Point of Attraction (13 page)

“Now you do too.”

Chapter eleven

“But.” Georgie couldn’t say
it.

She looked to the empty parking space
across the way. Jeffrey? She’d known him from the day of her
wedding to Sam. He had accompanied his dad. She was still in Beauty
School, Sam in his first year of Veterinary School. Jeffrey was
still in Business College. From that time on, even while she was in
school, every three weeks, he sat in her haircutting chair... over
twenty years.

“No. I will not believe
Jeffrey would do something like this. Even if it
is
what you’re
thinking.”

“You know why I didn’t get anything off
the plates?” he asked, but didn’t wait for her to answer. “There
were no plates.”

She could almost feel his eyes move
over her face, waiting for her to absorb what he had
said.

“But... new cars don’t have them for a
while... you know. While they wait...”

“Georgie, there was nothing,” he
emphasized. “Not new ones, in between ones, no paper tags on the
windows, nothing.”

“Okay, but why. Why would he do it?”
she asked.

His intense look softened and he almost
smiled. “He was pretty pissed off the other day.”

“Well, he was stressed out...” Georgie
couldn’t finish. She could find nothing to say to further her
argument. She just didn’t think Jeffrey was capable of harming her,
or anyone for that matter.

“Stressed out over what?”

“I don’t know. I...” But
she did know, or
thought
she knew, but she certainly didn’t want to tell
Nick about her using Mason to ward off Jeffrey’s
attentions.

“What?” Nick asked.

“It was nothing. At least not anything
that would make him want to run me over. I mean, my God,
Nick.”

The car swayed as Nick shifted in the
seat. After a second, he took an exaggerated deep breath. “For a
writer you have a limited imagination.”

“Nick. This isn’t one of my
novels.”

“No. If it were one of your novels,
you’d have written yourself a little smarter.”

“Okay, get out,” she ordered, turning
her headlights back on.

“I’m sorry.” He lifted his hands in
surrender, his head lowered and shaking in shame. “I apologize.
Stupid remark on my part. Very insensitive and all that
crap.”

Georgie could see her knuckles get
little white snowcaps as she gripped the steering wheel, struggling
to keep from laughing. There was just no staying angry with Nick.
Gathering all her patience, she set her sights on him. “You really
really do need to work on your apologies. They suck.”

“God, don’t I know it,” he laughed and
sat back into the seat. Finally, he took a deep breath, his body
truly relaxing. “Uh... Georgie Girl?”

The honey sweet tone of his voice sent
her warning signals into red alert. “Whatever it is, the answer is
no.”

“Aww, Georgie Baby.”

Here it comes, she thought, and let out
a heavy sigh of her own, giving in to the inevitable. “What is
it?”

“Well, they haven’t turned on the gas
or electricity at my place and it’s very cold there.”

The skin around her eyes and mouth
tightened as her brow puckered. “And this is important to me,
how?”

“Do you really want me to spend the
night in an old cold, cold house?”

“What old house? Thought you had a
condo.”

“Nope. Bought back my mom and dad’s
house last year.” He held up a hand. “Before you ask... I don’t
know why. I just wanted something of my past, I guess.”

“Don’t we all,” she said.

“But I found it’s not the same without
you and Cassie. So. I think I’m going to sell it again, not sure
yet. But it is old and very cold without the gas and lights on. So
how about it?”

She was about to answer, then thought
for a second. “Wait a minute. Where have you been staying the last
two three nights?”

“Uh.” He looked out the window then
down at his hands. “Her husband came home.”

Instinctively her hand shot out to give
his head a sharp shove. “What is wrong with you? Do you have to
play the traveling salesman part to the limit? When are you going
to grow up?”

“Being a grown up is no fun, and she is
hardly the farmer’s naïve wife, let me tell you.”

“Oh, please don’t,” she pleaded with a
wave to stop him. The pause lengthened, tugging at her heart. He
was Nick after all.

“So, can I?”

“Speak to me.” She waited. Nothing.
Lacing her fingers, she then set them on her tummy, leaned back
into her seat, and closed her eyes. “If you want me to do something
for you, you will have to ask me flat out, and with great charm I
might add.”

A loud grunt of frustration rumbled out
of him. “You can be such a...”

“Lacking charm here.”

“Can I please please spend the night
with you?”

She rolled her head to look over at
him, showing absolutely no humor to his remark. His leather jacket
squeaked as he tugged at the collar opening as though to adjust the
fit. She waited.

“Too forward, huh?”

She didn’t answer, but kept her sight
steadfast on him. He tried smiling but failed, then sobered with a
clearing of his throat.

“Can...
may
I please stay the night at your
place, at least until they turn on the utilities at my
place?”

“Get on your damn motorcycle and meet
me at home.”

“You’re the best, Georgie Girl!” He
leaned over and kissed her on the cheek before she could stop him,
then reached behind the seat for his helmet. She watched as he
pulled off the bike’s cover, unchained it, and rolled it to where
he then straddled it. It quickly roared into motion.

~~0~~

All the way home, Georgie kept seeing
dark colored Durangos. She never gave them any attention before.
Now, they seem to be everywhere; coming toward her, in the cross
streets, parked along the curb, in her rearview mirror, then
realized they were all just large dark colored vehicles, not
necessarily Durangos. When it started to drizzle, she gave up
looking and turned her attention to driving.

For some reason, the normal drive was
extra long this evening. Perhaps she should sell the house and buy
a condo closer to the shop? But then, it wouldn’t be home, she
thought, with a sigh, and Daisy and Max needed a home with yard
space.

