“That so?”
“Mhmmm.” She yawned wide and placed her empty cup on the table before snuggling deeper into the couch. And maybe the days of fever and exhaustion really had caught up to her, because as Georgia looked back at Lake, who’d been so honest about hard parts of his past, who’d opened up to her and given her a glimpse of the man she always suspected he was, who’d cared for her without assumption, she decided then and there to embrace her own tiny measure of bravery.
“The truth is,” she took a small measured breath, “he just wasn’t the right Lovett boy for me.”
Lake released a heavy, relieved sigh and mirrored the satisfied smile Georgia knew rested on her face as well.
“Okay, then,” he said, placing his arm fully around her. Pulling her in close and nestling her head into his shoulder.
“Okay,” she said, closing her eyes and melting into his warmth.
17
MARY DID YOU KNOW
CARRIE UNDERWOOD
NOW
The next morning,Georgia awoke in what was an unfortunately impressive pool of drool beneath her cheek, her face plastered warmly to the plaid couch below.
“Perrrrrfect,” she mumbled grumpily and pulled herself off the fabric. She’d fallen asleep snuggling LAKELAND LOVETT ON HER COUCH! Sadly, a quiet, yet respectable celebration of that fact couldn’t be enjoyed with the remnants of drool on her cheek, an unmistakable peanut butter smear from the night before on her rancid t-shirt, and fabric sleep-lines etched into the side of her face. Her eyes darted around the room looking forHis Handsomeness, and the witness to her morning glory. But Lake didn’t seem to be there.
Georgia took advantage of the burst of energy that a fever-free night—and what would go down in history as her favorite tea time ever—had given her and sprinted to the bathroom to wash the leftovers of her infirmity down the drain.
When she finally emerged refreshed and,praise be, smelling far less like a week’s worth of fever-induced sweat, her apartment was still mysteriously empty.
Was it all a weird dream? Had she imagined the whole thing?
She looked around the room again. The kitchen was immaculately clean, her bed had been stripped of linens, and…Had a fairy come in and dusted while she’d slept?A lonely Atlanta Braves hat hung from the coat hook near the front door.
“Aha!” she exclaimed, pointing at the hat. “He’s real!”
Without thinking it through, Georgia grabbed the hat, abandoned her desolate, but uncharacteristically clean apartment and nearly tumbled down the stairs leading to the coffee shop, forgetting for a moment about her weakened limbs. She found Sadie in the shop’s kitchen, startled by her clamoring down the stairs.
“Holy cow! Georgia!” Sadie threw a flour-covered hand over her heart. “What in the world are you doin’ down here? You nearly scared the tar outta me!”
Georgia stumbled and stuffed the incriminating hat behind her back. “Oh, hey friend,” she said. “How ya doin’?”
Sadie brushed her hands off and stepped around the counter. “Oh, I'm just fine. How areyou?You look much better than the last time I saw you.”
“I’m better. So much better. Just came to, um… check in on things. See how y’all were doin’.”
Sadie’s eyes flickered to the door leading to the shop. “We’re all good here, so you should, um,” she put her arm around Georgia, guiding her away, “really go on back up to bed. Get more rest before the weekend.”
Georgia, flummoxed by Sadie’s dismissal, felt her temporary insanity over Lake’s disappearance, and accessories, wane. “Maybe I should. I am kinda…”
A body banged against the swinging door, pushing it open. “Sadie! We’re gonna need, like, a dozen more of those snowflakes…” Dakota stammered and looked between his sister and Sadie. “Oh, Georgie… you’re here… in the kitchen…”
“Yes. I am Dakota. What snowflakes?” she asked, putting a hand on her hip, the other holding Lake’s hat, still safely hidden behind her back.
“Why didn’t you tell me she was here?” Dakota snipped at Sadie.
Sadie’s face immediately grew indignant. “Because, Dakota, I was a little busy making the three dozen snowflakes you’d already ordered while also scheduling the employees for the week and managing an entire coffee shop. I wasn’t expecting her to waltz right down the stairs. Lake said she was in a sloppy coma.” Sadie turned to Georgia. “His words, not mine.”
Georgia scoffed.
“Seriously, Sadie? I told you I’d help with the schedule, and you saidno.You don’t get to be upset if you don’t accept what people are offering you,” Dakota rumbled.
