by Emma Lea
“Connor,” Gran called, “could you come in here for a minute?”
“Just a sec,” he said as he poured a cup of coffee and then headed towards the sound of his grandmother’s voice.
“What’s up?”
She didn't say anything, just pointed to the television. A photo of him and Georgie filled the screen. It was the day they went hiking and they were laughing at something, smiling at each other, their hands touching.
“Connor Faulkes, Australia’s own Prince Charming, was spotted recently with this mystery woman. Witnesses say they were out hiking when he stopped to give a tourist an autograph and a picture—” the picture on the screen changed to the one he'd taken with Marilyn “—on her blog Ms. Luttrell said that he had been sweet to her and that he was ‘such a lovely young man’. More photos have come to light of Connor and this new woman in his life—” the picture changed again to one of him and Georgie at the restaurant last night. They were gazing across the table at one another completely oblivious to everyone else around them. They looked like they were in love. “—Our sources tell us that he is in the Northern Tablelands looking after his grandmother as she recuperates from a fall. Is this mystery woman someone from his past? An old flame rekindled perhaps? If a picture is worth a thousand words then that one is saying that Connor Faulkes is in love. Sorry ladies, it looks like Prince Charming has met his Princess.”
Connor had his phone in his hand before the presenter had finished speaking and it was only then that he noticed the half a dozen missed calls from his PR assistant. He hit the speed dial and waited impatiently for it to connect.
“What the heck, Tina? Why couldn't you gag this story?”
“And hello to you too,” she said. “It came out of nowhere, Connor, there was nothing I could do.”
“Well, you need to do something about it now. I don't want these pictures out there.”
“It's too late. It's already been picked up by the US and it's gone viral on the net.”
Connor swore colourfully under his breath. “Can we at least keep Georgie’s name out of it?”
“I'll do my best,” she said, “But you know how these things go. Someone will recognise her and give a tip to one of the tabloids. Be prepared for the invasion of press. Better yet get out of town.”
“I can't just leave,” he said, “And I wouldn't abandon Georgie to the sharks like that.”
“So take her with you.”
He shoved a hand through his hair as he thought through the logistics of that. He knew Georgie would want to run away from all this, but that would only make the paps bay for blood. They had to face this head on. If they ran, the press would only chase them, but if they rode it out, maybe it would pass quickly. There was bound to be another juicy story out there just waiting to be discovered. His love life seriously didn't deserve all this attention.
“I'll sort it from my end,” he said into the phone, “But I don't want Georgie dragged into this. Do what you can to keep her name out of it for as long as possible.”
He disconnected and turned to look at his Gran who had rewound and paused the news story on the photo do him and Georgie at dinner.
“That is a lovely photo,” she said, “Do you think I could get a copy of it?”
“Gran,” he said, exasperated.
“What? It's such a lovely shot of the two of you.”
“It is,” he said, “But it shouldn't be on a trashy television entertainment show, or splashed all over the internet. Georgie didn't sign up for this and she is going to hate me.”
“I think Georgie knew the risks when she agreed to go out with you,” Gran said, “Give her a bit more credit. You don't know how she is going to react.”
“Oh, I think I do,” he said under his breath. He knew Georgie hated being in the spotlight and he knew this would send her into hiding. Everything that he'd tried to accomplish with her was ruined with one photograph. There was no way Georgie would want to have anything to do with him after this and his only option now was damage control.
The phone in his hand rang and he didn't recognise the international number. He hit the ignore button, but he knew it was just the tip of the iceberg. If someone from the international press had his private cell number, then it wouldn't be long before everyone had it. He sent a quick text to Tina and then to his agent before turning off his phone. Before he did anything else, he needed to get to Georgie and try and explain the storm that was about to hit and hopefully she wouldn't hate him for the rest of her natural life.
“Hello,” Georgie croaked into the phone, still half asleep.
“Ah, hey Georgie,” Millie said, “You, ah, you might want to turn on the television.”
“What's? What?”
“Just do it,” Millie said, “I'll stay on the line.”
Georgie padded out of her bedroom and into the lounge, scrounging for the remote. She clicked the TV on and then waited.
“Okay, it's on, now what?”
“Channel seven,” Millie said, her voice tremulous.
Georgie clicked over to channel seven and then sat with a thump on her couch as she stared at the photograph on the screen. It had been taken with a cell phone, but the quality was good and she could clearly see Connor sitting in a restaurant with a blonde. At first she didn't recognise the woman who sat opposite him staring at him with hearts in her eyes and then she gasped as she realised that the woman was her. She was the one looking at Connor across a candlelit table like he hung the moon and he was looking back at her with the same adoration.
“Shoot,” she said softly.
“I think in this instance,” Millie said in her ear, “You are allowed to use expletives.”
“How did this happen?”
“Some idiot took a photo of the two of you and tipped off the media.”
“Do they know who I am?”
“Not yet,” Millie said, “they’re just calling you the mystery woman. They have another photo too, one from when you went hiking.”
