This revelation about the man she had fallen in love with shocked Georgina, because not only was he forthcoming about how he felt about her, but he held nothing back whenever they made love. “Maybe he’s changed because of what he’d experienced as a foreign correspondent. Being bombarded daily with the possibility of death can be very sobering.”
Jacklyn squeezed her hand. “It’s apparent you know my brother better than I do. I promised Peter I would cook out if doesn’t rain. He’s probably going to invite some of his buddies from the Bureau along with their wives to come over and hang out with us this weekend. So I’m going to warn you in advance that there’s going to be a lot of testosterone and concealed weapons in attendance, which I insist they lock up as soon as they arrive.”
Georgina laughed and wanted to remind Jacklyn that there probably wasn’t a house in the Falls where there wasn’t a rifle, shotgun or handgun. Her father had taught her to shoot the year she turned twelve, and the recoil from the powerful automatic nearly knocked her off her feet. It took weeks of practice before she was able to load, unload and hit a target. Then she swore never to pick up a gun again.
* * *
Langston felt Georgina’s pride as if it was his own. It was her grand opening and A Stitch at a Time was filled with curious and potential customers. Although she had had to wait until the second week in July to open, the wait was more than worth it.
The town council did not meet during the months of July and August; however, several members were on hand to cover the event while Jonas Harper was in attendance to take photos for the newspaper.
Once they’d returned from Washington, DC, Langston did not get to see Georgina as often as he would’ve liked. And it was as if time had sped up because she was spending more time at the shop waiting for the delivery of furniture and accessories, and then meticulously stocking the Plexiglas shelving with yarns and threads by color and weight. He was in awe when he saw an entire wall of colors from alabaster white to midnight, unaware there were that many colors in the spectrum. He also learned that quilting squares were called fat quarters, crochet hooks were sized by letters and knitting needles by numbers.
She’d arranged the space for ultimate relaxation with love seats and armchairs, where one could opt to watch television or indulge in coffee from a single-serve coffeemaker, an assortment of teas and a cooler with dispensers for hot and cold water. Georgina had ordered an assortment of cupcakes and pastries from Sasha’s Sweet Shoppe for the occasion. Framed prints of women knitting, crocheting and quilting adorned the walls covered in a pale wheat-like fabric. There were signs advertising free instructions with purchase of materials, a display case with hats, sweaters, scarves and afghans for sale. Also a corner table with sewing machines and racks from which hung hand-and machine-made quilts. The shop also had a customer-only restroom.
Georgina had designed an ad with a coupon offering escalating discounts for total purchases, and even deeper discounts for the first twenty customers. Her logo, a quilt square along with the shop’s address and telephone number, was stamped on white paper shopping bags and business cards.
Langston had interviewed her for the “Who’s Who” column and planned to run it in the upcoming edition along with Jonas’s photos. When she initially told him she wanted to host her grand opening on a Sunday he’d thought it odd, but when Georgina explained that she wanted people to stroll in and look around and possibly sign up for instruction and then take several days to determine if they wanted to join the scheduled classes she’d set up, he realized it was a brilliant plan, because her first official day of operation wouldn’t be until Tuesday.
Georgina’s parents and Sutton had also stopped by. Evelyn appeared to be overcome with emotion when she walked in and saw that all the time and hard work her daughter had put into A Stitch at a Time to make it a charming retreat where her customers could come to develop and explore their creativity. He’d found it almost impossible not to stare at Georgina as she exchanged pleasantries or showed someone a pattern from one of the many instruction books on display. Langston had teased her when she’d shown him the black smock with white lettering identifying the business, that she’d turned in Powell’s for Stitch’s. She’d laughed, and then explained as an artist she had to represent the medium because she remembered having to wear a smock whenever her classes went to art.
There were times when Langston forgot that she was an artist whether sketching her illustrations or piecing a quilt. He’d visited museums where there were exhibits with quilts and other textiles. He had come out to report on her grand opening, but also to support the woman with whom he wanted to spend the rest of his life. The first time he’d asked her to move in with him Langston knew it had been too early in their relationship to make that request. Her comeback that she wasn’t raised to shack up with a man spoke volumes. She wouldn’t live with him unless they were married.
And he did want to get married again, and hopefully get it right the next time. But he had to remind himself that Georgina wasn’t Ayanna. She didn’t have abandonment issues and had come into her own as an independent woman and business owner, while he didn’t have a career that would take him away from home for extended periods of time. Langston knew he had to wait, wait until Georgina felt confident enough to manage her career, marriage and hopefully children. He’d watched her interact with his niece and nephew, and Sophia clung to her like Velcro. She followed Georgina everywhere and cried when she set her down. Even his sister had mentioned her daughter’s fixation with his girlfriend, teasing him that he shouldn’t wait too long to make Georgi an auntie for her children.
Waiting until there was a lull in foot traffic, Langston approached Georgina and kissed her cheek. “You are incredible. Congratulations.”
