by Marie Force
“I promise.”
“Take care of yourself, honey. Play it out in Atlanta so if you decide to leave, it’ll be with no regrets.”
She nodded, grateful for his insight and wisdom. “Feel better,” she said from the door as she blew him a kiss.
Wandering back to the waiting room lost in thought, she stopped short when she discovered Barbara with her suit jacket off, playing poker with the guys. Georgie took a moment to study each of the old men who had once driven her crazy and tried to determine when exactly she had come to love them.
“Full house!” Barbara laid her cards on the table. “Read ’em and weep, boys!”
Groaning, the men folded.
Barbara’s victorious smile told Georgie it wasn’t the first hand she had taken. She looked up to find Georgie watching and gave her a thumbs-up.
Georgie’s face lifted into a small, sad smile as she watched the new executive director of the Newport Senior Center bond with her friends. Before she and Barbara left to go back to the center, Georgie hugged each of the men and promised to see them soon. Her heart broke when Bad Gus dabbed at tears before wrapping her in a fierce hug.
“Give me a call if you ever decide to lower your standards,” Walter teased as he hugged her.
Laughing, Georgie said, “You’ll be the first to know.”
“Are you going to tell us what’s going on with you and that Caldwell feller?” Bill asked.
“We’re just friends,” Georgie said.
Bill rolled his eyes. “That’s the biggest crock of crap I’ve ever heard.”
As the others nodded in agreement, Bad Gus said, “Thank you, Georgie, for sticking it out with us. I know we didn’t always make it easy.”
“It was my pleasure,” she said sincerely. “I’ll be dropping by to check on you when I come back for probate court. I want a good report from Barbara, you hear me?”
They laughed and guffawed at her bossiness but agreed to do their best to behave.
The two women drove back to the center in silence. For what would probably be the last time, Georgie parked in the executive director’s spot, turned off the car, and took a second to collect her thoughts before she turned to Barbara. “Let me ask you something.”
“Anything.”
“If one of them failed to show up one day and no one had heard from him, what would you do?”
“I’d go to his house to find him.”
“And if, say, his car was in the driveway but he didn’t answer the door?”
“I’d knock it down.”
Georgie nodded in approval and extended her hand to the other woman. “As far as I’m concerned, the job’s yours. When can you start?”
“Monday?”
“Great. I’ll let Richard know it’s a go.”
“I’m sure you’re thrilled to be getting back to Atlanta.”
“Yes,” Georgie said softly. “Thrilled.”
They went inside to discuss keys, security systems, and Dumpsters on order. Georgie explained her mother’s filing system, wrote down the password for the computer, and showed Barbara where to find the checkbook, the purchase orders, and the inventory schedule—most of which Georgie had been forced to figure out on her own after her mother fell ill.
“I guess that’s about it.” Georgie handed the other woman her Davidson’s business card. “Here’re my cell and work numbers in case you have questions. Feel free to call me anytime.”
Barbara took the card and shook Georgie’s hand. “Thank you. Good luck to you, Georgie.”
“You, too. Take good care of the place. It means a lot to us.” Georgie spoke for herself and her mother.
“I’ll give it all I have.”
“Don’t give it everything. My mother made that mistake.”
Seeming to sense she needed it, Barbara gave Georgie a quick hug before she left.
Georgie took one final trip through the center to make sure everything was where it belonged and to shut off lights. In the office, she gathered the last of her mother’s personal effects into a box, and on an impulse, took the Christmas photo of her mom and the gang off the wall and added it to the box. That one she would keep.
She stood for a long time at the main door, remembering snippets of people and conversations and jokes and smells—some good, others not so much. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined that leaving for the last time would be hard, but she also hadn’t expected to find a family here.
“You done good, Mom,” she whispered as a lone tear rolled down her cheek. “I’m so proud of you.”
Since Nathan would be coming to pick her up at the house soon, she reached for the last of the lights, flipped them off, and closed the door behind her.
