Oh, my, he has a nice smile. She felt herself slipping under the roguish glint in his eyes and quickly had to clear her throat. "Um, why has it been a while since you've been out? You don't have the excuse of having an interfering sibling like I do. Wasn't there anyone special back in Philadelphia?"
Walt's good humor faded. He looked away and didn't answer right off the bat. "Yeah. There was someone" He paused again. "An ex-fiancee"
Ex-fiancee? Brad never mentioned that Walt had been engaged. The news startled her, and she bolted upright. She wasn't sure how she had expected him to respond to her question, but it hadn't been with the ex-fiancee bomb.
I ... see," she said slowly. "Well, if you don't mind me asking-"
"Oh, come on, Georgie. Give me a break here. Let's just enjoy the rest of the evening without you prying into my love life."
Georgie heard the bitterness in his voice, but for some reason pressed on anyway. "You just said you liked the fact that I don't hold back what I want to say. You said it was refreshing. Well, I'm not holding back again. Besides, you can't argue with me now. You'll ruin our night of firsts"
He gave her a long look before relaxing his features a bit and giving into a sigh. "Okay, you win. Ask away. What do you want to know?"
She sat back and crossed her legs. She admired his forthrightness, and it pleased her to have him so readily open up. Most men shut down when she asked them any personal questions. Even her own brother never shared his personal feelings. Yet, here was Walt willing to answer her every whim; another thing that made him so likable to her. Unfortunately.
Georgie knew exactly what she wanted to ask. She bit her lip, trying to come up with a delicate phrasing but quickly gave up and decided to go with her impetuous side. "Well, fiancee means you asked someone to actually spend the rest of your life with you, you know what I mean? That's pretty serious. So I don't understand. How could two people who were so committed to one another suddenly break up and decide it was all a mistake?"
Walt blew out another sigh and shrugged. "I don't know. We were together a long time. I think that translated to us as thinking we loved each other. Kiera really didn't like the fact that I was giving up my corporate title, nor did she have any interest in moving here with me. So she made sure she found someone else, then broke off our engagement"
"Oh, she sounds like a fast operator."
"Not really. She didn't have to look far. My friend, Chad, apparently didn't think twice before becoming the new man in her life even though she and I were still engaged"
Georgie flinched, horrified that Walt seemed so calm about the whole situation. "Ouch. That doesn't sound like such a friend to me."
"Yeah. Tell me about it. I think that's why my friendship with your brother means so much to me. He would have never done something like that. He's really a solid guy. I know he's been giving you a hard time, Georgie, but it's only because he worries about you. You're lucky to have someone so loyal like that in your life."
Her shoulders slumped as she thought about Walt's statement. She knew she was lucky to have such a great brother. With her parents gone, she would always have someone looking out for her, caring about her. But weren't there limits to how stifling love could be?
Walt let out a laugh. "You don't look as though you feel very lucky."
She blinked up at him. "Oh, no, I know I'm lucky. Really. It's just that Mom and Dad always watched over me because I was the baby in the family, and, well, now Brad has been treating me as though I haven't shed the infant clothes. I think I need a little break from all this love I've been given. A little breathing room"
"Oh?" Walt picked up his coffee and casually took another sip. "What do you mean by breathing room?"
"Well, I want to be free to do what I want. See who I want to see. At this point in my life I'm not interested in marriage, or dating someone who's `good for me' as Brad would say. I just want to have a little fun. You know, maybe have a fling or something."
Walt's expression suddenly sobered. "A fling? You want a fling?"
Walt's tone stirred up her defensiveness. She already knew where this conversation was headed, and he obviously didn't approve. Maybe "fling" wasn't the best noun choice, but just the thought of forming any serious attachment made her stomach muscles tense.
"Yeah. That's right." She thrust her chin up and looked him square in the eye. "A fling. What do you think about that?"
He didn't answer right away. His jaw clenched as he took out his wallet and tossed a handful of twenties on the table. "I think we should go before I say something that'll spoil this evening. That's what I think." He stood and, without sparing her another glance, stormed toward the front door.
