Under a Georgia Moon: Georgia Moon Romance Book 1 (3 page)

She stood and held out her hand to help her father off of the couch. “I’m going to go change my clothes before I get something to eat.”

“Sure, honey. I’ll get your food out of the oven.”

“Thank you, Daddy.” Addie let go of his hand and padded down the hall to her bedroom. The minute she opened the door, she stopped dead in her tracks and stared at her wedding dress, still hanging on the closet door. Oh yeah, she forgot she’d pulled it out last night, determined to take pictures of it and sell it on eBay.

That was before she had opened Brandon’s wedding announcement.

Her eyes started to sting again, but she blinked, swallowed down her emotions, and moved the dress inside her closet. Selling her dress could wait another day.

Closing the closet door, Addie grabbed her laptop and sank down on her bed. She was going to book her flight before she chickened out and stayed home to organize the basement.

She logged on and quickly scanned over her email. There was the usual amount of spam, notifying her of specials at her favorite stores. A few of the messages were from church, probably inviting her to the next activity. Feeling more guilty than embarrassed at the moment, she opened one of the messages and then wished she hadn’t. The next activity was going to be a surprise wedding shower for a couple Addie remembered always being together, holding hands, whispering and stealing kisses. Ugh. She was so not going.

Skipping the other church related mail, she scrolled to the most recent message. It was from the company she’d purchased her new camera lens from. The subject announced in bold letters a photography contest with a grand prize totaling ten thousand dollars.

Excitement shot through Addie as she clicked open the message and read the details. The recipient of the winning photograph would take home a professional camera with all the accessories, including memory cards, and two additional lenses.

If she could win the contest, this could be her chance to finally go for her dream. While Addie’s current camera was great, it wasn’t ideal for the kind of quality of work she’d like to have with her own studio. With the right equipment, she could work out of her home until she built a clientele, which hopefully wouldn’t take too long. Daisy Springs didn’t have a professional photographer. Yet.

Feeling more hope than she had in a long time, she dropped her gaze to the bottom of the message and found the rules as well as the deadline. She had three weeks to get the perfect picture. Her mind whirled as fast as the high-speed shutter setting on her camera as she thought of possible locations and subjects. She loved doing landscape but it was still pretty brown outside. Spring rarely came early in Idaho, but the South would be a different story.

Mitchel Creek, Georgia was a picturesque town about thirty minutes outside of Macon. With large plantation type homes dotting the rolling hills and a quaint little main street lined with antique shops and boutiques, Addie should be able to capture the perfect image.

Opening a new tab in her browser, Addie typed in the airline name and clicked on the link to their website. After logging into her account, she booked her flight for the following Friday.

Next, she found her cell phone and texted her travel plans to her aunt. Unlike Addie’s father, Aunt Janie—his younger sister by eight years—had embraced the latest technology, including smart phones and texting.

A few minutes later her phone dinged and she read the excited message from her aunt. Before Janie could mention anything about setting Addie up with her good-looking neighbor, Addie quickly sent her stipulation that she wasn’t interested in dating anyone. Period.

The reply she got back was very short, and not as reassuring as she’d wanted.

Sweetie, you don’t need to date anyone you don’t want to. I can’t wait to see you. Hugs!

Addie decided not to clarify her stance because she was sure about one thing: she did not
want
to date. At least not for a very, very long time.

Chapter Two

Chase Nichols
, dressed for work in a button-down shirt, tie and khaki colored slacks, leaned against the door jamb of Janie Caldwell’s kitchen. His mouth watered as the tantalizing smell of freshly baked cinnamon buns drifted his way. With great anticipation, he watched Miss Janie drizzle icing over the warm bread.

“Chase, are you sure you don’t mind picking up Addie?” she questioned without glancing up at him.

Chase would do just about anything for one of her cinnamon buns. “Miss Janie, I told ya I don’t mind, and I’m gonna be in Atlanta, anyway.” His neighbor baked the best breads and pastries in the entire South, making Chase a frequent visitor.

“That’s right, you and the boys have a…” Janie looked up and furrowed her brow. “What’d ya call it?”

