Georgie on His Mind

by Jennifer Shirk

  And she didn't know what she was going to do about it.

  The next night Georgie sat on the floor of her bedroom, looking through her family photo albums. It was the first time in a long time she'd even touched them. After her parents had died pictures had only magnified her loss, so she had avoided the reminders altogether. But she needed to see the photos now-really see them. A kind of therapy for the soul that was long overdue. Maybe if she finally faced her hurt, she wouldn't be so afraid to go through it again.

  She turned the page and chuckled at the first picture she saw: her mother and father smiling down at a pimply-faced Brad holding an infant with orange fuzz on its head. Gosh, she was an ugly baby! But it was still a sweet picture. Brad looked stiff, almost as if he were afraid to drop or hurt her. Funny how his attitude toward her hadn't changed in all these years. Her brother still tried to protect her from harm.

  Georgie flipped through to the next page and saw a picture of Walt and Brad posing in their high school football jerseys. She let out a little sigh at the memory. Would Walt hurt her? she wondered. Was it worth the risk of finding out? She wished her parents were here to offer her advice. She wanted to give in to her feelings for him, but what if Walt didn't really see her as someone more than Brad's little sister?

  The sun had begun to set, but she was too emotionally drained to get up and turn on a light. It didn't matter. She was done looking at pictures, and the darkness fit her depressed mood.

  A knock sounded at her door, and then Brad popped his head in. "What the-? Jeez, Georgie, what the heck's going on? What are you doing sitting in the dark like this?" he said, walking in and banging his toe against a box of photos.

  "Praying for you to get a life, of course" With a smirk, she reached over and turned on the lamp by her night table.

  "Oh, yeah? Thanks," he said with a cheesy grin. "While you're at it, you can pray I hit the lottery too"

  "I'll see what I can do"

  Brad motioned to the floor. "Hey, what's all this?" He bent down and started sifting through her box. "You're actually looking through our family photos?"

  Georgie tried not to take offense at her brother's shocked tone. After all, she'd avoided these pictures for almost nine years. "Yeah. It's ... I needed to"

  Brad nodded as he started flipping through an album. The way he was intently gazing at the pages, she had a feeling he needed to see them again too. "Check this one out," he said, chuckling as he turned the album right side up for her to see.

  Georgie's eyes welled with tears even though she was smiling. She'd forgotten her parents dressed up as Fred and Wilma Flintstone one year for Halloween. Her mother's face glowed with joy as her dad had struck a caveman pose for the camera. They looked so cute together. They had shared so much fun and love together. Something she'd taken for granted for as long as they were alive.

  "They had a good marriage," she blurted.

  Brad nodded, his eyes still on their parents' picture. "They had the best marriage."

  Georgie closed the album and handed it back to him. "Do you want to get married someday?"

  Brad's lips thinned. "No"

  She blinked. She supposed she shouldn't be so surprised by his answer. What kind of man really went around hoping to get married anyway? But Brad was the sensitive type. Caring. Even if he hated to admit it, he would make a wonderful husband for some lucky woman. "You don't? Huh. Me either. That's kind of funny." Maybe they really were destined to be the only brother and sister spinster team in town.

  Brad tossed the album back into the box with a decided thump, then folded his arm across his chest. "Oh, no it's not. That's not funny at all. You are definitely getting married. I don't want to hear you say something so crazy again."

  "What? How come it's okay if you don't want to get married, but when I say it, I suddenly must be an escaped mental patient?"

  Brad let out a laugh then ran his hands over and over through his hair until it stuck up in all directions. "You're not an escaped mental patient-at least, I don't think so." Georgie grabbed a pillow to throw at him, but he shot out his hand and blocked it.

  "Look, Georgie," he said, his voice taking on a more serious tone, "it's not that I don't want to get married. I do ... did. It's just that ... I ... I can't."

  "Of course you can. It's not like it's against the law for .. " Her mouth dropped open. She stared at her brother for several long seconds then jumped to her feet. "Oh, my gosh! You want to marry another man? Hey, that's okay. Don't worry. If that's what you want, I think you can go to another state where it's legal and-"

  "No, I don't want to marry another man," he said between clenched teeth. "Sheesh, Georgie. But it's so nice to know I'd have your full support if it were the case," he added dryly.

