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I arrived at her building at noon and went up to help her with her bag.
“Hey.” Her forehead was creased with worry lines. “I’m not done packing. I have no idea what to bring, since you won’t tell me any of our plans or where we’re staying.”
“Just bring comfortable clothes. Maybe something nice to go out at night once in a while.”
“You can’t just say ‘something nice to go out at night’ to a woman. We need more than that. Are we going to a fancy place? Casual? Will there be walking involved? We have heels that are for being dropped off at the door, and heels for walking a few blocks. But if it’s going to be more than that, I might need flats.” She shook her head. “Shoot. I didn’t pack flats. Only sneakers. Which reminds me—will there be exercising? Because I brought leggings and casual things, but they’re not the leggings I’d wear to the gym. I like moisture wicking for that. Oh, should I bring towels? What about rain gear? Did you bring an umbrella? Shoot. I didn’t bring ponytail holders—”
She was on the verge of losing it. So I spoke over her. “Georgia…”
Her eyes flashed to mine.
I set my hands on her shoulders. “Whatever you’re missing, we’ll buy it. We’re staying in the city, not going to the wilderness where we’re fucked if you forget the bear spray. Or if you don’t want to go shopping, we can come back here and pick up something if you need it. Take a deep breath.”
She did, but then stalked away two seconds later.
I followed her into her bedroom. When I saw the piles of shit on her bed, I got a little concerned. There had to be a few hundred hangers of crap. “You’re not planning on bringing all that, are you?”
She shook her head. “I couldn’t find a green sweater I wanted to bring. So I took half the stuff out of my closet.”
Jesus, that’s only half? “Did you find the sweater?”
“I think I might’ve loaned it to Maggie.”
“Do you want to stop over there and get it?”
“Maybe this isn’t a good idea.”
My brows shot up. “Because you don’t have your sweater?”
Georgia avoided making eye contact and rummaged through the piles on her bed. After moving things around for a while, she let out a big sigh and looked up at me. “I’m nervous.”
I couldn’t have stopped my smile if I’d tried. “Really? I never would’ve been able to tell.”
She picked up a sweatshirt from the top of a pile and threw it at me.
I caught it and set it back down. Then I moved another pile to the floor and sat on the bed, holding my hand out to her. “Come here.”
She hesitated, but eventually she took my hand, and I used it to pull her onto my lap. “Talk to me.” Georgia looked down, and I pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. “What are you nervous about?”
“Everything.”
I nodded. “Okay. Let’s take them one at a time. Tell me all the things that are freaking you out.”
“Not being in the office.”
“You’re bringing your laptop and cell, right?”
“Yes.”
I shrugged. “So if there’s a problem, they know how to reach you. And we’ll be right here in the city, so you can get back if something important comes up. You go out of the office for meetings sometimes, right?”
“Yes, but that’s different.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. It just is. This is two weeks, not an afternoon.”
“Okay. So the amount of time is what’s bothering you. Why don’t we cut our trip from two weeks to two days? You can decide after two days if you need to go back or want to keep going with our staycation.”
“But…you said you made plans.”
“I’ll change them, if need be.”
“Really?”
I nodded. “Not a problem. But you should know, you’re not the only one who’s competitive. I’m going to do everything I can to make you have such a good time that you won’t want to go back.”
For the first time, a smile peeked through the stress on her face. “Okay.”
“Anything else?”
She looked down and twisted her fingers. “I’m nervous about…us.”
I lifted her chin so our eyes met. “I booked us two rooms. They’re adjoining. There’s no pressure there.”
“You did?”
I nodded. “I did.”
Her shoulders relaxed, and she let out a rush of air. “Okay.”
I smiled. “We’re doing great. What else you got?”
“Those are really the two biggest things.”
“That wasn’t so bad.”
“For you…” She laughed.
“You know what will make you feel even better?”
“What?”
I slid my hand up from her back to her neck and pulled her close. “Kissing me hello.”
Georgia sank into me. I could feel the sigh roll through her body, taking the tension with it as she opened and let my tongue in. By the time we separated, I’d almost forgotten my name. So if it was half as good for her, I’d done my job, and she’d be okay today.
