Page 13 of Beau

But then he had been provoked the entire ride. His mischievous wife had unzipped him and proceeded to drive him to distraction by wrapping her fingers around him and bringing him to blazing life.

He loved moments like that and wanted more. But this obsession to have children was going to ruin that. Shaking his head, he jerked the files forward, determined to get her off his mind.

He had become involved with the company as soon as he realized that what he felt for Georgie was not the usual fling or just something that was going to disappear in a matter of weeks.

That what he felt for her was permanent. He had shied away from responsibilities before even though he had been groomed to take over from his dad when he chose to retire.

He had gone through the ritual, college and university had been a breeze for him and he came out with honors. He was well educated, knew about various businesses. But after his mother’s death, nothing was important to him anymore.

He had burned through his very generous allowance every month. On his twenty-fifth birthday he had inherited several million dollars from his mother. He had spent lavishly, and rewarded the women he was involved with expensive trinkets. He bought a speed boat, a dirt bike and a race car.

All had been designed to pull off his lifestyle back then. A therapist had told him that he was flirting with death, and he had fired the man instantly, calling him a goddamned quack who had no idea what he was talking about. But the man had been right.

He had been flirting with death. Had tried not to think about what losing his mother meant. And how much it affected him. Now he had something to live for. His wife had brought purposeback to his life. Now he wanted to live it to the fullest. He was not going to allow her to take that away from him.

With a tortured groan, he opened the contract before him and dove into the legal jargon.

*****

Georgie wandered around the bedroom, straightening an already spotless room. She had nothing to do and did not want to think. The doctors had told her to rest.

“Give it a day and you can resume your normal activities after that.”

She was involved with various charities. The plights of children concern her. She was actively involved in righting all the wrongs she could. With her own money and with her husband’s she could afford to do just that.

She and the others were raising awareness of children suffering from cancer. She volunteered at the hospital’s pediatric ward twice a week, bringing the children as much cheer as she could. It amazed her that those tiny human beings could endure so much suffering. It breaks her heart to see them in pain.

But it cheered her to realize how brave they were. They handled their illnesses with aplomb. One girl in particular, Sarah told her solemnly that God was waiting for her in heaven. That he had a special place for her there.

That might be the case, but she had wanted to tell the five-year-old that heaven should not be her home just yet. She deserved to live her life here on earth first.

Instead, she tried to bring comfort to a ward that was redolent with death. Yes, their lives were being prolonged, her husband’s company donated several million dollars a year to research, so that a cure can be found. But it seemed like they were fighting a losing battle.

Beau had accused her of bringing the grief home with her. After their first few arguments, she had been careful to keep itfrom him. She understood his position. He had lost his beloved mother to cancer, and he still felt that loss acutely.

She admired the mothers and the children in that ward, it was mostly the mothers who dedicated their time to being with the kids. Men had a way of ignoring things like terminal illnesses, in the hopes that it would disappear.

Her husband had called to say tersely that he was going to be late. For the first time in their marriage, the tension was palpable, and she had no idea what to do about it.

Chapter 4

“I can’t believe you are going through with it. Pass me the salt, please. I hate these fancy restaurants. Couldn’t you have chosen somewhere less conspicuous?” Sandra shook the condiment over her passion fruit salad liberally, no doubt altering the taste of the fruit. Georgie wondered why she had bothered to order the meal in the first place.

“Andre is a friend of mine.” She had ordered the floral soup and sweet bread which was a house favorite.

“He fawns over you like you are the next best thing.”

“I did not invite you to lunch to have you criticizing everything I do.”

Her sister grimaced and muttered an apology. “I sound like a damn grouch, don’t I?”

“You do.”

Picking up her glass, she took a sip of the sharply sweet lemon water. “I am hell to live with. The pregnancy is kicking my butt and work is a nightmare.” She caught her sister’s expression and was immediately remorseful. “I am sorry honey.”

“Why?” Georgie stirred her soup. “I am not going to fall apart at the ‘p’ word. God willing, I will soon be in the exact same boat.” Her eyes glowed with hope.

“What is Beau saying?”