She frowned, giving him a sideways glance. This didn't sound like the Walt she'd remembered. If she didn't know better, he sounded almost ... nice and respectful. What was he trying to pull? Maybe she was being overly analytical, but she couldn't help it. After all, she was a science major.
"Thank you," she said, still not trusting him. "I'm glad you're not mad. But are you going to tell Brad about this?"
"Hmm, well, that's an interesting question," he said with a mischievous smile. "I'm still on the fence. But don't worry; I'm sure you'll get a favorable outcome with a little persuasion. Like maybe ... breakfast in bed tomorrow?"
Now that sounded like the Walt she'd remembered!
"Nothing fancy," he blurted when he saw her scowl. "Bacon, some scrambled eggs, fresh orange juice, oh, and rye toast, but only if you have it. No need to make a special trip to the store just for me" He casually leaned his elbow on the counter and treated her to a charming grin.
She felt a smile threatening, but nipped it in the bud before he could see it. "You know you're a rat, don't you?"
Walt frowned, but the laughter still showed in his eyes. "Hey, now that's not the way to sway my decision in your favor."
"I'd love to hear more of this tantalizing extortion negotiation," Dee interrupted, walking over and waving a piece of paper in her hand, "but Randall's in the can again, and I can't read what drug this is."
"It says Biaxin five hundred milligrams." Georgie looked back up at Walt and gestured to her friend with her thumb. "Do you remember Dee? She's now our full-time technician and all around resident smart mouth."
"Yeah, I remember you," he said, studying her face. "Except for the smart mouth part. That should make things interesting while I'm working here."
Georgie felt the blood drain from her face. "Huh? What do you mean, you'll be working here?'
Walt shot her a challenging look. "Just what I said. Al and I have become partners"
"Partners? Al never mentioned this to me. You mean we're going to be living and working together?"
"Don't sound so thrilled. But yes, I didn't want to be any more of a burden to my aunt while she's taking care of Al, and I had to forget about renting a place. With the summer almost here, everything is practically booked up. Brad was cool enough to offer me your place until I can find a place of my own to buy."
"Oh, yeah, that's Brad all right," she murmured. "Mr. Benevolent." Except toward his own sister.
Dee fanned her face with the prescription and smirked. "Well, isn't this going to be cozy? It's like right out of Bosom Buddies. "
With an amused look, Walt scratched his head. "Uh, yeah, except for the dressing like a woman part. Unless Brad's into something I don't know about"
Dee laughed, and Georgie sighed.
"Hey, don't look so grim, Georgie," he said, giving her a few pats on the hand. "We're practically like family. I promise to be on my best behavior the entire time. No head lice jokes. Don't want you getting sick of me before I can find my own place, right?"
Yeah, well, too late. She was already sick of him.
"Oh, and your Nancy Drew routine was pretty darn cute back there, I admit," he added, "but next time leave the cops and robbers playing to your brother. Accusing your customers of stealing isn't good store policy."
She planted a fist on her hip. "You were snooping around the aisle. It was a logical assumption."
"Ah, but you never gave me a chance to explain. The reason I was snooping was because I saw a lot of opened and empty boxes of condoms on the shelf. I assume you realize the store was robbed?"
Her anger deflated. She wondered if Al noticed the stolen condoms too. "Yes, I noticed the empty boxes. That's why I thought you were the thief."
"And returning to the scene of the crime? Not a very bright thief, I might add" His smile blazed out at her, and she noticed how white his teeth were against his tanned skin. It made his smile all the more attractive. Almost too attractive for his own good.
"Well, I didn't have time to run an IQ test by you," she said wryly. "I had to go by your dim-witted appearance alone."
"Cute. But I think it might be a good idea to keep this from Al until after he's back from his surgery. No sense having him worry. I don't want anything interfering with his recovery. It might even be a matter of time before the store gets hit for something bigger than just condoms. I'd like to go over the books as soon as possible and check things out to make sure we haven't lost money elsewhere."
She remembered what Brad had said the other day about the pharmacy losing money and became concerned. "Do you think there's a problem?"
