Beach Reads Boxed Set

by Marie Force

“I asked Roxy to swing by his house,” Bill said, “but they’ve got some missing kid sucking up all their time, so she couldn’t do it.”

  “That’s Lloyd Turner’s granddaughter,” Henry said gravely.

  “Is it really?” Bill asked. “Oh man.”

  “So, um, about Gus. ” Bad Gus said with a pointed look at the others to get them back on the subject.

  All eyes landed on Georgie. “What? You want me to go over there? No way.” She shook her head. “I’m not disturbing that poor man if he’s decided to sleep late or watch TV by himself for a change.”

  “But Georgie—”

  “But nothing. If you want someone to go over there, it needs to be one of you. You’re his friends.”

  “So are you,” Walter pointed out.

  She couldn’t deny that, but still, she wouldn’t feel right about going to his house. “I’m not doing it. Sorry, guys, I’m drawing the line. Call his son.”

  “That asshole won’t care,” Gus growled.

  “I’ll go over there after lunch if he still hasn’t shown up,” Walter offered, and the others seemed satisfied—for now—with that solution.

  “Can we ask you something else?” Henry asked tentatively, as if he sensed she was about to lose it.

  “Yes,” Georgie sighed.

  “You, um, you booked the entertainment for the social tonight, right?”

  “That’s tonight? You said the last Friday of the month.”

  Walter pointed to the large wall calendar.

  Where in the hell had July gone? And where in the hell was she going to drum up entertainment on such short notice? “It’s all set,” she lied. “They’re coming at seven.”

  “You’d better make it six,” Henry said. “We start early because no one can stay awake past ten.”

  “I’ll call them to make it earlier.”

  “Who’d you get?” Bad Gus asked. “That Big Band guy? We liked him.”

  Swallowing hard, Georgie said, “It’s a surprise.” She forced a smile for effect.

  Satisfied, they filed out of her office. The moment they were gone, Georgie pounced on the phone to call Cat.

  “Hey, grumpy,” Cat teased. “What’s up?”

  “Very funny.”

  “What I don’t get is what you’ve got to be grumpy about after getting a full oil and lube job this week.”

  “I never should’ve told you what happened with him.”

  “Probably not,” Cat chuckled. “So what’s up?”

  “I need a huge favor. Can you find me someone to play at the senior center tonight? Six to ten?”

  “Tall order on a Friday in July.”

  Georgie groaned. “I’m so screwed. My mother told me to do it weeks ago, but I totally forgot.”

  “I’ll ask around and see what I can do. No promises, though.”

  “It’s for old people. Don’t forget that. No acid rock or anything that’ll shock them, okay?”

  Laughing, Cat said, “Gotcha. I’ll make some calls and get back to you.”

  “Thanks, Cat. I owe you one.”

  “No prob.”

  Chapter Nine

  Cat called back an hour later to tell Georgie she had found someone for the social. “He plays a lot of hokey folk music,” Cat said with disdain. “But based on the audience, I figured that was better than some of the other options.”

  “Sounds perfect. Tell him to be here by five to set up.”

  “Want his name or anything?”

  “Nope. As long as he has a pulse and a guitar, I couldn’t care less what his name is.”

  Cat laughed. “I’ll come by later to check him out. If he’s as good as I hear he is, maybe I’ll book him at the club, even though his kind of music doesn’t do it for me.”

  “Definitely come by. You can take a turn dancing with the dirty old men.”

  “No way, babe.”

  “No one is safe around them. They’ll go wild over you.”

  “Great.”

  “Thanks again, Cat.”

  “Happy to help. So, hey, Georgie, is everything all right with you? I mean, other than the obvious?”

  Georgie wanted to tell Cat about the gene test, but since talking about it made it real, she chose evasion. “Nothing other than everything, but thanks for asking.”

  “I’m sorry you’re having such a rough time. If there’s anything I can do. . .”

  “You already have. I’ll see you tonight?”

  Cat groaned. “I’ll be there.”

