He didn't bother stifling a groan as he snatched the prescription label from the printer. "Look, Georgie, no offense, but I was district supervisor for six years in Philadelphia. I think I can come up with some of my own ideas to help the pharmacy. Thanks anyway, but I've got it covered"
"Okay," she challenged. "If you're such a smarty corporate business man, why don't you run an idea by Dee and me, and we can give you our opinion on it?"
Walt rubbed his chin and let a few moments pass while he seemed to think about it, but when no impromptu ideas came forth, he clamped his lips and stared her down with a heated glint.
She smiled smugly and continued to wait for an answer.
Dee came over with a few more prescriptions and set them on the counter by Georgie. "Mrs. Johnson is coming back to pick those up tomorrow, so no rush. Oh, and she wants someone to show her a good glucose monitor to buy when she comes back too"
"Thanks," Georgie said, picking up a prescription and fanning herself with it. "Actually, Mrs. Johnson's request plays a part in the idea I came up with. Would you care to hear it now, Walt? Or are you still trying to come up with your own plan?"
"Okay, fine," he grumbled. "Let's hear it."
"Great. Here's what I was thinking. We could set up a mini diabetes expo in the center of the store. You know, set up a table with free brochures and sample products. We could have an extra pharmacist available all day just to talk to customers about their disease and how they're managing it. Maybe we could even suggest customers bring in a chart of their daily blood sugar levels for a free analysis. Oh, and we could give away a free blood sugar monitor as a door prize. What do you think about something like that?" She held her breath and waited.
Walt's brows pulled together as he rubbed the back of his neck. "A diabetes expo, huh?"
"Uh-huh. And at the risk of tooting my own horn, I think it would be a wonderful service to provide to the community. This little store could fill a niche that those big corporate drugstores can't provide: genuine concern for the health of our customers"
"Hey, Georgie, that's pretty good," Dee commented.
Georgie smiled then looked anxiously at Walt, who seemed to be still considering the idea. He was staring at the floor. She thought she heard him utter a few grunts, but then he suddenly looked up and his lips slid into a breathtaking smile. "All right, Georgie. I might have to agree with Dee here. It is a pretty good idea."
"Oh my gosh. You really think so?"
He chuckled. "Yeah, actually I don't think I could have come up with a better plan myself. A diabetes expo sounds like the perfect solution to get customers in the door as well as show them that we care about them. You know something, Georgie? You really surprise me. Who knew you'd be beauty and brains all in one package"
He sounded so sincere she wanted to hug him. Her idea was good. She knew it was. But it was nice to have her idea validated anyway. Walt even looked right into her eyes when he spoke that last part about having beauty and brains, proving his sincerity all the more. For once, someone really appreciated the advice she had to give.
Only ... maybe he appreciated the advice a little too much?
Because something suddenly changed in the way Walt was looking at her just then, and she had to swallow hard. His gaze took on an almost seductive quality as his hand moved to her shoulder. He moved even closer, and she caught that delicious light pine scent of his aftershave. Her heart began to hammer in a nervous rhythm. For one brief crazy second, it looked as though Walt was going to kiss her. Right there in the pharmacy.
Right there in front of Dee.
Right there in front of Mrs. Johnson-and any other customers still lingering in the store.
Oh, Lord.
The real problem was she wasn't as appalled at the idea as she had hoped. Walt's lips looked so soft. Almost too soft for a man. Which probably meant he'd kissed a lot of women in his life-women who wore extra-moisturizing lip gloss. A man who seemed to be so popular with women couldn't be all that bad. Could he? For some reason, she desperately wanted to find out if that theory rang true, so being the complete hussy she was, she decided to help him out and leaned in too. Then the phone rang. And they blinked at one another.
The moment ended.
The phone rang again, and Dee twisted in between them to answer it. "Somers Shore Pharmacy," she chirped into the receiver as if she hadn't almost witnessed her boss and her friend about to make out right there in front of her. Dee grabbed a pen and paper and started jotting down prescription numbers.
