Chapter 19
Nineteen
After Nathan and Ben left, Georgie joined Tess in the living room. “You seemed to be having fun.”
“I was.” Tess’s face softened into a dreamy expression. “He’s lovely.”
“Tess has a boyfriend,” Georgie sang.
“So does Georgie,” Tess retorted.
“It’s starting to seem that way, isn’t it?”
“You know, it wouldn’t break my heart if you decided to stay here.”
Georgie fiddled with the fringe on one of the sofa pillows. “My mother wanted me to move back here. For years she’s been after me to come home where I belong. How can I do that now that she’s not here anymore?”
“She wanted you to be happy.”
“I guess,” Georgie said with a shrug. “But I haven’t even known him a week. I can’t reorder my whole life for a man I just met—even if I like him more than I’ve ever liked any guy. That goes against everything I believe in.”
“How do you feel when you’re with him?”
“Safe,” Georgie said without hesitation. “Amused, off balance, frustrated.”
Tess chuckled. “Anything else?”
“Adored,” Georgie said softly. “He makes me feel adored. I’ve never had that before.”
“Georgie,” Tess sighed. “How can you walk away from that without seeing it through?”
“This is exactly why I didn’t want to get involved with him in the first place! I don’t feel capable of any other big decisions right now.” She glanced over at Tess. “I told him. About the test.”
“And what did he say?”
“All the right things,” Georgie conceded.
“See?”
“What’s going on?” Cat asked from the doorway. She was dressed in only a bathrobe.
“What’re you doing here?” Georgie asked. “I thought you were working.”
“I had a headache after dinner, so I called in sick.”
“I thought I heard you up there earlier,” Tess said.
“How was dinner?” Georgie asked.
“Fine,” Cat replied.
Georgie eyed her suspiciously. “Just ‘fine’?”
“Uh-huh,” Cat said, diverting her eyes.
“Oh my God,” Georgie said in a scandalized whisper.
“What?” Tess asked, alarmed.
Georgie never took her eyes off Cat. “You did the deed.”
“I did not!”
Georgie sucked in a sharp breath. “You are so totally lying!” She couldn’t believe it was possible, but right before her eyes, Cat Kelly blushed. “Oh, you dirty, dirty girl,” she said, tossing Cat’s words back at her.
Tess had apparently been rendered speechless until she said, “How was it?”
Cat dissolved into one of the big easy chairs. “So, so good.”
Georgie cracked up. “You’re such a hypocrite.”
“I know! Just shut up about it, will you?”
“Where is he now?” Tess asked.
“Probably on the fire escape. He needs to go home, but he didn’t want you guys to know he was here.”
Georgie glanced at Tess. “Perhaps he fears we might be tempted to tell his brothers?”
“Something like that,” Cat grumbled.
Tess giggled. “Your dirty secret is safe with us.”
“Can I tell him the coast is clear? You guys won’t say anything to him, will you?”
Georgie wanted to make her suffer—oh, how she wanted some suffering. “We’ll do our best to refrain from comment.”
“I hope you’re enjoying this,” Cat said with a scowl.
“I’m having a blast. You, Tess?”
“Totally.”
Flipping them the bird, Cat left the room.
Georgie and Tess collapsed into hysterics.
“You’re next,” Georgie said.
“No way,” Tess said. “Unlike you two, I have some self-control.”
“It seems no one’s safe from the potent Caldwell charm.”
Georgie was stunned when Tess’s eyes flooded with real tears. “What?”
Tess shook her head.
Georgie got up and moved next to her friend on the sofa. “Talk to me.”
“It’s just . . . I’m so happy here,” she said softly.
“I love it all—you and Cat, and as silly as it is, I love that we’re dating brothers—adorable, charming, sexy brothers.
I love my job and this house. I love that I feel safe here and that tomorrow I’m going to a cookout with Ben.
Nothing special, but it’s something I haven’t done in so long, and I’m looking forward to it.
I can’t tell you the last time I looked forward to anything. ”
Deeply moved, Georgie said, “Why didn’t you leave him sooner, Tess?”
“I couldn’t. He controlled everything, and I was terrified of him.”
“What about your family? Surely, they would’ve helped you.”
Her smile was sad and ironic. “He was a partner in my father’s law firm. My family didn’t believe me.”
Georgie saw Ian sneak out the front door but didn’t take her eyes off Tess. “So how did you finally get away?”
“I ended up in the hospital with broken ribs that he told the doctors I’d gotten in a surfing accident.” She snorted bitterly. “I’ve never been on a surfboard in my life.”
Cat slipped into the room and took a seat without interrupting Tess.
“That was the first time he broke something. I knew if I went home with him that eventually he’d kill me.
