by Marie Force
He was reluctant to leave Tess with Ben, especially in light of the vibe he had gotten from her the other night. If she was in some sort of trouble, the last thing she needed was to be stuck with Mr. Trouble himself. Several times during his visit to the ER, Nathan had tried to get a minute alone with her to pursue it further, but she had dodged him—almost as if she had known what would happen if he got her alone. That was enough on its own to confirm his suspicions. Something was definitely up with her.
Keeping half an eye on Ben and another on Rosie, Nathan wandered toward Georgie’s office.
“But Lorraine!” he heard her say in a tone that startled him. “You said two weeks! It’s only been two days.”
Nathan leaned against the wall outside her office and eavesdropped.
“He can’t just do that. It’s not like I want to be here.” Georgie paused to listen. “I know you did. Yes, I know. I’m sorry, too. You have no idea how sorry.”
What the hell? Nathan wondered. Who’s Lorraine?
Georgie slammed the cell phone down on her desk.
Nathan ducked his head around the corner to find her staring off into space, her green eyes big with dismay. “What’s wrong?”
She glanced over at him but looked right through him. “I just got fired.”
“From the center?”
Shaking her head, she said, “Davidson’s.”
“Oh.” Not sure if he was welcome or wanted, Nathan got a quick fix on Rosie hanging off Ian’s leg before he went into Georgie’s office and propped himself on her desk. “Is there anything I can do?”
“Not unless you know the regional manager, a jerk named Terry Paulson, who ordered my boss Lorraine to replace me with Nina what’s-her-name from Savannah. She’s been after my job for years. Well, she finally succeeded in getting rid of me.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Me, too. Eight years down the drain.”
“You’ll find something else. With all that experience.”
She shrugged, her shoulders stooped in utter defeat.
Nathan hated seeing her that way. “Come on out with us,” he said with a cajoling smile. “There’s nothing you can do about it tonight, so why don’t you try to have some fun?”
“I’m not in the mood.”
Not knowing what else to do, he reached for her hand and was relieved when she didn’t pull away from him.
“Thank you,” she whispered as she released his hand a few minutes later. “I’m okay.”
Sensing she wanted to be alone, he stood up. “You know where I am if I can help, right?”
She nodded.
As Nathan headed for the door, Bad Gus burst into the room. “Roxy called Bill.” Gus’s eyes were wide with shock and disbelief. “It’s Good Gus, he’s hurt bad. Someone broke into his house and beat the crap out of him.”
Georgie leaped to her feet. “No,” she gasped. “No.”
“They’re taking him to Newport Hospital.”
She bolted for the door.
Gus’s hands on her shoulders stopped her. “It’s bad, honey.” His rheumy eyes filled. “Roxy said it’s bad.”
Nathan rested his hand on her back as Gus gathered her into his arms. His eyes met Nathan’s over the top of her head.
“I’ll drive you,” Nathan said.
Georgie stepped back from Gus and turned to Nathan. “But your arm.”
“It’s fine.” He shepherded her out of the office. “Come on.”
The news about Gus cleared out the center, leaving Cat, Ian, Rosie, Ben, and Tess in the big room.
“Go on ahead,” Tess called to Georgie. “We’ll clean up and lock the door.”
The others nodded in agreement.
“Thank you,” Georgie said, battling hysteria. How could she have let this happen? They had asked for her help, and she had blown them off. Her mother would have rushed over to Gus’s house and broken down the door if she’d had to. She certainly wouldn’t have let that sweet man lie there all day hurt and alone. Unable to stand the pain of it, she finally broke down. Nathan’s strong arm encircled her shoulders as he led her to his car.
On the short drive to the hospital, the guilt ate at her. “This is all my fault,” she whispered.
“How do you figure?”
“They knew something was wrong, but I didn’t do anything. I should’ve called the police or gone over there myself. That’s what my mother would have done. If he dies . . .”
Nathan worked his way out of the sling, tossed it over his shoulder into the back seat and reached for her hand. “If he dies, the only one to blame will be the person or people who broke into his house and beat him up.”
Georgie clutched his hand and took comfort in his strong presence. How easy it would be to rely on such a steady and dependable man. “They’ll find them, right?” she asked softly.
“We’ll get them,” he assured her. “And we’ll make them pay.”
“He’s a lovely man. He’s my friend.”
Nathan squeezed her hand. “Hang in there, sweetheart.”
This would have been a great time to remind him that she wasn’t his sweetheart, but as he held her hand and offered comfort, she couldn’t bring herself to say it. For a little while, she would give herself permission to lean on him.
The emergency room was mobbed with seniors awaiting word of their friend. They were so worried, they failed to make mention of Georgie arriving hand in hand with Nathan. That more than anything told Georgie how grave the situation was.
Nathan led her over to talk to a tall police officer with curly hair and big blue eyes. She stood with Bill and Annette Bradley. “Georgie, this is Sergeant Roxy Bradley,” Nathan said.
“Georgie Quinn,” she said as she shook hands with Roxy. “I work at the center. Do you know anything about what happened?”
“From what we were able to ascertain at the scene,” Roxy said, “he walked in on a robbery in progress. The house was tossed pretty thoroughly. We’ve got crime scene people working it up now.”
