Page 29 of Georgia On My Mind (Southern Promises)

Chapter Sixteen

This was an uncomfortable situation. Hart chugged the remnants of his whiskey and set the empty highball glass down on the mahogany bar of the upscale restaurant. He’d been working for Kaufman and Associates for a little over a month and was becoming quite familiar with the weeknight schedule of his boss, Stephen Kaufman. Trying not to be too conspicuous, he shifted in his seat and could see Stephen talking intimately with a young woman near the restrooms in the corner. He had seen this woman before at a real estate conference and a couple of lunch and dinner meetings with potential clients. At first, he thought she was a colleague in the business and didn’t think anything of it. But when she showed up tonight, and he noticed the way Stephen grabbed her ass as they excused themselves so they could discuss an urgent matter, he knew.

This woman was Mr. Kaufman’s mistress.

“Would you like another, sir?” the bartender asked politely.

“No thanks.” He stood and rummaged in his wallet for some cash, flinging it on the bar. His revelation made his gut twist, knowing this married man—his boss was potentially on the verge of ruining the lives of his beautiful wife and four children. They didn’t deserve this, he was sure of it. There was a time not too long ago when Hart wouldn’t have cared either way. But he was a changed man. He had hurt people with his poor choices, including his own family, and he didn’t want to ever go through that again.

Accelerating in and out of evening traffic, he thought about how he and Gia had been exclusively dating each other for almost two months. The poor girl still worked way too hard, but she always found time for him, their favorite day of the week Sunday when they would devote every second to each other. Aside from his boss having an affair, his new job was going well, his due diligence in finding funding for Mr. Ed Smith’s crumbling property a priority. It was slow going, but he was determined to find a solution and help the woman he was falling in love with in the process.

His phone buzzed, his boss’s number flashing on the console screen. Hart grimaced, knowing he was going to have to explain why he left the restaurant.

“Hartford Parker,” he answered.

“Hart! Where did you go? I wanted you to meet someone special.”

“Well, you seemed kind of busy, sir. I didn’t think you’d mind if I slipped out and called it a night.”

The phone muffled before Stephen came back on. “That’s fine. Have a great weekend. I know I will!” The man laughed out loud. Hart shook his head, wondering if he had ever been that blatantly bad. “I’ll see you bright and early on Monday.”

Before Hart could respond, the phone went dead. He ran his hand through his hair while gripping the steering wheel with the other. What a low-life. Did he even care he had a wife and four young daughters waiting at home for him? What kind of excuse did he give to Jessica and their children? How many times had she endured disappointment from this guy? Hart was suddenly wondering if taking the position at Kaufman and Associates had been such a good idea after all. Of course, his job brought in great money for which he was thankful; and it got him back into the competitive real estate market. But the job also brought up uncomfortable memories of his old habits, blatantly slapping him in the face. Stephen had said he wanted him to meet someone. Was he going to introduce him to his mistress?

His console lit up again, this time with a text message from Gia.

Can you meet me at the hot light? I got off early, and I’m hungry.

Hart grinned from ear to ear.

I’ll be there in ten minutes.

***

Gia could see Hart’s Mercedes pull into the familiar parking lot of the Krispy Kreme from her rearview mirror. She swiped at a rouge tear that trickled down her cheek, anxious to see the man who always managed to calm her. A few minutes before, she had listened to a voicemail from the pawn shop owner, letting her know they had an interested buyer in her aunt’s ring. The guy had told her he’d give her one more chance to come and claim it before it was gone forever. She was grateful for the extra time—through her convincing, the guy had already extended their deal by a couple of weeks. But she was still way behind financially and knew in the back of her mind she would probably never see the ring again.

Earlier, she had managed to slip off her Marilyn dress in the car and pull on some yoga pants and a t-shirt. On top of the sad news of her aunt’s ring, her gig that night had been atrocious with lots of eager, grabbing hands from inebriated men at a bachelor party. The groom-to-be had even offered her a thousand dollars to come back to his hotel room for a “last hurrah.” The thought of quick cash had her mind wander to the unimaginable fleeting idea of saying “yes,” but ultimately, she couldn’t wait to get out of there, wanting more than anything to feel Hart surround her with his protective arms.

He parked right next to her, and she watched him get out and trot excitedly to the door, opening it quickly. “Hey, sweet thing!” he said, pulling her out of the car and embracing her in a tight squeeze.

Inhaling his familiar scent, she sighed contentedly, gripping him snugly. When she didn’t let go, she could feel him tense.

“Hey… hey, what’s going on? Are you okay?” He held her arms and pulled back, looking at her face with concern.

She offered him a heartfelt smile and nodded. “I’m just really happy to see you.”

His countenance relaxed, and his features softened. “You have no idea how happy I am to see you too.”

Meeting for donuts and coffee had become one of their favorite pastimes, talking for hours without a care in the world while consuming Hart’s favorite childhood treat. Situated in their usual corner booth with hot donuts and caffeine, Hart began animatedly telling her about his boss’s secret girlfriend.

“I don’t know, Gia. It was weird. I felt like I was betraying his wife, Jessica, by witnessing it.”

She nodded. “That’s unprofessional of him to expose you to his secret life. Has he ever asked you to cover for him? Anything like that?”

“No. But I wouldn’t put it past the guy. You know, he’s great in business; one of the top brokers in the southeast. But I really can’t stand this side of him. It makes my stomach turn. I can’t help but think that’s how people viewed me in DC. It’s probably the only reason he hired me.”

Gia reached for his hand across the table and squeezed. “Stop it. You’re nothing like him, Hart. He’s a married man. When you lived in DC, you were single, sowing your wild oats, celebrating a huge milestone.”

“Still doesn’t make what I did acceptable.”

---