Beginning, Previous Section, Section III
Jump to new as of November 26, 2002
Jump to new as of December 6, 2002
Jump to new as of December 8, 2002
"What the...?"
Georgie blinked, rubbed her eyes with her fist, and blinked again. Nope, still two sets of dishes in the drainer.
"OK, there must be an explanation." She went over them in her mind.
1. Alex fed the cat part of his dinner. Did Spit use a fork?
2. He was incredibly clumsy and dropped a plate on the floor, having to get another plate. Then he dropped his fork, and had to get another one of those, too, thereby having to wash two sets of dishes.
3. He was one of those people who don't like their food to touch, and used two different plates and forks.
4. The first set of dishes were from supper, and the second set were from breakfast.
5. He had set the table for two, and since she hadn't shown up, he put her clean dishes in the drainer instead of putting them back in the cupboard.
6. Someone - and she could just imagine who - was here last night and stayed for supper.
OK, so some of those were a little farfetched. But the last one wasn't. Or was it? Frustrated, but undaunted, she decided to try making dinner just one more time. She knew she had to be at the inn tonight, but if there were two sets of dishes in the drainer again...
Resolutely, she put away the clean dishes and began making a tuna casserole (a one-plate dish if ever there was one), only to find, the next day, two sets of dishes once again!
The Bingleys and the Darcys were having a night out, and had brought their broods to the inn for supper. Georgie's delight at seeing her family was overshadowed, however, by the fact that she was still fuming about her earlier discovery.
"Ooooh, he makes me so mad!" Georgie muttered under her breath as she showed the two families to their table.
"Let me guess," Will said with a chuckle. "Want me to go next door and beat him to a pulp?"
"No, but thanks anyway, 'daddy,'" she teased, and was surprised when Will turned bright red.
"What? What did I say?" She turned to Lizzie for an explanation.
"The magic word," Lizzie whispered, and then giggled. "We're pregnant!"
Georgie squealed with delight and gave her sister-in-law a hug, drawing stares from the other guests. "I wondered why you were all here tonight! How wonderful! And just when were you planning on telling me!" she demanded of them both. "And Richard! And your dad!"
Will coughed and glared at Lizzie. "Lizzie's dad knows, but we haven't even told the Bingleys yet. I was hoping to pull you aside and see if you could round up some champagne before making an announcement."
"Champagne, coming up! Hey, Jane! Make sure this expectant mom doesn't drink any of the champagne I'm on my way to fetch!" She pointed to Lizzie as she called across the table, where Jane was settling her children. Jane, too, squealed with excitement, thrust Grace into Charles' arms and ran to hug the Darcys.
Georgie danced into the kitchen, Alex all but forgotten. "Richard! Where is Dr. Bennet? I'm going down for some champagne...I want Lizzie's dad to give the first toast to Will's unborn child!" She laughed at the shocked expression on Richard's face and went down to the cellar for a couple of bottles of the good stuff. Richard was beaming by the time she came back upstairs, a bottle under each arm. He had a tray of glasses ready.
"It's not chilled, but if we put it on ice, we can all have some with their dessert," she decided.
"Are you going to call Alex to join us?" he asked.
"No, why should I?" Georgie was rather proud of the indifferent face she put to her cousin before going back into the dining room to take orders for dinner. Now if she could just feel indifferent...
To her credit, she did try, several times, to call Alex and share her good news. If he was home in time, he could have a glass a champagne. But his cell phone was busy and the home phone rang and rang. She was going to have to get that man an answering machine.
In the meantime, there were toasts to be made, champagne to be consumed and good wishes to be shared. When the family left, everyone was in a happy mood, except for Georgie, who kept thinking about Alex, even as she gave her brother a last kiss, thanking him for making her an aunt.
"I know I don't have to tell you to take care of Lizzie," she told him, "but don't treat her like a piece of glass, either, will ya? That would drive her absolutely nuts," she advised. Will gravely agreed, kissed his sister in return, and didn't even mention Alex, to her relief.
