Georgia Pine (Southern Promises Book 3)

by K. G. Fletcher

  “Nice to meet you, Tim.” Daggers came out of Mrs. Southers eyes as she scowled at her husband’s pleasantries.

  The four of them remained standing, Mrs. Southers making small talk while smoothing the front of her cream-colored gown. “Have you made any bids on the silent auction? The gifts are quite amazing this year.”

  “Yes, I know. Elizabeth and I set everything up today. I’m hoping to snag that all-expense paid trip to Disney for the girls.”

  Tim couldn’t help but smile, knowing he would try to make that happen for her.

  “Jessica, may I have a word?” Mrs. Southers asked, her voice low and tempered.

  Elizabeth rose from her seat and grabbed Tim by the hand. “Hey gorgeous, how about that dance you promised me?” She pulled him away from the table onto the packed floor.

  “Elizabeth, I think it would be best if I stayed back and helped Jessica with her mom. She’s pissed seeing me here tonight.”

  Elizabeth held the sides of Tim’s arms and looked up into his face. “I learned a long time ago you will never win an argument with that traditional woman. Jessica will be fine. She and her mother are Southern born and bred, both of them stubborn as mules. But if I had to make a bet, Jessica is going to come out on top of this catfight.”

  Tim nervously glanced over at the table. “What?”

  *

  Jessica had her hands on her hips, ready for the stand-off with her mother. “Mama, there is nothing to talk about, okay? Can you please leave us be and enjoy tonight?”

  Mrs. Southers strode to the corner, pulling her daughter by the wrist while Jacque and Mr. Southers started talking about the weather.

  “Mama, what?” she whispered tersely.

  “Everyone is talking about you tonight,” she started.

  “Oh, Mama. I don’t want to hear it.” Jessica’s shoulders sagged, wishing her mother knew the truth about Tim so they could stop this nonsense.

  “Stephen is ranting and raving, telling everyone you’ve lost your ever-lovin’ mind. He’s so hot under the collar I wouldn’t put it past him to go after your girls just for spite. Everyone is snickering and shaking their heads. Is this what you want? Do you want your daughters to grow up getting made fun of because their mama fell for some blue-collar nobody?”

  Jessica tensed and stood her ground. The thought of Stephen going after custody of her children wasn’t even on her radar. He could never do such a vile thing—or could he?

  “That’s where you’re wrong, Mama. Stephen doesn’t care about his children. You really think he’d want to raise them? And Tim isn’t some blue-collar nobody. He’s a kind and decent man who has more character in his pinky finger than anyone in this entire room.” Snatching her clutch off the table, Jessica held her head high. “You’re gonna regret saying those words to me, Mama.” Gathering her skirt, she started to leave.

  Mrs. Southers frantically tried to get in the last word. “You are a representation of this family Jessica Lynn. You need to start thinking about how your actions affect all of us, including those precious children of yours. If you don’t care about your reputation, at least think about your daughters…”

  “I am.” Slinging her hair over her shoulder, Jessica pushed her way through the crowd to get away from her mother’s antagonizing voice. She needed a minute to collect herself, thankful that Elizabeth had diverted Tim’s attention on the dance floor. Once inside the quiet stall of the ladies room, she allowed herself to breathe deeply and wiped away a stray tear. Why did her mother always think so negatively? If she would trust her like she asked, she wouldn’t get so riled up and upset. Why did it matter so much what Tim looked like or what he did for a living? Were people really that shallow and glib?

  The main door to the facility opened, and the click of several heeled shoes were heard on the marble floors. Jessica couldn’t help but overhear the animated conversation.

  “Well, he is a handsome man. I’ll give her that.”

  “But could you see yourself dating someone like him? Someone uneducated and doing manual labor all day? He probably doesn’t own anything outright.”

  “Why does he need to own anything with a body like that?”

  The three women sniggered uncontrollably.

  “Well, maybe she’s making a point parading him around in front of her ex and his new fiancé. Maybe she hired him to do just that—to get back at him. A hired hand with benefits. Good for her.”

