Page 39 of For Butter or for Worse
“No!” Cecily snaps at us. “There’s no ‘try’ in this. Only doing.”
Coop snickers again, and this time all three of us glare at him. “Alright, I can see where I’m not wanted. Have fun with your little project,Mrs. Yoda. You’ll be lucky if they’re both in one piece at the end of all this.”
He wanders off, and though he was probably joking, there’s a good chance Iwon’tbe making it to the other side in one piece if Cecily is truly going to makeus go through the process of counseling, or whatever it is she plans to do. I’m likely to end with a heart split in two.
Chapter Fourteen
King
I knew it wastoo much to hope, but I’m still irritated when I discover Cecily wasn’t kidding about working around our schedules and finding time to push Georgie and me together. She left me alone that first day after talking to Vanderman, during which I reorganized the surf shop until it was late enough for me to go home and crash without talking to either Georgie or her friend, but I just finished up my last lesson today, and Cecily is standing in the surf shop doorway with a wicked gleam in her eyes.
Georgie is right behind her looking green.
“This place is darling!” Cecily says by way of greeting.
I ignore her and keep my focus on my wife.My wife. That’s a phrase that’s been on repeat for two days, and I’m not thrilled about it. I was starting to get used to the idea, but now it’s like my brain needs it front and center at all times. “How was your day?” I ask Georgie.
She shrugs. “Pretty normal.”
Cecily’s gaze snaps back to her. “Excuse me?”
Georgie sighs. “I met with Beck today and talked about possible updates to the layout.”
I try to hide the sharp pains that shoot through my chest at the thought of anything in that bakery changing, but I’m not sure I manage it. I know it needs some renovations, but I’m still worried I’m going to step inside one day and not recognize the place. I don’t think Georgie’s that heartless, but what do I know?
Maybe the sharp pain is a repeat of my worries from the other night at the pool hall. I don’t think Beck would go for Georgie, but…
Clearing my throat, I busy myself with closing out the register. If only I had a valid reason to run away from this conversation, but I don’t. “And?”
“He thinks we can make all the changes pretty quickly, though we’ll have to do it in pieces so I can stay open while he works.”
“That’s great.” At least it won’t be a total overhaul, but now I’m imagining my friend wielding his contractor muscles while Georgie sits on the counter and watches him work, with a plate of warm chocolate chip cookies ready for him on her lap. I shudder. “Beck is good at what he does.”
“Ahem.” That’s Cecily, and I already know what she’s going to say next. “Do, Mr. Kingston. Remember, there’s no trying when it comes to relationships.”
I look up and meet Georgie’s gaze again. Her almost-smile is enough to tell me she thinks this is as ridiculous as I do, but we don’t really have a choice. Especially because we could have had to sit down with some snooty guy chosen by Mr. Vanderman, and that would have been a disaster. Cecily, at least, will have Georgie’s best interest at heart, whatever that will mean in the end.
“I still don’t love that you’re making changes,” I admit, knowing Cecily will likely keep pushing me until I speak my truths. And I’m not about to say anything about how I’m worried Georgie will fall for Beck, who is both friendly and generally considered attractive.
I don’t know how Cecily knew I was going to be resistant to saying what I’m really feeling, but she seems to have me pinned down without even knowing me. I also don’t know how Georgie is friends with this woman. Then again, Georgiehas only ever been afraid to speak her mind once. I still have no idea why she ran from my proposal, and it’s likely that I never will.
Georgie sighs. “I know you don’t like it, but a lot of things need to be replaced. I’m sure even Bill would agree with me if he were here.”
“Maybe, but he’s not here to disagree either.”
“I promise it will be worth it.”
“Maybe,” I agree again. But that won’t change the fact that every renovation is going to be a step away from what’s left of my family. One of these days I’ll convince myself that a building doesn’t equate to my uncle’s memory, but I don’t think that’s going to be today.
“Here’s what I think you two need,” Cecily says, stepping into my line of sight so I have to look at her instead of Georgie. Ignoring my scowl, she reaches out a hand toward each of us. If she’s expecting me to grab hold, she’s got another thing coming. “I don’t know enough about you, King, and I really want to see how well you work together so I know where we need to focus.”
“What does that entail, exactly?” Georgie asks. Unlike me, she took Cecily’s hand, but I think she’s regretting that now that she’s closer to Cecily’s wild-eyed look. It’s going to be a lot harder for her to escape, and if I have to leave her behind to get away from whatever Cecily is planning, I may not even look back.
Cecily wiggles her fingers at me for a few seconds and then gives up, instead lifting her hand to touch a finger to her lips. “That is an excellent question, Georgie. I have two options in mind for tonight. One King will probably hate, and the other I know you will.”
“The first one,” I say quickly, which surprises me as much as it seems to surprise them. I shrug as I try to figure out why I would choose something I’m not going to like. “I get the feeling we’ll be doing both things at some point, so I might as well get the awful one over first.”
“What if I want to use that argument?” Georgie asks.
