His Uptown Girl (16 page)

Instead, he picked up one hand, linked her fingers in his, and gave a gentle squeeze. “Then this is probably a good time to be quiet, pray and let God speak. Care to join me?”

“Yes, I'd like that.”

He regretted the loss, but he had to release her hand to flip open the blanket he'd been carrying, and spread it on the ground.

He sat, and patted the blanket beside him in invitation. Once she was sitting, he lay flat on his back to look up at the night sky, his hands linked behind his head in contentment.

“This is the best way to see everything. Don't be shy.”

“You know I'm not shy,” she said as she flopped down on her back and assumed an identical position.

They lay in silence, looking up. Bob tried not to let her proximity distract him from God's leading. He turned his thoughts to how to pray.

Things were going well for his business, Bart was enjoying fatherhood, and in one short week, Adrian and Celeste were getting married. All in his own life was good. George, however, needed a lot of help and even more prayer.

He cleared his throat and tried to sound casual, but his insides churned. “Is there anything you'd like me to pray about for you?” As if he didn't pray for her every day already.

“I don't know. I think things have been pretty good. I have a good job, a nice place to stay. I'm making new friends.” Even though Bob remained with his head fac
ing straight up, he sensed George turning to look at him as she continued. “I have you helping me with everything. I thank God for you and all you've done for me every day.”

Fortunately, the dark night hid his blush. “Thanks,” he mumbled.

“I'm learning so much, I think it won't be long before I'll be able to manage on my own. So really, everything is good except for two things.” She sighed, and her voice lowered in pitch to barely above a whisper. “Daddy, and my sister.”

He hated himself for asking, but he had to know. “What about Tyler?”

“I've thought a lot about him. I still think that the way it played out was his fault, but I have to be realistic. Daddy would have found out what I was doing sooner or later. I can't say anything would have happened any differently if I told him instead of Tyler. I've been doing a lot of reading on forgiveness. If I don't forgive those who wrong me, it doesn't hurt them. It hurts me and my relationship with God. I've got to let it go. It's past, there's nothing I can do, so I have to move on.”

As much as everything George said made sense, Bob didn't know if he would have been as gracious in the same situation. His own family accepted him unconditionally, of course, if he did something they didn't approve of, he heard about it for months. But still they forgave him, just as God forgave him for past wrongs and even future ones. The unqualified forgiveness made him eager to please God.

“That's great. I'm glad you can think of it in that way.”

“There's actually a little more. Tyler was just being true to his own nature, which is to do anything to get
ahead. It's simply the way he is, and I've always known that about him. He didn't even mean it personally—I was just a means to an end. He'll have to answer for that one day, but I can't judge him. That's not up to me. It's up to God to judge.”

“Wow. I'm impressed.”

She made a short, humorless laugh. “Don't be. There's so much junk on television that I've been doing a lot of reading. Celeste loaned me a few books, and what I was talking about came from one of them. That doesn't mean I have everything worked out. I haven't been able to fully forgive my father. I knew I was spoiled, but Daddy didn't give me everything because he loved me. He used it all to control me. And I let him because I was too much of a wimp.”

This time Bob couldn't remain still. He rolled onto his side, and propped his head up with his arm, resting his elbow on the ground. “You're certainly not a wimp. You took the job knowing your father wouldn't approve. You went to church and worshiped God knowing he wouldn't approve. Then when push came to shove, you didn't cave in, but sacrificed everything you knew and took on a world of unknowns rather than do something you knew wasn't right.”

She rolled onto her side and also propped her head up. “That's not exactly true. I knew you.”

Bob opened his mouth, but no words came out. Not wanting to look too stupid, he rolled onto his back again.

He heard the movement as George also rolled onto her back. “I know it's something I have to work out, and I know I have to keep praying about that. But I really would like it if right now we could pray for Terri. I've phoned her a few times over the past few weeks, and she
wouldn't talk to me. But yesterday when I phoned, she finally eased up a little and we talked. I think she'd been crying. She said that even though she wasn't happy with Byron, at least she could do what she wanted, which was more than she could do when she was living back at home. She won't do anything about Byron, because she doesn't want to have to go back. I tried to tell her that God would help her if she would only let Him, but she hung up on me again.”

“That's so sad. It's easy for us to say, but you're right. She really could do something about it if she wanted to. I think it all comes down to how much a person is willing to sacrifice in order to do what they feel is right.”

