Bitter Hearts (A Southern Loving Book 3) (4 page)

Ring

“Who
phone is that?” Mariah said looking around the room.

Shit,
Kari backed up and practically ran to the living room and snatched her purse up
from the sofa.

“Kari
wait!” Sam said, running behind her.

She
couldn’t stop running down the hall and to the stairwell, Kari didn’t want to
hear anything that came out Sam’s mouth. Everything was a lie. The proposal.
Every time he said “I love you,” was a lie. He was going to used her for a
financial gain.

That
day Kari ran away from everything and everyone. She moved to Nashville to
create her own stamp on life and that started with K-By Design, but also she
moved to a town where no one would know her influential family and wealth.

Kari
wiped the single tear from her eye, as she thought about the betrayal of a
lover that still ran rampant in her veins and heart. When people asked her
about the relationship she had with Sam, she always changed the subject. Never
once had she mentioned what happen to her best friend, Corey. Kari never spoke
with Sam after leaving his apartment, she changed her number and refused to
talk to him. To this day she harbor feelings of resentment, bitterness,
disappointment, rejection, anger and humiliation. Kari made a pact on that day
two years ago that she would never fall in love with anyone else, she destined
herself to be that career woman who owned a five cats.

Chapter Two

The
next day, Kari breathed a sigh of relief when she didn’t encounter the slow
driver on the road called Hank Jackson. Arriving at the Southern Hearts Ranch
with her work bag, she made her way up the stairs to knock on the door when it
abruptly swung open. Standing in the threshold was Austin McBride, who appeared
to be waiting for Kari’s arrival.

“Hello,
Kari” he said, looking around nervously. “I only have a few minutes before
Farrah comes back from the garden.”

“Ok,”
she said, feeling a little uncomfortable.

“I
have this picture of Farrah’s deceased mother.” Austin handed the small picture
to Kari. “Maybe you can add the picture into the room.”

“Sure,”
Kari said, as she looked down at the picture of a pretty black woman with
Farrah’s features holding a baby. “Farrah will love this.”

“I
hope so.” Austin smiled.

“She
will…I want to set up my presentation in the nursery to give you guys a more
visual effect.” Kari slipped the portrait of Farrah mother in her folder.

“Sure,
you already know where the room is at. I’ll go get Farrah,” he said, walking
away.

Kari
busied herself with pinning up each look for the five different themes she came
up with. One was a traditional brown and red cowboy theme room with a sleigh
crib, second theme consisted of the colors cream and mint green with draping on
the wall behind each crib. Third idea was using white, grey-blue and black, two
tone crib and clouds on the ceiling. Fourth selection was Kari’s favorite the
color scheme was black, white and green coloring such as Sweetbriar and Green
Crystal. She would draw a black tree on the wall with branches and leaves that
stretch to each cribs, ultimately there would be pictures frames of the twins’
initials hanging from the limbs. Kari was beginning to work on the last theme
when she heard a gasp from the doorway.

Farrah
stood there with her hand covering her mouth. “You did an awesome job on each
them,” she said, and walked towards the wall and ran her hand down on the
sketches. “Melanie lied, she said you were great, but I believe you’re
magnificent.”

“Thank
you,” Kari grinned from ear to ear. “I wanted you to get a full concept of each
design.”

“Girl,
you gave me plenty to think about,” she laughed.  

Kari
completed the last theme with mystic gold and marble white colors. She was even
implanting draping that flow from the ceiling to floor behind the cribs. The
cribs would be custom made by Hank with the twins’ initials inscribe in the
head board. She would pick out a beautiful orb crystal chandelier that would
hang brightly.

“So
these are the samples I made yesterday,” Kari said, stepping back from the
wall, she allowed the happy couple time to sort out which one they wanted to
pick out. “I will make all the bedding and sitting area furniture in the
nurseries,”

“Where’s
Hank?” Farrah said, looking at Austin. “Kari would need to consult with him on
the furniture design.”

“I
called him, he said he would be here after putting Lightning up in the
stables,” Austin said, as he studied the western baby nursery. “Sugar, I think
we should do the Western theme in Dallas.”

“That
what I was thinking,” Farrah said, as she touched the last theme.

