Page 38 of Bad Luck Club

“Blue’s a stranger.”

“She doesn’t feel like a stranger.”

She studied him thoughtfully. “You have feelings for her?”

He shrugged again, which caught him off guard. His father hated shrugging. He said it conveyed laziness and indolence. “I’m so messed up, I don’t know what I feel. But Idoknow I’m in no position to start a relationship, whether it’s with Addy’s friend or Dottie’s.”

A shudder ran down his spine.

Georgie laughed. “Not to worry. If you find yourself chained to Stella like Princess Leia was chained to Jabba the Hutt, I’ll personally break you free.”

He lifted his mug in salute. “That situation might not be as inconceivable as you think, so I’m holding you to it.”

Her smile faded. “It could be transference.”

“Stella? No, I’m pretty sure she genuinely wants to add me to her collection.”

“No. With Blue. You said she doesn’t feel like a stranger. It might be that you feel a connection to her because she’s offered to find you help with this support group. It could be a case of transference. It happens with patients and therapists more often than you might think.”

His eyes narrowed. “Has it happened to you?”

“No,” she scoffed. “I only see female therapists. With my daddy issues, I knew I’d never feel comfortable with a man.”

“Georgie. I’m sorry.” Part of him felt like if he’d been a better brother, he could have spared his sisters from the worst of their childhood. But then, he’d barely been treading water himself.

“We’re all in the same boat,” Georgie said. “Just on different levels.”

“Then I must be in the very bottom, about to be dropped out a hatch,” he muttered.

“And I’m somewhere in the middle,” she said. “Addy’s probably on the upper deck, enjoying the view.”

“As crazy as it sounds, I think she’s the most mentally healthy Buchanan sibling.”

“Agreed. Even Jack has his issues.”

Jack. That was another relationship Lee needed to work on. Even now, he struggled to accept that his father had betrayed their mother and created another child. It wasn’t Jack’s fault, but Lee struggled to get beyond it, something Jack had picked up on.

They were quiet for a moment, before Georgie said, “So are you going to give the group a try?”

“Yeah,” he said without thinking. “I think I will.”

“Good. Seeking help is the first step to recovery.”

“Isn’t that what addicts say?” Lee asked.

She gave him a pointed look. “You took his abuse for years, Lee. Maybe there’s something to it.”

Damn. One more thing to think about.

“You have no idea how happy I am that you called me,” she said, her voice breaking. “I want to be closer to you.”

“I want to be closer to you too.”

Georgie smiled, tears filling her eyes. “I think we’ve made a great first step.”

Chapter Twelve

Blue hardly slept that night, feeling the phantom imprint of Lee at her back…and the weight of just how badly she’d screwed up.

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