Chapter Thirty
Georgie arrived home to find Ben and Tess making dinner—or rather Tess was making dinner while Ben hugged her from behind and kissed her neck until she dissolved into giggles. Watching them together filled Georgie with delight. It occurred to her that they had found each other because her mother got sick, because they advertised for roommates, and because she had met Nathan.
“Hey, you guys.”
“Hi.” Tess gave Ben a nudge so she could turn around to talk to Georgie. She was positively glowing, and Georgie could tell she had succeeded in getting Ben right where she wanted him on their trip.
“How was Pittsburgh?”
As they exchanged heated glances, Ben seemed more relaxed and healthy-looking than Georgie had ever seen him.
“Great,” he said.
“Yeah,” Tess said, tearing her gaze off him to look at Georgie. “Great.”
Georgie rolled her eyes and laughed.
“How was your day?” Tess asked, clearly trying to change the subject.
“You would not believe the day I’ve had. All I want is a bath and my bed.”
“But you’re going out with Nate, right?” Ben asked, his eyebrows knitted with concern.
“Yes, why?”
Tess and Ben exchanged glances again.
“No reason,” he said.
“What’s going on?” Georgie asked.
“Nothing,” they said together.
“What do you guys know that I don’t?”
“Not a thing,” Tess replied. “Are you hungry?”
“No, I’m suspicious.” Georgie stood with her hands on her hips and stared them down. Tess wilted first under the pressure.
“Georgie, come on. He’ll kill us if we say anything, and he has a gun. Just let it go.”
“What am I letting go?”
Ben limped over to rest a hand on Georgie’s shoulder. “He’s planned a special surprise for you, so please do all the people he’s driven crazy this week a favor and try to shake off whatever happened today and get into the right frame of mind. Can you do that? For Nathan?”
Intrigued by this new sensitive side of Ben, Georgie nodded. “I can do that.”
The doorbell rang.
“He’s early!” Georgie cried. “I’m not ready!”
“I’ll get it,” Tess said. “We’ll entertain him while you change.”
As Tess headed for the door, Georgie made for the stairs but stopped halfway up when she heard Tess cry out with distress.
“No! You cannot come in here!”
Georgie turned to find Tess battling frantically to keep someone from getting in the door.
“Ben!” Georgie bolted down the stairs to help Tess. “Call 911!”
Cell phone in hand, Ben hobbled from the kitchen as he dialed.
The two women were no match for the determined man on the other side. He pushed through their barricade and grabbed Tess’s arm.
“Let go of me!” she shrieked, clawing and punching at the handsome man in the dark navy suit.
He slapped her hard across the face.
“What the fuck?” Ben screamed.
He and Georgie hurled themselves at the battling duo, and the four of them landed in a pile on the floor.
Ben howled
with pain, which distracted Tess long enough to put her at a disadvantage with their attacker.
“You fucking bitch,” the big blond man said as he grabbed a handful of Tess’s hair and hauled her to her feet, his face purple with rage. “You thought you were so smart, but you’re nothing but an ignorant whore. You thought I wouldn’t find you, didn’t you? Well, you thought wrong. You’re coming home with me.”
“I’m not going anywhere with you, you son of a bitch.” Tess fought like a wild animal.
Georgie crawled to Ben and cradled his pasty, sweating face in her hands. “Did you make the call?” she whispered.
He grimaced as he nodded and reached out to pull one of the attacker’s legs right out from underneath him.
The man fell hard, knocking over a table and vase, which shattered on the tile floor.
“Tess,” Ben said, reaching for her.
“Her name is not Tess. It’s Elise.” The other man rose to his knees. “She’s my wife, so get your fucking hands off her!”
The shock registered on Ben’s face at the same instant the door swung open.
His gun drawn, Nathan quickly assessed the scene. “Get on your feet, hands on your head,” he ordered the blond man. “Now!”
