Chapter 23

"MAYBE I could move to Denver," Georgia said, wiping her nose. "I'm sure my brother-in-law would help me find a job." She tossed the tissue into the garbage can next to the kitchen sink and grabbed a fresh one for a hearty blow.

For the first time since Georgia had known her, Toni was speechless and had been since she'd divulged the shocking truth. Her friend could only shake her head, which Georgia feared would come off from all the wagging.

"Jesus, Toni, say something."

"I'll help you load the moving van."

Georgia's face crumpled as a new wave of stinging tears assailed her. Her shoulders shook from abject shame and humiliation and something worse—disappointment. Disappointment that she'd started to think that Ken Medlock was a decent guy, maybe even someone she could love. Maybe even someone who could love her back.

Her heart shivered, overcome with sadness.

Toni hugged her, and allowed her to cry for several long moments, then led her to a kitchen chair. "You sit while I fix us something cold to drink. At least it feels cooler in here."

Georgia nodded, then sat down heavily. At least the super had honored his word and fixed her programmable thermostat while she was at work this morning. Wouldn't it be nice if she could simply reprogram her heart? Although, with her technical ineptness, she'd probably wind up losing a kidney.

She held her head in her hands, picturing Ken running next to the bus, looking for her. What had driven him to come after her—guilt over his behavior? Fear that she might report him to a superior? Certainly not concern for how she felt being manipulated like a hunk of warm wax.

The things she'd said to him... Oh, God.

The phone rang, sending Georgia's heart into her throat. She and Toni exchanged looks, but she allowed it to ring two, three, four times and roll over to the machine. Her own voice invited the caller to leave a brief message, then a beep sounded.

"Georgia, this is Ken." His loud, deep voice penetrated the air, the microphone broadcasting in stereo sound.

Her sob turned into a hiccup. How dare he call her?

"If you're there, please pick up."

She sat rooted to her chair, her eyes narrowed at the machine.

He sighed. "Look, I don't blame you for never wanting to talk to me again. I can imagine what you must think of me. I just wanted to say that... I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Georgia. It started out as innocent fun, and it got out of hand. Once I got to know you, I wanted to tell you. I tried to tell you at the reception before we... well, you know."

Toni shot her a raised-eyebrow look. Georgia closed her eyes.

"I was even trying to think of a way to tell you today—that's why I wanted us to be alone." He grunted. "Although I can't honestly say I would have, because things seemed to be going well between us, and I was hoping..."

Georgia opened one eye. He was hoping?

"I was hoping..."

She opened the other eye. He was hoping?

"I was hoping you wouldn't hate me."

She frowned. Too late.

"I'm sorry I deceived you, but I swear, I meant everything I said when we were on the phone."

Toni pursed her mouth.

After a pause, he said. "Well, I won't bother you again. I just couldn't let things end like this. I'm truly sorry, Georgia."

The call disconnected and the beep sounded again. She wiped her eyes. Her face and body ached with pent-up emotion.

Toni set two glasses of pink lemonade on the table and sat down in an adjacent chair. "Well," she said, lifting hers for a drink.

Georgia sniffed. "Well, what?"

"Well, he sounded apologetic."

She scoffed. "He's sorry, all right—sorry he got caught."

Toni sipped, then asked, "What was all that about the you-know at the reception?"

She stared into her glass, but knew her face was as pink as her drink.

"Georgia?"

She sighed. "We made out in a storage closet."

"Ah. So that's where he disappeared to. And I thought you were leaving to call Rob."

"I was," she said miserably. "But Ken followed me, then we kissed, then we heard someone coming, so we hid in a closet, then one thing led to another." She covered her mouth and breathed through her fingers. "And the whole time, he knew."

Toni put her hand over Georgia's on the table. "Okay, let's break this down. You thought you were calling Rob and dialed Ken's number by mistake."

"Right."

"Then the next day, you met Ken when he came into the E.R. with a dog."

"Right."

"Well, he couldn't have very well planned to hit a dog just to bring him in."

She shook her head. "No, Ken wouldn't do something like that. It was coincidental, I'm sure."

"But when he found out your name, he figured out who you were?"

Georgia bit on her lower lip, trying to remember their initial introduction. "He asked me if he knew me from somewhere, then said he knew a guy named Rob who dated a woman named Georgia, and I asked him if he was talking about Rob Trainer."

"And he said yes?"

She nodded, then her eyes went wide. "I must have called him Rob on the phone. He made up the part about knowing a Rob just to see if I was the person who had called him!"

Toni nodded. "Sounds reasonable."

Georgia smacked herself on the forehead. "The note."

"What note?"

"When I was leaving the hospital that day, Melanie gave me a note and told me that Rob had been called out of town."

"And Ken overheard this conversation?"

She nodded.

"So he knew Rob was out of the picture for a few days."

"But he couldn't have known that Rob wouldn't call, or that my message recorder was fouled up."

Toni shrugged. "I guess he figured he'd take his chances." She grinned. "You must be good."

Georgia blushed. They had been good.

"I just think it's amazing that you were torn over breaking up with Rob because you felt like you guys were making headway, when the guy you were really making headway with was the same guy you were lusting and feeling guilty about."

She squinted. "I think I followed that."

"You get the gist."

Georgia sipped her lemonade. "Mmm. What did you put in here?"

"Rum," Toni said, pointing to the bottle on the counter. "Take a big drink. What was Ken referring to when he said he meant everything he said when you two were on the phone?"

She froze.

"What?"

"Well, there was one night—no, never mind."

"What, Georgia?"

"There was one night when I thought Rob was going to tell me that he loved me, and I got all panicky."

"You mean Ken was going to tell you."

"Well, at the time I thought it was Rob."

"So why did you get all panicky?"

She swallowed a mouthful of spiked lemonade. "Because... I suppose I knew that I didn't love Rob."

"Because?"

"Because..." She glanced at her friend and sighed. "Because I was falling for Ken."

Toni squeezed her hand. "Then don't you see? This is perfect! He likes you, and you like him."

She shook her head and groaned. "But how could I? I barely know the man."

"So? You knew Rob for ten months and that didn't help. You didn't even know he had a criminal record, for heaven's sake."

But Ken probably did, which could explain why he'd kept asking her about her relationship with Rob. She frowned. There was something honorable buried in the fact that he could've told her, but hadn't, although she couldn't sort it all out at the moment.

"But the man played me for a fool. He knows things about me. Private things."

"And you know private things about him."

True, she conceded. And some deep part of her was slightly relieved that at least a third man hadn't been involved in her web of lust. At least she'd had phone sex with a man that she—what?

Cared about? Maybe.

But trusted? Never.