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“Yes.” An amused grin touched Emily’s face as she sat down in her chair. “He’s my husband.”
Sally looked up at her, new respect lighting in her eyes. “Why didn’t you say so?”
Georgia wanted to hide her head in the nearest pile of sand she could find. So much for all of Sally’s lecturing on keeping a cool, aloof attitude.
“Because I don’t work for my husband.” Emily winked at Georgia, as if she could sense her discomfort. “Spark was partially bred from my family’s matchmaking system. Smithy and I have worked tirelessly to ensure that our customers get that same flavor, as if they’d walked into a matchmaker’s office themselves. We don’t want a hookup culture. We want lasting results. True love. Earnest love. Which is why we hired Gigi here to be our celebrity sponsor. She’s got the heart of America in her back pocket.”
Georgia shifted uncomfortably. She was waiting for the but moment. But…you screwed up. And now we have to fire you.
“Yes, about that.” Sally put the frame back and placed her hands on her hips in what Georgia recognized as her power move. She was going in for the kill. “We would like to discuss the recent events that have led to this meeting.”
Emily leaned back in her chair, looking as cool and easy-going as anyone could under Sally’s direct gaze. Georgia wondered at her ability to remain so calm in such a situation.
“Of course,” she said with a nod. “Let’s discuss.”
“My client was lured into a situation where the photographs were taken without her consent.” Sally glanced down at Georgia with a pitying frown. “She was also physically attacked by her ex-boyfriend. We are prepared to file charges against him if that legitimizes her in the eyes of the public.”
Georgia cringed. The last thing she wanted at that moment was a court proceeding. It had been Sally’s idea. All she wanted to do was move forward and forget about the whole thing.
Emily’s gaze turned toward her and softened. “I’m so sorry to hear that. Are you okay?”
Her breath caught in her lungs. Besides Alaric, no one had asked her that simple question. The wave of emotions that swept over her caught her off guard.
“I’ll be fine,” she said in a quiet voice and with a grateful smile. “I just don’t want to lose this contract.”
“Well, I have to admit that we were concerned when the first story came out,” Emily said, standing from her chair to stride toward the window and look out at the street below. She smoothed out her white skirt and sighed. “Especially with Alaric Hammond’s initial comments. It didn’t look so great for Gigi Weber or Spark.”
Georgia cringed. No need to remind her of Alaric’s words. They were permanently etched inside her skull.
“But, that was before our numbers jumped sky-high this morning,” Emily said, returning from the window to grasp the back of her chair and beam at them. “Thanks to Alaric’s damage control, more people are signing up for Spark than ever before. I think we can safely say everything is looking up.”
Georgia shook her head, trying to comprehend what Emily was saying. Damage control? What had Alaric done? Her questioning gaze flicked over to her publicist. Sally stood next to her with her lips pressed into a thin line.
Emily slipped back into her chair and gave them both a cheery grin. “I take it that you haven’t seen the Entertainment Today segment they ran late last night? Here, let me pull it up for you.”
She turned toward her computer, clicked a few keys, and then swiveled the monitor for them to see. Georgia’s stomach clenched at the sight of a video featuring Alaric standing outside the hotel with his luggage in hand. She’d never seen him looking so weary, like he hadn’t slept in a month. There was an intense sadness in his eyes. It almost broke her heart. He glanced angrily at the crowd surrounding him as he tried to make his way to his car.
The scene proceeded to play out with the paparazzi peppering him with questions. Georgia stared wide-eyed as Alaric turned toward them, rage burning in his eyes. His passionate reply to them sunk into her like electric shocks to the chest. He defended her in the most beautiful way, insisting that she deserved much better than him and Vance. And then it was over and he was driven away in his town car, looking especially tired as he scrubbed his face with his hands.
Georgia sat staring at the monitor for a long while. Never in a million years had she expected any man to talk about her like that. Least of all, the man who she’d chased from her life only minutes before. Yes, he’d made a huge mistake and broken his promise about talking to the press, but he’d more than made up fo
r that. He’d given her back her contract. Her career. Her dignity.
“Well, he’s smooth, I’ll give him that.” Sally sucked in her cheeks and casually examined her fingernails.
Judging by the lack of surprise coming from her publicist’s direction, Georgia was sure that she’d already known about Alaric’s public defense of her.
“Why didn’t you tell me about this?” she asked, her jaw dropping in frustration. “Why didn’t you tell me that he had defended me?”
“Because he’s served his purpose,” Sally snapped. Her lips formed a pinched expression. “And the last thing you needed right now was to run after that man. He’s distracting you from your goals. From your career. I’m doing you a favor.”
Georgia’s chest rose with a furious breath as she glared up at Sally. There had been many times it felt like Sally had crossed a line, but never as boldly as this. Her hands grasped the armrests of her chair and her nails dug into the leather. How dare Sally make this decision for her?
“Gigi, I can see this is coming as a shock to you,” Emily said, breaking through her blind rage. She had a sympathetic smile on her pink lips and a twinkle in her eye. “I don’t know Alaric Hammond very well myself, but I have it on the best of authority that he is a good man with a noble heart. I’m sure that he meant everything he said. And in case you were wondering, my matchmaking system doesn’t make mistakes. After all, that’s how I met my own match.”
Her eyes sparkled with love as she gazed at the framed photo on her desk. Georgia watched her, aching for something like that. Something real. Something solid. Not the kind of tabloid fodder that sold company stocks or kept sponsors happy. But a real love, that would last through the hard times. A man who would stand beside her, no matter what came.
Was Alaric that man? She’d been so cruel to him during their last meeting. And yet, minutes later, he’d defended her on the street outside their hotel. Surely, those feelings hadn’t died yet. Maybe, they could both forgive each other. She knew she already had.
