“Ready?” he asked, closing the trunk.
“Yes.” That one word had hidden layers, and the sound of it stirred him as much as her touch. Her brow furrowed. “You know I’m thirty-three, right?”
She said it so seriously, he almost laughed. He had known. He’d done the math after seeing her bio on the Moon Goddess website. And while he didn’t care in the least, he’d wondered if she would.
“Oh, are we exchanging birthdays?” he asked with a grin. “My thirtieth birthday’s in a month, if you’re planning on enforcing the whole awkward cake tradition.”
She smiled back. “Mine was last month. I’ll admit I’m relieved that you didn’t just turn twenty-nine. I know it doesn’t matter, but—”
“But it sort of matters.”
She shrugged self-consciously and then glanced back at the house, very obviously trying to change the subject. “It just occurred to me. Was that your computer in there? I think it probably has water damage.”
“Shit,” he said, running a hand through his hair. “It’s Maisie’s. I think it was an extra from the shelter, but even so. Yet another reason why tonight was a bad idea.”
Which reminded him. Maisie was still at the apartment, and he needed her not to be.
“Let me just text her before we get going,” he said, opening the passenger door for her. She got in, and he pulled out his phone.
Thanks so much for watching Hops. Now, scram. I’m bringing Georgie back to the loft. Also, my aunt kind of, sort of started a fire that probably damaged the computer. I’m really sorry, but I am 100% buying you a newer, nicer one. Oh, and Jezebel is missing. I’ll tell you everything tomorrow.
He paused a second before adding, And buy you lunch. Okay, signing off.
He circled around to the driver’s side and slipped behind the wheel. Bringing his phone up so Georgie could see it, he turned it off.
“Fair is fair,” he said, tucking it into the console beneath the radio. “Like I said, I did a bunch of brainstorming over the weekend, but I think we should table that too, as much as I’m dying to tell you everything.”
She did the mouth quirk thing again. “And I agree, as much as I’m dying to hear it. A clear delineation between work and…not work.”
“From the bags, I take it you went back to Boston this weekend?” He’d intended to ask her earlier, and then everything had gone up in flames. Literally.
“Yeah,” she said as he pulled away from the curb. “I forgot to change my original ticket, which is completely unlike me, but someone’s been distracting me.” She shot him a look that was somewhere between accusatory and playful, which he took to mean that while it had been a good distraction, she also didn’t like the hiccup in her thinking. “I figured I should grab the stuff I’d need right away and make arrangements for the rest.”
“You know,” he said, “I think Josie would tell you this is a sign a shopping trip is in order.”
She laughed. “I suspect she would say that. So she’s staying with Dottie tonight? I saw you guys talking in front of the house.”
“Yeah,” he said, taking a turn, “Josie is another of what you might call my aunt’s adoptees. Aunt Dottie met her when she was panhandling downtown. They got to talking, and within a half hour, Aunt Dottie had offered her a job and a temporary place to stay.”
Georgie gasped. Her voice laced with horror, she said, “She was homeless? Jack fired her. Is she going to be okay?”
“Georgie,” he said, “Jack was right to fire her. And I wouldn’t say she was homeless so much as drifting, looking for a place to call home and people to call a family. I think maybe she reminded Aunt Dottie of my mother.” A little twist of pain made itself known in his abdomen. Why had he said that? He never talked about his mother willingly, and yet he’d mentioned her to Georgie twice now. He swallowed. “You don’t need to worry. My aunt would never let anything happen to her. She’ll find something else, probably something better suited to her.”
“Still, I feel bad,” Georgie said. “I feel like we’re coming into your house and messing everything up.”
“Like we did to your house?” he said, glancing at her with a grin.
“Yeah, exactly like that. Speaking of which, should we be putting up posters for Jezebel, or canvassing the neighborhood or something? I’m sure Dottie’s beside herself with worry.”
