Page 46 of Frosted and Sliced

He grimaced and shook his head.

“You’ll see,” she said, giving his biceps a little squeeze. “You’ll get plugged in here, and it will happen to you, you’ll start caring about other people, about their lives and their opinions. It sneaks up on you.”

“Most things that sneak up on me don’t end well,” he noted.

She laughed. “Please don’t kill my neighbors.”

“No promises,” he said.

They continued to sway, staring at each other. Georgette wondered what he thought as he gazed down at her. He gave nothing away, whereas she felt like her face was an open book. Right now Burke probably read curiosity, and maybe a bit of delight, because this was it; she was finally one of the people on the dance floor, in the moment having fun.

“What do we do when the music stops?” Burke asked.

“I have no idea,” Georgette said. “I guess we figure it out.”

His eyes turned heavenward, where the music was being piped in. “That would be now; the music stopped.”

They paused dancing and regarded each other. “Do you want to sit down or do you want to keep dancing?” Georgette asked. She knew what she wanted, but she didn’t want to pressure Burke, who was even more unaccustomed to dancing than she was.

He gazed around them, at the other couples continuing to sway. “I guess we could keep going awhile, if you want.”

She nodded, not bothering to tell him how very much she wanted. Something told her he already knew.

They started to sway again, becoming more comfortable as the night wore on. At the end, when the music finished, Georgette thought maybe she wasn’t the only one reluctant to stop and walk away.

CHAPTER 20

“Hey, do you want to go somewhere with me today?”

Burke popped into the kitchen as Georgie was finishing her breakfast and reading her to-do list for the day. She froze, her mind in a tumult. Today was going to be the day she put the final touches on the decorations for the winter festival. Her list of things that still needed done was approximately four pages long. She absolutely did not have time to leave the inn. On the other hand, Burke never asked for help. She couldn’t say no, if he genuinely needed her.

“Is it really important? Do you need me?” she asked, more than half hopeful he’d say no.

He nodded. Not exactly the pleading she’d envisioned, but he also wasn’t great at asking for things. With a final regretful glance toward her list, she stood. “Okay. Let me grab my things.”

Georgette could be quick, especially when she wanted to hurry so she could get back and do her work. She grabbed her purse, glanced in the mirror, smoothed a couple of flyaway hairs, and she was ready.

Burke was already in the car waiting for her by the time she was finished. They pulled onto the road and headed toward the highway. “What do you need help with today?” she asked.

“Something important,” was all he said, staring stoically through the dash.

“Is it a secret?” she asked.

“No. I’ll tell you when we get there.”

Georgette pulled out a piece of paper and pen.

“What are you writing down?” Burke asked her.

“My to do list,” she said. If she went over it again and wrote everything down, maybe it would help take some of the pressure off her. Maybe she didn’t have as much to do as she thought she did.

“Try to forget it today, you work too hard,” Burke said.

“I can’t, Burke. I have so much to do. There’s no way I’ll get it all done before the festival, at this rate.”

“I’ll help you,” Burke promised.

It was a sweet sentiment, but he didn’t take the initiative to do the things she wanted, meaning she had to think of them and ask him. The mental weight was still on her. Not that it was his fault. He had no idea the plans in her head, nor how they should look, nor in what order they should be done.Am I doing too much?She wondered but wouldn’t allow herself to admit that the answer might be yes. And she wouldn’t let herself look at how much pressure she was putting on the event because if she did that, it felt like defeat or failure. She would get everything done and it would be spectacular and the town would be grateful, the end.

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