by Marie Force
“Same here,” Georgie said with a sigh.
“Must be something in the genes,” Cat said, and they shared a laugh. “Get this—I found out last night that the two of them were eagle scouts.” She stuck her tongue out.
“Doesn’t surprise me one bit about Nathan,” Georgie said. “Ian, on the other hand, I’m not sure I see it.”
“Oh, I can.” Cat shared the story of Rosie’s birth.
“Wow,” Georgie said in a subdued tone. “If that doesn’t tell you everything you’d ever need to know about who he is…”
“Yeah.” A deep sob seemed to take Cat by surprise.
“Oh, honey,” Georgie said, slipping her arm around Cat.
“It was fun,” Cat said between sobs. “I know it was only a couple of days, but I don’t want it to be over.”
“Why does it have to be?”
“It’ll never work, so why put myself through it? Look at me. I’m a total disaster after three days. I can’t tell you when I last cried over a guy. This isn’t me. I don’t want this crap in my life.”
“But if you really like him . . .”
“I do really like him. A lot. Maybe more than I’ve ever liked any guy. I wanted to keep it casual, but . . .”
“Nathan said he was surprised Ian agreed to that. Apparently, it’s not his style.”
“I knew you’d rat me out to Nathan.” Cat laughed through her tears. “I knew it.”
“Sorry,” Georgie said, trying and failing to show some chagrin.
“No, you’re not!”
The front door squeaked open and then closed.
“Guess who never came home last night?” Georgie whispered.
“No way!” Cat hissed. “Little Miss I’m Going to Be Better Than You Two?”
“One and the same.”
“She’s as weak as we are! Let her think we’re sleeping in.”
As they listened to Tess futz around downstairs before heading up, they muffled their giggles in Georgie’s comforter. When the sound of Tess’s footsteps grew closer, Cat whispered, “Ready?”
Georgie gave her a thumbs-up.
In the hallway, Tess tiptoed past Georgie’s open door.
“AHEM!”
Tess almost jumped out of her skin. “What are you guys doing? Are you in bed together? What the heck?”
“We’ve been worried sick,” Cat said. “We’ve been lying here all night wondering if we should call the police or the hospitals. We had no idea what to do.”
“Shut up,” Tess said, rolling eyes that sparkled with delight and satisfaction.
“And where have you been, young lady?” Georgie asked in her best stern voice. Apparently, Cat approved, because she poked her under the blanket.
“You know exactly where I was. The big question is where did Nathan sleep last night, because his bed was very, very empty this morning.”
“Who cares about that?” Cat said. “We already know about them. What about you? How was it?”
Tess flopped down across the foot of the bed. “We didn’t, you know, go all the way.” Her cheeks turned bright red. “We did a lot of other stuff—a lot of really good stuff—but not the main event.”
“Why not?” Cat asked.
“He said he wasn’t ready.”
“Really?” Georgie asked. “Aren’t they, as a gender, always ready?”
“So you think it’s weird, too?” Tess said. “Let me tell you, it wasn’t because of me. Despite what I said to you guys, I really wanted to.”
“And he knew that?” Cat asked.
“Oh, yeah. I was hardly subtle. But I’m wondering if it’s something to do with his injuries.”
“Could be,” Georgie said.
“He told me he loves me,” Tess shared with a giddy smile.
“Already?” Cat said.
“We both just know. It’s so fast, but I love him, too.”
“Good for you,” Georgie said as a knot of emotion settled in her chest. Why couldn’t it be as simple for her and Nathan? “No one deserves it more.”
“It’s the best thing ever.”
Cat sniffled.
“Are you crying?” Tess asked, shocked.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Cat snapped.
“Ian,” Georgie said to Tess. “No go.”
“Why?” Tess cried. “He told Ben he’s totally into you.”
“He did?” Cat brightened for an instant before she seemed to remember the situation was hopeless.
“It’s because of Rosie, isn’t it?” Tess asked.
“You guys think I’m a monster, but you don’t know why I feel the way I do,” Cat said.
“Then why don’t you tell us,” Tess said. “Tell us why you’d sacrifice the chance to be with a really great guy just because he has an adorable daughter. I’ve got to be honest with you, Cat. I don’t get it.”
“Because you’re a kid person. Is it so hard for you to believe that I’m not?”
“I think there’s more to the story than you’ve let on.”
“There is,” Cat said grudgingly. “I don’t want to get into all the details, but for a number of reasons, I’ve spent the last ten years raising my younger brother and sister. My brother is finally going to college next week. I just got my life back. I can’t start all over again with someone else’s kid—no matter how great a someone he is. Can you understand that at all, Tess?”
“Of course I can. It makes much more sense to me than you deciding not to like Rosie simply because she’s under five feet tall.”
“Rosie’s adorable,” Cat conceded. “I’m not blind to that. But I know what he’s got ahead of him. I know about years of lunches and homework and school buses and curfews and sports and sleepovers and birthday parties and dances and friends. I’ve already done it! I just want to be me now. I want to be Cat. Not Cat with someone else’s kid in tow. It’s not fair to me—or to Ian—to get further involved with him when I know I don’t have it in me.”