Georgie snatched up her purse and waved good-bye across the restaurant to Kendall and Dee as she scurried after him. "Wait!" she called once she got outside, but he continued to stomp out into the parking lot, heading straight for his car. "Wait! I knew it. I knew you'd think like Brad. But you don't understand."
Walt finally stopped beside his black SUV and whipped around, the expression on his face looking stonier than Mount Rushmore. "Oh, I understand all right. I understand perfectly. You want a no-strings-attached relationship instead of trying to find a nice man to get married and have babies with. Well, let me tell you this: women like you aren't supposed to want flings. It's wrong. It's not supposed to be in your nature. So just-" He looked up at the night sky and raked his hands through his spiky hair. "Good Lord, I can't believe I'm even having a conversation like this with you! Just what kind of woman are you?"
She drew herself up straight. "I'm a perfectly normal modern woman. Welcome to the new millennium. A simple fling is all I'm looking for at this point in my life. That's nothing to be ashamed of."
"Oh, is that right?"
Walt took a menacing step toward her, his face suddenly inches from hers. She felt her breath being sucked from her lungs as she looked up and saw his eyes lit with a frightening combination of anger and frustration and ... desire.
He put his arms around her and pulled her to his chest. "Well, all right," he said, low and husky. "If you're looking for a fling, then maybe you should go and have yourself one"
Before her mind could wrap around what was happening, his mouth came down on hers. And it was bliss. Her purse slipped through her hands and she went limp, allowing her body to melt into his. His chest was hard and warm and felt so good against the contrast of the cool evening night surrounding them. She had wanted to kiss him like this, wanted to know what it would be like, but never in a million years had she thought kissing Walt Somers would be this good.
She smelled the piney scent of his cologne and felt the beating of his heart. She slid her arms around his neck and played with the ends of his fine hair as she explored more of his mouth, enjoying its unique taste and the softness of his lips. Then suddenly Walt jerked his head back, holding her at arm's length.
"Wow," he murmured. He dropped his arms and stepped away from her so fast she felt as if a QUARANTINED sign popped up over her head.
She swallowed her hurt and tried to keep her expression calm. "Um, is that a `Wow, that kiss was really nice?' or a `Wow, that kiss was really awful?'"
His shoulders relaxed a bit and a dry smile kicked the corners of his mouth. "Sorry. It was definitely a `Wow, that kiss was really incredible, and if I hadn't pulled back we would've been two seconds away from someone calling the cops on us.' N
Her eyes widened. She had no idea she had that kind of effect on him. Or could have that effect on any man. But the discomfort in his tone caught her attention. Even if he enjoyed their kiss as much as she did, he obviously still thought it was a mistake. "I feel like there's a `but' about to follow that statement."
"Yeah, well, there is." He looked down, staring at the tips of his light tan bucks. "Georgie, I've wanted to kiss you ever since you first accused me of stealing those stupid condoms in my own store, and believe me, there's nothing I'd rather do than continue where we left off, but it'
s just not going to happen"
She blinked. "It's not?"
"No, it's not. I don't know what I was thinking, but I was wrong to say what I did just then when I kissed you, because I don't want a fling, as you so boldly put it. And even if I did, I sure as hell wouldn't want to have a fling with my best friend's sister. I'm sorry, but that's not what a real friend would do. I owe Brad that much."
Georgie sagged against his SUV, partly because of shock from Walt's answer and partly because her bearings hadn't straightened out from that kiss yet. Walt didn't want to kiss her anymore because of her brother. She almost laughed, despite her desire not to. Brad wasn't even in a five-mile radius and somehow he was still managing to ruin her love life.
"I felt a connection with you, Georgie. I know you felt it too. So if you're interested in exploring that-like normal people do-and maybe seeing where this relationship takes us, then..
"No," she blurted.
Walt's eyes narrowed and his lips formed two tight lines. "No? That's all you have to say? No explanation?"