So I walked away from the hospital in the middle of the night, took a taxi across town to the hospital where I worked and got the thousand dollars I’d managed to stash in my locker along with a few photos and personal items. I took Amtrak to Rhode Island and shook like a leaf the whole way.
I did private-duty work while I went through the process to legally—and privately—change my name and apply for a license. ”
“You walked away with the shirt on your back,” Cat said, incredulous.
“I certainly didn’t want any reminders of the seven years I’d spent as his punching bag.”
“You were so brave, honey,” Georgie said, reaching out to hug her.
“I’m still so ashamed, though,” Tess whispered, “that I let him treat me that way for so long. What kind of self-respecting woman puts up with that?”
“You were terrorized, Tess.” Cat moved to Tess’s other side. “Nothing about it was your fault.”
“I kept thinking if I was different somehow—if I kept a cleaner house, or made him fancy meals, or dressed the way he wanted me to or did what he wanted . . . in bed. I thought if I did those things, then maybe I wouldn’t make him so mad.”
“He ought to be in jail,” Cat growled.
“Cat’s right,” Georgie said. “Let me tell Nathan about this. He’ll know how to help.”
“I don’t need help. Not now. I was very careful. There’s nothing to lead him here.”
“But still, if Nathan knew, maybe—”
Tess stopped her with a hand to Georgie’s arm. “I’m finally free, Georgie. I want to be free to enjoy what’s happening with Ben. I just want to be normal for once. If you tell Nathan, he’ll get the police involved, and I’ll lose my happy new life. I’ll have reason to be afraid again.”
“He’d take care of you. You know he would.”
“Yes, he would, but I still don’t want you to tell him. Promise me you won’t.”
Georgie glanced at Cat, who tilted her head toward Tess as if to say they had to respect her wishes.
“I won’t tell him,” Georgie said. “Unless something changes and I get the sense you’re in danger. If that happens, I won’t hesitate to tell him.”
“I guess I can live with that.” Tess reached out a hand to each of her roommates. “We haven’t known each other long, but I love you guys. I really, really do.”
“Right back atcha,” Cat said gruffly.
Georgie nodded in agreement.
A call from Ali woke Georgie early the next morning.
“I can’t believe Joe called you!” Ali said. “I told him not to.”
“Good morning to you, too.” Georgie choked back a yawn and stretched. “I take it you’re feeling better.”
“I’m fine. I told him that, but Joe got all crazy because I couldn’t stop crying. It’s the only meltdown I’ve had since I made the decision. I think I should be allowed one major freak out over this whole thing.”
“Of course you are. He was upset, Al. Don’t be mad with him for calling me. He needed to talk to someone who knows what’s going on.”
“I’m not mad. I’m just ready for the whole thing to be done with.”
“It will be. Soon enough.”
“Yeah. Can we please talk about something else? How are you?”
“Hanging in there,” she said with another big yawn. “You’ll never guess who I’ve been seeing.”
“What about Doug?”
“Over. The day after you left, the same day I met Jogger Guy.”
“No way. No freaking way!”
“Yes way.” Georgie told her sister the PG version of the story, and when she finished, Ali was silent. “Hello? Still there?”
“He’s the one, Georgie,” she said softly.
Georgie laughed. “You and Cat. Have you been talking to her?”
“Does he know? About the test and the gene and everything?”
“I told him last night.”
“And?”
“He said it doesn’t matter. That my life is more important than my breasts.”
“Marry him.”
“Okay, I’ll get right on that.”
“Are you going to have the test?”
“I’m thinking about it.”
“Well, that’s progress anyway. How’s the sex?”
“Alison!”
“What? Don’t tell me you haven’t slept with him after the way you lusted over him for weeks.”
Thinking of that first night with Nathan, Georgie felt her cheeks burn. “It’s great.”
“Marry him!”
“I’m glad you’re feeling better, Ali. Give me a call before you go in the hospital this week?”
“Only if you promise me you’re going to marry this sexy detective who cares more about you than your breasts.”
“Bye, Ali.” Georgie closed her cell phone and dragged herself out of bed to go do an errand she couldn’t put off any longer.
She brought a stack of boxes back to the house and went straight upstairs before she could talk herself out of the task she had planned for the morning. Georgie knew her practical, organized mother would object to her clothes collecting dust when someone could be using them.
As she emptied the dresser, Georgie found a crocheted handkerchief that reminded her of the elderly widow who had lived next door to them when Georgie and Ali were little.
Mrs. Marchant had complained about the lack of activities for seniors—not to mention the dearth of opportunities to meet single men “of a certain age.” Nancy Quinn had seen a need and had done something about it by founding the center.