Georgie moved away from the computer-and away from Walt's hand on her shoulder-to give herself some air. That was close. She wasn't sure what had just happened there, but she thought she'd almost kissed Walt Somers. Her brother's best friend. Her new boss. In the pharmacy.
But she couldn't help herself. Her lips had felt like they'd been caught in some invisible tractor beam. Oh my gosh, yes. Aliens or some other life force had to have been involved. That was the only way to explain her reaction. Otherwise, she'd have to admit that she actually wanted to jump her brother's best friend.
She glanced at Walt, who was looking everywhere but at her. She rubbed her temples and hoped something witty would magically pop into her head before Dee hung up the phone. The silence between them was deafening. She had to say something to Walt-anything-to break up the tension radiating around them or she was going to scream.
Luckily, Walt cleared his throat and spoke first. "Uh, again, great work, Georgie. We should start putting your plan into action as soon as possible. Before summer hits. I'll go see if I can find the numbers of some of the pharmaceutical sales representatives in our area. Maybe they'd be willing to give us some free samples and things we can give away to customers who show up for the expo." He immediately swung around toward the filing cabinets and started digging through its contents.
Georgie stood motionless, staring at his back like some jackanape. That near-kiss had vanished so quickly she thought she might have imagined the whole thing-until she noticed the paper Walt pulled out and was studying.
It was upside down.
Oh, great. She obviously had him spooked. The poor guy. What a dope she was. Walt had given her idea about the diabetes expo serious consideration. He had treated her as a professional equal. Then she almost ruined everything and kissed him. He and Brad would have had a good laugh about that too, much to her expense. One little compliment and she went into full-force infatuation mode.
Not a good way to exhibit maturity.
She snuck another peek at Walt. He was still reading his paper upside down. She had to smile.
Dee was right about another thing. Walt was sure fine to look at. Georgie couldn't help but appreciate the way his lab coat molded nicely over his wide shoulders and back, and she experienced a little tingle of awareness again.
Hmm. Infatuation mode was pretty hard to distinguish from lust mode. But she supposed there was no harm in enjoying the view. For now. At least, until she could decide if this infatuation with Walt was a good or bad thing. Maybe after their dinner tomorrow night with Brad, she'd have the answer.
I thought you said Georgie was going to meet us here?"
Brad tipped his chin hello to a passing blond, whose smile at the mere acknowledgment could have lit up all of Las Vegas, before he answered. "Yeah, she'll be here. But I think she said something about getting her toenails painted or something before coming over."
Walt lifted his beer and took a healthy swallow. The last thing he needed was to be reminded of any body parts on his friend's sister. Georgie had adorable toes-not that he had a toe fetish or stared at her feet often-but when Georgie was in a room, it was hard not to notice everything about her. Toes, ears, eyes, hair, legs ... lips. He had just proved that point yesterday when he'd almost kissed her in the pharmacy.
What had he done, thinking he could invite her out like this and prove he could still treat her like he always had? This friendly dinner get-together idea wasn't going to work at all-no
t if he wanted his relationship with Georgie to remain platonic.
Why couldn't he just remind himself that Georgie would bring nothing but complications to his life? She was like family. He was her boss. Her brother owned several guns ...
Walt looked back at Brad and forced a smile. "Toenails painted, huh? I hope she's not getting all dolled up just for us"
Brad snorted as he picked up a menu. "Get real."
"Oh, right. What I meant to say is that Georgie is a natural beaut-She's very attract-Uh, she doesn't strike me as the type of woman who gets her nails done on a regular basis." Walt mentally rolled his eyes at himself. He needed to get his act together before he went and blurted out in front of Brad that he had the major hots for his only sister.
"Nah, she isn't the high-maintenance type," Brad said. "I can guarantee you if she is getting dolled up, it's not for us. I'm sure my sister's got some ulterior motive. I just hope she doesn't attract any more of those loser types I've had to get rid of. It's getting to be a bit of a hobby, one that's going to send me to the grave if she doesn't start becoming more discriminate."