Thinking of George's sister, who preferred to remain miserable in order to keep her privileged lifestyle, emphasized for Bob how much George had given up to be free.

He liked to think that if the same thing happened to him, he would be able to do what George had done, but he'd never had to face something so hard. All his life, Bob had lived with very distinct guidelines of right and wrong. He'd never known a time when God wasn't acknowledged and obeyed in their home. As an adult, he lived the same way his parents had raised him, which was to try to love other people as God loved them, warts and all.

He knew he was a sucker for the underdog, but George wasn't an underdog at all. Despite her struggles, she was emerging victorious. Very soon she wouldn't need him any more, and they would go back to the way things had been before, whether she lived in his garage or not. He supposed her indomitability was one of the reasons he'd fallen in love with her so quickly.

Love.

Bob squeezed his eyes shut. All this time, he'd refused to consider that his feelings toward George were anything other than sheer altruism, but he'd been fooling himself. He did love her. He didn't know when it had started, but that didn't make it any less real.

What also was a reality was that he could never provide the things she was used to. For now, scrubbing toilets and cooking onions was a new experience, even a novelty. Very soon, it would become drudgery. She would become bored, feel trapped and resentful of having to do those things.

While the partnership in the auto shop with Bart was successful enough, neither of them would ever be rich. Up until now he'd been perfectly content. His life plan was to have a wife and children and raise his family the same way he had been raised, although Bob had no intention of having six children. Four would be good enough.

But George had grown up with an army of staff—a nanny, a housekeeper, gardeners, chauffeurs—so she didn't have to lift a finger, if she didn't want to. He couldn't see George being happy slaving over a hot stove while children tugged at her legs to go outside to play ball and the laundry piled up, and then he came home tired and dirty after a hard day at work and fell asleep on the couch.

He knew she would say it didn't matter, and maybe it wouldn't for the short term. But Bob needed someone who could be content in that atmosphere for a lifetime.

When George's warm hand rested on top of his, Bob sucked in a deep breath and tried to rein in his thoughts.

“Can we pray now?”

“Sure.”

He led with a few words of praise to start, but their prayers drifted off to silence as they prayed individually, their hands still joined. Bob's prayers were mixed between concerns for George's sister, her father, for George herself, and even for Tyler. In praying for himself, all he could do was ask for guidance and promise to be open to God's leading.

He was startled when George pulled her hand out of his and sat up. “I don't think anyone else is awake except for us,” she whispered. “We should probably get to our tents.”

He sat up, and sure enough, everything in the huge expanse of the campsite was dark. “Yes. Tomorrow we're going to have another morning worship time, finish up all the leftovers for lunch, and then everyone will head home.”

“I have a feeling tomorrow is going to go fast.”

“Yup. Before we know it, we'll be back at work on Monday.”

Using the flashlight sparingly, he led George to her tent, then went quietly to his.

Monday was going to come much too quickly.

“H
i, George. I see the counter's full. Where would you like today's mail?”

Georgette hit Enter on the keyboard, and stuck out her hand. “I'll take it…”

As the mail carrier left out the main door, Bob walked in from the shop door. “I'm expecting a letter about some warranty work. Is it in there?”

Georgette picked through the pile of envelopes, but stopped before she made it all the way through the pile.

“What's wrong? Is there something that isn't for us?”

“No. There's something here with my name on it. Something marked Personal and Confidential.” Her heart nearly stopped when she recognized the company name on the return address. “This is from Tyler.” She grasped the envelope by the corner, and immediately marched to the shredder in the corner.

Bob appeared beside her and snatched the envelope from her hand just as the corner touched the mechanism to activate it.

“Wait. Aren't you going to look at it?”

“No.”

“What if it's something important? If you want to shred it after you've read it, fine, but you should see what it says.”

She almost started to argue, but her words caught in her throat. No one knew where she lived. Even if they had, Bob's garage didn't have a separate street address. She didn't have a phone listing that could be traced through directory assistance. She'd tried to give Bob's phone number to Terri, but Terri wouldn't even write it down.

Her only tie to her former life was that Tyler knew where she worked.

If something had gone wrong or if her father or her sister were sick, no one had any way of contacting her except through Tyler.

“Maybe you're right.” She accepted the envelope, opened it and began to read.