"I'm not sure. Once I take a look at all the numbers, I can make a fair assessment. Then I'll decide what to do."
"Well, since I'll be a pharmacist here soon, I hope you plan on including me in what you find and what you plan to do."
"Look, Georgie," he said with a sigh. "You don't need to worry yourself about stuff like this. Just do your job, sit tight, and don't do any more rash things."
His attitude was so condescending she became indignant. "Sit tight? That response is so typical of someone like you. For your information, I'm very capable of handling these things. I'm not someone who needs sheltering. Anyone who thinks that is just ... just..
His eyes narrowed and he leaned in close, so close she could see that his eyes weren't simply light brown like she'd first thought. They had a fascinating mixture of green and gold in them, which at the moment flashed at her like hot lava.
"Anyone who thinks that is just what, exactly?" he asked. "At least I have enough sense not to try to pick up a possible sex-starved stranger in the condom aisle."
"I wasn't trying to pick you up! I told you that" And stop trying to distract me!
"Could have fooled me. And you were doing a lousy job of it, by the way. No wonder you're having men problems."
She sucked in her breath as if she'd been kicked in the stomach. "Oh. My. Gosh. I can't believe you just said that. Who told you I was having men problems? I am not having men problems. Hey, Dee," she called over her shoulder, desperate for some restoration to her bruised ego. "Am I having men problems?"
Dee paused in her typing and looked up. "She's having men problems," she said flatly, then went back to typing.
Walt laughed out loud.
"Traitor," she muttered. "I'll remember that when I get my license and become your boss"
"Just remember this," Dee said, whipping out the newspaper article on the Clay Hayes contest again, "and who gave it to you when you finally meet your Mr. Dreamboat"
Walt's attention perked up and his eyes shot to Dee. Leaning over the counter, he snatched the newspaper from her hands. "What's this about Mr. Dreamboat?" he asked with a curious grin.
Georgie made a grab for the paper, but Walt was quicker and held it just out of her reach. As he unfolded the article, his brows narrowed as his eyes shifted over the words for several long seconds. When he finished, he crumpled the paper and tossed it in the trashcan behind her. "Wow," he said with a scowl, "I can't believe women fall for stupid contests like that"
"Hey!" She lunged for the ball of paper and pulled it out of the garbage. "I resent that. That contest isn't stupid," she said, unraveling and smoothing the article out on the counter. "I was thinking of entering."
"That's my girl," Dee cheered.
Walt gave a short laugh. "I'd think again if I were you"
Georgie stopped fiddling with the newspaper and looked up. "Why would I need to think again? Clay Hayes is a handsome television star, and I could spend a day with him. He's smart and charming too-something you obviously have no clue about. Sounds like the perfect date to me. And since Brad has pretty much eliminated any eligible dating man within a thirty-mile radius, I'd say it's the perfect solution to my so-called man problem."
"Oh, come on. Brad is not going to let you enter that contest. For one thing . . " He looked to Dee for help, but she turned away, feigning more interest in filing the stack of prescriptions.
"All right ... for one thing," he said, turning back, "you're too young"
He might as well have said she was too ugly or too skinny, because it ticked her off just the same. "I'm twenty-four. That's only seven years younger than you and Brad"
"Well, what makes you think you could win this contest anyway?" He tapped his index finger down so hard on the article she thought he was going to smear Clay Hayes' poor face. She tried sliding it away from him, but he braced his other hand on the article and held tight.
"Shows how much you know," she countered, still trying to pry his hands away from the newspaper. "I have as good a chance as anyone else. Clay Hayes loves this town. He's probably here a lot when he's not working. When I win, I'll give him my own personal tour."
Walt's mouth hung open. "Well, if you win-and that's a big if-you're going to draw a lot of attention. Do you want that? There'll probably be a bunch of publicity involved and reporters and people hanging around, not to mention-" Walt stopped himself short and hung back slightly. A funny expression crossed his face-not a pleased look but not a totally unhappy one either, almost as if he was hearing Polka music play in his head.
