Bad Blood

by M. Malone

  Georgie

  P.S. Don’t make me sign you up for those stupid Furniture Barn emails again!

  Chapter 18

  “Welcome back, Jamie. We weren’t expecting you in the office until next week.”

  Hesitantly, he took Mr. Kingsley’s outstretched hand. It had been five weeks since what he’d started thinking of as “the morning after disaster” but even so, he wasn’t sure how the other man would feel. Considering how distraught he’d been at the wedding, Jamie had been expecting the cold shoulder. It wasn’t like Mr. Kingsley wasn’t aware Georgie had relationships but that didn’t mean he wanted to have the evidence up close and personal.

  Even if it was a man he liked and employed.

  “Thank you, sir. It was a successful trip and we were able to wrap up early. I’m glad to be home.”

  When the other man didn’t say anything else or ask to meet him on a grassy knoll at dawn for a duel, Jamie figured that King and his mother had opted not to tell the family patriarch about that fateful morning.

  Small favors.

  He waved hello to his secretary, who was already aware that he was back early and then entered his office. It was odd to be back after weeks of visiting Kingsley’s UK subsidiaries and potential partners. He’d been in London, Birmingham, Paris and Milan before visiting a few clients in Munich and Vienna.

  This was the first year that the trip had been both an escape and a punishment. It sucked to be away from Georgie for so long but it was the only thing that kept him from going to her too soon and ruining everything.

  “So you’re finally back.”

  He didn’t look up at the sound of King’s voice. He’d figured once word got out that he was back in town, his best friend would be paying him a visit.

  “I am.”

  “You were supposed to be gone for six weeks.”

  “This trip never really takes that long. It’s an excuse to party for a few weeks at the end and get paid for it.”

  Jamie could tell King wanted to laugh and was struggling not to.

  “Probably not something you should be telling your business partner who happens to be the son of the boss.”

  “Is that all we are now? Business partners?”

  King crossed his arms. “Well, I thought we were friends. Until I found out you were banging my sister, gross by the way, and then you ghosted us all for weeks.”

  “Put that way, I sound like an ass.”

  “You won’t hear me say otherwise.”

  “But that’s not quite how it went down. I needed to go. Georgie and I, everything just happened so fast.”

  King held up a hand. “Don’t need to hear that part.”

  “Right, anyway. She almost got married. To someone else. I don’t think she was in the right frame of mind to make major decisions. So I made it for both of us.”

  Even though it had almost killed him to walk away.

  “I know what she said hurt. Initially, I was on your side but that was before watching my sister look more and more heartbroken week after week. You could have shut it down before you left. You didn’t have to leave her hanging.”

  “Yes, I did. Because if I’d talked to her again I never would have been able to walk away. But I came back early because there’s something I need here. And that’s Georgie. I just needed to give her time to figure out if she really wants me, too. Or if I was just convenient.”

  King didn’t look mollified but finally he pulled out his phone. “I don’t really want to help you.”

  “I know. If you could choose a man for your sister, then I’m sure I wouldn’t be the choice. But I love her, King. I love every goofy, crazy, weird thing about her and for some reason she seemed to feel the same way about me, too.”

  His phone went off and he pulled it out of his pocket. It was a text from King.

  “You’re texting me while you’re standing right here?”

  “I’m trying to help you. It’s the address to Georgie’s new office.”

  “Why are you helping me?”

  “Anything is better than hearing you talk about being a convenient dick for my sister.” King made a face. ”Anyway, that’s where she should be right now.”

  “I can’t believe she has her own office now.”

  King shrugged but there was pride all over his face. “Yeah. She said you encouraged her to do it.”

  “Nah, I can’t take credit for this one. I just told her to go do all the things she always wanted to do but was scared to try.”

  It made Jamie smile. This was exactly what he’d wanted for her. To go out there and do big things. He only wished he could have been there to see her excitement when she’d done it.

  “Well, whatever you said to her, it worked.” King turned to go but stopped and turned back around. “And for the record, I don’t have a problem with you being with Georgie. I always thought you had a thing for her. She needs someone who believes in her and someone who can keep her out of trouble. Not many men can handle that. So good luck, I guess.”

  Jamie burst out laughing. “A fine endorsement if I’ve ever heard one.” But he recognized approval when he heard it. “Thank you.”

  “Don’t mention it.” King pointed at him, suddenly serious. “And I really mean that. Don’t mention anything about what you do with my sister or what you think about doing. None of it. Still trying to bleach the sight of your hairy legs from my brain.”

  “Got it.” Jamie smirked.

  Georgie sat back and surveyed the new layout of her office. It was tiny and the window faced another building but it was hers. She’d moved in the prior week and had been taking furniture deliveries everyday. It was a lot of work getting an office set up but she was determined to have everything in place before the New Year.

  “Hey, future sister-in-law!” Olivia walked in carrying a large bouquet of flowers.

  “Thank you. These are beautiful.” Georgie took a quick whiff of the yellow roses and placed them on the edge of her desk. “So, what do you think?”

  Olivia looked around the small space approvingly. “It looks great. King showed me the before pictures and I would have never thought this was the same place.”