Georgette's hand shook as she tucked the paper back into the envelope.

“What's wrong? Is it bad news?”

She shook her head. “Tyler says he misses me, and he wants to get together and talk.”

Bob's face turned strangely pale. “Are you going to?”

She ran her fingers over the envelope and skimmed through the letter once more. Despite Tyler's lovely words, she wasn't sure if she could trust him. He'd hurt her badly, and his actions had changed her life forever. The Bible told her to forgive Tyler, which she had, but the Bible didn't tell her to let him do the same thing to her a second time. But if he was sincere, and if things did go well, a union between them would see her gain back everything she had lost, without the roadblocks her father had set before her.

If he was sincere. It was a big
if.
The only way to know would be to see him in person and hope she could be discerning enough to tell the difference.

She looked up at Bob to see that he'd been watching her.

She wished she could read what was in his mind, but she couldn't. She wanted to see sadness, loss, even fear that she would actually call Tyler, but she saw nothing. It was as if he'd turned to stone.

Georgette stared back. “What should I do?” she asked, hoping, praying that Bob would tell her Tyler was completely wrong for her, that he could give her more
than Tyler ever could, that his love was worth more than any material goods Tyler could ever provide, and to put the letter through the shredder after all.

“Do what you want. It's your life, and your decision.”

Her heart sank. But, contacting Tyler would either give her closure, or a way to start again.

Before she could respond, Bob turned and disappeared into the shop, the door closing harder than usual behind him.

Work couldn't still her mind, she could only think about what could be. At first, she hadn't cared that she'd lost every piece of her past, but it didn't take long before she felt a distinct lack of roots. Bob's roots were a large part of his personality. Seeing Tyler wouldn't restore her relationship with her father, but it would either give her back a piece of who she was, or allow her to make the decision to make the break complete on her own.

Partway into the afternoon, she couldn't stand it anymore. She called Tyler to set up a dinner date.

Bob walked in just as she finished the conversation.

“I see you decided to go.”

“Yes,” she said, her hand still resting on the phone. “It will bug me if I don't. If it works, fine, and if it doesn't, at least it will give me a sense of closure. We're going out tonight.”

He looked down at the floor, not facing her as he spoke. “I guess we won't be making dinner together, then.”

“No.”

“Then I'll see you Wednesday. Bart and I switched days off this week. I've got tomorrow off, and he's got Thursday off.”

“Oh.” Her heart sank. Whether things went well or badly, it had comforted her to know that Bob would be
there for her the next morning, but it was not to be. She didn't want to wait until Wednesday to see him again. “What about dinner tomorrow?”

He shrugged his shoulders. “Dunno,” he mumbled as he turned his head back toward the shop. “I have to get back to work.”

“Wait. Didn't you come in here for something?”

He shrugged his shoulders with a grimace. “I forgot what it was. If it was important, it'll come back to me. Have fun tonight.”

 

Georgette watched as Tyler sipped his wine, then spoke to her over the top of the flute. “I don't know how you managed to get in and out of that truck in that dress. I could have picked you up or called a cab.”

She smiled weakly. It wasn't the dress that was the hard part. It was the shoes. She hadn't worn heels for so long, her ankles wobbled. When she'd slid out of the truck, she'd nearly fallen down when she landed.

Dinner with Bob every Thursday had been different. She had the money to pay her own way. They both wore jeans, and chose places where a meal didn't cost a whole day's salary.

“Let's just say the truck keeps me humble.”

“I'm so glad you decided to come. There are so many things I want to say to you.”

She noticed that he hadn't given her any time to say anything that
she
might have wanted to say. He didn't ask her how she was coping, how she liked working for a living or even if she was happy. Even though she was the one wronged, the conversation was still about Tyler.

Bob would have made sure she was comfortable first, and he always let her vent if something was bothering
her, even if it had nothing to do with him. Bob always listened before he talked.

“I've missed you, Georgette. I didn't notice until I wasn't seeing you any more how much your smile helped whatever had gone wrong that day. And you always understood what I was talking about when I talked business. No other woman I dated cared much about the workings of my day. They only cared when it meant I couldn't take them where they wanted to go.”

Georgette held back a sigh. The alleged apology centered around Tyler. She couldn't believe she was hearing about his dates with other women,
he
was the one who'd set up this “special time.”

