Chapter Text
"I'm so glad we could do this." Georgia beamed across the table at Paul. The fact he'd wanted to take her to the exact cafe they'd met had chipped a little shard away from her icy heart and she felt herself warming up to him.
She meant what she said when she told Ginny this would be different, but she hadn't expected to fall for him after working for him for a while. His sparkling teeth, his witty charm and his striking resemblance to a young JFK drew her in and she was excited to be sitting across from him in the candlelight of Blue Farm Cafe.
"So, Georgia. What do you want?" He asked, pointedly as he tucked into his steak.
"Well, I want to be happy." She replied, vaguely.
"Oh, come on!" He chuckled, playfully. "We're supposed to be getting to know each other here, not play characters in some cliché book! Tell me, what do you want?"
She thought about it long and hard. Truthfully, it depended which version of Georgia he was asking. If he was asking the younger version of herself, before she had Ginny the answer would be a home. Somewhere to feel safe. After Ginny, it was just the best for her. After Austin came along and she married that god awful husband Kenny, finding out too late about his predatory behaviour the answer changed to freedom.
Now, all she wanted was happiness. Happiness for her kids, happiness for her. She just wanted to stop having to look over her shoulder at every turn that someone might find out who she really was. She internally shuddered as the name Mary flashed through her mind.
As she was about to answer, a shrill ringing broke the pregnant silence. It came from Paul's pocket, and he apologetically rolled his eyes, excusing himself to take the call.
She sighed, was she romanticising this too much? She had a tendency to do this, every relationship she had somehow seemed much bigger and more significant when she was in it. Looking back at her time with Zion, Gil, Kenny and all the insignificant hookups between, she felt a certain disappointment that she had a feeling might be inevitable with Paul.
Waiting for him to return, she took a sip of her wine and thought about the one male who hadn't treated her like a sex symbol. The mysterious boy who'd shared half his sandwich with her at a rest stop. She wondered whether he was still in Wellsbury, thinking back to the conversation they'd had which first convinced her to move here all these years later. He'd been kind but naive, a great listener to her dreams of owning a ranch and having horses.
In the corner of her eye she spotted the door to the cafe open and a flustered Paul rushed in, taking a seat once more. He looked stressed, clearly it was a work call.
"Everything okay?" Georgia asked, concerned.
"It can wait." He shook his head, not wanting to interrupt their date with shop talk.
Well, it was considerate of him, Georgia mused.
As they continued eating, the air between them had grown awkward. Neither of them knew how to go back to small talk, Paul was too stressed and Georgia was distracted by wondering what was up with him. Was this going to bite her in the ass at work tomorrow? She took a deep breath and knew she was going to regret what she was about to say next.
"Paul," She drawled, his head shooting up to meet her eyes at that southern accent that would make any man weak at the knees. "It's honestly okay. If you need to go deal with this I really do understand."
She was sincere. It surprised Paul, his previous flings always had problems with his addiction to work. He so wished he could stay, Georgia's face was so expressive and he could see that she was as regretful as he was at the inevitability of tonight's fate. She was right, though. It had to be okay. This couldn't wait.
"It's Cynthia." He set his cutlery down, trying to contain his worry. "She called threatening to run against me. I need to go back to the office and do some pre-emptive damage control."
His expression was apologetic, and Georgia was sure he was sorry. Not as sorry as she was. Georgia Miller was the type of woman you only got one shot with. Whether Paul meant to blow it or not, tonight hadn't gone how she'd anticipated and she was disappointed at their lack of... something.
She recalled when Kenny would have to head out in the early hours of the morning for something work related and internally grimaced. She hated the idea of another relationship with a poor work/life balance and she kicked herself for even thinking this was going to be different. Still, there must have been a reason she was so okay with him leaving early.
"Can I get you guys anything?" Joe asked as he approached their table. He was surprised he managed to keep his voice cool and collected. Somehow, he couldn't get past the feeling that would wash over him every damn time Georgia Miller entered his cafe.
Seeing her on a date had irritated something deep inside him, it wasn't until tonight that he realised. He had feelings for Georgia, she was everything that he wasn't. Brave, confident, forward.
"We're good, Joe." Paul shook his head, gratefully.
"Actually," Georgia caught Joe's arm before he was able to head to another table. The volt of electricity that ran through him was a complete shock. He tried to compose himself before turning back to them.
"Could Paul get the rest of his food in a doggy bag? He has to head out."
Joe tried not to notice how unbothered Georgia was that Paul was cutting their date short. He shook his head as he wrapped up the half eaten steak, recalling the many women that Paul had brought into the cafe on dates. Not one of them had gone the full evening with him. He was shocked, though. If anyone, he thought it would have been Georgia Miller to make him stay. It was rare for him, but he let himself revel in the fact that he was wrong.
"Again, I'm so sorry. Tell Joe to add all of this to my tab." Paul apologised as he pulled his blazer over his shoulders. He thanked Joe before giving Georgia a quick peck on the cheek.
"Oh, don't be silly. To be continued!" She called after him but he was gone before she could finish her sentence. Her eyes fell to the wrapped up leftovers that he'd forgotten. They sat sadly on the table opposite her half eaten Alfredo.
She gave a sigh of disappointment before finishing her glass of wine.
"You don't have to leave so soon." Joe quipped, hovering next to her table.
"Well, it's a little sad, isn't it? Eating alone?" She replied. She'd eaten alone too many times in her life and didn't want to add to that number.
"You could always come sit at the bar, it'd be nice to have some conversation." He offered, cursing himself internally for coming across too desperate.
Georgia mused it over. She could always head home, but she didn't want to deal with Ginny right now. Plus, Austin would already be in bed, so she wouldn't be missing much.
"Fine." She humoured him, grabbing her bag before heading to the counter and taking a seat.
Joe grinned and poured her another glass of wine, trying to ignore the cartwheels his stomach was doing at the idea of having Georgia Miller stay and talk to him for the rest of the evening.