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Just as they reached the carpark, Mikayla pulled up, bouncing out of the car with a speculative twinkle in her eye. “Hey.”
“Hi. I was just dropping in on Leah.”
“Me too.”
Georgie turned to Ryan. “Thank you.”
“Aye, you’re welcome.” With a smile for Mikayla, Ryan walked off back down the track. Mikayla watched him go for a moment, then gave Georgie a wink before heading into the Long House.
* * *
Cheese and crackers for dinner? Georgie sighed, throwing a pack of rice crackers in the shopping cart. Oh, basil and pesto dip. Now, that’s living. The dip followed the crackers into the trolley. She surveyed the contents. Breadsticks. Apples. Cheese. Crackers. Pesto dip. Pathetic. She sighed again, leaning on the trolley as she pushed it down the aisle. Maybe she should buy a sandwich press, at least. A hot toastie seemed more dinner like than breadsticks. Didn’t it?
Heading into the next aisle, she felt her heart do a slow roll in her chest. Ryan, standing with one hand on the trolley, head bent as he read the instructions on the back of a box. She seriously considered backing away. She just struggled to deal with this weird reaction she had to him. But he was her neighbor and she was likely to see him pretty much every day. No point avoiding him. “Ryan. Hi.” Jesus. Maybe she had cardiac problems. She felt his smile right down to her toes.
“Hello there. How are you?”
“Great, thanks. You?”
“Grand, thank you.”
“Lovely.” Georgie wasn’t sure what else to say. “I’ll, uh, I’ll leave you to it, then.”
“I’m just finishing up. I’ll give you a hand.” He said it in such a matter of fact tone that Georgie couldn’t argue. They went through the checkout and Ryan took the two bags containing Georgie’s groceries, handed her the walking cane she’d hooked over the handle of her trolley and escorted her to her car. Georgie was aware that under normal circumstances, she would find such assistance embarrassing. Mostly because people tended to fawn over her as they did it. Or ask intrusive questions. But Ryan simply put the groceries in the front seat of her car, gave her a smile, said, “I’ll see you later,” and walked off. Georgie watched him go, a curious smile playing about her lips.
CHAPTER3
Ryan O’Shannessy had had a confusing few days. Since the moment Georgie had collapsed in his arms, he felt his life had been turned upside down. She was mysterious and sweet and gorgeous and vulnerable and strong and confusing. He couldn’t stop thinking about her. About her condition. About seeing her crawling out of her car. His heart squeezed hard at the memory.
She’d looked to be in terrible pain, the agony in her eyes unmistakable. There was also no mistaking everyone’s reaction when he’d called out. The tall red headed woman, Mikayla, had ripped the door open at his shout. Juniper had hurried over, her eyes filled with concern, and led the way to the spare bedroom. Ryan had laid Georgie carefully on the bed. She weighed hardly anything. He could feel her bones through her baggy sweater. He checked her pulse while Mikayla went and got her medical kit from her car. A quick exam had shown no major issues, so Ryan had left them to it after asking Mikayla to let him know if she needed anything.
He'd been very relieved when he’d seen her that afternoon at her car. But since then, he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her. He wanted, desperately, to know more about why she was in the condition she was in and what was being done to help her.
He stepped out to the veranda of his cabin to see a bright April afternoon, with a deep blue sky above him just starting to turn shadowy with the first hint of evening falling. The ocean rolled, flecked with the white caps of waves. As he lifted the lid on the barbecue and pressed the igniter, a movement out of the corner of his eye grabbed his attention. Georgie. Walking on her cane, over to the sandstone wall.
“Georgie,” he said as he took a few steps down the track that joined their two cabins.
She turned sharply, gripping her cane to stop herself from falling over. “Oh, hey.”
She was quite beautiful in spite of the lines that pain had etched into her face. Her blonde hair was hanging loose in beachy waves and her pale blue eyes, fringed with fine, dark lashes seemed to see straight through him. He had a sudden idea. “Are you vegetarian?”
Although startled at the suddenness of the question, she said, “No.”
“Would you like to have dinner with me? I’ve got steak and potato salad.” She started to shake her head, no. “Please.” He blew out a breath when she changed her mind, nodding and taking a step towards him. He met her halfway and held his arm out. She slipped her arm through his, giving him a hesitant smile. He was half tempted to ask her to let him carry her as she limped up the pathway next to him.
“Sit yourself there, mo chroi,” he said as he helped her up onto the veranda. “I’ll be back in a minute.” He went inside, quickly throwing together the makings for dinner and came back out to the veranda.
“What does that mean? Mo chroi?” Georgie asked.
He was surprised at her perfect pronunciation. “It’s Irish for hairy assed goat.” He glanced at her as he lifted the lid on the Weber, grinning when he saw her eyes dancing. She really was very lovely.
“What does it really mean?”
He shrugged. “There’s no exact translation.” He waved his hand over the top of the barbecue, testing the heat. Satisfied, he threw the steaks on, appreciating the way they sizzled on the grill. “But ‘my heart’ is probably closest.” He flicked her another look, frowning a little as he saw that she’d turned away, looking down the track towards the ocean. He let her sit in her quiet while he cooked, threw together a green salad and tossed the potatoes in butter and mayonnaise. “Would you like a glass of wine? I’ve got chardonnay and Moscato.” He said after he’d set the table. He felt his breath catch when she smiled at him.
“Moscato would be lovely, thank you.”
He poured her a glass of wine as the last of the day faded away and the sky turned to night. Flicking the porch light on, he joined her at the small table. It was so small that their knees were almost touching. He held himself back, not wanting to crowd her. They ate in peaceful quiet for the next few minutes, Ryan watching Georgie surreptitiously. She pushed her food around on the plate a fair bit, only taking an actual bite every now and then. He made sure to eat slowly, to drag out the time she had to eat. “Georgie?” he asked softly.
