Page 95 of Own the Eights Gets Married
“Mr. Marks probably does. He’s listened to me recite it a million times,” the teen countered.
“Let’s focus on you, champ,” Jordan said, catching the boy’s eye in the rearview mirror.
“You guys aren’t in a fight, are you?” Simon asked as the worry returned to his face.
“No, it’s nothing like that,” Georgie answered.
Simon leaned forward and pressed his elbows to his knees. “You guys haven’t been hanging out at the bookshop very much these last couple weeks.”
Shit! The last thing he wanted to do was upset Simon.
“It’s been a busy time with the Shakespeare Shuffle and…” Georgie began, her eyes begging him to help her out.
“And everything else going on with us,” he finished.
Jesus! Could neither of them even say the wordwedding?
The teen gave them an unconvinced half nod.
Simon looked up to him and Georgie just as he’d looked up to Maureen and Deacon all those years ago before Deacon lost his way. And there was no way in hell he was about to let Simon think he didn’t love and respect Georgie. He swallowed hard, trying to come up with something encouraging to say when Georgie placed her hand over his.
“We’re going to be okay,” she said, giving it a gentle squeeze.
“We are?” he answered in a cracked voice, not meaning for it to come out as a question.
“I hope so,” she said, blinking back tears.
He threaded his fingers with hers and rested their clasped hands on the console as they cruised down the boulevard.
“Back to mushy. That’s more like I remember it,” Simon said, feigning teen mortification at their display of affection.
But what the hell was going on? Was Georgie only doing this to make Simon feel better before the race? It felt genuine. But could the tears in her eyes be tears of sadness—the tears over something about to end?
He couldn’t let that happen.
They approached the community center, and reluctantly, he released her hand. “I better let go so I can park.”
“Right,” she answered, clasping her hands nervously in her lap.
Instantly, he missed her touch, hating the loss of the connection he longed for over the last two weeks. He turned into the parking lot across from the community center and found a spot. He cut the ignition as his gaze traveled to the teen in the back seat, and he pushed aside the emotion welling in his chest.
Simon was their priority now.
Georgie opened the car door. “Jordan, why don’t you stick with Simon. I’ll go check in with the director and our volunteer coordinator. I’ll catch up with you two during the race,” she said, gifting the teen a grin before exiting the car.
He watched Georgie jog up to the volunteer stand. When would he see her again? He needed to carve out a moment to get her alone—to apologize, to make her see they were meant to be together.
It couldn’t be over between them. It simply couldn’t.
“Mr. Marks, are you ready?” Simon asked.
Ready?
Jordan swallowed past the lump in his throat. Was he ready to find out if the woman he loved would take him back? And what if it was over? How the hell would he go on?
“It looks like it’s you and me, big guy,” he said to the teen, doing his best not to sound defeated.
“Yeah,” Simon replied, nodding to himself as if he were turning something over in his mind.