  “But what if they’re a couple? Huh? How long can that last? And those poor little girls. I’ll bet they’re scared to death of him. He’s so—beastly…”

  All three women gasped when they noticed Jessica’s reflection in the large mirror as she stood behind them. Nothing was said for a beat while Jessica pushed her way in between the women and silently washed her hands.

  “Hey, Jessica. Your dress is just divine. Are you having fun tonight?”

  She turned to face the threesome of neighbors and slowly dried her hands on a soft towel. “Yes. I am. You? Having fun gossiping about me and my date like a group of jealous high school twits?”

  The taller of the three took a step forward. “Come on, Jessica. You know how everyone at the club is. We’re just curious about your rugged date. I have to ask, is it true he’s your yardman?”

  Jessica started to walk past them not wanting to give them the satisfaction of a response but changed her mind last second. Turning around in a flourish, she eyed each one of them carefully.

  “For the record, Tim has a college degree from the University of Southern California.” She started to exit again, but stopped and continued. “And he was a first-round draft pick in the NFL. As a matter of fact, he was the quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers for over a decade and took that team all the way to the Super Bowl.”

  The expression on the women’s faces was almost comical as they processed this new information as she jabbered away. She couldn’t help it. The damn of information she had kept so carefully concealed poured out with a vengeance.

  “So, to answer your question from before—yes, I am having fun tonight with my successful, wealthy, kindhearted, sexy beast. Tim Ryan is the best thing that ever happened to me, bitches.”

  With one last huff, she pushed the door open and exited, leaving the women in an astonished wake. The dam had broken, and soon, everyone at the club would know exactly who Tim was. It was time to get out of there and fast. Good god—what had she done?

  Chapter Twenty

  Tim steered clear of the ballroom, excusing himself to the restroom by way of the silent auction room. It was easy to find the Disney package, the black mouse ears and colorful pamphlets surrounding the signup clipboard. There were only four bids scribbled on the sheet, each one an increment of a thousand dollars. The trip included airfare, hotel, VIP tickets and a special dinner with a princess. Tim smiled, imagining the Kaufman girls dressed in matching red and white polka-dot dresses, wearing black ears, skipping happily through the park. The look on their faces would be priceless, and his heart surged with love, knowing he was going to win this package for his girls.

  His girls.

  He wrote twenty-thousand dollars in the bid section and put his assigned number next to it. Anonymity was a big part of this charity event, for which he was grateful. Pleased with himself and knowing the money was going to a good cause, he straightened his back and sighed. He was ready to reunite with his number one girl, Jessica, hoping the long conversation with her mother hadn’t ruined her night. As he exited the suite into the formal hallway, Mrs. McDonald spotted him.

  “Tim! I thought that was you.” Her chipper voice made him smile.

  “Hello, Mrs. McDonald. You look lovely this evening.” Bending over, he offered her a slight hug.

  “Oh, this old thing? I have a closet full of dresses that only come out once a year. You certainly look dashing this evening. Your face is so handsome, I almost didn’t recognize you,” she teased.

  Tim dragged his palm down his chin, almost forge
tting what it felt like to have a full beard. “Yeah. Well, I wanted to look a little more presentable for tonight. You know, for my date.”

  Mrs. McDonald nodded. “Jessica looks beautiful tonight. You two look good together.”

  Tim was taken aback, shocked that she approved. “Really? Thanks so much. I appreciate that.”

  “You’re welcome, Tim. I hope you enjoy the rest of the evening.”

  “You too.” He watched the elderly woman go into the silent auction room. When he turned around, Jessica was approaching him.

  “Hey! I was coming to find you…”

  “We need to go,” she interrupted, the worried look on her face concerning.

  “What? Now?”

  “Yes. I may or may not have opened my big mouth and said some things I wasn’t supposed to. Can we please go?” Her eyes were stormy, and her expression paled.

  “Sure, baby. Whatever you want. I’m ready when you are.”