“Damn it,” she swore softly, “Marilyn.”
“Apparently she put the photo on her blog and gushed about how nice Connor was to her. She didn't even mention you.”
“Well thank god for small mercies,” Georgie said. The phone buzzed in her hand and she heard a beep signally an incoming call. She pulled it away from her ear to look at the caller ID.
“I'll, ah, have to get back to you,” she said to Millie, “My mother’s calling.”
She hung up from Millie and answered her mother’s call hoping that it was only the monthly call that she usually got from her parents and not because her mother had seen the news.
“Georgiana,” her mother said, her voice cool, “What nonsense is this? You're dating Connor Faulkes?”
Georgie sighed, surprised her mother even knew who Connor Faulkes was.
“We had one date,” she said into the phone.
“It looks like more than one date from where I'm standing. How on earth did this happen?”
Her mother made it sound like she had released a reengineered version of the plague, not gone on a date with a celebrity.
“His grandmother is in my Book Club,” Georgie said, trying hard to sound patient and calm. “Connor is visiting her, looking after her while she heals.”
“He looks like he's taking more interest in you than in his grandmother,” her mother said, her tone disapproving. “You need to put a stop to this nonsense. Your father and I are much too busy to deal with this and your gallivanting around with a movie star is going to cause all sorts of dramas that the lab can't afford.”
“How is my dating Connor going to affect you?” Georgie asked, angry that her mother had once again made a situation all about her.
“Once your name is released you will be linked with me and your father. The university will be overrun with press and the lab will come under media scrutiny. We can't afford any of this to disrupt the important work we are doing. You need to stop this, now.”
“Are you serious?” Georgie asked, her anger bubbling over. “You don't give a damn about how this will affect me, just what it's going to mean to your life. Did you ever care about me or was I just some kind of experiment for you? When you decided to have a child was it because you wanted to build a family or because the scientist in you was curious to see what being an incubator felt like?”
Her mother was strangely quiet on the other end of the phone and Georgie felt it like a stab to the heart.
“Okay, then,” she said, her voice strangely calm, “I suppose that's my answer. Thanks for your call Dr. Danners, don't bother calling again.”
She hung up the phone and stood, shocked to the core at having her suspicions proven. Her parents had never loved her, had never really taken any interest in her except how she could make them look to their peers. Now that she had turned her back on the career they had wanted for her and was, in their eyes, a failure, they had no time for her. She should have expected it, should have known. Their complete lack of parental care should have been all the evidence she needed to see the truth. There was a side of her, however, that had always yearned for that perfect family and she'd held on to foolish hope that one day she might actually get it. That somehow her parents would show her they loved her and were proud of her. Instead, she was left with the realisation that she was nothing more than a social experiment gone wrong.
A sharp knock at the door made her jump.
“Georgie!” Connor called through the wood, “please let me in. I know you're probably really upset with me right about now, but please just let me explain.”
She crossed the room and threw the door open, flinging herself into his arms and bursting into tears. His arms held her close as he manoeuvred them into the apartment and shut the door behind them.
“Hey,” he said, brushing a kiss on the top of her head, “It's okay, I've got this.”
She sniffed back her snobs, burrowing into his chest. “It's not that,” she said, “it's my parents.”
“Oh sweetheart,” he said sitting down on the couch and pulling her into his lap, cradling her close. “What happened? Are they okay? Do you need to go to them?”
“I never want to see them again,” she said, clutching at his shirt.
“Is it because of me? Did I do this?”
She looked up at him and saw the concern and regret in his eyes and she lifted her chin and brushed a kiss across his lips.
“No,” she whispered, “It wasn't you.”
He dipped his head and kissed her again and she let herself go, surrendering to his ministrations and letting him make her forget for just a little while that she was little more than a lab rat.
11
Sometime later Georgie roused herself and smiled up at Connor.
“Thanks,” she said.
“Anytime,” he replied with a grin.
Georgie slid off his lap and stretched, realising she was only wearing her shortie pyjamas. Her face flushed. “Um, what time is it?”
“A little after nine, why?”
“Shoot,” she said, “I have to get to work.”
“Millie’s down there,” he said as he stood and stretched too, “I saw her when I came up.”
She sighed. Her friends were too good to her. “It’s supposed to be her day off, I really need to get down there.”
“Okay,” he said, shooting her a smile, “Can we have lunch today?”
She felt all soft and gooey as he looked at her. Life had been such a rollercoaster since last night that it felt like a week since they’d been on their date.
“Sure,” she replied.
He brushed his lips softly across hers before saying goodbye. She stood for a moment just soaking in the fact that Connor Faulkes had kissed her, not once, not even twice, but more than three times now. She only allowed herself a minute to bask in it before she reminded herself she had a business to run.
After a quick shower she breezed into the shop, a feeling of satisfaction filling her despite everything that had happened this morning. Having Connor in her life felt good, felt right, and she wasn’t going to let anyone take that away from her.
