Tequila Sunrises over Georgia (a novella) (2 page)

He chuckles again, a bit more quietly this
time, before he gives me the news.

“Tomorrow you are headed to Newnan,
Georgia.”

My Hometown.

“Gia, don’t be upset. It will be fine. Nobody
needs to know you are even there.”

“Dillon, you are lucky I like you. You are
also lucky because I cannot shove my arm through the phone and
choke the living crap out of you, my
friend.
”

“Ha! Funny – who would’ve thought…? Okay, I’m
sure you have tons of things to do the rest of the day. All the
details will be emailed to you shortly. And Gia?”

“Yes?”

“Enjoy it. You deserve it.”

The call ends.

Newnan, Georgia.

The place I was born.

The state I was named after.

Where I learned everything about design.

My crazy family is there.

Carter is there.

So many bittersweet memories.

Time to wipe the slate clean. Time to create
new ones.

I’ve finally gotten what I worked for in my
career and I will “own it.”

Forgetting the salad, I walk in the kitchen
and straight to the cooler, pulling out a brand new bottle of wine,
liquid courage. Lord knows I need it.

I’m walking around the house while looking at
the floor plans I received yesterday. My company is one of the
largest in the area and it will take all hands on deck for this
project’s complete overhaul to be done in a matter of ten
weeks.

“Good morning, Carter.”

“Hey, Jay. So glad you are here, I wanted to
ask you some questions about the wood floors… There’s this other
brand that has good quality and the same texture with almost the
same color, but it’s a lot cheaper. I picked up a sample for you to
present it to the owners for their approval.”

“Sure thing, Carter. I’m sure they will
appreciate you looking out for the budget. We’re meeting them this
afternoon, so your timing’s perfect.”

“We are?”

“Oh, no…” He laughs quietly and shakes his
finger at me. “Not we – as in me and you! I meant me and the Head
Designer/Project Manager. I haven’t had a chance to tell you about
it as it happened yesterday… SHD’s ‘chosen one’ will be here
soon.”

I laid the plans on the kitchen island and
was taking a mental inventory of all that needs to be done in this
room alone. Demo needs to start today or tomorrow morning at the
latest.

“Do you know who is coming?”

“Yes.”

“Well?”

“Uh, I think you should wait for it, some
things are better experienced, not heard.”

The little bastard snickers quietly and tries
to hide it.

This isn’t good.

Just then, as if we were already filming the
show and the clapperboard was used to indicate a new scene, the
door opened and I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me.

Work boots. Long legs covered in tight jeans.
T-shirt tied up at the waist. Waist length brown hair in a pony
tail that’s begging to be pulled. Those lips. Those eyes. Those
lips… Mmm, I already said that.
Damn
!

It can’t be.

Not
her
.

Fuck.

I blink a few times and as she nears us. This
is really happening.

Gia Black’s fine ass was right in front of
me.

My best friend’s “little” sister is staring
right back at me.

Last time we saw each other, I was graduating
college and she was a sophomore. We were celebrating after the
ceremony, alcohol was involved, and we kissed. It was a really good
kiss. One of those “it will blow your mind” kisses. But again, she
was my best friend’s little sister and I felt I could not betray
him that way. I thought that perhaps after her graduation, we could
pick up where we left off, but then she took a job in New York.

Seeing her again right in front of me, it’s
like getting hit with a bucket full of cold water.

The attraction I feel for her is still
here.

I’ve watched her on TV so many times but
never thought a job would be the catalyst of our reunion.

I feel a smile slowly making an appearance on
my face.

When she sees me, I notice a bit of a
surprise first, and then her lips spread into a saucy smile.

Hell, yeah… This is going to be
interesting.

I noticed Jay staring me down, so I try to
look back to the plans in front of me and get my business face on.
She addresses Jay first.

“Hi Jay!”

“Hey Gia! Glad you made it here okay. How was
the flight?”

They embrace in a quick hug, and I can’t help
to give him a deadly glare. Which is stupid, because they are
friends and I haven’t seen her in almost ten years.

