Starting Over In Wickham Falls

“I’m really impressed,” Georgina said after a noticeable pause. “I love Italian food.”

“Do you have a preference?”

“Shrimp scampi and ravioli filled with any meat, cheese or vegetable.”

“One of these days when you’re free for dinner, I’ll cook for you, always keeping in mind that you have to be home before midnight.”

Georgina sobered quickly. She didn’t want Langston to believe that she was flirting with him or soliciting a date. “You don’t have to cook for me, Langston.”

“Why are you sending me mixed messages?”

She went completely still. “Is that what I’m doing?”

“That’s precisely what you’re doing, Georgi. You tell me you love Italian food and when I offer to cook for you, you do a complete one-eighty. I can assure you that I don’t have a dungeon in my home where I imprison unsuspecting young women in a modern-day Château d’If.”

Georgina turned her head and bit her lip to keep from laughing in Langston’s face. “Why are you being so melodramatic?”

“Is that what you believe? That I’m melodramatic?"

She shifted to face him again, putting her thumb and forefinger together. “Just a wee bit.”

He smiled. “Maybe you’re right. But I have to admit that you’re the first woman since I’ve been back that I’ve invited to my home.”

“Why me, Langston?” The instant the question rolled off her tongue Georgina chided herself for asking it. Why couldn’t she just accept that he wanted to spend some time with her.

“Why not you, Georgi?”

Georgina did not have an answer for him. However, she couldn't help thinking he could be comparing her to the worldly, sophisticated women he’d met since leaving Wickham Falls, and found her gauche and gullible. Well, she was neither and she intended to prove it to him.

“I’ll call you at your office to let you know when I’m available to come for dinner.”

Reaching into the breast pocket of his jacket, he removed his cell phone and handed it to her. “Give me your cell number and I’ll call you.”

She wagged a finger. “Not yet. I’ll give you my number but only after our first date.” Langston’s expression of surprise was priceless. It was apparent he wasn’t used to women establishing the rules even before they had gone out together.

“Okay,” he conceded. “I’ll wait for your call. If I’m not in the office, then just leave a message with the receptionist.”

Georgina felt as if she’d won a small victory, because she’d sworn after breaking up with her ex that she would never want another man to believe she was that grateful because he’d asked her out. She may not have had a lot of dates, but that did not make her feel diminished.

The tempo of the musician changed again, this time with more upbeat tunes as coffee and desserts were served. Several couples were already up on the dance floor, and minutes later others joined them. Pushing back his chair, Langston stood and offered Georgina his hand.

“May I please have this dance?”

She placed her hand on his outstretched palm, smiling as he eased her to stand. The music selection was a slow, romantic tune. He led her to the dance floor, and her body molded against his when his arm curved around her waist. Georgina closed her eyes as she lost herself in the smell of his cologne, the warmth of his breath in her ear and his protective embrace that allowed her to temporarily forget why she’d refused to date a man from her hometown. And if she did share dinner with Langston in his home, he would become the first. However, unlike other men from Wickham Falls, she wasn’t concerned that his interest in her was wholly financial. Not only was he a business owner, but he was also a bestselling writer. Georgina wasn’t looking for a boyfriend, or even a committed relationship, and for her, cultivating a friendship with the editor-in-chief of the local newspaper would be a plus.

The song ended and she kissed Langston’s jaw. “Thank you for the dance and I owe you another one, but I have to leave because I just remembered I have to meet someone early tomorrow morning.”

Nodding, Langston escorted her back to their table, waited for her to retrieve her shawl and evening bag, and then walked her out to the parking lot. “Get home safely.”

She gave him a warm smile. “Thank you. And you get home safely yourself.” Georgina started up her vehicle and maneuvered out of the crowded lot. Although she wasn’t scheduled to work the next day, she needed to get up in time to drive to the town’s only bed-and-breakfast to confer with Noah Wainwright about his construction project. The sooner she initiated her plan to move, the sooner she would be able to tackle the next item on her journey to achieve independence.

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