“I’ll put up some posters tomorrow,” he said, “but trust me when I say word of mouth will be more powerful than any poster. It took Finn all of five minutes to come over.” His mouth flattened at the thought.
“True,” she said, “and I can’t imagine it would be easy to spot a black cat in the dark.” She paused, as if weighing her words, and said, “I feel like we should talk some more about Finn…”
He grimaced. “If we’re turning off the rest of the world tonight, Georgie, I especially want to turn off Finn.”
It had become dark suddenly, as if night were a blanket that had been lowered on them. Or maybe it only seemed sudden since his attention had been so fixed on Georgie and the horrors unfolding around them.
He parked in the alley, grateful his usual space was open, something that had become increasingly rare as Asheville became a more popular spot for tourists. No sign of Maisie’s Jeep.
They both got out, and he looked at Georgie over the hood of the car.
“What would you like to bring inside?” he asked.
She smiled. “Just the fully intact one will do,” she said. “In fact, we can probably go ahead and throw the other two away.” She nodded at a dumpster midway through the alley.
He rubbed the back of his neck. “You might want to go through them yourself to make sure there’s nothing you want in there. One of them had a bunch of burst bottles of shampoo or something inside, so I didn’t poke around too much.”
“I’m feeling impulsive,” she said. “Let’s throw them away. Boston is done.”
The finality with which she said it surprised him, and it rubbed him the wrong way a little. Like someday she might say that about Asheville and her chapter at Buchanan Brewery. About him.
But his mind was running away from him again, and the excitement shining in her eyes was infectious, so he opened the back seat and pulled out one of the bags, the green one, its plastic corpse jutting out in jagged angles.
“Let’s do it,” he said.
She grabbed the other bag, and they hauled them to the dumpster, which smelled like hot garbage always smelled, except maybe riper. Like it had been left to ferment. Of course, River wasn’t sure he smelled a whole lot better. Smoke and sickly sweet punch did not make for a good combination, but it hadn’t repulsed Georgie yet.
“Maybe this wasn’t the best idea,” she said, laughing a little as they came to a stop in front of it. “That smell is wilting my sails.”
“No,” he said as he set down the green bag on a clean patch of concrete. “We have to do it now. We’ve come too far.” Scrunching his nose dramatically, he lifted the lid of the dumpster and flipped it open.
The smell instantly became ten times worse.
Georgie shoved the bag in her hands at him. “I think you should do the gentlemanly thing.”
“I opened the dumpster, didn’t I?” he said, but he took it from her anyway, hefting it up and in. It landed with a squishing sound, sending up another waft of stink.
“Hurry,” Georgie said, lifting the green bag and handing it to him, “here’s the other.”
He hefted that one in too, and it landed on the first. But before he could close the lid of the dumpster, a foot-long rat scurried out of the opening, almost running across his hand.
He jumped back, making a sound of alarm—his ego prevented him from thinking of it as a scream—and Georgie did the same. They hurried toward his building without shutting the dumpster, running as fast as if the rat were chasing them, and when they got to his doorstep they exchanged a look and burst out laughing.
“Did that feel as inspirational to you as it d
id to me?” he asked.
“You bet,” she said as he got out his key, glancing back to make sure the rat hadn’t actually followed them, “but we’re both going to need to wash our hands at least twenty times before I let you touch me.”
“Deal.” He turned the key in the lock, his mouth ticking up at the thought that surfaced. “Good thing I don’t need to touch you to kiss you.”
Opening the door, he leaned in to do just that, his lips finding Georgie’s as they stumbled into the loft together. He instantly felt the energy, the connection he always felt with her.
Except Maisie was sitting at the table with a couple of takeout bags, and Hops ran up to him with a frantically wagging tail and started to sniff his pants in an overly interested way that confirmed he very much needed a shower. As soon as possible.
He pulled away from Georgie, mood deflated by Maisie’s sour, disapproving expression as much as by the fact that she had clearly ignored his message. What was it with his friends today? Why did everyone but his aunt want to stand in his way?