A moan from the bar area had them both craning their necks to see the wide-screen TV around which most of the men in the place had congregated. After a few minutes of baseball highlight reports, Brad pointed toward the crowd around the barstools. "Hey, what do you think about him? You think that guy over there would be a good candidate for Georgie?"
He followed his friend's gaze where it had settled on a tall, dark-haired, good-looking guy in a gray business suit. The man reminded Walt of a young Alec Baldwin. "No way in hell."
Brad's eyebrows shot up. "You're kidding, right? That guy looks like a normal guy with a halfway decent job, and I don't see a wedding band on his finger. What's wrong with him?"
Walt thought about that for a second. Unfortunately, he couldn't think of a thing. Oh, hell. There wasn't anything wrong with him. On the surface, that is.
Walt studied the guy with a little more scrutiny this time. He still couldn't find anything physically wrong with himbesides being a bit of a fancy boy with that Brooks Brothers shirt-and-tie combo. There wasn't a scratch on him either, not even a stray eyebrow hair in sight. The man looked charming, successful, and clean-cut.
Then again, so had Ted Bundy.
That settled it. You could never be too sure about men, case in point was himself. But especially if they were talking about a man who was going to be with Georgie. There had to be higher standards set, and Walt was just the man to help his friend set them. Way high. But first, he had to break it to Brad in a means he'd understand. Lay out his case in a levelheaded manner. Friend to friend. Man to man.
"I don't like him," Walt blurted, then inwardly cringed. Oooh, nice manly explanation, moron. Gee, a four-year-old could've had a better response.
Judging by the look on Brad's face, he'd evidently thought so too. "You don't like him? You know him or something?"
"Uh, well, no. Not ... not exactly."
"Okay, then let's go over there and strike up a conversation with him and see what kind of guy he is. If he seems decent enough, we'll introduce him to Georgie. Sound like a plan?" Brad didn't wait for an answer and started to stand.
"No!" Walt cleared his throat, then lowered his voice. "I mean, I don't think that's such a hot idea. I don't know him personally, but I know the business-executive type. I dealt with them in Philadelphia. Georgie wouldn't like a man like that. Those kinds of guys are into themselves and are not the friendly sort. Very cold." He rubbed his upper arms for effect, just in case Brad had forgotten what the definition of cold was, and added an exaggerated, "Brrrr."
Brad shot a dubious glance over at Mr. Wall Street again. The man was smiling pleasantly, shaking hands with Pete the bartender, and he was getting a few slaps on the back from some nearby customers. Obviously, the man was popular too.
Definitely not Georgie's type.
"Are you sure about that?" Brad asked. "Pete seems to like him. Don't you think we should at least check the guy out and give him the benefit of the doubt? He has to be better than some of the guys Georgie's been meeting."
Walt shook his head, thinking if he were Pinocchio his nose would be enjoying the clean crisp mountain air of the Swiss Alps right about then. "No. Trust me. I'm sensing something's up with him, and it's not good. You'll be sorry. The guy shouldn't even be in the running."
Brad sat back and frowned. "Wow. Jeez, I'm glad you were here then. That really saved me some time."
"Happy to help." Unable to look his friend in the eye another second, Walt glanced away and across the bar just in time to see Georgie standing at the entrance on tiptoe, scanning the crowded room. He wasn't the only one that had seen her come in. Mr. Wall Street's attention suddenly shifted and lingered at the front door too.
Walt gritted his teeth. Back off, buddy.
As much as he felt like poking the guy's eyes out right at the moment, Walt couldn't exactly blame him. Not with the way Georgie looked tonight in that aqua tank top and those tight white jeans, clinging to the short curve of her hips. Used to seeing her in baggy sleep shirts and oversized lab coats, Walt couldn't help but appreciate how tiny but wellproportioned a body she had.
Oddly enough, Georgie's body wasn't the first thing Walt had noticed about her tonight; it was her eyes. With her wild hair pulled back and gathered in a low ponytail, she drew more attention to her face and her beautiful eyes appeared bluer than ever. Georgie looked sweet and sexy and could have been considered a walking oxymoron-the girl-next-door and a Victoria's Secret model all wrapped up in one.