  Georgie ran home at four to shower off the stink of steak tips and onions and to change into a sundress to keep her cool in the stifling center. Tess came in from work as Georgie headed back downstairs. “Oh good! Another warm body.”

  Tess eyed her warily. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Big party at the center tonight. Come with me so I don’t have to dance with all of them the way I did last time.”

  “Thanks, but I’ll pass.”

  “Please? Pretty please? I’m desperate.”

  “Friendship only goes so far, Georgia Quinn.”

  “I’ll beg if I have to.”

  After a long pause, Tess poked a finger at her. “If one seventy-year-old paw wanders south of the border, I’m out of there. You got me?”

  “Deal,” Georgie said with relief. “Hurry up and get changed.”

  “Um, Georgie, did you hear the news? About Nathan and the teenaged girl they were looking for?”

  Georgie froze. “No,” she said, suddenly having trouble getting air to her lungs. “What?”

  “They found her in a hotel room on Connell Highway with some guy she met on the Internet.”

  “How do you know?”

  “They brought her—and Nathan—to the ER.”

  Georgie gripped the banister. “What happened to him?”

  “The guy who had her fired at the cops—”

  “Nathan was shot?”

  “Grazed. On the arm. He’ll be sore, but he’s fine.”

  “Oh,” Georgie said, exhaling a long deep breath. “Good. And the girl?”

  Tess shook her head with disgust. “She was adamant that it was consensual, but that’s not how it appeared to us. He was rough with her.”

  Georgie’s stomach turned. “God.”

  “A forty-four-year-old man with a sixteen-year-old girl.”

  “Horrifying.”

  “Thank God they found her when they did. Who knows what else he had planned for her.”

  Georgie bit her thumbnail as nervous energy coursed through her. “Do you think I should . . .”

  “What?”

  “Nothing. Never mind.”

  “Do I think you should check on him?” Tess asked. “Yeah, I do. I’m sure he’d appreciate it.”

  “Too girlfriendy.”

  “Just because you slept with him doesn’t mean you can’t show some basic human compassion.”

  “Jeez, Tess. Do you have to put it that way?”

  Tess shrugged.

  “Fine! I’ll think about it. I’ve got to get back to the center before the inmates take over the asylum.”

  “You’re really going to make me go?” Tess whined.

  “Basic human compassion, Tess. Show me some, will you?”

  Tess laughed and went upstairs to get changed.

  They arrived at the center as Cat’s guy was setting up a portable amplifier and microphone. Georgie went over to him. “Hi, I’m Georgie, the interim director.” Clinging to the word “interim” was critical to her sanity. “Thanks so much for doing this on such short notice.”

  “Ian.” As he took her outstretched hand, he smiled, his blue eyes crinkling at the corners in a way that reminded her of . . . Stop!

  “No problem. I was off tonight, so it worked out okay. I hope you don’t mind that my brother is going to bring my daughter by.”

  “Of course not. The seniors invite their kids and grandkids to these things, so there’ll be other kids here.”

 
“Great, thanks. She doesn’t get to see me play out very often because I’m usually in bars.”

  “Happy to have her. So you do know a song or two they’ll recognize, right?”

  He laughed, and again she was reminded of Nathan. The man was haunting her!

  “I’m sure I’ve got something they’ll like. What time does this go ’til?”

  “Ten. I’ll get you a check. Is three hundred okay?”

  “It’s on the house. My grandfather loved this place, and the people here made the last years of his life so special. It’s the least I can do to pay it forward.”

  Touched, Georgie said, “Thank you.” Hearing that reminded her of why she was here, fighting to keep the center open and her mother’s legacy alive.

  Tess walked up to them and handed Georgie her cell phone. “It was ringing.”

  “Ian, this is my roommate, Tess.”

  They shook hands and exchanged greetings as Ian’s warm blue eyes skirted over Tess with interest.

  “Want to help me with the snacks?” Georgie asked Tess.

  “Sure.”

