What was wrong with her? There were plenty of guys out there, lots with better prospects than he had. He hadn’t finished high school, he didn’t own a house, and all his worldly possessions were contained in his small bedroom. Most people would think he was a loser. It was one of the nicer things he’d been called over the years, particularly at high school, though the blatant racist taunts were now more or less only when he was on the football field.
Georgie deserved far better than him.
Maybe he could phrase it that way to let her down gently.
He felt bad about the prank. He hadn’t meant to scare her so badly. And watching her sob on the way back had wrenched his heart, but he couldn’t risk her taking any comfort he offered the wrong way.
Georgie’s words echoed in his head.I love you. I love you. I love you.He’d done nothing to lead her on, he was sure of it. They were mates. Half of their relationship was about teasing each other.
He reached the T-junction and tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. He couldn’t go back to the Ridge with this tight feeling in his chest. Darcy would want to know what was wrong and he could hardly tell him about Georgie.
Instead he turned right, and headed towards Retribution Bay. What he needed was a stiff drink.
He didn’t care what the time was. He had to figure out what this revelation meant for his relationship with Georgie.
How was he supposed to be around her anymore? Would she take a hug or a kind word the wrong way?
No, this was Georgie. She was more sensible than that.
Though she did have an emotional temper.
He reached town but didn’t stop, driving straight through. If he stopped, he’d see people he knew and he’d have to chat. He wanted to be alone with his thoughts. He should have gone up to the lookout on the range, but there were always tourists up there. At this time of year there were tourists everywhere.
He turned into the lighthouse drive. At the top he parked away from the other cars. Then he grabbed his hat and moved around the slope to sit and stare at the ocean. The sea breeze was in, and he lifted his face to the cool air and breathed deeply.
Georgie loved him.
Why did his muscles tense and fear shoot through him like he was faced with a deadly snake?
This was Georgie. She wasn’t to be feared.
Just because she loved him didn’t mean he had to feel the same way.
A vision of her striding down the ridge, her butt wiggling at him, filled his mind.
He shook it away. No, he couldn’t lust after her. She was Darcy’s sister.
But not his.
The thought was defiant, unfamiliar.
He leaned back, shocked by the strength of it.
No, he couldn’t think that way. He didn’t like her like that. And he had little to offer her.
So what if he had been unreasonably disappointed when he’d realised he’d missed dinner with her last night.
And the urge to comfort her had been strong, but that was because she was Georgie, he was always there for her. It had been that way since Charlie had died.
But surely it was because she was part of his family.
His gut twisted as he thought of every reason why Georgie loving him was a bad thing. Darcy and Brandon would flip and he didn’t want to lose their friendship. They could even fire him if they got mad enough, and he needed his job. And just think of the gossip in town. People would think he was taking advantage of her now Bill and Beth were gone.
At least she wouldn’t be going back to the Ridge today. She had the girls’ night and then she’d go home to her unit. He wouldn’t have to see her until her next day off, and maybe not even then if she didn’t come out to the Ridge.
Coward.
Hell, yes he was. He was happy to admit it. Until he understood how he felt, and how he should deal with this situation, he didn’t want to see her. She’d mess up his thoughts and he needed a clear mind to work through this.
