Page 67 of Taming Georgia

“Do tell.”

“Well, everyone seems to rave about this local pizza place called the Pizza House. But I don’t know if I trust the locals’ opinions anymore after the drink of death.”

I run my thumb over her cheek before dropping my hands from her face. “I’ve actually been to the Pizza House, and the hype is legit. It’s good.”

“Finally.” She sounds relieved.

We walk to dinner, and I try to play it cool. Yet the reality is that I can’t believe this day with this girl is happening. It’s been wonderful, and perfection isn’t part of my reality. I simply need to calm that inner voice that’s saying it won’t last. Everyone’s bound to find the good, even in me. Shit knows, I’ve had enough of the bad to last a lifetime.

17

“I see Wyatt—the beautiful and the broken—and I love all of him.”—Georgia Wright

I’m not sure when the smell of bleach, wet dog fur, and the faint aroma of urine started to feel like home, but somehow, it now does. Over my travels, I’ve lived and worked among all sorts of smells, some worse than others. Some scents carry such vivid and scary memories with them that when I catch a whiff of anything similar, it takes me back to the time and place where the memories originated. I can close my eyes and imagine being there.

No matter where life takes me, bleach, wet fur, and dog urine will always bring me back here, and I hope when I think about Cooper’s Place, I’ll smile. Goodness knows, the grin I’m wearing now is evidence of the pure happiness I’m feeling here.

“I want to go alone,” I repeat.

Wyatt looks to me, uncertain. “Are you sure?” He cocks an eyebrow. Sitting across from me, he holds five playing cards in his hands.

“Yes, I can do it.” I nod, not completely confident in my new Euchre skills but kind of sure. Maybe.

“She said she wants to go alone. Put down your cards, boss man,” Xavier tells Wyatt.

Oh no.

Wyatt puts his hand of cards facedown on the table. “Let’s see what you’ve got, Peaches.” He shoots me a wink, causing my cheeks to flush.

Wyatt and I are teammates against Xavier and his girlfriend, Luciana. The workday is over, and the rest of the employees have gone home. Luciana brought tacos from her parents’ restaurant, and the three of them are trying to teach me how to play Euchre as we sit around a card table in Wyatt’s office.

When I told them that I’d never heard of Euchre, they insisted on teaching me, claiming it’s the best card game there is. Apparently, it’s really popular in some of the Midwestern states, especially in Michigan. Xavier seriously gasped when I told him that I’d never heard of it.

“What’s it going to be?” Xavier asks.

“Hearts,” I tell him.

He chuckles and looks to Luciana. “Hearts it is.”

“Hey, no table talk.” Wyatt narrows his eyes toward our opponents.

Xavier raises a hand in surrender. “Dude, I didn’t say a thing,” he replies, his lips turning up in a smile.

Wyatt purses his lips together and keeps his eyes narrowed on Xavier, causing Luciana to giggle.

“Okay, babe. Your turn,” Wyatt tells me.

I pull an ace of spades from my hand and lay it down on the table.

Xavier is next and sets down a ten of hearts, taking my ace. “Oops, sorry,” he says sarcastically and takes the cards. He then lays down the jack of hearts, which forces me to lay one of the two hearts I have.

Another three cards are laid on the table, and Xavier and Luciana take them all. Since I called the hearts and didn’t win, they get extra points.

Wyatt throws his head back, and the most beautiful laugh comes from his lips. He’s laughing more than I’ve ever heard him before. It makes me so happy.

“Peaches, why on earth did you go alone and call hearts when you only had two crappy ones?” he questions.

I bite my lip. “Well, I had a couple of aces in other suits, so I thought I was good.”

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