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With a nod, Georgia turned and joined me, and we headed back to the car, both of us worn out from a long hike and an unexpected adventure.
30
GEORGIA
All the way back to the house, I brushed tears off my cheeks. It had been so heartwarming to see Emilia and her mother reunited. The girl had obviously been terrified to realize she’d gotten separated from her mother, but the moment they found one another again, everything in the world was perfect.
I’d also been very impressed with the way that Beau handled the entire situation. Not only did he jump in to help save the day, but he thought of getting her ice cream and also was able to speak enough Swiss-German to be able to communicate with the little girl so she wouldn’t be as frightened as she might otherwise be. I had no idea he could speak another language. It made me wonder what other secrets this mysterious man was keeping from me. At least this one was one that made me feel good inside, unlike the truth bomb he’d dropped on me this morning about his wife and baby.
We pulled up to the house and went inside. I could feel the time zone difference messing with my body again, making me feel so very tired. The hike probably had something to do with it and then the emotional turmoil of looking for Emilia’s mother. Part of me wanted to go inside and take a nap.
But then, I also needed to process everything that had happened. I checked the time on my phone and did a quick calculation. If I called Lucy right now, I’d catch her getting ready for work. It wasn’t ideal, but I needed to chat with someone.
Walking inside, I asked Beau, “Is it all right if I go call Lucy? I just wanna see how she’s doing.”
“Of course,” he said, pausing near the stairs. “You can use one of the extra bedrooms for some privacy if you’d like.”
“Thank you.” I smiled at him, and he returned the gesture before heading upstairs. I assumed he was probably going to the main bedroom.
I decided to duck into the bedroom I’d been in earlier in the day when Sven was here, showing us around the house. It was a cozy room with nice views, and I’d felt comfortable when I was in there before.
Taking my phone out of my pocket, I dropped down on the bed and quickly found Lucy’s number, pressing her name and hoping she answered. There was a lot I hadn’t gotten a chance to tell her yet, and I was really craving her advice.
She answered fairly quickly. “Hey! What’s up? Everything okay? Isn’t it like the middle of the night there?”
Her questions were almost as overwhelming as the emotions I’d been feeling before I even called her. “Um, slow down, girl,” I told her. “Take a breath.”
“Sorry! I’m just really excited that you called. Are you in Hawaii still?”
God, how long had it been since I spoke to her? “No, I’m in Switzerland,” I told her.
“Shut the front door!” Lucy exclaimed. “Really? Since when? I thought you were headed to Maui.”
“I did go to Maui, but we left a little early to beat a storm.” I noted that it hadn’t actually rained here, but maybe it was a storm on the way here? I wasn’t sure. Obviously, Beau and his pilots knew a lot more about flying around storms than I did. For that matter, maybe I’d slept through the storm.
“Oh. So how is it going?” I could hear the smile in her voice as she asked the question, like she was teasing me.
“It’s going pretty good,” I told her. “But it’s gotten a little weird the last couple of days.”
“Really? I’m sorry. Weird how?” I heard her tone change when she asked, “Wait—like kinky weird? Is he into some fun stuff you’re too much of a prude to try?”
I wanted to blurt out exactly what I was talking about, but I knew that would make her feel bad, so I chose my words more carefully. “No, nothing like that. He just told me a bit about his past, and it’s really sad. That’s all.”
“Sad how?” Lucy wanted to know.
I took a deep breath and said, “So I found out that his wife died a few years ago. I already knew that. But this morning, he told me that she was actually pregnant when she died.”
Lucy was quiet for a few seconds before she said, “Oh, God. I’m so sorry, Georgia. Poor guy. That had to have been so hard for him.”
“I know. It clearly was. After he told me, I wasn’t sure how to act or what to say. How do I know he’s even interested in a serious relationship after something like that?”
“Georgia, don’t be silly,” she said. “You can’t base your relationship with him off his past. You have to look at how he feels about you. Does he treat you well? Does he seem interested in you? Do you feel close to him?”
The answer to all of those questions was the same. “Yeah, he’s great. I think he likes me, but my reaction to that information this morning made things a little weird between us. I felt closer to him before, but we just had a traumatic experience that made me feel closer to him again.”
“What kind of a traumatic experience?” she asked.
“We found a lost little girl and helped reunite her with her mother.” That was a quick summation of what had happened.
