Page 83 of Own the Eights Gets Married
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“Under extreme stress, vulnerabilities were exposed,” she replied, doing her best to stick to business jargon.
“That can happen,” her stepfather agreed.
“Should I walk away?” she asked, her throat growing tight.
Howard mulled over her question as they circled the block and headed back toward the candle store.
“Can I tell you a story, Georgiana?”
“Sure,” she replied.
“Before I met your mother, I was an even greater workaholic than I am now. Even then, I had teams of people working for me and could have easily spent my days golfing but chose to stay active in the company. I thought to maintain my level of success, I had to spend all my waking moments focused on business. I used to worry any deviation from the plan would decrease my profits. But your mother changed that. She helped me discover other parts of myself, other interests, other strengths. It wasn’t always easy. I never enjoyed all those charity functions, but she made me see the impact I could have on the community. Now, I know she sometimes comes off as a bit of a socialite.”
“Sometimes?” Georgie teased.
Howard chuckled. “But she cares. She truly cares and wants to bring people together, and she’s brought out the best in me.”
“I don’t know if Jordan and I bring out the best in each other,” she said as the words she’d kept locked away for two weeks came tumbling out. She froze. “I mean…” she stuttered, trying to think of something to say to counter her admission.
“I know this merger you’re considering is your marriage, Georgie,” Howard replied gently.
Panic welled in her chest. “How did you know I was talking about me and Jordan?”
Howard glanced over and raised a skeptical eyebrow. “A long-term investment that also included a merger?”
“I guess I wasn’t fooling you with that,” she replied, then gasped. “Mom doesn’t know anything, does she? I haven’t said anything. We haven’t decided anything.”
“No, and I think you and I can agree that allowing her to continue in her role as a wedding psychic energist is for the best.”
“I don’t want to let her down. I don’t want to let anyone down. And the money I know you and mom have spent. It must be a fortune,” she replied as the weight of her situation sank in.
“Let’s not worry about that, Georgiana. You know it’s not an issue for us,” he replied.
She released a tight breath. “But, still…”
She’d been so preoccupied she hadn’t even considered the cost of…of calling off a wedding.
It was too hard even to allow her mind to go there.
Howard rested his hand on her shoulder, halting the anxiety tornado inside her, as they stopped a few shops down from the candle store.
“Listen, you’re right to view your marriage as a merger. It’s the greatest merger anyone can make, and love, Georgiana, is the ultimate investment because, with love, you’re not investing money, you’re investing time. And time is a finite commodity. No amount of cash can buy you more. That’s why it’s such an important decision on who you’ll share it with.”
She held the man’s gaze—this man, who for years, she’d thought of as kind but distant. She’d never taken into account he and her mother had something special she’d never noticed.
Lorraine Vanderdinkle emerged from the candle shop—all flowing outfit and jangling jewelry. She slid on her tinted glasses, then waved to them with what Georgie used to call her mother’s drinks-at-the-club smile stretched across her face. But now, she realized her mother was truly happy and deeply in love with Howard. A relationship she’d thought had been built on brunch at the Ritz and summers in the Maldives was a partnership grounded in mutual affection.
“With the time decision,” Georgie began.
“Yes,” the man answered, his gaze fixed on her mother.
“Is your gut a good barometer on making that choice?” she continued.
Her stepfather hummed a gentle chuckle. “No, Georgie, it’s not. When it comes to that decision, it all depends on your heart.”