"Not to mention what?" she asked, forgetting their tug-ofwar with the newspaper.
Walt opened his mouth again but closed it when Al came up and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Come on, Walt. Randall's in the stockroom. I want to introduce you two and go over your schedules. You and Georgie will have plenty of time to catch up later."
Walt nodded, but he still had a dazed look on his face. "Sure, Uncle Al. Be right there"
Al smiled, giving Georgie a quick wink, then walked away. Walt watched him go, keeping his eyes trained on his uncle's back. His eyes narrowed slightly, and from the way the vein in his left temple became visible, she was sure his brain was about to explode at any second.
"Not to mention what?" she asked again when Al had disappeared into the storeroom.
He whipped his head back to look at her and blinked. "Uh, nothing. Just don't enter that thing," he said, tapping down on the article for emphasis. The pointed look he gave told her there was nothing left to discuss. As if he didn't trust her, he swept the crumpled up newspaper off the counter and shoved it under his arm, then stormed away.
Annoyed that Walt would pull the big brother routine on her only twenty minutes into their reunion, Georgie planted a hand on her hip. "Did you hear that, Dee?"
"Yep. Heard it and saw it."
"See? He's just as bad as Brad. No, worse. I didn't think something like that was possible. Who is he to tell me not to enter?"
Dee cocked her head, not hiding her amusement. "Ah, yes, spite. Always a good reason to enter a contest"
Georgie looked at her with surprise. "Oh, no. I'm not entering myself, Dee. I just said that stuff back there because Walt irked me. No, I'm going to enter Brad in that contest. I think it'll be good for him if he could win a date with Rae Roberts"
"Brad? You're going to enter Brad? Honey, are you sure that's a good idea?"
"Positive. This is just the kind of diversion my brother needs. He has to stop worrying about my love life and start concentrating on his own. If he wins, that could really loosen him up and get him back into the dating swing again."
"Uh, maybe you should reconsider the stripper option."
She laughed. "No, Dee. No stripper. He needs a real date."
In fact, Brad needed a long-term distraction; if she were lucky he might even enter into a relationship with the woman. That would really take his mind off mothering her-or brothering her as the case may be-and she could get her own life back.
"Okay," Dee said. "But are you absolutely sure you want to do this for Brad and not just because Walt thinks it's a stupid contest?"
She waved her friend's question away and began pacing the floor. "Yes, yes, of course. What kind of person would that make me out to be?" Petty? Selfish? No, she was considerate. She was a caring, considerate sister. In fact, she's sure she would've thought about entering Brad in the contest even if Walt hadn't made such a stink about it.
Pretty sure, anyway.
But she only had until midnight to enter him. Would she be able to find yesterday's newspaper and get the information in time? Maybe she could cause some sort of diversion and grab the newspaper article from Walt, get the e-mail address, and slip it back before he noticed anything amiss. Yeah, that sounded good. But that job was going to require some tricky maneuvering on her part.
"Well, I'm glad you're sure." Dee stood and pulled out a slip of paper from her lab coat pocket. A droll grin curved her lips as she held the paper out between her first two fingers. "Because I copied down the e-mail address right here just in case you chickened out"
Georgie let out a laugh. Who needed tricky maneuvers when you had tricky friends?
"Oh, Dee," she said, hugging her friend, "remind me never to underestimate your sly talents."
"Don't you worry. I won't. But if Brad wins and suddenly decides to declare jihad on anyone involved in this scheme, you didn't get that e-mail address from me"
"Agreed." Georgie glanced down at the piece of paper in her hands and grinned. Brad was going to be so surprised. He could finally relax and have fun, without worrying about her for a change. Then she could do what she wanted, when she wanted, and with whom she wanted. Life was about to get good.
Unless Brad didn't win. Then she'd be back to square one, and they'd both be back to living like hermits. For her sanity's sake, she'd have to come up with a plan B.
Luckily, thanks to Walt, she already had an idea.
