Chapter Seventeen
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
NOW
GEORGIE COMBS THROUGH HER hair before pulling it into a short ponytail on top of her head, and not thirty seconds later, she lets it back down again. She’s been restless most of the evening, moving between making circles on the rim of her glass and playing with her hair since we sat down. She’s been unusually quiet, too. On top of the fact that she chose water instead of wine—when I made sure to grab a bottle of her favorite at the store. Her gaze is zeroed in on the plate in front of her. Her husband, Noah, finally arrived with the take-out Georgie had called in for dinner not long after Elijah and I got back from the grocery. I was shocked to see Noah with scruff on his face and hair long enough to pull it into a small man bun—I’ve never seen him without a clean-shaven face and (at most) a modest length on top. Something told me the reason for this new look wasn’t just out of curiosity.
There is palpable tension between Georgie and Noah, that much was obvious from the moment he arrived. He walked into the kitchen with the food, and she leaned in to kiss him, but he turned so her lips fell on his cheek. He didn’t return the favor. Throughout dinner, there were a few times she had reached for his hand or his arm, and he would draw away from her, only to return to her hold a second later.
Lola and Jeremy arrived before Elijah and I got back, and for someone who had just gone through a crazy stalker situation, she seemed to be doing just fine, except for changing her hair…Drastic hair changes seem to be the theme of our group this year. First, Georgie chopped her long, black waves up to her shoulders, then Noah grew his out; Elizabeth cut her hair last year, maintaining the shorter length; and Lola dyed her hair strawberry-blonde, adding extensions to reach down to her waist. Otherwise, she seems…normal. Can’t say I’d be the same, but hey, good for her. And Jeremy…Jeremy is still just as nice as he was when I first met him.
Jeremy Vos—actor and musician turned philanthropist. Being a former TV producer, Lola knows a lot of people in the industry, and they met when a mutual friend set them up on a blind date. The only difference I’ve noticed is the way he keeps a close eye on her, not in a bad way, not in an overbearing way, just in a protective way. Attentive. What is there to dislike about the guy? Her assistant had to be crazy to hate him.
“So, Elijah,” Georgie starts from across the table. Oh boy, this oughta be good. I’m surprised she’s targeting Elijah first instead of Jeremy, but the weekend is still young…There’s plenty of time.
Georgie is anything but subtle. When she sets her sights on someone, there’s no escape. I’ll never forget the first time she decided to question me. It was the second weekend I had gone to visit Elizabeth at SCAD. It was like twenty questions, except it didn’t stop at twenty. By the end of her interrogation, Georgie seemed satisfied with my answers, giving Elizabeth a small nod and smile as if her opinion of me meant something. Little did she know, it didn’t matter what she thought, or anyone else. We were stuck together for the next ten years.
Elijah looks to me for help, but there isn’t a single thing I can do to stop what’s about to happen. Settling in, I rest my arm on the back of Elizabeth’s chair, my fingers gently grazing her arm, and take a sip of my whiskey. Elizabeth lets her left hand rest in my lap, resting her chin on the other, interest peaked. To everyone else, I’m sure we look like the picture of peace and tranquility, but my entire being feels like it’s in a constant state of fight or flight right now.
“Georgie.” Selena tries to play interference, but Georgie hushes her.
“What are your intentions with Selena?” Georgie asks.
“I don’t—What do you mean?” Elijah chuckles.
“Well, you broke up with her last year, didn’t you? So, what are you doing here?”
Elijah swallows the lump in his throat loudly. He did, in fact, break up with her last year. Elijah and Selena met at our wedding six years ago, but he had just gotten out of a long-term relationship. Sure, they flirted, and I’m ninety-nine-point-nine percent sure they hooked up, but nothing more came of it until they reconnected at Nina’s holiday party three years ago. Even though they’d been together for a while, he’d never met this group of Selena’s friends outside of Elizabeth. The trip to Palm Valley had been canceled for the past two years due to schedule conflicts among the group, but I’m starting to think there’s more to it than that.
“Actually,” Elijah starts adjusting in his seat. Oh boy. Here we go. “Selena is the one who broke up with me…”
“Not helping your case,” I whisper, and Elizabeth squeezes my leg.
“I got a promotion back home in Dallas, and she didn’t want to do the long-distance thing. I respected that.”
“Gigi, c’mon,” Selena whines.
Georgie shoots her a glare. “I just want to make sure he doesn’t plan on doing it again. It’s not fair to lead you on like that.”
“No one is leading anyone on,” Elijah hisses. “She didn’t want to move across the country, and I couldn’t say no to the job. I respected her decision not to want a long-distance relationship. Even if every day was shit without her.”
Selena offers him a sad smile and squeezes his hand.
“Two months ago, I couldn’t take it anymore. I booked a flight to Tampa to beg her to take me back, even if it meant leaving my job and starting all over.”
“If you were so in love with her, why have you never come around before now?” Georgie pushes.
“Not like I had much opportunity.” Elijah scoffs. “You’ve canceled every trip planned the past few years, and we don’t all have the luxury of being able to take off work on a whim.”
“He sounds like you, Joshua,” Georgie throws my way. I roll my eyes at her smirk; she knows I fucking hate it when she calls me Joshua .
“We can’t all be rich heiresses, Georgina.” Her face falls flat when I use her legal name, and I match the smirk she had moments ago.
“No, but you made sure to marry one, huh?”
“Georgie,” Elizabeth warns.
“Enough!” Selena interrupts. “Before one of you breaks out the rulers to see whose is bigger.”
“Oh, don’t worry, we all know Georgie’s is bigger,” I taunt. “That’s why Jonah didn’t stick around.”
“Oh, fuck you, Josh,” Georgie hisses, pushing up from the table.
“Josh.” Elizabeth sighs and follows her friend.
Was it a low blow? Sure, but that’s what Georgie and I do. We taunt each other and go back and forth, eventually ending in a good laugh. It’s never supposed to be taken to heart. But I guess bringing up Jonah was crossing some kind of line.
Elijah and Jeremy share a look, both confused about what in the hell just happened. “Who’s Jonah?” Elijah asks, and Selena rolls her eyes.
“Welcome to Couples Weekend,” Lola says to no one in particular, and downs the wine in her glass.