Glowering at Tess the whole time, the man took his time following Nathan’s orders.
Nathan reached for a radio on his hip to call for backup and an ambulance before he cuffed the bigger man. “What’s his name?”
Her face awash with tears, Tess looked down at the floor and mumbled, “Kurt Margolis.” A bright red handprint marked her cheek.
“Mr. Margolis, you have the right to remain silent,” Nathan began, reading Kurt his Miranda rights.
“You can’t arrest me!” Kurt bucked at Nathan’s tight hold on him. “She’s my wife!”
“Tess, did you let him in here?”
“No.”
“Breaking and entering is a felony in Rhode Island, Mr. Margolis. I’d also like to know how my brother, an injured veteran, ended up on the floor surrounded by glass? Did you have anything to do with that?”
“Ben was trying to get him off Tess,” Georgie said, her voice shaking as badly as the hands that cradled Ben’s head in her lap.
“Assault,” Nathan said. “Another felony.”
“He beat me,” Tess said in a small, defeated voice. “For years. I have the scars and medical records to prove it.”
“And the felonies just keep on coming,” Nathan said, no doubt effecting the lighter tone for Tess’s sake. “Do you get why you’re being arrested yet, Mr. Margolis?”
“Fuck you.”
“Hmm,” Nathan said, “does that sound like resisting arrest to you guys?”
“It did to me,” Ben managed to say. He held out his hand to Tess, but rather than take it, she fled to the kitchen.
“Go with her,” Nathan said to Georgie.
“But Ben . . .”
“I’m okay, Georgie.” Ben raised his head to let Georgie up. “Take care of Tess.”
As Georgie hurried into the kitchen, she heard the scream of sirens in the distance. She found Tess bent in half, sobbing.
Georgie wrapped her arms around Tess and clung to her.
“I’m so sorry, Georgie. I brought this into your home, into your mother’s home.”
“Shh.” Georgie ran her hand over Tess’s silky dark hair. “It’s your home, too, and none of this is your fault.”
“I was so sure he wouldn’t find me here. I put us all in danger.”
“It’s over now. Nathan has him, and he’ll make sure he goes to jail for a long, long time.”
“And Ben,” Tess sobbed. “Did you see his face when Kurt called me his wife? I lied to him about being married. He’ll never forgive me for that.”
“He loves you, Tess. He’ll understand why you kept it from him. How could he not after witnessing that?”
“I should’ve known. Everything was perfect. Of course that’s when Kurt’s going to show up.”
Georgie eased her friend into a chair and went to the fridge to grab an ice pack. She took the chair next to Tess’s and held the ice against her face.
“Does it look awful?” Tess asked in a broken voice.
“No, honey,” Georgie said, bringing Tess’s head to rest on her shoulder. “It looks like it hurts.”
Nathan came into the kitchen. “They’re taking him in.”
“What about Ben?” Tess asked.
“The paramedics are with him. Are you all right, Tess?”
“He hit her pretty hard in the face,” Georgie said, raising the ice pack to show him.
Nathan winced. “Bastard.”
“I should’ve told you,” Tess said, weeping again. “Georgie wanted me to. She begged me to. That she could’ve been hurt, and Ben. I’m so sorry, Nathan. This is all my fault.”
He knelt down in front of her and took her hand. “How in the world is it your fault?”
One of the patrolmen came to the door. “Detective? They’re taking your brother in. They think his leg is fractured.”
“Oh God,” Tess moaned.
“He’s asking for Tess.” To Georgie, the cop added, “If you have a broom, I’ll take care of that glass for you.”
Georgie got one for him. “Thank you.”
“Tess?” Nathan said. “Ben’s waiting for you.”
“I can’t.”
“Yes, you can,” Georgie said. “You have to. He needs you.”
“I’m sorry.” Tess got up. “You all are the best friends I’ve ever had, and I love you. But I can’t stay here. Not after this.”
