Georgia On My Mind (33 page)

Georgie handed the key to Nathan. “You do it.”

“Are you sure?”

She nodded and twisted her damp hands in her lap. As he inserted the key into the safety deposit box, she fixed her eyes on the wall of the nondescript room the bank had given them to use.

Nathan retrieved the green passbook and closed the box.

“How much?” Georgie asked.

He whistled. “Thirty-seven thousand, six hundred.”

Georgie released a deep breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. “Wow.”

“That’ll pay for one hell of a wedding.”

“Yeah.” She took the book from him and flipped through more than twenty years of deposits. “All I need now is the guy,” she joked, hoping to elevate the mood in the small, airless room.

“That’s not funny,” he said in all seriousness.

“Oh come on! I was kidding. You were supposed to laugh.”

“Say something funny and I’ll laugh.”

“I laugh at your bad jokes.”

“Usually after you hit me.”

“So then hit me so you can laugh.”

“I’d rather kiss you.”

“That’s fine, too,” she said, delighted by him. The three weeks they’d been back together had been the happiest of her life. That she had once resisted the overwhelming love she felt for him seemed so foolish now that her priorities were finally in proper order. And since she had tested negative for the altered gene and Ali was recovering well from her surgery, Georgie felt as if she could finally give herself permission to be happy.

Leaning over to kiss the pout off his lips, she returned her attention to the passbook. “I don’t have the big white wedding dream some girls have.”

“Apparently, your mother didn’t know that.”

“We never talked about it, which is why the money was such a surprise to me.”

“We can have whatever kind of wedding you want.”

“You wouldn’t care if it was small?”

“Whatever you want, sweetheart.”

She flipped through the pages of the book again, noticing the earlier deposits had been five, ten, or twenty dollars, while the more recent ones had been several hundred dollars. “Sometimes I feel kind of guilty, you know?”

“Why’s that?”

“That my mother and sister had to go through such an ordeal and I was spared.”

“You got lucky, Georgie. They’d never begrudge you that.”

“I know, but what would you think if I donated half the money to breast cancer research and the other half to fund a scholarship in my mother’s name?”

“That’s a great idea.”

“The scholarship could go to a student who plans to study gerontology.”

“Even better.”

“Are you sure? It’s going to take me a while to show a profit with my consulting business. This would come in handy in the meantime.”

“We don’t need it. I’ve got us covered.”

“I’m not going to leech off you, Nathan.”

“If you’re my wife, it’s not leeching.”

Raising an eyebrow, she said, “Am I going to be your wife?”

“Didn’t we just talk about our small wedding?”

“That’s not the question I need to hear.”

“Right here? Now?”

“Why not?”

“The atmosphere leaves something to be desired.”

“I don’t need atmosphere. Do you?”

He slid off his chair and dropped to his knees in front of her.

Georgie was surprised by the gesture, even though she knew she shouldn’t have been.

He took her hands and brought them to his lips. “Georgia Quinn, I’ve loved you since before I even knew your name. Will you marry me?”

“Hmm.”

His eyebrows knit with aggravation. “This is
not
the time for jokes.”

“I need to consider the whole package. If I say yes, I not only get you, but Tess and Cat as my sisters-in-law, and Bernie as my mother-in-law. That’s a
real
perk.”

Annoyed, he started to get up, but she stopped him.

“Yes, Nathan,” she said, laughing, “I’ll marry you, but on one condition.”

He brought her down for a passionate kiss.

“Wait!” she said, tearing her lips free of his. “You haven’t heard my condition.”

“I didn’t hear anything after yes.”

She smacked his shoulder.

“All right,” he said with a long-suffering sigh. “What’s the condition?”

“I
need
the water on when I brush my teeth.”

He studied her as he considered it. “This could be a deal breaker.”

“I
need
it, Nathan. I promise to recycle and conserve and reuse—I’ll even include those exact words in my vows, if you want. All I’m asking for in return is a little extra water. Marriage is about compromise.”

Moaning, he dropped his head to her lap. “Just don’t do it in front of me.”

Georgie celebrated her victory by clapping her hands. “Does this mean we’re engaged?”

“No.” He withdrew a sapphire-and-diamond ring from his pants pocket and slid it onto her left hand. “This does.”

She gasped. “Where did
that
come from?”

“I’ve had it for a week, but I was afraid you’d think I was rushing you. I’ve been carrying it around just in case.”

Resting her hands on his face, she kissed him. “It’s a beautiful ring. I love it, and I love you, so stop worrying that I’m going to change my mind. It’s not going to happen.”

“Good,” he said, his voice gruff with emotion. He kissed her again and then checked his watch. “We’ve got to get going.”

“To where?” she asked, confused.

“You’ll see.”

They were almost to downtown
Newport
when Nathan pulled the car over. “I know you’re going to jump all over me for this, but I need to blindfold you.”

“
What?
No way!”

“No blindfold, no surprise. I’m under very strict orders.”

“Whose orders?”

“I’m not at liberty to divulge that information.”

“What’s going on, Nathan?”

He held up a black bandanna. “If you want to find out, let’s get this over with.”

With a furious scowl, she let him tie the bandanna over her eyes.

“Now hush up.”

“You’re going to pay for this,
Caldwell
.”

“I’m not afraid of you, Quinn.”

Georgie fumed for another ten minutes, long enough to lose track of the number of twists and turns he took before bringing the car to a stop.