“We’ve got to stop meeting like this,” Maisie said in an airy tone that probably didn’t convince Georgie and certainly didn’t convince River.
“Didn’t you get my message?” he asked. He studiously ignored Hops, who had started licking his shoe.
“Well, yes, plus about ten texts from Finn. And Beau’s neighbors have started a group on Nextdoor for citizens concerned about Jezebel’s escape.”
Which was exactly why he’d made a point of turning off his phone earlier. He didn’t want to deal with any of that tonight, or ever really.
He shot an apologetic look at Georgie. She smiled at him, but this wasn’t her natural, warm smile. She was struggling for this one. Plus, she was clearly embarrassed they’d been caught. Again.
“I told you I’d go into all of the gory details tomorrow, Maisie. Georgie and I have had a long night, and we’re both tired.”
Maisie gave him a look that said she knew exactly what tired was code for. “I know, which is why I brought you takeout. Surely you’re both hungry after your ordeal.”
He glanced at Georgie again. “Hey,” he said, “you want to go wash your hands in the bathroom? I’ll use the sink out here.”
He could have invited her to take a shower, but he still hoped to do that with her. And he also didn’t want to embarrass her in front of Maisie.
“Yeah, that sounds like a good idea,” she said. “Nice to see you again, Maisie.” Then she took off almost as fast as they’d retreated from that rat. It wouldn’t take her long to wash her hands, but from the look in her eyes she knew what he really wanted—a moment to convince Maisie to leave, or to shove her out the door if she wouldn’t go peacefully. She’d give him the time he needed.
River headed to the kitchen sink and washed his hands thoroughly before stooping to pick up Hops—still going at his shoes—and carrying him over to the table.
“What gives?” he asked. “I get that you and Finn don’t approve, but I’m not some lost puppy or project. Not anymore. You guys don’t get to decide for me. I’ve finally met someone I like—really like—and it feels like everyone keeps thinking of reasons I shouldn’t be happy.”
Her stubborn expression slipped, and a stricken look took its place. Almost as if she was on the verge of crying, and Maisie hardly ever cried. Even after she lost her parents. Shit, maybe he’d been too harsh.
He softened his tone and said, “Look, I’m sorry about the computer, and if you’re up for it, we can go computer shopping at lunch tomorrow, and I’ll tell you the whole sordid story. But I need to be alone with Georgie tonight. I’m asking you to understand.”
“River,” she said, reaching out to touch his arm, “I do understand. I just don’t want you to get hurt. You’re clearly in this, but is she?”
He smiled, looking down at Hops because he didn’t want Maisie to see his eyes. He felt the vulnerability there. The doubt. “I guess I aim to find out.”
Chapter 25
Georgie washed her hands for long enough that she likely would have been clean enough to perform surgery, yet she still wasn’t ready to leave the bathroom. Not while River was dealing with his friend.
Other than Dottie, it seemed like everyone in his life hated her. Or at least the important people. First Finn, now Maisie. Except she supposed Maisie had shown her disapproval first. Georgie couldn’t help thinking Maisie disliked her because she herself was in love with River. But even so…
Josie would have taken it for a bad sign, and she couldn’t help but wonder if there was something to that. It didn’t help matters any to know that at least two of her three siblings would have a coronary if they knew what she was up to.
Georgie sat down on the toilet lid, surprised when tears stung her eyes. She wasn’t much of a crier—her father had made sure of that—but damned if this didn’t sting. The connection she felt with River was so much stronger, so much more alive than anything she’d experienced with another man. Her body flushed just thinking about the electricity in his touch. Had she ever blushed more than in the last few days? But with so many people against them…
One night. Just one night. You owe it to yourself.
She was a logical person, though, most of the time, and she knew it would be so much harder to resist him if they slept together. Once she walked through that door, could she really walk back out?
Would she want to?
But Georgie Buchanan had a resolve of steel when the situation required it. She knew she could resist him. Was the same true for him?
