing behind the scenes, and after attending the ball and encountering her prince, she had no intention of hiding her relationship with Langston from her parents or anyone else. He was her man and she was proud of it.
* * *
Georgina smiled at her
father when he rapped lightly on the door. “Good morning.”
Bruce walked into the office, leaned over and kissed her cheek. “How’s it going, baby girl?”
She rolled her eyes upward and wanted to remind her father that she was no longer a little girl. “Everything’s good. Please sit down, Dad. I have something to tell you.”
Crossing his arms over a crisp, white, short-sleeve shirt, Bruce met her eyes. “I think I know what you’re going to say.”
“Since when did you become a mind reader?” she teased, smiling.
Bruce took a chair opposite Georgina, leaning back and tenting his fingers. “Sutton called last night to tell me he’s moving back to the Falls to help manage this place. His timing is impeccable now that you’ll be opening your own shop.”
Completely shocked, Georgina couldn’t stop the gasp escaping her parted lips. “How did you know?”
Bruce lowered his eyes. “There are very few things that go on in this town that I don’t know about.” He glanced up, giving her a long, penetrating stare. “What bothers me is that you did not trust me enough to tell me what you’d planned.”
She squared her shoulders while refusing to accept guilt for her actions. “What I didn’t trust was for you not to attempt to sabotage my plans, Dad. If you’d made a phone call to someone at the town council to alert the landlord that I wanted the storefront I never would’ve been able to rent the space on Sheridan Street.”
“I wouldn’t have done that,” Bruce said in a quiet tone.
“Wouldn’t you, Dad? All you had to do was mention it to Mom and even if you did want to support me you would’ve caved like a deflated balloon and gone along with her.”
Bruce’s dark blue eyes grew hard. “That’s where you’re wrong, Georgina. I went along with your mother to keep peace in my home because I remember my mother constantly arguing with my father about absolutely nothing. If he said the sky was blue, then my mother would try and convince him it was lavender. It was one of the reasons why my brother and sister moved so far away. My folks were the perfect couple in public but hell-raisers behind closed doors.”
Starting Over In Wickham Falls (Wickham Falls Weddings Book 9) Page 14