  A bubble of laughter began to erupt inside of her, but she wisely cleared her throat to bank it down. "I don't understand. Why on earth can't you get married then?"

  Brad didn't respond right away. He just closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, looking as if he'd rather be cleaning the toilet than having this discussion with her. "Because I can't marry someone who's already engaged to someone else."

  "Well, duh, of course you can't. I know that" She began to mentally run down her knowledge of engaged women in town. Then a dawning of realization hit her between the eyes, and she covered her mouth in shock.

  "Kendall," she whispered. "You're in love with Kendall, aren't you?"

  Oh, my gosh. She should have seen the signs: the way he was so upset when Kendall announced her engagement, the way he never wanted to date, the way he even avoided Kendall and Jake's engagement party. What a dunce she was for not seeing it sooner. It all made sense.

  Brad opened his eyes, and for the first time, she saw the raw pain he'd been so carefully hiding from her. "Oh, Brad," she said, shifting closer to him and taking his hands in hers. "I'm so sorry. Does Kendall know how you feel?"

  He jerked his hands from hers. "No. And she's not going to find out," he said pointedly. "I should have told her how I felt earlier, but I didn't and now it's too late. I blew it and that's that. Now I just want to move on"

  "But you're not moving on. Don't you see? You've been sitting around the house for months. I've been so worried about how you've been acting lately. I couldn't understand why you were so uninterested in dating. And now I learn it's all because of Kendall. Gosh, I even created a dating list for you"

  Brad rolled his eyes. "Yeah, well, I want to move on, believe me. It's just ... It's not easy. So back off for a little while longer. I promise when I'm ready you can give me that socalled list of yours, okay?" He stood, then held out his hands to help her up, giving her fingers a tight squeeze. "Look, Georgie, if I've been acting a little more overprotective than usual it's because I don't want you to waste your time like I did. I want you to find someone worthy of you. You deserve the best. I could have had the best with Kendall, but I was afraid. Don't be a coward like I was. Love is worth the risk."

  Georgie blinked back tears. Worth the risk. Her brother didn't know it, but his pep talk was exactly what she needed to hear. Despite her fears, she knew now she should take that risk with Walt. She immediately jumped up and wrapped her arms around Brad, almost knocking the two of them over.

  "Easy does it, kiddo," Brad said with a laugh. "You're not twelve anymore"

  "Thanks for finally noticing," she said with a grin. "I was beginning to worry you and Walt weren't seeing me as an adult." Now she knew that wasn't true. She thought of the way Walt had treated her as an equal at the pharmacy, had looked at her, and had kissed her. Those were ways a man treated a woman. Not someone whom he saw as his friend's little sister.

  Georgie reached up and planted a big sloppy kiss on his cheek. "You know what? You're the best brother in the whole world. Thank you"

  "Uh, you're welcome," he murmured, swiping his cheek with the back of his hand. "I think. Oh, by the way. Here" He reached into the back pocket of his jeans and held out a yellow envelope. "This jus
t came in the mail today. I think that it's more stuff about that date contest."

  She took the letter and stared at it. The thick paper felt like a bowling ball in her hand. She wondered if it was too late to get out of going on that date. She couldn't go. Not now. Not when she was in love with someone else. She wanted a relationship with Walt. Exclusively. A concept she didn't think she'd ever be able to embrace again.

  Brad gestured to the letter. "Do you think the publicity from the contest is helping bring business in?"

  She shook her head. "Not really. I think the diabetes expo we're having is doing more good. In fact, Walt's already talking about doing another health fair of some sort around Christmas. We're going to work on it together."

  "So I guess there's no real reason you have to do this contest then, is there?"

  "I-I suppose not"

  Brad nodded solemnly. "Well, I want to keep the `best brother in the whole world' title you've just bestowed upon me, so I won't say anything else on the subject." He stepped away and opened the door.

  "Wait," she called.