“Would it matter at all,” Georgie ventured, “that if you were to end up with him—with them—you wouldn’t be doing it alone this time?”
“I don’t know,” Cat said, dejected. “What if I tried it and a year or two later I realized I couldn’t do it? Then you’ve got a child rejected by her own mother and me, too. I don’t have that in me, either.”
“I hate that it seems so hopeless,” Tess said. “I liked you with him.”
“I liked me with him, too,” Cat said. “But we can’t all end up with happily ever after here. Two out of three ain’t bad.”
“Don’t lump me in there quite yet,” Georgie said.
“Oh, I don’t know,” Tess said with a smug smile. “I like the odds where you two are concerned.”
“I wish I shared your confidence,” Georgie said. “I really wish I did.”
Georgie stopped for donuts and coffee and opened the center right at ten. She set up the Monday morning ladies’ craft group and got them started before letting the kitchen staff know she was going to the hospital.
On the short drive, she said several prayers for Gus. Bringing the extra donuts and coffee she had bought for her friends, Georgie entered the ICU waiting room, where Walter, Henry, Alice, Bill and Annette were sitting with Good Gus’s daughter, Dawn, while Bad Gus paced, nervous energy coursing through him. His wife Donna nibbled on her thumbnail as she watched him move back and forth.
“Hi,” Georgie said when they greeted her. She set the treats on a table. “What’s the latest?”
“Been two hours already,” Gus said. “They said ninety minutes. What the hell’s taking so long?”
“Take it easy, Gus,” Donna said.
He scowled at her and resumed his pacing.
“No news is good news,” Walter said.
Georgie took a seat between Annette and Walter, her stomach aching with nerves. Like everyone else in the room, she just wanted to hear that Gus was going to be okay.
The others helped themselves to coffee, but they didn’t talk. The quiet amo
ng the usually boisterous group only fueled Georgie’s anxiety.
They waited for what felt like forever before a doctor came into the room and signaled to Dawn.
“It’s okay,” she said. “You can tell them, too.”
“He did very well,” the doctor said. “We took care of the bleed, and he’s stable.”
“What happens now?” Dawn asked.
“We wait and we hope. He’ll be in recovery for the next few hours, but I’m optimistic that he’ll regain consciousness.”
“And if he doesn’t?” Gus asked.
“Let’s cross that bridge when we come to it.” To Dawn, the doctor added, “I’ll check in with you when we get him back to his room.”
“Thank you,” Dawn said.
“Well,” Walter said when the doctor was gone, “I guess that’s the best we could’ve hoped for.”
“Damned doctors,” Gus grumbled. “Never want to give guarantees. So busy covering their asses so they won’t get sued. Quacks. Every one of ’em.”
Sensing he was upsetting the others, Georgie looped her arm through Gus’s. “Let’s take a walk.”
Donna sent her a grateful smile.
“You need to settle down,” Georgie said to Gus as they strolled arm in arm down the long hallway. “It’s not good for you to be so wound up. Think of your heart.”
“My ticker’s in great shape since I had the bypass,” he protested. “It’s just this whole thing infuriates me. That someone like Gus could be attacked in his own home. He’s never harmed a flea, for God’s sake.”
“I know,” Georgie agreed. “It’s terrible.”
“And that his son might’ve had something to do with it. If the head injury doesn’t kill Gus, hearing that might. Makes me mad, Georgie. Really mad.”
His face was red, his breathing choppy.
“Gus is lucky to have a friend like you.”
“We go way back,” he said, softening a bit. “I’ve always thought of him as my better half—and not in the queer sense.”
Georgie winced at the politically incorrect statement. “I know what you mean, don’t worry.”
“Let’s face it,” he said sadly. “There’s no Bad Gus without the Good Gus.”
He was breaking her heart, but she refused to give in to the urge to weep. “He’s going to be okay.”
“And how do you know this?”
“I have a good feeling about it. He’s made it this far, right?”
“That’s true.” He stopped walking and turned to her. “Thanks, Georgie.” He ran a hand through his thick shock of white hair. “I appreciate you calming me down. I get so mad sometimes, even though I know it won’t help anything.”
“You’re entitled.” They started back toward the waiting room. “So what do you think of the Sox’s chances to clinch the division?”
He brightened. “Damn good. With a seven-game lead going into August? There’s no way the Yanks can catch us.”
She didn’t think he needed to be reminded of how many times the Yankees had caught the Red Sox before. They walked along arguing baseball, and Gus scoffed at her assertion that the Braves had a real shot at going all the way this year.
“There’s your young feller,” Gus said. “Cleans up real nice, don’t he?”
Georgie looked up to find Nathan standing at the end of the hall wearing a dark suit. Since his hands were tucked into his pockets, she saw the badge clipped to his belt before she noticed his eyes were locked on her.
Georgie could only return his stare.
“Oh boy,” Gus chuckled. “You’ve got it bad, don’t you?” He kissed her cheek. “Go see him. I promise to behave.” Gus shook hands with Nathan on his way by.
As Georgie approached Nathan, she had to remind herself to keep breathing. “You look good.” She resisted the immediate urge to run her hands all over his crisp white shirt. “Really good.”