Walt hoped it looked as if he were enjoying a leisurely night of watching Ultimate Fighting Championship on TVbecause he was far from feeling enjoyment. It was just as well, though. Two-time champion Kent Franklin was getting rocked, and Brad's old sofa was crippling his back. No wonder he felt edgy and restless and unable to think about anything but his friend's sister.
Maybe he shouldn't have been so hard on Georgie, ordering her not to enter that date contest today. What was it to him? He didn't really care one way or another what she did. It was her life. She was obviously a grown woman. For one brief moment, he even considered it to be a good publicity stunt for the pharmacy too. So why had he acted so overbearingly?
Because something had overtaken him. Something he couldn't quite describe.
A protective instinct? Yeah, yeah, that's what it was-a protective instinct. A brotherly protective instinct. It wasn't jealousy he'd felt toward that actor Clay Hayes. He was just looking out for his little "sister" and worried about her getting tangled up with some celebrity hot shot. Georgie and Brad were the closest things to siblings he had. It was only natural he'd want to look out for her.
Walt carefully let out a relieved breath so as not to draw any undue attention from Brad, who was sitting next to him. He felt better already, because now he knew his actions today had everything to do with loyalty to his friend and absolutely nothing whatsoever to do with how beautiful Georgie had become. Or anything to do with those gorgeous baby-blue eyes of hers. Or the way her lab coat seductively clung to her body. Or ...
Oh, crap.
"So, who's the lucky woman?"
Walt choked and spit out his beer at Brad's question. "What? Huh? I'm not thinking about any woman" He averted his eyes and brushed down the front of his shirt, making sure to block out any lingering thoughts he had about Georgie.
Brad placed his own beer down and frowned. "Easy, man. I wasn't offering a penny for your thoughts. You seem a little out of it, so I figured there had to be a woman involved somewhere"
"Uh, no, there's no woman. Not that my uncle hasn't hinted that there should be one. But you're one to talk. What about you? If you're sitting here with me, eating mediocre pizza and drinking lukewarm beer, I'm gonna guess your love life isn't so hot either."
Brad shrugged and turned his attention back to the TV. Walt reached for another slice of pizza, grateful Brad had decided not to pepper him with any more questions. Women were n
ot a topic Walt cared to discuss at the moment. When he was good and ready he'd look for a nice local girl who sparked his interest. He didn't have time for that now. He still needed to begin planting his life here in town. He needed to find a place to live, meet some more people, get the business situated. Adding a woman to that mix would only cause complications.
"So, have you seen Georgie yet?" Brad asked.
Walt's heart did a short tap dance-not quite a Fred Astaire rendition, but a tap dance nonetheless-at the mere mention of her name. Uh-oh. Not good. And not a simple complication, but a major complication, which was exactly why Georgie wasn't a topic he wanted to delve into either.
Walt took a few more slugs of beer, hoping it would snap some sense into him. "Uh, yeah, I saw her. We ... we barely recognized one another." True, but a minor understatement.
Brad scratched his chin. "Yeah, I guess it has been a while. Man, I'm glad you're here now. Maybe you can take some of the heat off of me. Georgie and I can't seem to do anything but argue since she's come home from college."
Although Walt didn't want to be reminded of Georgie since it only led to thoughts he shouldn't feel comfortable with, he couldn't resist prying out information about her. Good grief. He wanted to smack himself. Back in his hometown less than a day and he was already thirty-one going on thirteen. "Oh, yeah? What kind of problems could you be having with Georgie?"
"You know," Brad said, looking hesitant. "I guess the usual brother-and-sister type stuff."
"No, I don't know. If I'm going to have to start acting as referee between you two, you might as well enlighten me now."
Brad's gaze flicked to his, then he quickly looked away again. "Well, for one thing, she thinks"-he cleared his throat, then gave a weak laugh-"now get this, she thinks that I butt into her life too much"
Walt didn't have any siblings to fully understand Brad's problem, but fights over independence didn't seem so out of the ordinary. He supposed it would only be natural for Georgie to feel the pressure of living with a big brother police officer. "All right, I guess I can see where this could be an area of tension between you two. But, uh, between you and me ... do you butt into her life?"
Georgie on His Mind Page 4