  She wanted to tell her brother about Walt, to share her feelings with him like he had with her, and to hear what he would think about her and Walt together. But when her brother turned around and gave her a questioning look, something held her back-she didn't know what-so she pasted on a smile instead. "Hey, thanks again."

  The next day Georgie's heart pounded like a jackhammer as she slowly drove up to Walt's house. She could tell he was home. His truck was parked in the driveway, and she heard Pearl Jam's "Better Man" blaring through the windows. She chuckled, but as she let herself out of her car and walked up to the front door, she couldn't have agreed more with Eddie Vedder's lyrics. There wasn't a better man than Walt Somers. She could admit that now. Let herself admit that now and give in to the love she was once so afraid to face.

  She juggled the gift she held in her arms and knocked on the door. Walt appeared in a matter of seconds, looking dusty, sweaty, and incredibly appealing in mesh navy shorts and a torn gray T-shirt that just said COLLEGE written across the chest in white block letters.

  He opened the door and treated her to a magnificent smile that made her heart leap. "Well, well. You and Brad have another fight already?"

  "Ha-ha," she said with a smirk, stepping into the house and gazing around at all the unopened boxes stacked around the living room. "Not at all. In fact, I can honestly say Brad and I have come to a complete understanding."

  Walt shifted behind one of the boxes and turned down the music. "Too bad. I was hoping I was going to get a roommate," he said, with a wink.

  His words unnerved her, and she almost dropped his gift. She thrust it in front of her before that happened. "Uh, here"

  Walt's brows came together as he inspected the package. "What's this?"

  "Just a little housewarming gift."

  "Aw, you shouldn't have," he said with a grin.

  "Well, maybe if you see what it is, you'll really mean those words"

  With a chuckle, Walt placed it on top of the bar and began tearing at the blue wrapping. His eyes widened when he saw what she gave him: a framed picture of the three of themGeorgie, Walt, and Brad-on the beach as kids. Blown up and in black and white. "This is great, Georgie!"

  Georgie studied the picture in his hands. She came across it when she had been looking through the old photos the other night. The picture showed them all laughing in the water playing with Georgie's father. Her mother must have taken it when nobody had been looking. "You think so?" she asked, hoping he meant it.

  "Absolutely. I'm going to hang it right here in the foyer."

  "I'm so glad you like it. I had forgotten how much my dad had played with us. It was nice to ... to think back on those times again."

  Walt put down the picture and gently took her hand and kissed it. "Thanks to your family I did manage to have good times, especially through my parents' divorce. Brad never treated me differently when my mom left. And your parents, well, they were the family I always wanted. I suppose that's why I hung out at your house so much. When I was there, everything seemed normal and perfect. This picture is a great memory to have of that time in my life. Thank you"

  She was so touched she didn't know what to say, which was good because Walt didn't seem to be in a talkative mood. He put his arms around her and lowered his head, first kissing one corner of her mouth and then the other. She melted immediately under the light touch of his lips and had to wrap her arms around his waist to keep from falling over. She could taste the toothpaste still on his tongue, feel the desire radiating from his body. This was no simple "thank you for the gift" kiss. Walt felt the same way she did about him. And suddenly this risk she had chosen to take with him didn't seem so risky at all.

  "Knock, knock," came a cheery voice.

  She and Walt broke apart, turning to see Kendall's bubbly smile beaming at them through the screen door. "Uh, I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

  Georgie heard a small sigh escape Walt's lips as he walked over and opened the door for her. "Not at all. I was just, uh, thanking Georgie for her housewarming gift."

  Kendall smirked. "Oh, well, I hope I get as nice a thank you, because I have a gift too" She held up a plate of banana muffins. "Fresh from the oven."

  "Thanks" With a sheepish grin, Walt took the muffins from her. "Gee, I should have bought a house earlier. I've never had so many beautiful women come and bring me gifts."

  Kendall laughed. "Keep telling me things I want to hear like that, and I'll be sure to visit more often" She cocked her head at Georgie. "I'm glad you're here. I was going to call you to see if you wanted to go to Singles' Night at O'Connell's Bar and Grill tonight."