He smiled, but in his eyes, she saw exhaustion.
“How was court?”
“Grueling.”
Without hesitation, she slid her arms into his suit coat and around his waist, resting her face against his red silk tie.
He propped his chin on the top of her head and held her close to him. “Have you noticed,” he asked, “how you fit perfectly right here?”
Georgie closed her eyes against the rush of emotion and tightened her hold on him. She felt his lips on her forehead.
“How’s Gus?”
“The surgery went well. We just have to hope he comes out of it.”
“That’s good news. I heard this morning they’ve made some arrests in his case.”
Georgie drew back to look up at him.
“A couple of dealers Roger was in deep with. He picked the wrong people to screw over.”
“What about him? Will he be charged?”
“It’s not looking that way. We know he’s been dealing but can’t prove it. He may get lucky and get a second chance. Apparently, he’s been bawling his head off over what happened to his father since the minute they brought him in.”
“Maybe it’ll scare him straight.”
“We can only hope so. If it doesn’t, he’ll either be dead or in jail before much longer. After this incident, you can bet he’s on our radar.”
“How does someone like Gus end up with a kid like that?”
“Who knows? My brother Hugh was big-time into drugs for years. It was a total nightmare for my parents, for all of us.”
“I never would’ve guessed that about him. He seems so together now.”
“His wife Dani saved his life by giving him a reason to get it together. She got him into rehab, and he’s been clean more than eight years now.”
Georgie shuddered. “Just the thought of that makes me want to stay childless.”
“Do you want kids?”
“You are not getting me to have that conversation. No way.”
Flashing that irresistible Caldwell grin, he said, “I guess it wouldn’t be good for my cause to tell you I want six.”
Her mouth fell open. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“I figure it might take two or three wives to get the job done, but hey, you gotta have a goal.”
She would have laughed at how ludicrous he was being if she hadn’t been trying so hard to decide if he was serious. “Well, um, on that note, I’d better get back in with them.” She gestured toward the waiting room. “Will you come tell them what you told me about the case?”
“Sure.”
She started toward the door.
“Georgie.” His hand on her shoulder stopped her. When she looked up at him, he said, “We’ll have as many or as few as you want.”
Staring at him, she opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out.
“I know,” he said with a smile. “I have to stop saying that stuff.”
“Yes,” she said hoarsely. “Please.”
“I’m trying. Really I am.”
“Try harder.” She took his hand to lead him into the waiting room, where they spent a half hour with the seniors before Nathan walked Georgie to her car.
“You’ve got probate court in the morning, right?”
Touched that he had remembered, she said, “Yes.”
“Do you want me to go with you?”
“No, you have work—”
“Georgie, if you need me, I’ll be there.”
“I appreciate that, but I’ll have the attorney with me. He says it should be perfectly routine.”
“Call me when you’re done.”
“Okay.”
“I’ll miss you tonight. I wish I didn’t have so much work to get done this week before the kitchen guy starts next Monday.”
“You’ll have to sleep at some point, won’t you?” she asked with a coy smile.
His expression was puzzled. “Yes.”
Sliding her hands over his chest, she looked up at him. “Maybe you could come sleep with me? When you’re done working?” She loved the flash of surprise t
hat crossed his face but was saddened to realize he had no expectations where she was concerned. Knowing that, she decided to take him from surprised straight to floored. “We never got around to using those other two condoms last night.”
If eyes could sizzle, his did as they bored into hers. “And I’m supposed to function for the rest of the day after hearing that?”
Giggling at the expression on his face, she backed him up to her car, took a quick look around the deserted parking lot, and brought him down for a kiss intended to make his head spin. As he gave as good as he got, she wormed her way closer to him so she was almost inside his suit coat and slipped a hand between them to stroke him.
He gasped and broke the kiss. “Georgie! What’re you doing?”
“The suit is hot, Nathan.” She squeezed him and was rewarded with a throb in response. “Really, really hot.”
He let his head drop back, his eyes fluttered shut and his fingers gripped her shoulders. “You’re killing me,” he whispered.
“I’m sorry,” she said without an ounce of contrition. “I’ll stop.” But rather than stop, she squeezed him again.
He cupped the back of her head and brought his lips down hard on hers, his possession so thorough that Georgie wondered how she had managed to lose control of the situation so quickly.
“Got time for a nooner?” he asked as his lips cruised up her neck to her ear.
She laughed. “No and neither do you.”
“I could make time. I’ll tell them my arm’s hurting again.”
“You wouldn’t do that, because that would be lying, and you don’t lie. Hurry up and get your work done. I’ll be waiting.”
He kissed her again, more softly this time. “I’ll be there.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
As Georgie stood with her attorney in front of the judge the next morning—the day after her sister’s successful surgery—listening to the two men discuss her mother’s assets and possessions, she finally understood what people meant by an “out of body experience.” She felt like she was floating above the room, looking down at the proceedings, because surely these strangers couldn’t be talking about her mother like she was just another commodity. They didn’t know her. They didn’t have the right to talk about her things like she was any old dead person.