“It was okay for a last minute flight. Thank
you for arranging the hotel for me.”

She turns towards me with an infectious smile
and I can’t help myself, so I reciprocate. We stare at each other
for a few seconds until Jay breaks in.

“Gia, this is Carter Owens, owner of Maxon
Construction, the company hired to handle this renovation. Carter,
this is Gia Black, our Project Manager and the face of Clever
Design, our new show.”

Her eyes have not left mine. We reach for
each other’s hand and when we connect, I can feel her warm, soft
skin against my rough palm. She has a strong handshake. I like
that. I wish I could touch more of her… My hand feels lost and out
of place when she takes hers away, so I grab a pencil I have tucked
behind my ear to keep my hand busy.

“It’s been a while, Carter. I have heard
great things about your company. I’m looking forward to us working
together.”

“Gia? Yes. It certainly has. You have changed
a lot since I last saw you starting college and trying to get your
flea market business off the ground. Changed your name?”

As she was getting ready to explain why she’s
not going by Georgia, Jay interrupts. “She hasn’t gone by that name
in years. She hates her given name.”

He smiles at her. She rolls her eyes at
him.

“Jay, thank you for the clarification. Next
time we can keep that tidbit to ourselves, okay?” Her shiny lips,
give way to a tiny smirk. I mean, if you aren’t paying attention,
you’d miss it.

I like it.

“Nah, I love to irritate the shit out of you,
sweet pea. Need to keep you on your toes, honey, now that you have
the
big
job and all that.”

He winks at her while making air quotations
with his fingers. You can tell they are good friends and get along
really well. I should be feeling like an outsider, but I’m so
fascinated with the exchange I can’t quit watching them. I’m such a
freak.

“Watch your boundaries, Jay. What goes around
comes around – Remember?”

Now she’s the one winking at Jay. She smiles
and then gives me all her attention.

“Sorry about that, Carter. I’m sure you know
by now how hard it is for Jay to behave himself… Are those the most
current design plans?”

“I believe so, I received these yesterday.
Would you like to do a walkthrough before we start to coordinate
and prioritize?”

“That’s a great idea.”

Taking a sip of the coffee she’s been holding
in her left hand since she came in, she inhales and closes her
eyes, enjoying the moment. When the cup is removed, her plump lips
smack against each other silently, and the tip of her tongue
escapes the dark, beautiful cave of her mouth and slowly strokes
the corner of her upper lip, cleaning a bit of foam that had found
a home there.

I found myself wishing to lick after her, you
know, to make sure it’s all taken care of and no foamy residue is
left behind.

And now I find myself wondering what the fuck
happened to my balls, because I seemed to have misplaced them
somehow.

Nodding at her, I grunt out “Follow me,
please.”

When I look at Jay, the little fucker wiggles
his eye brows at me.

I’ve been made.

Fuck it.

I like her.

She is stunning. The Gia I’m used to seeing
on TV doesn’t even compare to the woman I have in front of me.

When her brother Nash told me that she was
working on some TV show, I started to watch her in it and was
amazed at how the quirky little girl became a beautiful woman.

I’ve watched her on TV since then and I’ve
wanted her, knowing it could never happen.

I’ve jerked the shit out of my dick thinking
of her hot curvy body being beneath me, for fuck’s sakes!

And now that I’m seeing her in person, all my
needs and wants have tripled.

Her presence is an unexpected chance.

I want her.

Taking advantage while I’m walking in front
of them, I make some adjustments to my ever growing erection.

I’m fucked.

* * *

Oh my god! How is it that out of all the
companies that could be hired, Dillon Smart hires Carter’s? Maybe
it’s a sign of good things to come?

But on the other side…

Holy Hotness! Carter is all brawny male and
my god how is it possible he’s not taken? Wait, maybe he is but
just not wearing his wedding band.

I take a piece of Starburst candy out of my
pocket, peel it and pop it in my mouth. I swear the cherry flavor
helps me think better.