“If you run away from the people you love, Tess, doesn’t he win?” Nathan asked.
Her shoulders stooped and shook with sobs.
Nathan went to her and took her into his arms. “It’s going to be okay now. We’ve got him, and we’re going to throw the book at him. It’s over. Don’t let him ruin the rest of your life.”
A harried-looking paramedic appeared in the doorway. “Which one of you is Tess?”
Tess lifted her head off Nathan’s chest. “Me.”
“The patient refuses to allow us to transport him until he sees you. We need to get him in, so do you think you could come out here?”
Tess nodded and wiped her face, gasping when she brushed against her bruised cheek.
Georgie and Nathan each kept an arm around her as they walked her out to where Ben waited on a stretcher.
He extended his hand to her.
She bent over him, rested her forehead on his chest and wept. “I’m sorry.”
Ben brushed his hand over her hair. “We’re going to figure this out. Come with me. I need you.”
Wrapping her fingers around his, she kissed his forehead. “Okay.”
“Nate?” Ben said.
“I’m here.”
“Go do your thing with Georgie.”
“No way,” Nathan protested. “We can do it anytime.”
“I want you to do it tonight. Tess will be with me, so there’s no need for you to come to the hospital.”
Georgie watched Nathan struggle with the choice. “If that’s what you want.”
“I do.”
“I’ll come by in the morning, then. Do you want me to call Mom and Dad?”
“Hell no,” Ben said. “I’ve got Tess.” He looked up at her. “That’s all I need.”
The paramedics rolled Ben out to the porch. Tess followed them.
“Detective?” the patrolman said. “The lieutenant said to take care of your family tonight. You can file your report in the morning. Do you need anything else?”
“I can take it from here. Thanks.”
The moment they were alone, Nathan wrapped his arms around Georgie and rested his cheek on the top of her head. “When I heard your address come over the air, I swear to God, I lost five years off my life.”
A shudder rippled through Georgie as she relived the horror of it. “I thought he was going to kill her. Right in front of us.”
“I sure do wish I’d known what she was dealing with.”
“I wanted to tell you, so badly, but I had to respect her wishes. She was very determined to have a new life here with no reminders of the past.”
As if he needed to touch her to confirm she was all right, he framed her face with his hands.
“You were so good with her, Nathan. You said exactly what she needed to hear.”
“I’ve never been so happy to see you.” His kiss was soft but laced with relief and desire and something different, something more. “If you’re not up to going out tonight, I’d understand.”
“Are you kidding? I’m dying to know what you’re up to.”
He seemed taken aback. “How do you know I’m up to something?”
“A clue here, a clue there.”
“Did someone tell you? I swear I’ll kill whoever—”
She silenced him by pinching his lips together. “They were afraid you’d shoot them if they told me.”
“Good,” he said through squished lips.
“A lot happened today. I have stuff I need to tell you.”
“We’ll get to that. We’ve got all night.”
“You found my dad.”
He shrugged. “Took all of ten minutes.”
“Thank you.”
“I wanted to give you one less thing to worry about.”
She went up on tiptoes to kiss him. “What should I wear?”
“Something shamefully sexy.”
“I don’t have anything like that.”
“Yes, you do. You’ve got that little black T-shirt and those jeans. The ones with the flowers on the butt.”
“You like those, huh?”
“Oh, yeah.”
“I’ll be right back.”
“I’ll be right here. And Georgie? Bring your toothbrush.”
She smiled at him on her way upstairs and was reminded of him waiting for her to get changed for their first date. And that this could be their last. Refusing to think that way, she rushed around getting ready. On her way out of the bathroom, she grabbed her toothbrush and skipped down the stairs. She couldn’t wait to see where they were going and to get her mind off the horror she’d just witnessed. Tess had been so shaky when she left. Georgie hoped her friend would be okay.
He took her toothbrush and tucked it into his shirt pocket. “Ready?” he asked, offering her a hand.