  They left without saying goodbye to her friends or family. Tim glanced over at her in the car on the ride back to the house, concerned at her pensive energy. When they pulled up the drive, he put the car in park and waited for her to say something. The wind had picked up, and there was a low rumble of thunder in the air.

  “Do you want me to come in?” he finally asked, a certain doom settling into his core.

  She turned toward him and he noticed her eyes glistening with tears. “Yes. Please,” she whispered.

  Luanna greeted them in the foyer. “Back so soon? I hope it was a good time.”

  “Yes, it was nice. How were the girls? Is everyone in bed?” Jessica busied herself pulling a checkbook out of a kitchen drawer and scribbling on it.

  “Yes, ma’am. No trouble at all.”

  Jessica ripped out a check and handed it to her.

  “Thank you. Just so you know, I was watching a movie and it kept being interrupted by the weatherman. There’s a big storm coming in later tonight. They said there may be some power outages in the area.”

  Tim approached the windows looking out over the pool. The tall Georgia pines were swaying back and forth, and yard debris had fallen in the water. “You okay to drive in this, Luanna? You want me to take you home?”

  “No. I’ll be fine. I’m just down the road.” Luanna turned to Jessica. “Thanks again for tonight. Call me anytime.”

  “Thanks, Luanna. I appreciate it.”

  When Luanna was safely in her car with the headlights turned on, Jessica locked the front door and made her way back to the kitchen. Tim stood next to the island and pulled off the bow tie of his tux.

  “You want to explain to me what happened back at the club?”

  “Not particularly.” Walking by him, her skirt swooshed, and he grabbed her wrist, pulling her taught against his body.

  “Talk to me, baby. What’s wrong?” He smoothed her hair back from her face, her intense, blue gaze defined with apprehension.

  “You’re gonna be mad. Promise you won’t be mad.”

  Tim furrowed his brow. “I’m not going to get mad. Tell me.”

  Her shoulders drooped and she mumbled while looking at the floor. “I overheard some women talking about you in the restroom. They didn’t see me and said all kinds of horrible things; not just about you, but me too. I couldn’t stand it, and when I came out, I told them the truth about who you really are.”

  Tim knew his secret would come out at some point, but never imagined it would come out in a ladies’ restroom at a posh country club. “What exactly did you tell them?”

  When she looked up at him, a single tear had rolled down her cheek. “I told them where you went to college, that you were a quarterback in the NFL and that your real name is Tim Ryan.” Her lip quivered, and she thrust herself into his chest where she hid her face and gripped his waist with her hands. “I’m sorry, Tim. I’m so sorry.”

  Consoling her would have been the right thing to do, but he was disappointed and needed a minute to gather his thoughts. Stroking the back of her head, he kept his mouth shut and sighed deeply, knowing things would radically change once the news of his identity got out into the world. Their small bubble of happiness was ruptured. If the local news stations got wind of who he was and what he had been doing all this time, all hell would break loose. The media would have a heyday with this information, the onslaught of questions and cruel quips about his demise on the west coast coming back to the surface. They would pull Jessica and her family into the circus too, something he was not prepared for. Jessica had no idea what she had done—he knew that. She was trying to protect his honor by putting those women in their place. Part of him was glad she stood up for him. The other part petrified that the world they had created together was about to come crashing down.

  “Aren’t you going to say anything?” Jessica’s voice was muffled against his chest.

  “I need to go.” He pulled her back from his body and gripped her by the shoulders.

  “What? No. Please don’t go,” she pleaded, her tear-stained face causing him to frown.

  Tim couldn’t bear to see her cry. As much as he wanted to be alone and come up with a new plan, he couldn’t leave her in this condition. Her crying turned into sobbing, and it had him coming undone.

  “Okay, okay. I’ll stay until you calm down. Please, calm down, baby.”

  She forlornly nodded and pulled him by the hand into the master bedroom. The lights flickered for an instant, followed by a low rumble of thunder.