As she pulled into her driveway and up
to her house, the sensor activated lights guided her
way.

A small gasp caught in her throat.
Mason’s black 4Runner was sitting there with its motor running, but
leaving her enough room to enter her garage. As she approached, the
exhaust from the tailpipe died, and Mason got out of the car to
wait for her. He was out of uniform and had on his leather jacket
with a light gray turtleneck. She flicked the remote for the garage
door, but didn’t pull in.

Oddly, she suddenly found
herself regretting she had said yes to Nick spending the night. The
roar of a motorcycle scolded her for the bad thoughts, but she
could only smile at Mason as she opened the door to her Subaru.
Whatever
situation
he had been called to answer had let him return
unharmed.

Before she could say anything to Mason,
Nick’s headlight came up the slope. This time he drove the bike
into the garage and parked it near the left wall and out of the way
of her car. He walked over to them, tucking his helmet in the crook
of the arm.

“Are we just going to stand out here?”
he asked with a wide grin. “Put your car in the garage, Georgie
Girl.”

“Why thank you, Nick,” she said, giving
him a sharp side glance. “I think I’ll do just that.”

Once she put the car in the garage,
Nick was quick to her side as she turned off the ignition, and got
out. He leaned in to her and whispered, “We didn’t even have to
call him.”

“Can you behave?”

“Not on your life. This is going to be
too much fun.”

“If this is a bad time...” Mason
said.

“No.” Georgie shook her head with an
appreciative smile. “In fact, according to my friends, this is
perfect. Let’s go inside.” She flicked the remote to close the
garage door and entered her kitchen.

Daisy began her front paw prancing, saw
both men, and backed up with a small whimper. Max jumped down off
his seat and meandered down the hall. Georgie smiled at Daisy.
Instead of choosing either Nick or Mason to go to, the Schnauzer
came to stand beside her.

“Oh, now you come to me. Wise choice,”
she murmured, and took out her coffee pot while the men each took
off their jackets and hung them over the back of a kitchen chair.
“While that’s perking, I’m going to change into my comfies. Nick,
like it or not, behave. Don’t make me hurt you.” She turned up the
thermostat on her way with Daisy and Max at her heels.

~~0~~

Once in her comfy sweats, she made her
way back down the hall to the kitchen. The men’s voices reached her
and she slowed down, listening.

“This f... This
man
held a gun to his
kid’s head.” It was Mason’s voice, low, solemn. “Four hours they
talked to him, and each minute makes him crazier, poking the barrel
into the kid’s temple. This was his way of trying to win back his
wife.”

“Did you take the shot?” Nick asked,
his voice low.

There was a pause and a long heavy
sigh. “When he drew back the arm, I shot him in the shoulder. After
an hour and half with The Review Board, I’m on administrative leave
until they judge whether it was a clean shooting.”

Georgie leaned on the wall. The pain in
Mason’s voice sent a stab of grief to the deepest part of her. She
wanted to take back her steps and not have heard any of this. How
could she compare a broken purse strap to this, she thought, and
looked back to her bedroom door.

“Eavesdroppers never hear well of
themselves, Georgie Girl,” Nick called out. “Get in
here.”

“George?”

She heard Mason’s chair
creak as he turned to look. There was surprise in his voice, and
Georgie sensed he probably never intended to unload like that, but
Nick had a way about him...
the father
confessor
. How many times had she and
Cassie done just that, unload.

“It’ll be all over the news anyway,”
Nick said as she entered the kitchen. He was talking to
Mason.

Georgie put a hand on Mason’s shoulder.
“I’m sorry. I’m not normally an eavesdropper.”

“You’ve been one all the years I’ve
known you,” Nick said.

“I told you,” she said, wrapping her
hands around Nick’s neck as if to massage his shoulders, but let
the fingers meet in a choking grip. “Don’t make me hurt you.” With
a smile to Mason, she went to pour the coffee, gave Mason a cup,
then one to Nick as she looked him straight in the eyes. “All else
in our lives seems so small compared to something like
that.”

“No!” Nick shot back. “You almost run
over by a car is just as important.”

“What?” Mason leaned forward, arms on
the table.

“Nick,” she tried, but he would not be
stopped, and all she could do was sit and listen as he began
recounting the night’s event.

“And you really think it might have
been intentional?” Mason asked, while his hand reached for hers,
and she let it. It felt warm and she fought the urge to place hers
over his.

Nick breathed deeply, thoughtfully, and
nodded. “I think it was a dark colored Durango. Didn’t get a plate
number though. I’m certain there was no plate; front or
back.”

“Durango?” Mason murmured. “Doesn’t
that Sanders drive a Durango?”

“I think Nick is...” Georgie tried to
say.

“What, Georgie?” Nick snapped at her.
“Nick is what?” He got up and grabbed her purse to hold out the
torn strap with a shake. “If not the purse, it could have been you.
That’s how close it was, goddamn it. Which reminds me. Where’s your
phone book?”

“Nick,” she pleaded, but it was like
trying to stop a moving train, and she got up to get him the phone
book before he started a full house search.

“He lives on Upper State Street,” Mason
said. When Georgie turned to him he shrugged. “I had to check him
out over the Raggs incident. Can’t remember the number, but he
lives on Upper State Street.”

“Here it is,” Nick said, jabbing a
finger at the page. “2020 North Upper State.” He reached for his
jacket. “Want to take a ride?”

Neither Georgie nor Mason
moved.

“You can’t go over there just like
that,” she told him. “You just can’t.”