Why did this have to be complicated? Yes, she was attracted to Walt. She felt something there, but she didn't want to be in any kind of relationship. She had tried in the past while she was in college with Matt Mandel-until he had left town and her behind. There were scars on her heart that hadn't healed yet to prove it. She couldn't deal with that kind of stuff anymore. Things were better when there wasn't any attachment involved. Why couldn't Walt just accept that? She was offering him what would be an ideal situation for any man.
"What are you afraid of, Georgie?"
Folding her arms, she glanced away. "Nothing," she said briskly. She didn't want to talk about this anymore. She didn't like the way he was looking at her either, as if he could see right through her. It was unnerving.
The restaurant doors suddenly flew open, and Kendall came running out. Once she spotted them, she rushed over. "Oh, I'm so glad I caught you guys," she said, breathing hard and fast. "Georgie, Brad just called. He wants you home right away."
Georgie threw her hands in the air. "Oh, great. It's not even nine o'clock. Now he's setting a curfew on me too?"
Kendall shook her head. "I don't think so, hon. He said there's a bunch of reporters at your door. They're asking for you. Do you think it could involve the date contest?"
Georgie and Walt exchanged stunned looks. "I-I don't know," she stammered. "I-I have to get home and find out" She blindly reached down, picked up her purse, and started to turn away, but Walt seized her wrist.
"I'll drive," he said gruffly. "We'll come back for your car later."
Georgie saw the no-nonsense expression on his face and decided now was not the time to argue about her "independence" Besides, between the kiss they'd shared and Kendall's news, she really wasn't in any condition to drive.
She nodded and climbed in his truck, too worried about Brad's reaction to the date contest to think about Walt's lips anymore.
Well, almost too worried to think about Walt's lips anymore.
Walt held on to Georgie's arm and led her up the path to the condo. Normally, she would have shrugged off his touch, making sure to emphasize that she was quite capable of handling the situation by herself, but something held her back. Instead, she leaned on him, giving in to the comfort he was trying to give her, and it felt surprisingly good. She was glad Walt was there with her. Between the flashes going off and the microphones being shoved in her face, she didn't know how she'd have managed to make it to her front door. As soon as they did, her brother swung open the door. She prayed he would be happy about winning.
More flashes went off. Walt's arm was suddenly around her, and she heard a reporter yell, "Miss Mayer, what was your first reaction when you heard the news?"
Georgie held a hand up to her eyes. The lights they kept throwing in her face appeared like a second sun. She tried to blink away the effects and lost her balance, ending up with her chin in Walt's chest. "Uh ... well, I guess you could say-"
"No comment," Walt growled and pushed her none too lightly through the doorway. She stumbled in, and Brad slammed the door behind them.
She could tell Brad was not happy about winning the contest. Air was coming through her brother's nose in short snorty puffs, like a rottweiler picking up the scent of raw meat. Although she was still blinded, she took a weird sort of comfort to learn that her hearing was pitch perfect.
"What the hell, Georgie?" Brad finally cried. "I mean ... What the hell?"
She blinked, allowing her eyes to focus in the normal light, then winced when she could finally see him. The rottweiler image she'd imagined wasn't that far off. In fact, he looked ready to tear her limbs apart at any second.
With his teeth.
She cleared her throat and held up her index finger. "I can explain everything." I hope.
"Can we have a word in private?" he asked Walt.
Walt shrugged and took a step toward the bedroom, but Georgie grabbed hold of his arm. "No, it's okay. I think Walt should stay." As a witness to my attempted murder at the very least.
"Fine," Brad muttered. "But honestly, what were you thinking, entering that contest, Georgie? Do you know what kind of reputation a guy like Clay Hayes has?"
She opened her mouth, then promptly closed it. One, she wasn't aware of any reputation that Clay Hayes had, and two, why would he be worried about Clay Hayes' reputation if he won a date with Rae Roberts?
Brad whirled around and began pacing the room. "And now you've gone and gotten yourself a date with that guy. You really did it this time. Oh, man, and I thought Tim Clark was bad, but now this."