“A gig.”

“Right. A gig.” Janie finished with the icing and reached for a spatula. “Well, Addie’s plane comes in early afternoon on Friday. Is that gonna be a problem?”

Chase pushed away from the door jamb. “That’ll be perfect. We’re only playin’ one night and it happens to be Thursday.” Chase grinned. “We’re still not good enough for the weekend crowd at this club.”

Janie swatted her hand in the air. “What? That’s crazy. You boys sound wonderful to me. Y’all will get your big break. Just wait and see.”

Every time somebody brought up the failed attempt of
Chasing Dreams
to break into the country music scene, Chase felt an almost desperate feeling inside to stop time. He was twenty-eight, and now that he had a college degree, and a good career in graphic arts, the next step should be marriage. But while the other members of their country music band were content playing a couple of weekends a month, Chase couldn’t let go of his dream. He wanted one more chance to make it big—even if it meant going solo.

“Miss Janie.” Chase walked toward the counter. “The guys are happy doin’ a few gigs a month.” He took the plate from Miss Janie’s outstretched hand. “Thank you.” He tore off a corner of the roll. “Besides, Drew and his wife are expectin’ another baby, and he complains about being away from his family as it is. Same with Jackson, now that he’s married.”

Jackson McCall, his best friend since the fourth grade, had gotten married six months earlier. His goals had been the same as Chase’s until he met his wife Sydney. That realization still stung.

Janie gave him a calculated look before her lips stretched into a big smile. “And do you have any marriage prospects?”

Chase smiled, trying his best not to show his irritation. He would get married. Eventually. As soon as the right girl came along.

“No, ma’am. No one yet.”

Janie’s grin widened. “Well, maybe my Addie will turn your head. She’s a pretty little thing and needs to have her heart mended.”

Chase was in the process of taking his first bite, but paused midway.
Addie?
As in the Addie he was supposed to pick up?

“Your niece? What happened to break her heart?”

Janie crossed her arms over her ample chest and narrowed her eyes. “Her fool fiancé broke off their engagement two weeks before the wedding. Although it’s a good thing it happened before she married the scoundrel.”

Chase was mildly curious about what caused the break up, but didn’t ask for clarification. He knew there were always two sides to every story, and he remembered Janie’s red-headed niece. She’d been hot-tempered, even at the age of eleven. “Yes, ma’am. That is a good thing.”

“He didn’t deserve her anyway, so I’m glad it didn’t work out.” She eyed Chase again, a speculative gleam glinting in her dark brown eyes. A look he knew all too well when someone was trying to set him up.

Chase wasn’t interested in Janie’s fiery niece, and he seriously doubted she would be interested in him. Shoot, the last time he saw her, she’d been a couple of inches taller than him. Man, he’d hated that. And the girl rubbed it in whenever she got the chance. His growth spurt came the following year, but the redhead never returned for a visit. He was tempted to ask Janie how tall her niece was now. While Chase’s height was above average, he was still just six feet with his boots on.

“Well,” he said, needing to change the subject. “I need to get to work. Why don’t you give me her cell so I’ll have a way of callin’ her.”

Janie wiggled both eyebrows. “You want her number?”

Not for what you’re thinking
. “Well, yeah. I just figured that would be the best way to contact her at the airport.” He shrugged. “Or, I can just hold up a sign with her name on it.”

“Perfect idea. I’ll make the sign tonight and you can take it before you leave for your gig thing.”

“Yes, ma’am. I’ll be by to pick it up the mornin’ before we leave.” He took the rest of the roll and handed Janie his plate. “Thanks for feeding me.”

“You’re welcome.” She grinned as she followed Chase out the door. “Oh, I’ll still text you Addie’s number.”

Chase waved a hand. “That’d be great.”

“Have a good day.”

“You too.” He climbed in his truck and headed to work, telling himself not to worry about his neighbor’s matchmaking ideas. Out of all the girls he’d dated, not one of them had ever been a redhead. They weren’t really his type.