“I
read an article that said draping the walls helps with keeping the noise out
the room,” Kari explained, as she heard heavy boots on the hardwood floor. She
turned around and her eyes connected with a pair of grey eyes.  Hank Jackson
stood there wearing a red tank top shirt and black jeans. She glanced over the
shiny gold belt buckled in front of his pants.

“I’m
here,” Hank mumbled, walking into the room and right pass Kari without anything
as a simple hello.

“Great!
Austin and I agreed to go with the western brown and red room for the nursery
in Dallas and the draping theme for the room here,” Farrah said.

“Brilliant!”
Kari clasped her hands together. “I’ll have the décor picked out and the
customized cribs, chairs, table, dresser, and bedding ready by the time you
pop.”

“Hank,
what do you think about creating the cribs and the availability?” Austin said
looking back at his cousin amusingly

Hank
scoffed and looked at Kari and back at Austin. “Yeah it can be done.”

“I
just want to say that the cribs here will be circular,” Kari interjected.

Hank
looked at her for instant, unblinking, his grey eyes bored into her. “That will
not be a problem,” he said through clench teeth.

“Well
that’s settled,” Kari said, appearing unbothered by Hank’s rude demeanor.

“I
have rules,” Hank said, holding his black cowboy hat.

“Maybe
we should go to allow you guys to discuss working together,” Austin said, as
his gaze flicker back and forth between Kari and Hank.

Kari
busied herself with making plans on her iPad. “When will be a great time to
venture out to Dallas for me to get a look at the room?”

Farrah
and Austin were nearly out the room’s door when they turn back around and look
at her. “Austin and I will be headed on a tour, but Hank can accompany you to
Texas, since he headed there in three weeks,” Farrah said, turning to look at
her husband. “I can actually meet up with you when the tour heads to Arizona.”

The
thought of going to Texas with Hank of all people repulsed Kari. She wasn’t
going to mention her displeasure of traveling with the man who was responsible
for the furniture in the nurseries. “You don’t have to put yourself out like
that, I can travel to Dallas with Hank,” she said.

“Well
great.” Farrah went over to Kari and hugged her quickly before being ushered
out the room by Austin.

“They
didn’t tell you I’m driving back to Dallas,” Hank mumbled, walking over to the
wall to observe the sketches. 

“That
doesn’t bother me,” Kari shrugged, as she made notes to order the colors for
the bedding for each nursery and the wood panels for the nursery wall in
Dallas.

“It’s
a nine hour drive,” he informed her.

“I
don’t have to ride with you, last time I check there were planes, trains and
automobiles,” Kari said through clenched teeth. “Please believe I don’t need
you chauffeuring me around.”

“Whatever you say.”

“Don’t
you have a horse to ride or a cow to brand?” she asked, the cocky man standing
in the room looking at her. Kari continued to place the drawings in her
satchels.
Lord please let me get through these three weeks with his ass.
“Shit,”
she exclaimed, looking at her finger.

“What,
did you break a nail?” Hank asked with a smirk.

Kari
hesitated for a moment before opening her mouth to give Hank Jackson a piece of
her mind. “What the hell is your problem? You had a problem since day one with
me,” she hissed, rolling her eyes.

“Let’s
see. One: you have road rage-”

“Get
the hell out of here, you were driving like an 80-year old grandpa,” Kari
interrupted. “Did you lay in bed last night thinking about how I passed you?”

“I’ll
have you know that Karley never crossed my mind.” He waved his hand
dismissively, giving Kari a look.

“It
Kari! K-A-R-I,” she sighed exasperatedly. “You’re a jerk.” She ripped the
remaining sketches from the wall and placed them in a file. Swinging her bag on
her shoulder and nearly sprinted from the room.

“Shit,”
he yelled.

“What
did you do?” Farrah asked, as she wandered into the room with her hands on her
hips.

“Nothing,”
he said, with a scowl on his face.

“Obviously
something,” Farrah said, with a surprise look on her face. “I heard how you were
so harsh with her. Please, I beg you Hank, do not and I repeat DO NOT run away
my interior decorator. If you do there will be hell to pay.” 

“Don’t
worry, I won’t run away the decorator,” he murmured as he stalked past Farrah.

Reaching
out she grasped his arm. “Don’t allow for you past relationship interfere with
your life,” Farrah pleaded. “It’s not the end of the world.”