Walt's mouth went dry. Then he realized, like every other man in the bar-minus Brad-that he was gawking. Well, there was no doubt about it. Walt wanted her. Georgie was all woman now, and he couldn't help but think of her in an all-male way.
God help him-and his friendship with her brother.
Walt stood and waved her over. Her face brightened when she saw him, and she waved back, making a beeline for their table. "Hey, guys," she chirped, as she took a seat between Walt and her brother. Her fruity scent of mandarin oranges and cranberry permeated the air around them, causing Walt's heart rate to spike further. "Sorry I'm a little late," she added sheepishly.
"You're more than a little late," Brad shot. "Sheesh. What are you trying to do, starve me to death?"
Georgie looked at her watch in disgust. "I'm fifteen minutes late. Hardly enough time to have you die from hunger. Besides, if I really wanted to starve you I'd delete the pizza delivery number you have on your cell phone speed dial."
Brad slapped his menu down on the table. "That's not funny, Georgie. I work long hours so I don't always have time to-"
"Oh, please. I've seen you order pizza for breakfast. Your arteries must be so clog-"
"Children, children," Walt interrupted, hiding a smile. "We're in a public place. Maybe we could all just decide what we want to order, and you two can settle your dietary differences in private later."
Georgie cast a pointed look at her brother. "Fine. I'm going to have the Greek salad with a vinaigrette dressing on the side."
"Good for you and your arteries," Brad muttered.
Walt chuckled at their banter. At least some things hadn't changed. Their sparring helped ease the tension he felt about being around Georgie tonight. That is, until she stood up and her gold-hoop belly ring caught the direct line of his vision. He turned his head and tried to blink away the image from his mind.
Oh, hell. She even made his eyelids sweat.
"It's a little quiet in here tonight," she said, her gaze traveling around to the bar area. "I think I'll go put some quarters in the jukebox"
Walt looked over to where the jukebox was-three feet away from Mr. Wall Street-and felt the blood between his ears grow hot and thick. Wasn't this just a dandy prospect? There was no way he was about to let her go and parade herself around like some fawn in front of a hungry lion. He felt a surge of protectiveness toward her, but this time he knew it was
for purely selfish reasons.
"Do you have to do that right now?" Walt asked her. "I mean, you just sat down. Wait a few minutes." Until Mr. Wall Street goes home. Or until I can find a parka to cover you up with. "At least wait until you order."
To Walt's dismay, the waitress who had been MIA since he and Brad had first sat down at their table suddenly materialized.
"Are you ready, or do you need more time?" the waitress asked, staring down at her spiral order book. Then the pretty brunet glanced up and her brown eyes brightened when she took in her customers. "Oh, for goodness sake! I didn't even realize it was you guys"
"Hi, Kendall!" Georgie beamed at her. "I forgot you'd be working tonight."
"When am I not working?" Kendall rolled her eyes with a smirk then turned to Brad and poked him in the shoulder. "Hey, what's up with you? No hello? I noticed you haven't talked to me much since I started dating Jake. Are you mad at me because I'm now consorting with the enemy?"
Brad smiled at her joke, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "I have nothing against Jake. It's not his fault he chose to be a firefighter instead of something respectable like a lawenforcing public-safety providing police officer."
"Oh, pish posh," Kendall said, waving her little notebook in the air. "I'll never understand why the fire and police departments can't get along."
Georgie snorted. "Probably has something to do with too much floating testosterone and not enough territory to mark. Oh, by the way," she said, gesturing to her right, "Kendall, this is Walt Somers. He's just moved into town. He's co-owner of Somers Shore Pharmacy with Al"
"Walt Somers? Oh, you're related to Al?"
Walt nodded. "Al's my uncle."
"Well, what a small world. It's a real pleasure." Kendall smiled and held out her hand. Walt took it and was surprised to find quite a grip behind such a delicate feature. "Georgie's new boss, huh? I never get bosses that look as good as you do," she added with a good-natured wink.
Georgie on His Mind Page 7