Georgia On My Mind

by Marie Force

  “So who is she, and what’s with the floss spider web in the bathroom?”

  “None of your business.”

  “Must be something,” Ben said with a whistle. “Five times.”

  “Drop it, Ben.”

  “Stay out of my face, and I’ll stay out of yours, Detective.”

  “Fine.” Summoning every ounce of hard-won self-control he possessed, Nathan started up the stairs. He missed the old Bennett, the person his brother had been before he had gone to war and narrowly missed being killed by a roadside bomb that took the life of his friend. Nathan knew Ben was dealing with grief and survivor’s guilt and more pain than any of them could imagine, but his nonstop prick routine was getting old.

  Nathan gave Ian a quick call to let him know Ben had resurfaced and went into the bathroom to deal with the toilet situation. As he cut the dental floss and fixed the malfunctioning toilet, his thoughts returned to Georgie—the way she tasted, her soft skin, those sizzling kisses. The memory of her clutching him from within as she reached a shattering climax made him instantly hard.

  He would be lying if he said he didn’t want another night in bed with her. But he had liked talking to her, too. The sharp sense of humor he’d seen fleeting glimpses of, those dimples. He loved those dimples.

  Ian was right. He couldn’t let her slip through his fingers without a fight. Tomorrow he would get busy trying to convince her that he was worth a shot. They were worth a shot.

  Chapter 8

  Georgie finished cleaning up the kitchen, left a light on for Cat, and started up the stairs to the third floor. Before her mother got sick, she had been making plans to rent out the two bedrooms up there, so leasing them to Cat and Tess had been easier than it might have been otherwise. Both rooms were already furnished, and the bathroom they shared had been updated.

  Georgie knocked on Tess’s door.

  “Come in.”

  She opened the door to find Tess writing checks at her desk.

  “Did Nathan leave?”

  “Yes.”

  Tess pushed her glasses up to the top of her head and turned to Georgie. “He’s as nice as he is good looking.”

  “Uh-huh.” Georgie picked up a framed photo from Tess’s dresser. “Is this your family?”

  “My parents and sisters.”

  Before she could lose her nerve, Georgie turned to her friend. “Are you in some sort of trouble, Tess?”

  “Not the kind that Nathan Caldwell needs to worry about.”

  “Then what kind?” Georgie asked as she returned the photo to the dresser.

  Tess’s lovely gray-blue eyes glistened. “If I refuse to tell you, will you ask me to leave?”

  “Of course not, but I’d like to think we’ve become friends over the last few months. After all you did for us when my mother was sick, I hope you know I’d do anything I could to help you.”

  “That means so much to me, Georgie. You and Cat and Ali have just been . . .” She shook her head when she couldn’t continue. “A godsend,” she finally managed to say.

  “For me, too. I don’t know what we would’ve done without you these last few months, Tess. I wish there was something I could do to repay you for that.”

  After a long pause, Tess looked up at her. “You already know my marriage ended badly.”

  “Yes.”

  “I needed a fresh start.”

  “Do they know where you are?” Georgie asked, gesturing to the photo.

  Sadness radiated from Tess as she shook her head.

  “Does anyone?”

  “No,” Tess whispered.

  Suddenly, Georgie had a better picture of what Tess’s marriage had been like.

  “What if he finds you?”

  “He won’t,” she said firmly. “He can’t.”

  “This is why you got nothing in the divorce. You went into hiding.”

  “There was no divorce,” Tess confessed. “I was too . . .”

  Georgie crossed the room, urged Tess to her feet, and brought her over to sit with her on the bed. “What, Tess?”

  “Afraid.” Tess raised her skirt to show Georgie a series of scars on her leg. “He did that to me with a cigar. There’re others.”

  Horrified, Georgie hugged Tess. “Nathan sensed there was more to the story than you were letting on. He’d help you if you asked him to. I know he would.”