  After they had walked away from Ian, Tess rested her hand on Georgie’s arm. “Why does he seem so familiar?”

  “That’s so weird! I was thinking the same thing!” Georgie didn’t add that Ian reminded her of Nathan because she didn’t want to get Tess started on that subject again.

  “He’s cute,” Tess said.

  “He thought you were, too.”

  “Shut up,” Tess said, giving Georgie a friendly shove.

  With the party in full swing, Georgie emerged from the kitchen carrying two huge bags of ice.

  “Cold front,” one of the seniors, Tommy Dawson, announced. “We’ve got a cold front coming through.” The group he was sitting with cackled as Georgie rolled her eyes at them.

  After she had replenished the ice in the coolers, Georgie stopped to say hello to Henry’s wife Alice. Beside her sat Bill’s wife, Annette—an eighty-year-old redhead who looked and acted thirty years younger. Fond of her gold and diamond jewelry, Annette had a reputation for hiding her romance novels behind decorative covers so no one would know what she was reading.

  “Georgie, honey, you’ve got the world’s whitest legs,” Marion Sorenson, who had the darkest tan Georgie had ever seen, said as she plopped down with the others. Marion and her husband Don were the youngest-looking “seniors” in the place.

  “Do yourself a favor and stay out of the sun, Georgie,” Annette said, her porcelain complexion a testament to a life spent practicing what she preached. “She’s going to pay for all her sunworshiping.”

  “Hasn’t caught up to me yet,” Marion said.

  “What are they up to?” Alice asked, gesturing to the old men huddled in the corner. Alice had a trim, athletic build, pretty gray hair, and bright blue eyes.

  “Good question,” Georgie said. “I’ll go see.” As Ian sang “Feeling Groovy,” she approached the men. “What’s up, you guys?” Their expressions grim, they expanded their circle to include her.

  “Still no word from Gus,” Henry said.

  Ashamed to realize she had forgotten all about Good Gus being “missing,” Georgie turned to Walter. “Didn’t you go over there?”

  He nodded. “His car was there, but he didn’t answer the door.”

  “I called Roxy,” Bill added. “She promised to go by his house after her shift ends. I guess they had some excitement today. Did you hear?”

  All eyes fell on Georgie as she nodded. “Let me know what Roxy says.” She turned away from them and gasped when she saw Nathan come through the door with his arm in a sling. An adorable little girl with blond ringlets held his other hand. Behind him, a man on a cane scowled as he followed Nathan into the center.

  Nathan looked up to find Georgie staring at him.

  His smile stopped her heart.

  Leading the child, Nathan crossed the room to where Georgie stood riveted. He never took his eyes off her, as if he were afraid she might get away if he did.

  “What . . . What are you doing here?” That damned stammer again! Ugh!

  He nodded toward Ian. “My brother.”

  “Oh,” Georgie said as the whole thing clicked into focus. The musician brother, a single dad who looked enough like Nathan that Georgie had all but recognized him.

  “This is my niece, Rosie.”

  Georgie squatted down. “Hi, Rosie. I’m Georgie.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Rosie said, extending her hand.

  Charmed by her manners as much as her cherubic cheeks and big blue eyes, Georgie shook hands with the girl.

  “That’s my daddy,” she said, pointing to Ian.

  “So I heard. Do you want to go dance with the other kids?”

  “Can I, Uncle Nate?”

  Georgie’s heart contracted at the worshipful gaze Rosie directed at Nathan.

  “Sure you can. Just stay where I can see you.”

  Rosie scampered off to say hello to her father.

  Her eyes fixed on Rosie, Georgie stood up. “She’s beautiful.”

  “I think so, too.”

  “How old is she?”

  “Almost four.”

  She finally ventured a glance at his injured arm. “Are you . . . I mean, I heard what happened.”

  He watched her but didn’t bail her out.

  Forced to look up at him, she said, “Are you all right?”

  “Just a scratch.”

  “Looks like more than that to me.” His face was paler than usual, his pupils dilated, and it took everything Georgie had not to throw her arms around him. Despite her efforts to stay removed, the relief at seeing him whole and healthy was overwhelming.