* * *

Chase tucked the bright colored sign Miss Janie made for him in between the airport’s vinyl chairs. His idea of a sign didn’t entail sparkling glitter. He didn’t plan on using the sign, not when he could just as easily text, but Miss Janie was so excited about it he knew he had to at least bring it inside. As it was, he left the balloon bouquet in his truck.

Since Miss Heywood’s plane wasn’t due for another ten minutes, Chase leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. He might as well catch a few Z’s while he waited. The performance the night before had been great and they’d played until two in the morning. Before going to his hotel room, he’d stayed up even later talking with a pretty girl. Chase called it a night when the girl invited him for a sleepover.

Even if he had been tempted—which he hadn’t been—his mama raised him to respect women. With four sisters, Chase took it upon himself to protect them from guys that usually had only one thing on their mind. Luckily, two of his sisters were happily married. The other two—the twins—were the youngest and were making him crazy. They were beautiful. They knew it, and they knew everyone else knew it too.

He couldn’t wait for them to graduate high school in a few months. Although he wasn’t a proponent of marrying young, he sort of hoped the twins would find good husbands their first year in college like his other sisters had.

He shifted in the hard seat and tried not to think of where that would leave him—the oldest and not married. His parents, especially his mother, would be all over him like a tick on a hound dog, harassing him for being single and trying to set him up with every eligible girl in the state of Georgia.

No thanks. Being the only son in a houseful of girls made him leery of marriage. His sisters’ emotions were all over the place. He was an expert on PMS and he’d had to buy more feminine products over the years than any guy should ever be subjected to. In spite of Jackson’s insistence that the benefits of marriage far outweighed the hormonal mood swings, Chase was content focusing on his career for now.

A mother with two young boys took the empty seats next to Chase. Right away, an unpleasant odor wafted up from one of the kids. Chase decided to skip his nap and quickly vacated his seat. He walked over to the monitors and was surprised to see Miss Heywood’s plane landed early.

A few minutes later, an influx of passengers approached the baggage-claim area. Chase moved toward the one designated for the flight number Miss Janie gave him. He leaned against a column and studied the passengers, looking for a redhead. He doubted he would be able to identify Janie’s niece by sight, especially since he’d been too busy worrying about work and whether or not the talent scout was going to show up at their performance last night to even track her down on Facebook.

If his phone’s battery wasn’t in the red zone, he could’ve done a search while he waited. Hopefully, it would hold out long enough for a text message—otherwise he’d be holding up the girly-looking poster board. He glanced back by his seat and saw it was still tucked in between the chair. His phone better not die.

As soon as the luggage started circulating, the passengers crowded around the conveyer belt. They were all crammed in so close together it made it difficult for anyone to remove their bag once they spotted it.

Chase watched the process over and over, but noticed one girl was having a hard time getting close enough to reach her bag. She was cute, at least from what he could tell. She sure looked good in her jeans and a turquoise colored top that hugged her generous curves. Under the airport lights, her long hair looked thick and shiny. The color was similar to his sister’s chestnut mare Roxie.

He squinted, wondering if he could call the hair red. To him it looked more brown than red, so he doubted it was Janie’s niece. Her hair color was something he could never forget. Whenever she’d teased him about being taller than him, he’d made some wisecrack about her fire engine red hair. She hadn’t liked that very much.

Another surge of passengers flooded the already crowded space. Chase knew it was futile but he still scanned the newcomers, hoping to spot Janie’s niece. So far the only woman he’d found with red hair was very pregnant and holding the hand of a little boy.

Deciding he better let Miss Heywood know he was here, he pulled out his phone and quickly typed in a message that he’d wait for her at the base of the escalator. He sent the message and was frustrated when a second later the screen went blank and his phone powered off. He couldn’t believe he’d forgotten to pack a charger. It was stupid to not have an extra one in his truck.

Hoping the message had actually been sent, he continued to people watch. Once again, he spotted the girl in the turquoise shirt. She’d made progress, and Chase watched as she inched forward and squeezed between two men, reaching out to grab a large roll-on duffle bag with a bright pink ribbon tied to it.