“Well hello there,” Millie said, “I did not expect to see you today.”
Georgie gave her friend a quick hug. “Thanks for covering me,” she said, “But I’m good, great actually.” She looked around the shop that seemed to be full of small clusters of women. “You look busy.”
Millie shrugged, “They’re all just browsing,” she said, “They are drinking coffee though, so at least we’re making some money out of it.”
Georgie took another look, her brow furrowed. “I don’t recognise any of them. Is there some sort of convention in town that I didn’t know about?”
“Huh,” Millie said, looking around, “I didn’t notice that they were all out-of-towners. Maybe there is something big happening in Armidale and they’re just here on a day trip?”
“Maybe,” Georgie replied distractedly, but she wasn’t convinced that was it. She had a sneaking suspicion that something else was going on and she didn’t like it, not one bit.
“Are you able to hang around for a bit or do you need to go?”
“I’m here for as long as you need me.”
“Thanks, Millie.”
They worked alongside one another for most of the morning, Georgie helping out in the cafe when she was needed. The little groups seemed to grow until the small shop was practically bursting with women who all seemed to be dressed in rather skimpy clothing for the middle of the day in the small sleepy town of Oxley Crossing. There were no beaches here or even a local swimming pool to warrant the plethora of nearly naked ladies that had descended on her shop. If they were just sitting around nursing one cup of coffee she might have gotten mad, but they were actually buying stuff so she couldn’t in good conscience kick them out just because she didn’t like what they were wearing.
By lunch time there were no free tables in the cafe and the noise of the conversation between the women was getting too loud for Georgie to think. She did not like crowds one bit. Part of the allure of owning a small book shop was that it was not a place for crowds to congregate, except that today, it seemed it was. She would be glad when Connor got here and she could take a break.
Oh God.
Georgie groaned and rolled her eyes. She was such an idiot. These women weren’t here because they’d heard about her delicious espresso coffees or the homemade muffins. They weren’t here because of her outstanding selection of books. They were here because of Connor. Somehow they’d found out that he came here and these women were all lying in wait for him. As if to prove her point, one woman, a tall, thin and stunning brunette, approached her.
“Is it true that Connor Faulkes is staying in town?”
“Um…”
She smiled cattily at Georgie, “That’s what I thought,” she said and then looked Georgie up and down, “You’re the girl in the picture, aren’t you? You’re the one he’s dating?” She laughed cruelly as she walked away and Georgie felt the stab as she always had when the girls at her school had picked on her. She was right, of course. It was laughable that Connor saw anything in her, especially when Georgie knew he could have any one of these women.
“What was that all about?” Millie asked, sidling up next to her.
“They’re all here waiting for Connor,” Georgie said with a resigned sigh.
“What, all of them?”
“Apparently so,” Georgie said, “I should call him and warn him.”
Millie nodded as she slipped down the back of the shop and into the little office. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and dialed Connor’s number, but it went to voicemail. Next she tried Dawn.
“Hi Dawn, it’s Georgie.”
“Hello dear,” she replied, “Is everything okay?”
Georgie sighed, “I was wondering if Connor was there. I tried his cell but it went straight to message bank.”
“He just left. He said he was heading
into town for lunch.”
Georgie checked her watched and saw the time. “Okay, thanks. I’ll try him again.” She did not want to worry Dawn by telling her that there was a crowd of half-dressed women lying in wait for her grandson. She redialed Connor’s number and heard it ring, only, she could hear it close by, not just through her phone.
The phone in Connor’s pocket rang as he opened the door to Georgie’s shop. He was momentarily distracted by seeing her name flash on his screen and therefore did not notice the collective gasp of breath from the very crowded shop. The sudden silence made him look up even as his phone continued to ring. Every pair of eyes in the place were locked on him and he realised that he had made a mistake. He hadn’t thought they would find him so quickly, so hadn’t taken any precautions.
A small gasp from the back of the shop drew his eye and he saw Georgie, standing there with her phone in her hand, her eyes wide and horrified by the tableau. What a scene it must have been, almost like everyone was poised for a flash mob. He took a step towards Georgie and his movement broke the standoff. Before he knew it he was surrounded by flailing arms and raised voices as the women in the store all tried to get a piece of him. If it wasn’t so terrifying, it would have been funny. Scenes from the old show ‘The Monkeys’ flashed through his head as he tried to hold the women at bay. Small fights were breaking out around him as they all jostled for position and he was helpless to do anything, fearing for the safety of his fans and for Georgie.
He tried to sign as many autographs as he could as people shoved pens in his hands and cameras in his face. Sure he’d dealt with a crowd of fans before, but he’d always had security to keep them back. He had lost count of the number of times his butt had been pinched and his arms squeezed and his cheek kissed. They were ravenous and desperate and not above hair pulling.
The sound of a bullhorn had everyone covering their ears and silence descended. He looked up to see Millie had climbed onto the counter and had the bullhorn raised in her arm like some sort of conquering warrior.