  Tess shook her head. “I’d never take the risk that Kurt would find me. I’m so happy here with you and Cat. I love my job and this town is so beautiful. I just want to start a new life here. I’d never get married again, so it doesn’t matter that I didn’t divorce him.”

  “Will you promise me something?”

  Wary, Tess said, “Okay.”

  “Two things actually—will you tell Cat what you’ve told me so she knows to be vigilant, too, and will you come to either or both of us if you’re ever afraid again?”

  Tears ran down Tess’s pretty face as she nodded.

  Georgie held her for a long time before she pulled back and wiped away Tess’s tears. “You’re not alone anymore.”

  “Thank you, Georgie.” Tess gripped her hand and paused before she said, “Can I ask you something?”

  “Sure you can.”

  “Why oh why will you not go out with Nathan again?”

  “I told you why.”

  “I don’t care what you say, the man is gaga over you, and if I had an adorable, sexy, obviously kind-hearted man looking at me the way he was looking at you during dinner—”

  “He was not looking at me. He was too busy flirting with you.”

  Tess laughed. “Are you jealous?”

  “Oh, please.” With a dismissive sweep of her hand, Georgie said, “If you want him, he’s all yours.” But as she said the words, something twisted in her gut—something that felt an awful lot like jealousy. I am not jealous!

  “As much as I appreciate the offer, it’s not me he wants.”

  “We talked after you left, and I set him straight. He won’t be coming around again.”

  Tess raised a skeptical eyebrow. “You don’t think so?”

  “I know so. It was a one-night stand and nothing more.”

  “Got yourself convinced of that, do you?”

  “What’s more important is I finally have him convinced of that.”

  “We’ll see.”

  “How can I even think about starting something with a guy right now? I can’t drag Nathan or anyone else into the insanity that’s my life.”

  “These things don’t always happen when it’s convenient, Georgie.”

  “It’s not going to happen. Period.”

  “Do you really think Nathan is the kind of man who would value a woman by her breasts?”

  Once again, Georgie went cold from head to toe. “How do you know about that?”

  “I have eyes—and ears. Not to mention I’m a nurse. Your mother talked to me about it before she died. She was very concerned about you putting off the test and paying for it later. She asked me to talk to you about it—when I felt the time was right.”

  “Ali tested positive,” Georgie said, still finding it hard to believe. “She’s having the surgery next week.”

  “Oh God.” Tess wrapped her arms around Georgie. “I’m so sorry, Georgie.”

  “I just want to go back in time before any of this happened.”

  “You need to have that test. You have to know what you’re dealing with.”

  “I just try to imagine a scenario where I end up having the surgery and then having to tell a guy I’m dating that my breasts are fake.”

  “I ask you again—do you think Nathan, for example, would care about that?”

  “How do I know? I just met him.”

  “I only had dinner with him, and I already know he’s made of better stuff than that. Much better stuff.”

  Overwhelmed by it all, Georgie stood up. “I’m going to bed.”

  “I’m here if I can help.”

  “That means
a lot to me. It really does.”

  “Are we still allowed to partake in jogger stalking?” Tess asked with a grin.

  “Knock yourselves out, but I doubt you’ll be seeing him again.”

  “Oh, I think we’ll see him. In fact, I’d bet my life on it.”

  Georgie walked away to the sound of Tess’s laughter, which didn’t bother her at all. If teasing her made Tess feel better, that was fine. After what Tess had told her—and shown her—Georgie felt like punching something. That her own husband could’ve treated her that way. Sweet, loving Tess.

  George lay awake for a long time thinking about Tess and Nathan Caldwell, and how much she had liked having sex with him, how much she wished they could do it again, how she wished she had never heard of the BRCA genes, and how, with every passing day, she was becoming more entrenched in her “temporary” life in Newport.

  Georgie took her time in the morning. On the off chance that Nathan did run by, she wasn’t going to be out there waiting for him. She waited until well past his usual time before she finally ventured downstairs. Drawn by voices coming from the front porch, she went to the screen door and had to stifle a gasp. He sat in her place on the sofa, drinking coffee with her roommates, who were laughing like silly fools at everything he said.