I was getting ready to ask Jay about Carter’s
status, when my eyes landed on the curve of Carter’s perfect ass.
His jeans are loose but not baggy, however, when it comes to his
ass, they are pleasantly tight and I can only imagine how the front
looks. Mmm… This is most definitely an upgrade for the Wranglers’
brand. If he would model for them, all women would buy these jeans
for their significant others. They look
that
good.

I feel the area between my legs tingling in
awareness. They are screaming at me – “hey, hey!!! Don’t let him
get away. We want to get to know him
better
! Get closer and
inspect the goods.” I roll my eyes at my lady bits and try to pay
attention to what Carter’s explaining.

As we walk through the house and talk about
all the design possibilities, and the time that it will take to
achieve the changes, we also try to catch up on what has been going
on in our lives in the past ten years.

“Yes, Dillon Smart hired me right after
college. I wish I could take all the credit but Ty Penningham did a
lot of talking and convincing on my behalf. I interned with him
every year while attending the Art Institute of Atlanta.”

I smiled at her enthusiasm, it’s
contagious.

“What about you, Carter?”

“Well, as you know, your brother Nash and I
graduated from the University of Georgia the same year. My older
brother, Rhett, a landscape architect, had started his own
business. So it made sense for me to start my own, small at first,
but word of mouth traveled fast among the rich Southern families of
Atlanta, and a couple of years later my business had tripled. I’m
very lucky. The company has grown steadily every year to the point
that now I get to choose the jobs I want to do.”

I‘ve seen some pictures of Carter on
Facebook, but neither Carter nor Nash are very active in social
media. I’m sure a thousand pictures would not have been enough to
compare to the hunkalicious specimen that is the real Carter.

I smile at him like an idiot, somehow falling
back to the role of the little girl he used to know. You know,
those days when I used to follow my big brother and Carter around
and spy on everything they did. Back then, three years in age
difference made it hard for my brother and his friends to let me
hang out with them. Now? Not so much. We are all grown up with
careers and responsibilities. Now, we are compatible and relatable,
working in a similar field and handling similar projects.

Who knew?

I should have visited my family more often,
instead of busying myself with work so much that I couldn’t squeeze
in a visit.

If you would have asked me ten years ago that
I was going to be working with the guy I used to crush on when I
was a teenager, I would have called you a liar.

Well, there’s no time like the present, and
most importantly, there is no time to waste. This project is
scheduled to be finished in ten weeks.

Sigh.
Ten weeks.

Taking advantage that Jay went to check on
some orders, I grab Carter by his arm and make him come to a sudden
stop. I pulled on his arm so he has to turn to face me. I need to
see his face when he hears what I’m about to ask.

“Well, Carter, now that we are caught up on
everything we’ve done professionally since the last time we saw
each other, now it’s time to catch up in other areas of our
lives.”

He looks at me puzzled. The space between his
well-groomed brows crinkles a bit. I take it as an opportunity of
catching him off guard.

“Is there a Mrs. Carter Owens in your
life?”

His hazel-green eyes open wide in surprise,
and my eyes travel from them to his mouth - his rugged lips – with
the bottom one a tad larger than the top one, framed by a sexy
overgrown five o’clock shadow.

Those lips that I’m admiring curve up on one
side, and one of his hazel-green eyes winks at me
mischievously.

Great.

That totally did not come up as a casual
question.

“Nope.” He answers popping the “p” sound and
smiling at me. “Why do you ask?”

“How’s that possible?”

“You, out of most people, should know
why.”

I think about it for a second, then, I
understood.

“You are one of those guys that prefers to
keep things casual.”

I say it quickly and he speaks at the same
time.

“Because I’m committed to my company and
don’t have time for relationships.”

Oh.
I smile at him.
Hmm
… This
may be easier than I originally thought. We could entertain each
other while the project is being completed. After all, we all need
some relief from the daily stress we face when remodeling on a
tight deadline, right?