  "Singles' Night? But you're engaged" And for a brief moment-for Brad's sake-Georgie actually hoped Kendall was going to tell her she'd broken up with Jake.

  "I know I'm engaged, silly," Kendall said with a laugh. "A few guys from one of the other platoons put a band together and are going to be playing there. Jake's platoon is on duty, and I didn't want to go alone."

  Georgie quickly hid her disappointment. "Oh. Uh. .

  Walt put down the muffins and cleared his throat. "You know I could use a break from all this unpacking. How about if I come too? That is, if you don't mind me hanging around."

  Kendall's face brightened. "That's a great idea." Then she nudged Georgie with her elbow. "We don't mind Walt coming along with us at all, do we, Georgie?"

  Georgie met Walt's gaze, and they shared a smile. "I don't mind at all."

  Georgie was sure she was going to get stopped for speeding as she rushed home from work. Fortunately, she knew enough of the police force to talk her way out of a ticket but she didn't have any time to waste. She only had an hour before Walt picked her up tonight.

  As soon as she got in the door, she dropped her purse and raced to her bedroom. She swung open her closet and was in the middle of surveying her pathetic lack of outfit choices when her brother walked in. Brad must have just gotten home from work himself since he was still in uniform.

  "Hey, where are you headed to in such a hurry?" he asked, loosening the button of his work shirt collar.

  "O'Connell's" She pulled out an apple-green halter top and held it out to him. "What do you think?"

  "It's terrible."

  She took a double-take at the shirt, then frowned. "It's not terrible. I ordered it from Talbots. And I happen to look fantastic in green." And soon Walt will know how fantastic I look in it too.

  "No, not the top, Georgie. You going to O'Connell's is terrible. It's singles' night tonight, which means there will be a bunch of drunks, truckers, and unhappily married men perusing the female patrons. Sheesh, you already won that Clay Hayes date. Doesn't that fulfill your deadbeat quota for the month?"

  She rolled her eyes. "Brad, you're doing it again. I thought you were going to take a break from this overprotective routine. Besides, I'm not going there to meet anyone. I'm going there to see a band with Kendall. A
nd Walt," she added casually.

  Brad's face washed with relief. "Oh, that's right. I forgot he'd be there with you"

  Her insides twisted and she froze, the halter top still clenched in her fist. "What do you mean you forgot Walt would be there with me? You didn't even know I was going to O'Connell's with him until just now."

  "Oh, uh . . " Brad's face suddenly turned reddish-blue as if he were being choked-something she realized she was not far off from actually doing to him. He turned away and tried to slip out the door.

  "Stop right there!" she shot before he could make a clean escape. Brad held up, teetering in the doorway with his back to her, one foot in her bedroom and the other foot in the hallway. "Brad, why did you say that? That you knew Walt would be with me. Did you talk to him earlier or something?"

  "Not exactly." He slowly faced her, his apprehensive expression turning sheepish. He then gestured to the bed. "Listen, you better sit down"

  Georgie tossed the halter top onto the bed and sat on it; she didn't worry about wrinkling it now. Brad's tone concerned her. His voice held the kind of seriousness she could see him using in his police job whenever he had to deliver bad news.

  Brad gingerly sat down next to her, studying his hands for a moment before speaking. "Georgie, I've been worried about you lately."

  "I know. I've been worried about you too. You seem-"

  "Don't interrupt."

  "Oh, sorry."

  He gave her a withering look. "This is hard to tell you, but I think the whole Clay Hayes date thing made me nuts. Honestly, that's the only reason I would ever ... I mean I couldn't so ... Well, that's why I kind of asked Walt to kind of..

  Her throat tightened. "You kind of asked Walt to kind of what?"

  "Keep tabs on you," he blurted.

  Her mouth hung slightly open, and an intense sensation to break down swelled within her. Oh, my gosh, how stupid had she been? Brad had asked Walt for a favor, to keep an eye on her. Of course. No wonder Walt had been hanging around her so much. He didn't want to really be with her. He was just helping Brad keep an eye on his sister. Why had she thought Walt was any different?