Page 28 of Georgia On My Mind (Southern Promises)

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“You start next week?” Gia was flabbergasted Hart had accepted a job on the spot, and on his very first interview in Atlanta.

“Yep. I’m back in the game!” He leaned forward and kissed her quickly on the lips. “We’re gonna need to celebrate this weekend. Please tell me you have Friday or Saturday night off.”

She shook her head in disappointment. “I have Sunday off. That’s it.”

Hart nodded, offering an accepting smile. “Then Sunday it is.” He kissed her again. “Sorry I interrupted your class. I just wanted to tell you the good news.”

They were standing in the parking lot, Gia in her ballet slippers and leotard, Hart in his expensive business suit. The late afternoon was overcast, the wind blowing colorful flowers off the blooming trees, scattering them like confetti at a ticker-tape parade.

“I’m glad you came by. Ethan was more than happy to take over for a few minutes.” She leaned into his touch as he brushed her hair from her cheek. “I’m so proud of you, Hart. You deserve a break.”

“So do you.” He pulled her in for a lingering hug. “I wish I could take you to my place and celebrate right now.”

She giggled into his lapels. “Me too. I’ll text you later before I head to my gig tonight.”

“Where is it this time?” He always seemed genuinely interested in what she was doing and where she was going.

“It’s another bachelor party. All of the springtime weddings in Atlanta this time of year are keeping me pretty busy.”

“I’ll say. I’ll be glad when things slow down, and I can have you all to myself in the evenings.” He squeezed her tightly. “If things end early and you’re not too tired, I could always come to your place tonight. I’ve been dying to see where you live finally.”

His comment took her by surprise. He still didn’t know she was technically homeless, living in the closet in her studio. Over the past few weeks, she had somehow managed to divert his attention away from the subject, coming up with creative excuses to keep his curiosity at bay. She couldn’t possibly tell him now. Focused on saving every penny so she could pay bills and get her aunt's ring back, Gia was working her ass off, day and night. She just needed a little more time.

“Ummm, yeah. I’ll let you know if things end early.”

“Good.”

Keeping secrets had always been easy for the little girl once known as Georgia Bates. Growing up with a stripper for a mother, she was often left alone during the night; used to taking care of herself, relying on no one. When her mother took a turn for the worse and started abusing more drugs and alcohol, Georgia did her best to take care of her in their tiny, dilapidated apartment located in a run-down neighborhood. Her only solace was escaping to her aunt’s dance studio two miles away. She was a scrappy little girl who did well in school and learned at an early age how to cook and clean so she could survive.

Even though her Aunt Caroline was estranged from Georgia’s mother, she encouraged her niece to dance, taking the little girl under her wing and grooming her to be a prima ballerina. She covered the cost of everything from ballet slippers and apparel to private lessons. Her aunt’s involvement in her life was noble, and Gia remembered often feeling guilty for telling her aunt elaborate lies about how her mother was working steadily and making homemade meals every night when she came home. Her aunt learned later at a custody hearing that Georgia often went without meals, her mother disappearing for days on end, leaving her daughter to fend for herself in depressing conditions.

Two days before her ninth birthday, Georgia came home from school to find her mother dead on the floor of their living room with a needle still sticking out of her arm. Ruby Anne Bates, mother of little Georgia Ruth Bates, died at the age of twenty-eight on a cloudy winter day. Her only sister, Caroline was awarded full custody. The night she moved in with her aunt was the night little Georgia boldly decided to shorten her name to Gia, vowing never to look back. Gia would always feel indebted to her beloved aunt who fiercely loved and believed in her the brief time they were together. What would she think of her now? Would she be disappointed? Would she regret leaving the studio in her hands? Once again, Gia was at a crossroads. But the scrappy little girl from the wrong side of the tracks wasn’t about to give up.

She watched Hart weave his Mercedes through the parking lot and pull into the afternoon traffic. It was hard for her to watch him go. She wanted so badly to go with him, to open up to him entirely. But duty called, and she had children to teach and stressful decisions to make. Unfortunately, she had lost another two students from the roster that week. The hits to her failing business kept on coming, including the recent news that her instructor, Donna, was moving to Savannah with her boyfriend. She would have to consolidate her remaining classes and sweetly ask Ethan to help with the overload. Walking back into the studio, she had to stifle a smile while watching her friend prance around the room with little girlies following him from behind. They took to him like ducks to water. A pang of guilt traveled to her heart, knowing she was keeping secrets from not just Hart, but her loyal friends as well. Ethan had always been there for her since they were kids—a true friend who she could always count on. The time was rapidly approaching, and the truth would have to be revealed, to everyone. Until then, she buried her secrets deep in her gut, resisted the desire to purge her guilt, and held onto her threadbare dreams for dear life.

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