She got up and opened the bathroom door, deciding that while the discussion between River and Maisie was very much between them, it would be cowardly for her to keep hanging out in the bathroom. Steeling her back, she headed down the hall to the living room, prepared for Maisie’s icy glare, but all she found was River holding Hops in the middle of the room, staring at the closed front door.
He turned to look at her, his eyes troubled, and guilt quickly slid into her head. The last thing she wanted to do was come between him and his friends, even though she had a pretty strong suspicion he and Maisie were not on the same page. It wasn’t her place to say so.
“River…”
He set the puppy down and walked toward her. “Georgie. If you changed your mind, you don’t have to explain yourself to me. After Maisie and Finn, I can’t say I would blame you.”
“They’re your friends. They’re worried about you.”
A wry grin twisted his mouth. “They like to butt themselves into my business.”
“Because they care about you.” Her heart tightened, and she found herself saying, “I wish I had friends like yours.”
He stared at her for a moment, then burst out laughing. “Are you drunk? Did Lurch’s Pee Brew take an hour to kick in?”
She smiled up at him, lifting her hands to rest on his shoulders, and flutters filled her stomach. “My friends in high school weren’t the lifelong type, you know? And my college friends too. Let’s just say that I became so focused on Moon Goddess, I let a lot of my friendships die. The few I have aren’t that close.”
Why was she telling him this? She was making herself sound like a driven asshole, but then again, maybe it was good he knew the truth. Maybe it would help him realize they really could only press pause on reality for so long. He had commitment issues, apparently, and she was too committed to work. A nonstarter.
“I didn’t make Moon Goddess what it was without personal sacrifice,” she continued. “Buchanan Brewery will likely be the same way.”
He studied her for a moment. “I’m not sure what you’re trying to tell me. That after tonight you’re going to be so driven you won’t have time to see me?” His eyes twinkled a little. “I expect we’ll be seeing a lot of each other—in a professional capacity—but I understand the rules, Georgie, and I respect them. What happens tonight won’t have anything to do with our working relationship. We’re both grown-ups. We can set boundaries.”
> “I’m a fair boss, but sometimes I’m—”
He kissed her lightly. “No work talk.”
“But I just want—”
He kissed her again, letting it linger this time, sending shivers all the way to her toes. “We’ll compartmentalize. Tomorrow you’ll be the boss and I’ll be the employee, but tonight…” He kissed her again, slowly slipping his arm around her back and pulling her closer so her body was flush with his. This kiss wasn’t as fiery as the one behind the house, but it was full of seduction and promise. “Tonight, it’s just the two of us, River and Georgie, two people who find each other irresistible.”
The puppy yipped at Georgie’s foot, tugging on her shoelace.
She laughed. “You mean the three of us.”
River made a face as she glanced down at the interloper.
“Do you need to take him out?” she asked.
“No, Maisie did before we got home. Let me put him in his kennel with a chew stick and his sandal, and he’ll be sufficiently entertained.”
“Okay,” she said, bending down to pick up the fluffball. “Good thing he’s so cute.”
She glanced at him and caught him looking at the two of them as if he wanted to memorize the image.
He took the puppy from her and headed into the kitchen. Georgie suddenly felt awkward. Should she wait for him here? She still needed a shower. Would it be best to take one now? Or maybe wait and ask him to join her?
Her past relationships had been different, more perfunctory. Men who had required little from her yet failed to hold her interest. Men her father and brother would have approved of—if they could be bothered to meet any of them.
Was that why she was so attracted to River? Because he was everything her father and Lee would object to? Was this an act of rebellion?
But even as she thought it, she knew it wasn’t true.
He returned and frowned when he glanced at her face. “Having second thoughts?”
Was she? Her head was starting to protest again, but her heart—and her body—needed this. She needed to know that there could be heat and passion. That she could feel.
Fall in Love Book Bundle: Small Town Romance Box Set Page 327