“Stay here.” He got out and shut the door.

Georgie stewed in the hot car for several minutes until he came back for her.

“Right this way, madam.”

“This is not funny, Nathan. I don’t know what you think you’re doing, but whatever it is—”

“Georgie,” he whispered. “You need to shut up.”

“You’re really going to talk to me like that, not even thirty minutes after we got engaged?”

The sound of snickering got her attention.

“Are there other people here?”

“A few.”

“I’m going to shoot you with your own gun.”

The snickering escalated to rippling laughter. Georgie’s heart beat fast as she realized there were a
lot
of people listening to them.
What the hell?

“Sit,” Nathan directed.

With a huff, she did as she was told.

He untied the bandanna, took it off, and sat down next to her.

Georgie squinted against the sudden blast of light and blinked the senior center parking lot into focus. A stage had been erected outside the front door, which was covered by a black cloth. The dirty old men stood to the side of the stage wearing ties and satisfied smiles. Good Gus winked at her from his wheelchair. Behind them, Barbara sat with all the regulars.

Georgie turned around from the front row to find at least fifty other people, which, of course, was why Nathan had told her to shut up. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment. Georgie gasped when she discovered her sister Ali and her family sitting in the next row. Tess, Ben on crutches, Cat, and Ian with Rosie on his shoulders were in the back with the rest of the
Caldwell
family. Bernie blew her a kiss.

“Congratulations,” Ali whispered, her eyes bright with excitement. “I told you he was the one.”

With a smile for her sister, she turned back to Nathan. “What’s going on?”

He took her hand. “Listen.”

“Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. I’m Mayor Sam Watson, and I’m pleased to welcome you to the
Newport 
Senior 
Center
. Before we get to the reason we’re here, I’d like to congratulate Detective Caldwell and Georgie Quinn on their very recent engagement.”

Nathan grinned at her as the crowd responded with enthusiastic applause.

“Just friends, my ass,” Bad Gus said to laughter from the other seniors.

“Now, without further ado, I’ll let Bill Bradley tell you what’s going on, Georgie.”

“I’d appreciate that,” she said to more laughter.

Bill bounded up the stairs and shook hands with the mayor.

“Good afternoon and thank you all for being here today.” Bill gestured to the rows of seniors. “On behalf of the many people who have benefited from the senior center, it’s my pleasure to welcome you and to congratulate Georgie and Nathan on their engagement.” He led a round of applause.

“When I retired ten years ago, my greatest worry—and my
wife’s
greatest worry—was that I’d be hanging around the house all day with nothing to do. But thanks to Nancy Quinn and the program here, I’ve found plenty to do. I’ve also found some of the best friends I’ve ever had in my life, as well as a sense of community and purpose. In short, I’ve found a second family. We’re here today to honor
Nancy
and her years of service to
Newport
’s senior population.”

“Oh,” Georgie said softly as her eyes filled.

Nathan squeezed her hand.

“
Nancy
saw a need and did something about it. Every one of us, and many who came before us, has benefited from her devotion and her commitment. Her death was a tremendous blow to those of us who loved her and called her our friend. As we mourned
Nancy
, we also feared the loss of a program we had come to rely upon as a vital part of our daily lives. But thanks to
Nancy
’s daughter Georgie, the program not only survived, it thrived. Georgie sacrificed her own career in
Atlanta
to give us a few critical months until Barbara arrived to rescue her. Georgie, we know we drove you to drink at times, but we’re eternally grateful for everything you did for us.”

Georgie was stunned and embarrassed when the entire crowd stood up to cheer.

After everyone returned to their seats, Bill called Walter and Bad Gus to the stage.

“By unanimous approval of the City Council, which declared today Nancy Bryant Quinn Day in the City of
Newport
, it is my honor and privilege to dedicate the
Nancy 
Bryant 
Quinn 
Senior 
Center
. Boys?”

Walter and Gus tugged the cloth off a new sign, which included a gold-leaf portrait of
Nancy
.

Staggered, Georgie stared at her mother’s likeness.

Nathan slid his arm around her shoulders.

“Georgie, honey,” Bill said, “I know we’re putting you on the spot, but if there’s anything you’d like to say. . .”

She glanced at Nathan.

He nodded with encouragement.

From behind her, Ali squeezed her shoulder.

Georgie stood and made her way to the stage. Each of her friends from the center hugged her as she went by.

On the stage, Bill greeted her with a hug and turned the microphone over to her.

As Georgie took a moment to compose herself, she looked out at the crowd, smiled at Ali, Tess, and Cat, and then glanced over at the Dumpster, remembering that first encounter with Nathan. A new, green recycling Dumpster sat next to it. Her eyes met his, and his smile told her he knew exactly what she was thinking.

“Well,” she finally said, “hasn’t this been quite a day?”

The crowd laughed and applauded in agreement.

She took a deep breath. “I want to thank everyone who had anything to do with this,” she said, gesturing to the sign. “It’s a wonderful and fitting tribute to my mother, and my sister and I are deeply grateful. I talked to my mom every day of my life, but I didn’t know her, really
know
her, until I worked here. For that priceless gift, I’m also grateful.”

After a pause to collect her thoughts, she continued. “I agreed to fill in until a new director was hired and made no secret of the fact that I was less than thrilled to be here. But like Bill, I, too, found a family here, and I love each and every one of you. I should also note that my roommates and I found our future husbands here—none of them seniors.”