"Wait a minute," she said, slamming her hands on her hips. "What was the matter with Tim Clark?" Walt poked her in the back, and she remembered the more important matter at hand. "Oh. I mean ... did you say I have a date with Clay Hayes?"
"Yeah, Georgie, what do you think I'm so upset about?"
She suddenly felt lightheaded. What was going on? She took a deep breath and began again. "All right. There has to be some mistake. I didn't enter that contest"
Brad stopped pacing and looked at her. His face relaxed a millimeter. "You didn't?"
"She couldn't have entered," Walt chimed in. "She promised me she was only entering you"
Brad's eyes widened to regulation golf ball size, and he thwacked her on the shoulder. "Enter me? You entered me in that date contest! What am I going to do on a date with Clay Hayes?"
Georgie shot Walt a thanks-a-lot look then raised her voice over Brad's swearing. "Oh, chill out, will you? Your date isn't supposed to be with Clay Hayes. It's supposed to be with Rae Roberts. But you can forget all about that, because you didn't win."
Oh, my gosh. It hit her then, like an elbow in the back of the head. Brad didn't win. Brad didn't win the date contest. She won the date contest.
"Well, thank God I didn't win. But what's worse," Brad said, emphasizing each word with a poke in the air toward Walt, "is that you knew about this whole thing. You should have told me she was up to something like this."
In an instant, all thoughts of her winning the date contest flew from her mind, and she rounded on Brad. "He should have told you?"
Walt looked uneasy, shifting his gaze between her and her brother. "Yeah, well, maybe I should have mentioned what she had in mind to you, but I honestly didn't think anything would come of it."
"See?" Brad said, turning away from her. "This is what I'm talking about. This is exactly why she needs twentyfour-hour surveillance."
"Oh, come on, Brad," Walt said, not masking a chuckle at the ridiculousness of his statement. "Do you really think Georgie needs to be treated as one of your suspects to be monitored twenty-four seven?"
"Yes. As a matter of fact, I do."
Georgie had heard enough. Her lips tightened as she waved both arms in the air to get their attention. "Um, hello? The suspect is present and accounted for, so stop talking about me like I'm not here. And I don't need to be watched and hawked over twenty-four seven. I wa
s just trying to put a little fun in your life, Brad. Who knows? Maybe you would have cracked a smile for once and had a good time."
Brad stared at her, looking all outraged and offended, as if wanting him to be happy was a million times worse than the Alcatraz kind of living he'd been putting her through lately. "If you must know, there have been things on my mind," he said tightly. "So excuse me if I haven't been contributing to this sudden smile quota you've imposed on the house. But if you were that concerned about my laugh muscles, comedy club tickets might have been a better alternative."
She shrugged. "Yeah, well, hindsight and all that"
"I don't understand how Georgie's name could have been entered then. How could she have won?" Walt asked.
Georgie didn't understand it either, but computers and technology weren't infallible. With the way her luck had been heading lately, she should have at least expected something crazy like this. "Look, I don't know how the mix-up happened, but the fact is it happened. So we're all just going to have to accept it and move on"
"Oh no, we're not," Brad said, shaking his head. "You're going to march out there and tell the media that it's all a big crazy mistake and to go home and forget the whole thing."
She blinked, surprised at how highhanded her brother sounded, even for him. This whole situation was confusing, and she didn't mean to upset him, but that didn't mean he could treat her like an idiot and embarrass her in front of Walt.
"Just stop it! Stop ordering me around!" Georgie raised her hand to her pounding forehead. What a mess. She felt one step away from her head snapping off and deserting her body for good. She pressed her eyes shut and tried to think.
What should she do? What did she want?
She wanted Brad to stop telling her what to do, that's what she wanted. She wanted freedom to live her own life. She wanted to date whom she wanted. She wanted independence. She ...
She wanted to stop thinking about Walt's lips on hers.
There was only one thing left to do about all that. "I'm going on that date," she announced, ignoring their shocked faces. "End of discussion."
Georgie on His Mind Page 9