  “The landlord gave me a rental credit in exchange for making some repairs and cleaning up the mess the prior tenant left behind. Do you want a tour?”

  Olivia clasped her hands together. “Absolutely!”

  Georgie led her back to the outer storefront. “We just got the bookshelves delivered today. I’m going to have display cases coming tomorrow. Since my new line of Revenge cards have been so popular, I decided to sell some of the more popular verses on merchandise, too. So we’ll have T-shirts, tote bags and phone cases soon. It’s finally coming together.”

  “King is crazy proud of you. And so am I. You’ve done such a great job. I can’t wait to come here on opening day and buy some gifts.”

  Georgie felt the same tingle of excitement that she got every time she thought about customers coming in to buy things from her shop. Sweet Nothings had started as a random idea, a way to use her art and humor in a practical way. But it had become her lifeline. It was a passion that allowed her to channel all the emotion she didn’t know what to do with. And it had allowed her to prove to her family, friends and most importantly, herself, that she could handle anything.

  “So, what are your plans for New Year’s Eve? King and I are going to visit my parents. We’ll probably visit some of my old friends, too. My old neighbors, the Alexanders, are throwing a party.”

  Georgie picked up the dust rag she’d left on one of the bookshelves and polished a spot. “I’ll be at home. My parents are going to their house in Aspen as usual. I have a hot date with a glass of wine and the newest Stephen King novel.”

  “You’re welcome to come with us,” Olivia cajoled.

  “I’m not going to be the third wheel as you and my brother suck face the entire time. He’s so disgustingly in love with you.”

  Olivia held out her left hand t
o admire the massive five-carat rock on her finger. “The feeling is entirely mutual. Your brother is ridiculous. He knows I don’t need a ring this big.”

  Georgie ignored a twinge of envy. “No, I will leave you two lovebirds to travel alone. We can get together next year. Maybe have dinner.”

  Olivia was quiet for a moment. “He still hasn’t contacted you?”

  “No. But I’m okay. I am,” she insisted when Olivia looked skeptical. “I love him and sometimes it feels like there’s a hole in the middle of my heart, but I’ll survive. It turns out that I’m stronger than I look. I guess we just weren’t meant to be. ”

  It was true. Time hadn’t made her miss him any less but she’d learned how to function on her own. Christmas had been hard without him but she had an active, full life. Her family was very supportive and she had work that satisfied her creative instincts.

  She refused to feel sad just because of the one thing she didn’t have.

  The bell over the door jingled merrily and they both turned to look. A man stood with his back to them inspecting the front window displays. All she could see was a black coat and a black knit hat.

  “Sorry, we’re not open yet.”

  He turned around and Olivia gasped. “Jamie? You’re back!”

  “Yes, I returned a little early.”

  “That’s great. Georgie, I’ll see you later.” Olivia pulled her into a quick hug and whispered in her ear, “Something tells me you won’t be spending New Year’s with Stephen after all.”

  Jamie kept his eyes on her, not turning to look even when Olivia passed by to get to the door. The bell jingled again.

  “Hello, Georgie.”

  She shook her head. “Hi. I can’t believe you’re back. It feels like it’s been forever.”

  He looked around the room. “King told me about your store. That’s great. I knew you would do amazing things if you ever had the chance.”

  It killed her that they were standing there talking like strangers. They weren’t polite conversation. They were insults and sarcasm. She turned back to the bookshelves and focused on polishing. Clearly her letters to Jamie hadn’t meant a thing if all he wanted to do was congratulate her on her business accomplishments.

  “Thanks for stopping by.”

  His arms slid around her waist and he rested his head on top of hers. Georgie instantly relaxed back into his arms. It was so familiar that she wanted to grab on and never let go.

  “Please don’t do this,” she whispered. “It’s been so hard with you gone. I was just now starting to get over you.”

  “Were you? Because I’ll never get over you. No amount of time would be enough.”

  Confused she turned her head so she could see his face. “Then why did you leave? It hurt so much every time I wrote to you and you wouldn’t respond.”

  When he finally answered his voice was soft.

  “I don’t know the exact moment I fell in love with you. Somewhere between your sweet sixteen party and seeing you in a wedding dress. The exact moment is hard to pinpoint because it feels like loving you has been a part of me for so long.”

  “I love you, too,” Georgie said. “That’s why I wrote the letters. So you could be a part of my life even when you were gone.”

  Jamie cuddled her closer. “I know that now. But I had to leave to know for sure. I wasn’t sure if you really wanted me or if I was just the anti-Alex. Princess, I’m a little older than you are and I’ve had time to do what I want without anyone else’s expectation. We got together so fast. I didn’t want you to wake up one day realizing you’d never gotten to do anything on your own. I couldn’t ask you to love me. I had to give you time to decide if you could love me on your own terms. If I hadn’t left when I did, I would have never really known if what we felt was real.”

  “Well, I think that question has been answered,” she replied. “I didn’t want you just because you were there. I wanted you because of how you make me feel. But that doesn’t mean I’m going to let you off the hook that easily. Expect a series of creative punishments.”