Without
saying a word, Hank walked past Farrah and out of the house. Stopping in his
tracks, he picked up the silk green scarf on the ground next to where Kari
parked at. Lifting it to his nose, he inhaled the blends of something floral,
warm vanilla with the hint of citruses. Putting the scarf into this truck, he
went home but his eyes kept drifting to Kari’s scarf on the front seat. Hank
didn’t want to admit that Farrah was right, he was allowing his past
relationship with Natalie to interfere with everyday life.

The
way he argued with Kari was inappropriate, she didn’t do anything to deserve
the way he treated her. Since the day Natalie left him, his days were clouded,
he didn’t have the ability to enjoy life anymore. Hank was always looking for
fault in himself. Groaning, Hank made a U-turn in the middle of the road
instead of going home he headed into town to apologize to Kari.

***

 
Kari slammed her books on the desk with a thump. How dare Hank Jackson talk to
her like that? God she couldn’t stand that cheeky son of a bitch. Groaning she
rubbed her temples, opening the desk drawer Kari pulled out a bottle of
Tylenol. Popping the top off, she pour two pills into her hand.

“I
think I need two more,” Kari said, shaking two more tablets in her hand. Tossing
back the pills and downing them with a bottle of water with hopes the medicine would
work wonders on her throbbing headache.

Trying
to focus on something else beside the nasty reception that she received from
Hank, Kari slipped on her glasses to order fabric for the beddings and paint
for the walls. It looked like riding with Hank to Dallas was her only option,
since she would have to deliver materials to the McBride’s ranch. But that
didn’t mean she had to play nice with him.

“Was
your day that bad?” Corey asked, walking into the room carrying a brown bag
full of donuts.

“Business
wise it went great.” Kari placed her pencil behind her ear the rumbling of her
stomach reminded her that she skipped lunch and it was way past lunch time.

Corey
placed the bag on Kari’s desk and sat down in the workspace across from hers.
“What happened? I thought you said the McBride account was a slam dunk,”

“It
is!” she whined. “Just that they want their cousin to build homemade cribs.”

“So
what’s wrong with him? Is he finnneeee?” Corey laughed.

Kari
rolled her eyes and took a bite out the glazed donut. Since moving to Nashville,
Corey was in hog heaven with the clean-cut cowboys around town. Los Angles
didn’t have those sexy wranglers there. “Geez get you mind out the gutter,” she
said.

“I
can’t help it,” he said dreamily. “You should come out to the club with Tony
and me.”

“No
thanks,” Kari laughed “I have a lot of work to do, not to mention I have to
make sure we’re on schedule with the all of our clients.”

“Kari,
you know since we moved out to Nashville business has been booming,” Corey said
in one of those voices that sounded like a public service announcement.

Kari
knew Corey was about to saying something that either she didn’t agree me or
what he thought was best for her. Reclining back in the chair she looked at
him. “Say it.”

“You
made me do this girl,” Corey said, taking a deep breath. “Sam somehow got wind
that you moved here.”

“Because
you post every damn thing on your freaking Facebook,” Kari stood up abruptly,
nearly knocking over her bottle of water. “What happen to keeping business
separate from personal lives?”

“Dammit
K, this is my second time witnessing you becoming so jittery after mentioning
Sam’s name. The first time was yesterday and now today. What’s going on with
you and Sam?”

“It’s
nothing.” Kari was feeling a bit peeved that he wouldn’t just drop the topic.

“K
it’s not healthy that you still feeling this way,” Corey said quickly. “…Sam
wants to meet with you…I told him I would ask you about it.”

Kari
gave Corey an evil glare that spoke volumes. “You can take off early…I have a
lot of designs to finish up today,” she said, before going to her drawing table
by the ceiling to floor wall that gave a beautiful view of the courtyard.

Kari
chose this location for her business because the magnificent facade
construction, but also because of the residential condo above that she couldn’t
help purchasing. Looking down below at the outdoor café there was two happy
love birds. Kari pitied the woman with the love in her eyes; it was only a
matter of time before her heart was broken beyond repair.

“Kari,”
Corey said, with worried look on his face. “When you ready to talk I’m here for
you.”

“Okay.”
Her voice was soft. Kari blinked rapidly to keep the tears from falling. “Have
a nice day.”

“Just
remember, you gave me the remainder of the day off,” he continued, picking up
his tote bag and car keys off the table. Corey turn back and looked at Kari.