“How’d they get in?” Nathan asked.
“Jimmied the back door.”
“That’s why Walter didn’t notice any trouble,” Georgie mumbled more to herself than the others.
“How’s that?” Roxy asked.
“Walter went over to check on Gus when he didn’t show up at the center today. They said it wasn’t like him to not come without letting one of them know he wouldn’t be there. They were worried, so Walter went over there. He said Gus’s car was there, but he didn’t answer the door. I guess Walter didn’t check the back.”
“I’ll talk to him,” Roxy said. For Nathan’s benefit she added, “Walter is one of my dad’s best friends.”
“Have the doctors said anything about Gus’s condition?” Georgie asked.
Roxy shook her head. “They were trying to get him stabilized last I heard.”
Georgie’s stomach dropped at that news, and Nathan tightened his grip on her hand.
“How you hanging, Nate?” Roxy asked. “I heard you were target practice earlier.”
Nathan shrugged. “No biggie.”
“Quite a scene you walked in on in that hotel, huh?”
His jaw clenched with tension as he nodded.
“Good thing you got there when you did. Nice work, Detective.”
“It was a team effort,” he said modestly. “Any word on how she’s doing?”
“They’re keeping her here overnight. Her parents are with her.”
“Good.”
“I’m going to go talk to Walter,” Roxy said. “Nice to meet you, Georgie.”
“You, too.”
After Roxy left them, Nathan led her away from the others and wrapped his arms around her. “Relax, Georgie.”
“I can’t.”
He massaged her shoulders. “Try.”
“Your arm has to hurt. You shouldn’t be using it so much.”
“Let me worry about that.”
Unable to resist the comfort he
offered, Georgie rested her face against his chest. “Why did this have to happen? Who could’ve done this to such a sweet old man? He wasn’t bothering anyone.”
“I’ve been around it for years, and I’m still surprised by what people are capable of.”
Georgie raised her head and looked up at him. “What happened today?”
“I’m not really supposed to talk about it.”
“What if you need to talk about it?”
He framed her face with his hands and ran his thumbs along her jaw. “You make me ache, Georgie Quinn.”
His softly spoken words and gentle touch went straight to her heart, and she found she couldn’t look away from him even though she knew that standing there staring at him was not doing a damned thing to advance her “don’t get involved” campaign. She wondered if he’d still want her so much if he knew about the threat to her health. He’d probably run for his life if he knew the truth. Who could blame him?
Their intense moment was interrupted by a flurry of activity in the hallway. Georgie heard someone mention the ICU as a gurney rolled toward the elevator. She glanced down at the patient, and only a patch of snow-white hair identified him as Gus. His face was black-and-blue and swollen almost beyond recognition.
Georgie released a muffled gasp. “Oh God! Oh Gus.” When she was able to move again, she bolted for the door, certain she was going to be sick if she didn’t get out of there immediately. Nathan and several of the seniors tried to stop her, but the moment she cleared the door, she took off running.
Georgie walked for hours. She figured if she just kept moving, she could somehow manage to avoid hearing any more bad news. It was laughable, really. Her mother died, her sister was having a double mastectomy, her own life might depend on the results of a blood test, her boyfriend dumped her, her boss fired her, Gus was attacked.
Could it get any worse? Gus could die. No! He’s not going to die. He can’t. He can’t do that to me.
She found herself at the top of Dean Avenue and stood there for a long time before she could make herself take the first step down the hill. Exhausted to the bone, she couldn’t go on anymore. Besides, she was only postponing the inevitable. “Please, God,” she whispered. “Don’t let him die. Please.”
As she approached the house, she came to a halt at the foot of the stairs when she found Nathan sitting on the top step waiting for her.
They both spoke at once.
“What are you doing here?”
“Where’ve you been?”
Georgie folded her arms and looked down at the sidewalk. “Did he die?”
“Not that I know of, but I’ve been looking for you for the past two hours.”
“You didn’t have to do that.”
“Yes, I did. Are you okay, Georgie?”
She shrugged. “I don’t even know what that is anymore.”
“Why didn’t you tell me your mother died?”
Her jaw shifted from side to side as she looked up at him. “The night we spent together . . . I wanted a break from having to think about it.”
He reached out to her. “I figured she was away on vacation or something. I’d never even heard she was sick.”
Georgie took his hand and let him guide her up the stairs to sit next to him. “It happened fast, and she didn’t want people to know how bad it was, so we kept it quiet. She worried about her friends at the center more than she worried about herself.”
“I’m sorry for your loss.” He cradled her hand between both of his. “And for what it’s worth, I think you’re doing an admirable thing trying to keep the center open. My grandfather all but lived there the last few years of his life.”
“Ian told me.” She paused for just a heartbeat, but it was long enough to make the decision to trust him. “For weeks I’ve been going there every day, doing what needs to be done, trying to get through the days until they could find someone to take my mother’s place. And all that time I thought the job was beneath me, like I was too good for the place or something.”
“I can see why you’d think that. You worked hard for the career you have in Atlanta.”