  Even Cat seemed bewitched by him. Was she batting her eyelashes? Cat? So disappointing. I expected better from her.

  “Hey, Georgie,” Tess said with a smug “I told you so” grin. “Look who stopped by.”

  “With coffee,” Cat added with a grateful smile for Nathan.

  Georgie noticed he was dressed for work in a striped cotton shirt and faded jeans with his badge clipped to his belt.

  “There’s one for you, too,” Tess added, pointing to the coffee.

  Nathan never looked her way or even acknowledged she was there.

  “No, thanks,” Georgie said through gritted teeth.

  He stood up. “Well, ladies, this has been nice, but I need to get to work. Got a missing teenager who’ll no doubt dominate my day.”

  Despite her efforts to remain detached, Georgie wanted to know more and was grateful when Tess asked.

  “We’ve got a bad feeling she hooked up with someone online and went off to meet him,” he said, his expression grim.

  “God,” Cat said softly.

  “Yeah. I’ve got to run. I’m meeting my partner in ten minutes to talk to the parents again.”

  “Good luck,” Tess said. “Will you let us know how you make out?”

  “Sure. Hopefully, I’ll be able to run in the morning, and I’ll stop by to give you an update.”

  Oh groovy, Georgie thought.

  “See you then,” Cat said. “Thanks for the coffee.”

  “My pleasure. Have a good day.”

  Georgie watched him bound down the stairs and was furious when a blast of lust went streaking through her at the sight of his perfect ass encased in perfectly faded denim.

  “He is so nice,” Tess said with a dreamy smile.

  “For real,” Cat added. “I wouldn’t mind a shot at him myself.”

  “Feel free,” Georgie snapped as she finally stepped onto the porch.

  “She said the same thing to me last night,” Tess said to Cat, “but she didn’t mean it—either time.”

  “Yeah, he’s totally lusting after you,” Cat said to Georgie. “I don’t know what kind of sex tricks you pulled on him, but he’s got it bad.”

  “He does not! He never even looked at me! And I didn’t pull any ‘sex tricks’ on him. I don’t even know what a sex trick is!”

  “For someone who seems so smart most of the time, you can be awfully dense.” Cat shook her head with amusement. “You really think that coffee was for us?”

  “You’re the ones who were out here drinking it with him like two simpering fools. I didn’t even know he was here.”

  “From the minute he got here, his eyes were darting back and forth to the door hoping you’d make an appearance,” Tess said.

  “You saw that, too?” Cat squealed.

  “Ugh! Enough! I’m going to work. I don’t want to hear another word about him.” Georgie looked from one of them to the other. “Do you hear me?”

  “Sure, boss,” Cat said with a teasing smile. “Whatever you want.”

  “That’s what I want.” With a defiant glare at Cat, Georgie snatched the lone cup of coffee remaining in the cardboard carrier and marched down the stairs. She had no idea what she would do with the next hour, but she wasn’t going to spend it listening to the two of them telling her how crazy she was to be holding Nathan at arm’s length. She knew what she was doing—and she knew why she was doing it.

  Their laughter followed her up the hill to her car.

  At eleven o’clock, when most of the seniors had gathered for the day, she called a meeting of the core group, minus Good Gus, who hadn’t arrived yet.

  “Close the door, please,” Georgie said to Walter.

  The old men formed a subdued half circle in her office.

  “Now I want you to listen to me, all right?”

  Perplexed by her stern tone, they nodded.

  “I know you loved my mother. She loved you, too. Her work here gave her life meaning and purpose. Long before I ever met you all, I knew you from her stories, her descriptions, her affection for you.”

  When their emotions got the better of them, several looked down at the floor.

  “I, too, have come to care for you very much. You’re a fun group, and I enjoy seeing you every day. But this is not my life’s work. My life, my work, is in Atlanta, and I need to get back to it before there’s nothing left. I’ve worked very hard to get where I am today, and I can’t watch eight years of my life go up in smoke. The city is working to find a new director for this place, someone who’ll provide the kind of leadership you need. I’m not cut out for this.”