  Jamie laughed. “Thanks for the warning but I expected nothing less. I plan on spending a lot of time making it up to you. In fact, Georgina Kingsley, will you go out with me on New Year’s Eve?”

  Georgie wanted to stay angry but when she really thought about it, she’d forgiven him as soon as he sent her the picture of the half-eaten croissant. Jamie would never knowingly hurt her. Everything he did was usually for her benefit somehow. Instinctively, she’d known that.

  “I would love to go out with you on New Year’s Eve. But why do we have to wait? Can’t I come over tonight?”

  He chuckled. “Nope. I want to take you out properly. We’re going to do this right.”

  Georgie’s heart soared but she forced her lips into a pout. “I don’t see why our old way was wrong. The old way was pretty fun.”

  He tipped her chin up until their lips met. “We’ll get there. No rushing. We have a lot of time. Because I don’t plan on ever letting you go.”

  Epilogue

  Jamie glanced at his watch again nervously. The wedding was supposed to have started ten minutes ago.

  “Stop looking at your watch!” King growled. “You’re making me nervous.”

  “Sorry. I’m sure nothing is wrong. Olivia probably just needed more time getting into her dress or something.”

  King glared at him. “My mom would have told me if that was all it was. What if she changed her mind? What if she doesn’t want to marry me? I shouldn’t have pushed her to plan this so quickly.”

  Colin rolled his eyes and went back to texting. “Bro, she's not leaving you. You’re a douchebag but she already knew that before she said yes.”

  King turned around and Jamie stepped in between them to stop the impending fight. Just then the door to the hotel room opened. Mr. Kingsley stepped in. “How are we doing, fellas? Your mother said there was a problem with the bouquet so they needed a few minutes to have another one made.”

  “See, there you go. Flower issues. Can we get this show on the road?” Colin stood, pocketing his phone.

  Jamie clapped a hand on King’s back to keep him in place. “We’ll meet you guys down in the ballroom.”

  Mr. Kingsley and Colin filed out of the room, closing the door behind them.

  “Why did I ask my brother to be in the wedding party again?” King asked.

  “You didn’t. Your mother did. It’s tradition.”

  “Right. I should have just had you.”

  For his friend, that short declaration was tantamount to a love letter. Jamie nodded, trying to conceal how incredibly moved he was.

  “Well, I’ve always understood you. Except for a few times.”

  King chuckled. “You mean when you thought you could secretly date my sister and I wouldn’t find out?”

  “Not my finest moment, I admit.” Jamie adjusted the tie that had gotten twisted while King was pacing. “You look good. Olivia loves you. All is well.”

  King took a deep breath. “Thanks for talking me down. I’ll be sure to repay the favor someday.”

  The words instantly brought to mind Jamie’s most secret wish. To see Georgie in another beautiful white dress but this time walking down the aisle into his arms. They’d been taking things slow for the past few months. The trust and love he’d always known was there was growing. He would never want to rush her. She deserved this time to be young and unencumbered. He could only hope that one day he’d be lucky enough to call her his wife.

  “I hope that happens for us one day. She’s killing it with her business. She’s thinking about opening another location. I want her to have the time to focus on herself first. In the meantime, I’m just happy to be a part of her life.”

  King followed him to the door. “It’ll definitely happen. It has to. I need another brother. The one my parents gave me is defective.”

  “I’ll make sure to mention that part when I finally propose.”

  King shrugged.
“My sister is weird. She’d probably think that was funny. Whatever you do, don’t assume you know what she needs. You’ve learned by now that Georgie has always danced to her own beat.”

  As they rode the elevator down together, Jamie thought about it. And started making plans.

  Georgie tugged on the hem of her dress. She’d gained a little bit of weight and it no longer fit properly. At least it was a flattering color, a blush pink with a sweetheart neckline.

  “Stop messing with it. You look beautiful,” Jamie whispered.

  “The last time I was this stressed at a wedding, I was the bride.” Georgie focused on keeping her steps matched with Jamie’s.

  If she fell and ruined her brother’s wedding pictures, she would never forgive herself.

  Her parents had paid an exorbitant amount to use the grand ballroom at the Fitz-Simmons hotel in D.C. Jamie had joked that it was a good omen since that hotel had been the start of many a love affair, including their own. Georgie figured her brother and Olivia didn’t need luck.

  Once they made it to the altar, Jamie went to stand next to King and she stood next to Olivia’s friend, Serena, who was also a bridesmaid. Her brother had only had two requirements for the wedding, that it be small and arranged as quickly as possible. And of course, that they used a wedding planner who wasn’t a family friend.

  No one argued with him.

  The wedding march started and everyone stood but Georgie kept her eyes on her brother. She’d helped Olivia into her dress and had already shed a few tears seeing her friend so radiant and happy. Now she didn’t want to miss her brother’s reaction to seeing his bride for the first time.

  When Olivia appeared at the entrance to the ballroom, King sucked in a deep breath and put a shaky hand over his heart. Georgie found herself getting emotional. Her arrogant, maddening brother had found the love of his life and Georgie couldn’t be happier for him. When she looked over at Jamie, she found him watching her with a little smile.

  Throughout the entire ceremony, he kept his eyes on hers.