“Had,” Georgie reminded him. “But it wasn’t until tonight, at the hospital, that I realized I’m the one who’s not good enough for them. My mother would’ve gone to find Gus. She would have searched for him until she found him, and maybe she would’ve gotten to him before he spent a day lying on a hard floor fighting for his life.”
“Don’t do that to yourself, Georgie. You’re doing the best you can.”
“But it’s not good enough!” she cried. “Don’t you see?” In a whisper, she added, “It’s not good enough.”
He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight against him as she sobbed.
She cried until her eyes hurt and her chest ached.
He surprised her when he scooped her up and carried her inside.
Georgie glanced up to find his face tight with pain. “You shouldn’t be doing this, Nathan.”
He forced a smile. “Which way to your room?”
She directed him up the stairs. Embarrassed and touched, she took a stab at levity. “Do I need to be worried about what your brothers have done with my roommates?”
“Nah. They’ll take good care of them.”
“If they’re anything like you, my friends are lucky.”
He laid her down on the bed. “Why, Georgie Quinn, was that a compliment?”
She kept her arms looped around his neck. “Stay with me for a while?”
“I can do that.” He stretched out next to her and extended his good arm to bring her close to him.
Georgie rested her head on his chest. “Does your arm hurt?”
“Like a bastard. Tess was right.”
Alarmed, she lifted her head so she could see his face. “Don’t you have pain pills?”
“In the car. I’m okay.”
“Want me to go get them for you? There’s no need for you to suffer.”
“I’ll go, but if I do, can I come back?”
She smiled weakly. “Yeah.”
He kissed her forehead. “In that case, I’ll be right back.”
Chapter 11
Tess wiped the counter between the kitchen and common room at the senior center while keeping an eye on the rest of the cleanup committee.
Cat sidled up to whisper in her ear, “Ian asked me to go have ice cream with him and the rug rat.”
“Don’t call her that,” Tess scolded. “Her name is Rosie, and she’s adorable.”
Cat shrugged. “Everything’s pretty well cleaned up, so, um, I guess I’ll go with them, okay?”
“You can’t leave me here with him.” Tess frowned as she looked over at Ben hobbling around the center pushing chairs into tables.
“He’s harmless.”
“How do you know that?” Tess hissed. “You met him an hour ago.”
“He’s Nathan’s brother. That should be good enough to vouch for him.”
“Something about him makes me nervous.”
“Then why don’t you leave at the same time as us? You can drive Georgie’s car home.”
“Are her keys here?”
“I saw the tennis ball on her desk.”
They shared a smile. Georgie was forever losing her keys, so Cat had affixed a tennis ball to the ring to help her keep track of them.
“You’re really going out with Ian?” Tess asked with another nervous glance at Ben.
“It’s just ice cream. He’s got the kid with him, so that’s all he can do.”
“Rosie,” Tess said. “Her name is Rosie.”
Cat screwed up her face with distaste.
“What’ve you got against kids?”
“It would be easier to tell you what I don’t have against them.”
“That’s terrible!” Tess said. “I’ve never known anyone who doesn’t like kids.”
“Now you do.”
“If that’s how you feel, you shouldn’t go out with him at all.”
“Why not? We’ll get her ice cream and then hopefully she’ll leave us alone so I can get to know him better. He’s gorgeous, isn’t he?” Without waiting for Tess’s reply, Cat added, “Seems to be a Caldwell family trait.”
“Except for dark and stormy over there.” Tess nodded toward Ben, who used his good leg to kick the last of the chairs into place.
“He’s not exactly tough on the eyes, either. Don’t let his crankiness put you off.”
“Too late.”
“Hey, Cat,” Ian called. “Are you coming?”
Cat glanced at Rosie and then at Ian. “Sure. Count me in.”
“Be nice to her,” Tess whispered.
“Yeah, yeah.”
“I’m leaving, too,” Tess said loud enough for Ben to hear.
“Do you mind if I hitch a ride with you?” Ben asked. “Ian’s going the other way, and I can’t walk home yet.”
Tess watched as Cat disappeared out the door with Ian and Rosie. “Um, sure, I guess. Let me get the keys.” She went into Georgie’s office, grabbed the keys, and turned off the lights. At the end of the long hallway, she locked the back door and flipped the dead bolt. Her heart began to beat faster as she contemplated the long, dark corridor that led to a room where a man she didn’t know waited to get into a car with her.
“Walk, Tess,” she whispered. “One foot in front of the other. He’s Nathan’s brother. Nathan’s brother. We like Nathan. He’s cute and funny. Nathan likes Georgie. Keep walking. Almost there.”
She found Ben bent against the wall massaging his thigh.
“Ready?” Tess asked in a bright tone.
He startled, and when he stood upright, the expression of sheer agony on his face stopped her cold.
“Are you all right?”
His lips were white with pain. “Yeah,” he said through gritted teeth. “Just a muscle spasm.”
She rushed over to him. “I’m a nurse. I might be able to help.”
“Don’t,” he said sharply.
Startled, Tess pulled back her hand and straightened to find his dark blue eyes fixed on her, his complexion waxy with pain and irritation.
“It’ll pass.”
She gestured for the door. “After you, then.”