  “That’s not true, Georgie!” Bad Gus protested.

  “You’re doing an excellent job,” Henry added. “We say all the time that your mother would be so proud of you.”

  The others nodded in agreement.

  Georgie swallowed the lump in her throat. “I appreciate that—more than you know. But it doesn’t change anything. I’m leaving in two weeks, whether the city has found a new director or not.” Despite their despair, she forced herself to soldier on. “If they haven’t, they’ve said they’ll close the center. Since none of us want to see that happen, can you not run off the next candidate they send over? Please? I’m begging you.”

  They exchanged guilty glances.

  Their mumbles included, “I guess so,” “If that’s what you want,” and “We’ll try.”

  “Thank you. That’s all I wanted to say.” She watched them exchange another round of glances. “What?”

  “We’re worried about Good Gus,” Bill said. “He’s not here today, and no one’s heard from him. That’s not like him.”

  “Maybe he’s just taking a day off,” Georgie said. Who could blame him?

  Walter shook his head. “He’d never not show up without telling one of us.”

  “Did you call him?”

  Bad Gus nodded. “No answer.”

  “I asked Roxy to swing by his house,” Bill said, “but they’ve got some missing kid sucking up all their time, so she couldn’t do it.”

  “That’s Lloyd Turner’s granddaughter,” Henry said gravely.

  “Is it really?” Bill asked. “Oh man.”

  “So, um, about Gus,” Bad Gus said with a pointed look at the others to get them back on the subject.

  All eyes landed on Georgie. “What? You want me to go over there? No way.” She shook her head. “I’m not disturbing that poor man if he’s decided to sleep late or watch TV by himself for a change.”

  “But Georgie—”

  “But nothing. If you want someone to go over there, it needs to be one of you. You’re his friends.”

  “So are you,” Walter pointed out.

  She couldn�
��t deny that, but still, she wouldn’t feel right about going to his house. “I’m not doing it. Sorry, guys, I’m drawing the line. Call his son.”

  “That asshole won’t care,” Gus growled.

  “I’ll go over there after lunch if he still hasn’t shown up,” Walter offered, and the others seemed satisfied—for now—with that solution.

  “Can we ask you something else?” Henry asked tentatively, as if he sensed she was about to lose it.

  “Yes,” Georgie sighed.

  “You, um, you booked the entertainment for the social tonight, right?”

  “That’s tonight? You said the last Friday of the month.”

  Walter pointed to the large wall calendar.

  Where in the hell had July gone? And where in the hell was she going to drum up entertainment on such short notice? “It’s all set,” she lied. “They’re coming at seven.”

  “You’d better make it six,” Henry said. “We start early because no one can stay awake past ten.”

  “I’ll call them to make it earlier.”

  “Who’d you get?” Bad Gus asked. “That Big Band guy? We liked him.”

  Swallowing hard, Georgie said, “It’s a surprise.” She forced a smile for effect.

  Satisfied, they filed out of her office. The moment they were gone, Georgie pounced on the phone to call Cat.

  “Hey, grumpy,” Cat teased. “What’s up?”

  “Very funny.”

  “What I don’t get is what you’ve got to be grumpy about after getting a full oil and lube job this week.”

  “I never should’ve told you what happened with him.”

  “Probably not,” Cat chuckled. “So what’s up?”

  “I need a huge favor. Can you find me someone to play at the senior center tonight? Six to ten?”

  “Tall order on a Friday in July.”

  Georgie groaned. “I’m so screwed. My mother told me to do it weeks ago, but I totally forgot.”

  “I’ll ask around and see what I can do. No promises, though.”

  “It’s for old people. Don’t forget that. No acid rock or anything that’ll shock them, okay?”

  Laughing, Cat said, “Gotcha. I’ll make some calls and get back to you.”

  “Thanks, Cat. I owe you one.”