Eyes shimmering with excitement, Georgina smiled up at him. “Thank you for helping me set up everything.”
“There’s no need to thank me, Georgi. I love you and would do whatever I can to make certain you succeed in whatever you set out to do.”
She lowered her eyes. “Don’t, Langston.”
“Don’t what? Don’t love you?”
* * *
Georgina sucked in a breath to compose herself. It wasn’t what he’d said, but how it had come out. The passion in his voice made her heart stop for a few seconds before starting up again. All before they were just words, but this time they were more. And for the first time since coming face-to-face with him at the fund-raiser she realized how much he did love her.
“We’ll talk about this later. Once I close up, I’ll come by your place. I’m not opening until Tuesday, so maybe I can convince my man to take a few hours off on Monday so we can spend some quality time together.”
Langston shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know if that’s possible. I have to ask my boss if I can take time off.”
“You are the boss, Langston.”
His expressive black eyebrows lifted. “You’re right. I am the boss.”
Rising on tiptoe, she brushed a kiss over his mouth. “I’ll see you later.”
“Okay, sweets.”
Georgina watched him walk, unaware her mother was staring at her. “You really like him, don’t you?” Evelyn whispered in her ear.
“I love him, Mom.”
Evelyn looped their arms. “What are you going to do about it?”
She turned and stared at Evelyn, who looked nothing like the woman she was before she’d gone to Hawaii with her husband. She’d regained some of the weight she’d lost over the years, her hair was fuller, styled in a fashionable bob, the chemically straightened strands ending at her jawline.
“What do you mean?”
“Are you going to marry him, or are you going to drag your feet and let some other woman sink her hooks in him?”
“Mama. Langston and I haven’t been dating long enough to even broach the subject of marriage.”
“
You’re not a girl, Georgina, but a grown-ass woman with a ticking biological clock. If not now, then when?”
Georgina could not believe what she was hearing. In the past it had been her father talking about grandchildren, and it was apparent her mother had become his ally. “I’m not going to answer that. I don’t intend to fast-forward my relationship with Langston because you want to become a grandmother. However, if things change between us you will be the first one to know.”
Evelyn pressed a kiss to her temple. “Thank you, sweetheart. I know I don’t say it enough, but I’m so proud of you. This place is beautiful. I know my mother was disappointed that I didn’t like knitting or crocheting, but I think it’s time I pick it up again. Maybe I’ll make Bruce a sweater for Christmas.”
“I recommend you begin with an afghan. I have patterns where you can crochet and complete one in forty-eight hours.”
Evelyn smiled. “That sounds more like it.”
“I know your favorite colors, so I’ll pick out the yarn and photocopy a few patterns that will work up quickly.”
“Thank you, baby.”
Minutes before five, Georgina turned over the sign on the front door from Open to Closed, lowered the solar shades covering the plate-glass windows and dimmed the recessed lights. She cleaned up the coffee station, ran the vacuum cleaner over the floor and carpeted area and rearranged chairs. Potted plants and vases of flowers from well-wishers covered the surface of a table next to the reception area. Her grand opening wasn’t about ringing up sales but a welcoming event to introduce townsfolk to their newest local business.
* * *
Georgina lay in bed with Langston, holding hands. Within minutes of his opening the door to her ring, he’d swept her up in his embrace and carried her to the bedroom where he’d undressed her and entered her body without saying a word. Words were irrelevant when they allowed their bodies to speak for them.
And she knew at that moment if he’d asked her to live with him, Georgina would’ve ignored what her mother and grandmother had preached to her about shacking up with a man. She was modern woman who didn’t need a promise of marriage to live with a man.
“I think I’m going to ask my boss to take a few hours off tomorrow,” Langston teased.
She turned to stare at his profile. “Who will cover the office?”
“Now that Sharon is away, Randall is next in line.”
“When did she quit?”
“She didn’t quit, princess. She took a leave to deal with some personal business.”
“I remember when I used to go the paper’s office to hand in an ad or drop off a check, Miss Sharon would give me what I thought of as the stink-eye, because the woman never smiled.”
“Sharon is all business and the life’s blood backbone of the paper. It would’ve gone under a long time ago if not for her.”
“You’ve done wonders with The Sentinel. It was on life support before you took over and folks were saying it was just a matter of time before it folded completely.”
Langston gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “It hasn’t been an easy journey, and everyone is on board to keep the presses rolling.”
Georgina pressed her face against his muscular shoulder. “You don’t have to take off. I’m going to be here all day tomorrow and plan to make a special dinner for you when you come home.”
“Be careful because I can be spoiled quite easily with just a few homemade dinners.”
Releasing his hand, she straddled his body. “Get used to it, my prince. Because spoiling you makes me very, very happy.”
* * *
Georgina could not have envisioned the pace in which her business had taken off. She had a steady stream of customers signing up for lessons and more experienced ones who came in to sit and work on their projects, or form new friendships.
