Page 23 of Better Luck Next Time

Right.

“You never did answer my question about Adalia,” River commented, giving him a look. The kind of look that said River knew he’d deflected that earlier question, becauseof courseRiver had noticed.

Oh, he was in for it, all right.

Chapter Nine

If Adalia had thought family bonding night would make Georgie chill out, she was wrong. Thursday morning, Adalia caught her sister watching her several times with even more concern than before. She’d asked her more than once if she needed more coffee or if she wanted donuts from the shop down the street. Something was up with her, and it was getting on Adalia’s last nerve.

After offer number four, Adalia glared at Georgie. “I think I need to move my desk.”

“Why?” she asked, then frowned. “I know Jack has an office and you don’t, and I know you got here first, but—”

“Georgie. Stop,” Adalia said with a sigh. “Jack’s the events coordinator. Of course he needs an office. It’s just that I need more…space.”

“We’ll find it.” Giving Adalia her full, undivided attention, she added, “You just tell me what you need.”

Adalia narrowed her eyes. Something was definitely up. “Why are you acting so weird?”

Her sister’s eyes flew open. “Am I acting weird?… I’m not acting weird.”

“Yes. You are,” Adalia said, turning in her seat to study her sister. “You’ve been treating me like I was told I only have forty-eight hours to live. Like I’m some delicate, fragile glass bottle that’s about to break. What the hell is going on?”

Georgie’s eyes filled with tears.

“What?” Adalia pressed, wondering for a split second if she and River were having some sort of fight, but no, Georgie wouldn’t react this way. She’d be more likely to retreat into herself. “What is it?”

“I know about Dottie’s studio,” Georgie said softly, her eyes full of concern.

It took Adalia a half second to realize what she was talking about. Then horror washed over her. “What? How did you…”

But she didn’t need to finish the question, because she already knew.

Finn.

Her dismay was just as quickly replaced with anger. “I’m going tokillhim.”

Georgie got up and closed her open office door, dragging a guest chair over to Adalia’s and grabbing both of her hands. “I know we haven’t talked much about what happened right before you moved here—”

“I don’twantto talk about what happened!” Adalia started to get to her feet, but her sister tugged her back down.

Worry etched her sister’s face. “You don’t have to talk to me, but I think you should talk tosomeone. River thinks so too.”

“You talked to River about this?” Adalia snatched her hands free as humiliation heated her cheeks. Then she understood. River had known first, and he’d told Georgie.

Oh, my God. How many people knew?

“I know money’s tight,” Georgie rushed on, desperation on her face, “but River and I are more than happy to pay for your visits.”

Adalia shook her head, sure she’d heard her sister wrong. “You and your boyfriend want to pay for me to see atherapist?”

“There’s no shame in seeing a therapist, Addy. Trust me. I did it for years.”

“No, but there is a heaping amount of shame when you can’t pay for it yourself.”

A tear slid down Georgie’s face. “I can’t stand the thought of you creating art and destroying it. River said that Finn told him your work is breathtaking.”

“Did he now?” Adalia asked in a snotty tone, but she was in self-preservation mode. Red alert. Batten down the hatches.“I know Finn Hamiltonthinkshe knows everything, but I didn’t realize he was an art connoisseur.”

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