  “Sit,” he commanded. When she was seated on the mattress, he lowered himself to the floor and took off her shoes. Trying hard to stop the tears, she sniffled and struggled to breathe normally. Grabbing a tissue off the bedside table, he pressed it tenderly against her cheek, wiping her tears away.

  “Shh. Calm down. It’s gonna be okay.” Shrugging off the black tux jacket, he laid it over a chair before he sat down and took off his shiny dress shoes. “Scoot over.”

  They lay next to each other on the giant bed not saying a word, Jessica’s ball gown fanned out dramatically across the mattress. When she shifted her body to lay her head on his chest, he didn’t complain. He wrapped his arm around her, pulling her in tighter, not wanting to let go. Unsettled, he let his mind go blank and concentrated on the steady breathing coming from her as she fell asleep in his arms. Soon, his eyes were heavy, and he drifted off to the sound of rain pelting the windows against the backdrop of faraway thunder.

  ***

  Something wasn’t right.

  Tim woke with a start. The lights in the bedroom were still on, the digital clock reading 12:39 a.m. Looking to his right, Jessica was fast asleep next to him with the palms of her hands in a praying position under her cheek. God, she was so beautiful.

  Rain continued to pelt the windows in the bedroom, turning into small pieces of hail ricocheting off the sills, sounding like pennies thrown at the glass. Tim stood and eyed the darkness outside before reaching for the TV remote. When the screen came alive, all he could see were large purple colored blobs covering the Doppler radar as a weather anchor frantically indicated a tornado warning in the area. Tim squinted to make out the area the map showed before the sound of a transformer blowing tripped the breaker, throwing everything into darkness.

  Tim’s adrenaline hitched and goose bumps covered his skin as he glanced out the window again at the dark greenish sky.

  Fuck.

  “Jessica? Jessica, baby, you need to get up.”

  “Wha…what?”

  “Come on. We gotta get the girls down to the basement. There’s a tornado warning in the area.” By this time, Tim had grabbed his cell phone and turned on the flashlight app.

  “Oh, my god,” she replied breathlessly. “What do we do? I need to change…”

  “No!” he yelled, startling her in his grip. “We need to move fast.”

  They ran through the great room toward the stairs, the weather outside turning unusually still.

  “You get Jo-Jo, I’ll grab Jennifer and the other
two.” He thrust the phone into her hands.

  “Okay,” she squeaked.

  Throwing open the door to Jennifer’s room, he peered into the darkness and could barely make out the sleeping girl across the room. “Jennifer? Jennifer, it’s Tim. Come on sweetie you need to wake up. There’s a big storm coming, and we need to get down to the basement.” He could hear Jo-Jo crying in the next room, obviously grumpy from being woken up in the middle of the night.

  “Tim?” Jennifer groggily moaned.

  “Yes. Come on. We need to get your sisters.”

  The little girl’s hand was tiny in his as he pulled her into the hallway, meeting Jessica in the process. Baby Jo-Jo’s eyes were wide in the dim light from the phone and Jessica’s dress seemed to glow. The foursome made it to the bedroom and burst through the door. The wind had picked up and through the windows was a powder flash of light underneath a cloud base silhouetted by lightning.

  “Jennifer, hold on to your mama, now!”

  The little girl started to whimper as she clutched her mother’s skirt. Jessica frantically waved the light back and forth between two beds. Jill sat up and rubbed her eyes.

  “Is it morning?” she asked sleepily, her blonde hair matted to one side of her head.

  Tim grabbed her around the waist clutching her to his side while frantically looking everywhere for the fourth child.

  “Where’s Julia?” Jessica panicked, focusing the beam of light on the child’s empty bed. “Tim, where is Julia? Oh my god!”

  He forced the girls out the door and ushered them to the stairs as Jessica yelled her daughter’s name over and over, all of them noticeably upset. Jessica almost slipped on the edges of her gown as they quickly descended.

  “Get to the basement—I’ll go back and find her! Huddle up under the bar. Use your dress to cover their faces.”