Bob never talked about other women. The one time she'd asked about a woman he'd dated, he'd quickly changed the subject.

“You're always happy, no matter where we go or what we do.”

Every time they'd gone out, it had been to a place of Tyler's choosing. Many times, he'd picked the last place on earth she wanted to be. Tyler's word meant nothing. No matter what he promised, she knew she would never trust him fully, not after he'd betrayed her so badly at the first opportunity for his own gain.

Bob never went back on his word. For a short time, she could tell that Bob wasn't sure if he'd made the right decision to let her move into his garage. But he'd given her his word, and that was final. He was a true man of honor.

“I guess what I'm trying to say is that I think we're a good match. I think it would suit us both to get married.”

Georgette choked on her tea. “Married! Are you serious?”

He smiled a nice, corporate businessman's smile. No warmth, no personal connection. It looked as if it was painted on. “Of course I'm serious. We'd both get what we want, and each of us would benefit.”

She set the cup on the saucer, before she dropped it and broke it. “How do you know what I want?”

The phony smile stuck to his face, but didn't reach his eyes. “I know you want the good life back. You can't possibly be happy having to work every day and then go home and bury yourself in chores. But if you wanted to keep working, that would be fine with me. I wouldn't even mind if you wanted to go to church every once in a while. It's a noble thing to do, and it looks good, too.”

She was so flustered she could barely talk. “What—what about you? Would you go to church with me?” She didn't want him to go to church with her just to sit beside her. She wanted to marry a man who shared her faith. Like Bob.

He shrugged his shoulders. “I would probably go a few times a year, like Christmas, Easter and probably Mother's Day. After we had children and you became a mother, of course.”

The thought of having children with Tyler made Georgette gag. Rather than losing the meal that had cost more than the brake job she'd been saving for, she stood. “You know, I have to get up early for work tomorrow. I think it's time to go.”

He reached for her hand, but she pulled it away before he made contact.

“Wait, Georgette, there's something else. After you called me, I talked to your father. He wasn't exactly pleased, but I did manage to convince him to take you back. He said he would restore your credit cards and
give you back the car. I realize I sprung this on you rather quickly. Moving back home would give you more time to think about it.”

She backed up a step, unable to speak. She'd always imagined a proposal would be a little more personal. Even romantic. Fat chance.

Tyler took another sip of his wine and again spoke to her over the glass. “Marriage isn't a bad thing, you know.”

Marriage. She still didn't know whether her mother had deserted her two young daughters because she couldn't stay married to a man who treated her badly, or if her mother had been thrown out for not measuring up.

The last time she'd spoken to her sister, Terri had been crying because Byron was cheating on her. Yet Terri stayed in a marriage where there was no love rather than going back to their father's emotional abuse.

She couldn't imagine being married to Tyler, who always thought of himself first.

She wouldn't marry a man like Byron, who'd only married her sister for her assets.

The only man she would ever marry would be Bob.

Georgette froze.

Bob.

She wanted to marry Bob.

She was in love with Bob.

She didn't know when it had happened, but they could talk about anything and everything. They both could get mad and then laugh about it afterward. And then there was the kiss…

He couldn't have kissed her like that if he didn't mean it.

Georgette struggled not to close her eyes at the mem
ory. She'd sure meant it. But she wasn't with Bob now. She was with Tyler.

“I'm really sorry, but this was a mistake. I can't marry you, and I'm certainly not going to go back to living under Daddy's terms and conditions for the sake of a little money.” Not that it was a “little money,” but she had learned the hard way that it really didn't buy happiness. “Thank you for dinner, it was lovely. In case I never see you again, have a good life, Tyler. I hope you find the woman who will be right for you one day. I know I'm not her.”

Georgette drove home as quickly as she could without getting a speeding ticket. When she pulled onto the cement pad beside Bob's car, not a single light was on in his house.

She closed the truck's door as quietly as she could, and retreated into the apartment.

Tonight she wouldn't wake him, and tomorrow during the day, she wouldn't see him because she had to work. But after work she intended to make use of her newfound discovery.

When they were together, Bob only saw “George the Mechanic.” Now that she was aware of her own desires for a future with Bob, Adrian's words came back to her, and now she believed them to be true. However, something was holding him back.

Regardless, Georgette smiled to herself as she got ready for bed. Tomorrow things would change, because tomorrow, she had a plan.