The summer was over and with waning daylight hours and the approaching fall and winter holidays, many knitting and crocheting projects were quick sellers. A month following her meeting Amelia, the agent forwarded her the contract from the publisher, which she gave to Nicole Campos-Austen for her perusal. The local attorney gave her a thumbs-up, congratulating her on her new venture. Georgina signed the contract and now awaited an executed copy and payment, which would legally make her a professional illustrator.
Georgina had knitted a birthday sweater for Langston’s nephew using a royal blue acrylic yarn. The front of the garment had orange pumpkins, a haystack, scarecrow and cornstalks. She’d resisted knitting witches or other ghoulish images because she felt they weren’t appropriate for a child to advertise. Jacklyn had called to tell her Brett did the happy dance when he saw the sweater and refused to take it off even when it was time for him to go to bed.
Georgina leaned over the woman attempting to piece squares using the sewing machine. “You have to control the speed, or your stitches will be uneven.”
Mrs. Jefferies shook her head in exasperation. “I just can’t use these newfangled machines. I’m so used to quilting by hand.”
“Then you should continue to quilt by hand, Mrs. Jefferies. It may take longer, but you have more control.”
The older woman’s eyelids fluttered. “I want to finish this crib blanket for my new great-grandbaby for Christmas.”
Georgina patted her shoulder. “Don’t stress yourself. I’ll machine stitch the squares for you, then you can finish it up by hand.”
“Really?”
She smiled. “Yes. I’ll call you when I’m finished.”
The octogenarian gave her a warm smile. “Thank you so much, Georgina. You truly are a blessing.”
She thought it was the opposite. Her customers were a blessing for her. They patronized her shop more than they had the crafts section at Powell’s. She’d believed she had enough inventory on hand to last at least six months, but swift sales were an indicator she would have to reorder sooner rather than later.
Her relationship with Langston had grown even stronger and there were times when she spent more nights at his house than at hers. Many of the homes in the new development on the Remington property were completed, and Georgina had to decide whether she would continue to rent the guesthouse, move in with Langston, or put in a bid to purchase one of the newly built homes.
She’d lowered the shade in preparation of closing when her cell phone rang. “Hi, Jackie.”
“Hi, yourself. Amelia dropped by to leave our executed contracts and checks. I told her to mail yours to you, but I assume she didn’t want to pay the postage to overnight it. I can’t understand her. She said we live close enough so you can pick it up from me. I just can’t get over her obsession with hoarding money.”
“It takes all kinds to run the world, Jackie. Maybe she had a partner who took advantage of her generosity where she was left almost penniless, and that’s scary for someone who has to depend on themselves to stay afloat.”
“I never thought of that. I know I can mail them to you, but the kids have been asking about you.”
Georgina smiled. “I miss them, too. I close Sundays and Mondays, so I’ll let you know when I’m going to drive up to see them. Don’t tell them I’m coming because I want it to be a surprise.” Her surprise would be to give both knitted hats and scarves from a supply she had on hand for sale.
It was the first Wednesday in December and Langston was scheduled to attend the monthly town hall meeting, and knowing she would find him at his office, she decided to stop by to give him her good news before going home. She locked up, walked around the corner to Main Street and mounted the staircase to the second story to The Sentinel’s office.
The door was unlocked, and she walked past the reception area to Langston’s private office, stopping short when she heard him talking to someone. Her eyes grew wide when she did not want to believe what she’d overheard.
“Yes, Mom. I do need the money and I’m going to ask her f
or what I need to cover the year-end salary increases and bonuses. Why are you trying to talk me out of it? I wouldn't ask if I didn't have a problem with cash flow, but this is going to be a one-time request. Yes, I know she's going to go off on me, but she’ll get over it because we love each other.”
Georgina had heard enough. She retraced her steps and practically ran down the staircase and out into the night. A cool mist feathered over her face like a gossamer spider web and when she brushed her cheek her fingers were moist from the tears flowing down her face.
Not again! screamed the silent voice in her head. For the second time in her life she’d fallen in love with a man who’d used her for his own selfish purposes. She hadn’t told Langston how much she was paid for the illustrations; he was aware that she’d set up her shop without taking out a business loan; and he was also cognizant that as a new business, A Stitch at a Time was doing well.
She drove home, filled the bathtub with bath salts and sat in the nearly scalding hot water and willed her mind blank until the water cooled. Then she did something that she’d never done before. She drank several glasses of wine and then crawled into bed and slept until dawn.
Georgina waited until she knew Langston would be up to call him. He answered after the second ring. “Good morning, princess.”
“Langston, I’ve decided I can no longer see you.”
“What!”
“Something has come up in life that won’t permit me to become involved with a man. Goodbye.”
Chapter Fourteen
Langston felt as if he’d been kicked in the head. Georgina’s phone call had left him shocked and numb for days. His first impulse was to walk around the corner to her shop and demand she talk to him but didn’t want to cause a scene, which no doubt would impact her business.
Starting Over In Wickham Falls (Wickham Falls Weddings Book 9) Page 19