  He nodded at Tess. “She made me wear the damned sling. Said it would take the pressure off the scratch.”

  “Did the ‘scratch’ require stitches?”

  “A few.”

  “How many?”

  “I didn’t count.”

  “I’ll ask her if you don’t tell me.”

  “Thirty-two inside, twenty-six outside.” He flashed her the smile she now recognized as the Caldwell grin. “Satisfied?”

  “You call that a scratch?”

  “Why, Georgie Quinn, you almost sound concerned. That makes getting shot worth it.”

  She rolled her eyes. “You’re insane.”

  “Dance with me.”

  She looked up to find his gaze steady and intense. “I can’t. I have to get more punch.” As she started to walk away from him, his good arm hooked around her waist to bring her back.

  “Please?” he said with a childlike pout. “I got shot today. It’s the least you can do.”

  Her hands had landed on his chest. “Are you seriously going to play that card?”

  “Whatever it takes.”

  Ian picked that moment to launch into “And I Love You So.”

  With inquisitive glances directed at her and Nathan, the old men claimed their wives and headed for the dance floor. Walter tapped Tess on the shoulder, and she followed him with a glare for Georgie.

  “Just one dance,” Nathan said.

  Her traitorous body was already moving with his. “You seem to have trouble understanding the one-time concept. Are you sure one dance will be enough?”

  “No,” he whispered in her ear, sending a tremble through her. “I’m quite certain it won’t be.”

  “Nathan.”

  “Shh.” With his injured arm between them, he tightened his hold on her. “This is my parents’ song. Ian played it for them at their fortieth anniversary party a couple of years ago.”

  “He’s really good.”

  “Isn’t he? He’s been playing and singing for as long as I can remember.”

  Relieved to be back on safer ground, Georgie decided to keep him talking about his family. Maybe then she would be able to ignore the press of his erection against her belly. “Who’s that pouting by the door?”

  He sighed. “My brother Bennett. I made him come with me i
n case Rosie needed something I couldn’t do for her with the bum arm. I figured that with three good legs and three good arms between us, we could take care of her.”

  “I take it he wasn’t too happy about a dance at the senior center.”

  “Right you are. I, on the other hand, couldn’t get here fast enough when Ian told me where he was playing tonight. Nice how it all worked out, isn’t it?”

  “Coincidental is a better word,” she said dryly.

  “Depends on your perspective. From where I’m standing, nice is the operative word.”

  Georgie couldn’t deny that it did feel nice to be held by him, even if it was a one-armed embrace. Then his hand traveled up her back to cup her neck in a gesture so intimate and tender, she almost swooned with desire. This was a huge mistake. Letting him hold her like this would only encourage him. She pressed on his chest in an effort to get free of him.

  He just tightened his hold. “The song isn’t over yet,” he protested.

  “I have stuff I need to do.”

  “One more minute.”

  With her hands resting on his hips, she tried to think about anything but the spicy, woodsy scent she would always recognize as his. As he moved them to the music, the memory of how his skin had felt against hers came rushing back. Feeling a pull stronger than anything she had ever experienced, she glanced up to find him looking down at her.

  “What are you thinking about?”

  Because she couldn’t very well admit to reliving the thrill of being naked and horizontal with him, she said, “When I heard you got shot today . . .”

  “What?” he asked, his tone urgent.

  “I . . .” She swallowed and forced herself to meet his gaze. “It scared me.”

  His smile unfolded slowly across his handsome face. “It’s not a declaration of your undying love, but I’ll take it. For now.”

  Chapter Ten

  Nathan watched her stalk across the big room and disappear into the kitchen. He had rattled her, which was quite satisfying. Despite her best efforts to stay aloof, she wasn’t immune to him—far from it.

  Since Tess was swinging Rosie around on the dance floor, Nathan joined Ben on the sidelines.

  “Is Blondie five-condom girl?” Ben asked.