The thought of Jack being with this other woman turned my stomach. But this was what I got. I had let the best man I had ever known go.
“Hi, sweetie,” she said, walking toward him.
I wondered if it would repel her if I threw up in the yard or if it would bring them closer together, make me the common enemy. All I knew was that I couldn’t stand around and watch this. But it was the proverbial car wreck from which I couldn’t look away. They exchanged an air kiss.
It had only been five weeks. Five weeks, and he had already found someone else? Of course he had found someone else. He was gorgeous and well off and didn’t have children—well, that anyone knew of. Very little baggage. What a fool I had been to let him go!
“Ansley,” Jack said, the warmth he had given to her gone when he turned to me, “this is Georgia.”
I laughed, and she joined me.
“I know,” she said. “What are the chances I would have moved to Georgia?”
“Georgia is my decorator,” Jack said.
I couldn’t hide my shock. It was a blow when I thought he was with another woman. But he had found another decorator? This was entirely too much.
“Wait,” I said. “I’m sorry. Did you say she was your decorator?”
He shrugged. “Yeah. So?”
“So, I don’t know.” I had suddenly lost all sense of propriety. “It’s not like I’ve been talking about how much I want to decorate this house since 1974 or anything.”
Georgia with her annoyingly perky breasts looked from Jack to me, confused. “Oh, right,” I said. “You probably weren’t even born in 1974.”
“Yes, I was,” she fired back. “In 1974.”
I felt genuinely hurt, not only that he might be moving on romantically, but also that he couldn’t put our differences aside. Jack knew, unequivocally, that this would hurt me almost as much as being away from him. He could stand there all frigid and angry in the yard, but the man knew I loved him. He knew turning away from him to take care of my family and protect the secret that could destroy all our lives was the single hardest decision I had ever made. In the top five, anyway. To do this to me was petty and cruel.
And I said so.
“Petty?” he said. “Really? OK, Ansley. Think whatever you want. But why on earth would you think I would let you decorate my house after all you put me through?”
“Wait,” little miss tan legs said. “You aren’t Ansley Murphy, are you?”
I crossed my arms, sizing her up. She readjusted her skirt, which I found satisfying. I had made her uncomfortable.
“Yeah,” I said. “I know. Startling that there is only one decorator named Ansley in a town with a population of three thousand people.”
She put her portfolio over her heart. “Oh my gosh!” she gasped, all breathy and girlish. I wanted to say, You’re over forty. Give it a rest. “You are my inspiration. That shoot you just did for House Beautiful. The yacht. It was unbelievable. The before and after.”
“My yacht,” Jack chimed in.
I had softened to Georgia a bit now.
“Oh,” she gushed. “Wow. I was excited about this job, but now to know that I’m following in Ansley Murphy’s footsteps . . .” She ran her free hand through her hair. “It’s just too much!”
I smiled tightly. “Well, thanks, I guess. If you need any pointers, I’ve been dreaming of decorating this house,” I turned to Jack, “since I was fifteen years old.
“Nice to meet you,” I mumbled, though it was anything but nice to meet her.
I turned to walk away and was almost back to my gate when I heard Jack call, “Ansley.”
I ignored him. I was done for the day. I had a shred of self-respect still intact, and I wasn’t going to lose it now. “Ansley,” he said.
Damn it. I could tell he was walking toward me now. And I had nowhere to hide, so I turned around. He was smiling. Not a Jack-and-Ansley smile, but not a hideous grimace, either. I wasn’t sure if it was menopause or the emotional stress I had been under lately, but I teared up again. As long as he would still smile at me, it would all be OK.
“I’m teasing you,” he said.
I wrinkled my brow.
“Georgia isn’t a decorator.”
She shook her head. “I’m a Realtor from Atlanta. I’m the one who sold Jack the house.”
Now I was confused. “What?”
“But I really am a big fan of yours,” Georgia said.
“Oh, yeah,” Jack chimed in. “That was a great addition to the script, G.”
“What do you mean, ‘script’?”
“It’s a joke, Ansley. I haven’t hired a decorator, but if you would like the job, I would certainly love to see what you have in mind before I make my decision.”
It was ridiculous, considering I had just turned his half-sunk and fire-ridden boat into a palace at sea. But fine. I could play by the rules. He was punishing me a little bit, and that was OK. I could take it. I was so relieved. I could tell that if left to her druthers, Georgia would have used the fabric equivalent of a floral-print Hawaiian shirt in there.
So, no, with the girls leaving me in charge of AJ and Taylor, this wasn’t the ideal time for me to pitch designs for this house I had dreamed of decorating for most of my life. But how hard could it be? I mean, the kids had to sleep sometime, right?
“I’ll have something ready for you next week,” I said.
Jack nodded. “Do you want to go inside and get a feel for the floor plan?”
I waved my hand. “I know the floor plan. I know the whole house by heart. And I know exactly how to make it fabulous.”
“We’ll see,” Jack said.
Fine. That was fine. He could be like that. “See you around, Georgia,” I said.
“Oh, I sure hope so,” she replied. “Call me, Jack.”
It nearly broke my