She tried his phones one last time, to no avail, before declaring outright war on the man. As soon as she had everything settled for the night, she was going to go next door, waiting up for him if she had to. And Miss Larson was going to see just who had the upper hand when it came to Alex's affection!
Only it didn't turn out exactly as she planned.
It was going on 10 o'clock before she ended up next door, only moments before she heard the Volkswagen and another vehicle pull up to the side of the house. She ran to the front door in time to greet a surprised Alex, but he only registered mild shock before a delighted smile brightened his face.
"Georgie!"
He dropped his briefcase to the floor and there, in the doorway of his own home, took her into his arms and kissed her soundly. When he finally loosened his lips and his grip, he wouldn't let her run off, only put one arm around her waist and propelled her into the front room. If she had a coherent thought at that moment, it was a smug feeling that Miss Larson had gotten an eyeful of Alex's greeting.
"Georgie, I'd like you to meet my new assistant, Dennis James."
"Dennis? Assistant? I thought Miss Larson was your assistant." She had just been given a huge public display of affection in front of his new assistant? Oh, no! Not Miss Larson. Could Miss Larson really be gone? Hallelujah!
Then she felt like she had just been doused with a bucket full of ice.
"No, sweetheart - Amy is my research assistant. Denny is my administrative assistant."
"Oh! Mr. James." She nodded in his direction, but she was sorely disappointed that Miss Larson was still working for Alex.
"And Denny, this is the love of my life, Georgiana Darcy."
"I've heard so much about you, Miss Darcy. It is a pleasure. May I say that you are an excellent cook?"
"Thank you - but how do you know?"
"I'm sorry you couldn't be here the last couple of nights, Georgie." Alex went back to retrieve his briefcase and shut the front door before Spit escaped. "Else I could have introduced Denny before now. I've been so busy in the lab, he's been dropping by here to finish up the paperwork, and I've been feeding him."
"Oh! How kind of you, Alex." What else could she say? She felt like the worst sort of heel, thinking Alex had been entertaining Miss Larson, when he had been sharing his meal with his other assistant. His male assistant. And where the heck were her manners?
"I have supper ready for the both of you, then," she said. "Can I join you, or will I be in the way of your work?"
Alex laughed sheepishly. "Actually, we are finished. Denny came over for the food."
The three went into the kitchen and worked in companionable silence, Denny setting the table, Alex opening a bottle of red wine, and Georgie dishing up plates of spaghetti and meat sauce. Spit supervised, and when Georgie put down a small dish of spaghetti, he voiced his thanks.
"Denny and I owe you, Georgie, for such wonderful meals," Alex said once he had eaten two plates of pasta. Georgie beamed. His mom would be so proud of the way she was feeding his son.
"Maybe you two would like to go out dancing one night, with me and my fiancee?" Denny asked.
"You are engaged?" Alex seemed surprised.
"Maria and I are going to be married in the fall. It would have been sooner, but for a few setbacks." Denny turned to Georgie. "I used to be an assistant in an accounting firm, but when my company downsized, I lost my job. But now Alex has hired me to keep his office in line. So far, so good, but I want to be a little bit more established before Maria and I tie the knot. She has a symphony tour this summer, so we might as well wait."
"Maria? Maria Lucas?"
"Why, yes. Do you know Maria?" Denny smiled broadly.
"We went to school together! You remember Maria, Alex - she has that jazz trio that played at your cocktail party!"
The three happily continued their conversation, agreeing that the four of them should go out together soon. While Georgie made a pot of decaf, Alex urged Denny to share a couple of humorous stories from when he was in the Army. That was when she learned he also knew Richard, by reputation, although not personally.
"We lowly sergeants were a chummy lot, though," he told her. "Fitzwilliam's sergeant, his personal aide, was the best. Cutest little thing, not bigger than a minute, but tough as nails. She taught me everything I know about organization."
"She? Wait a minute. I've been hearing stories about Sgt. Forrester for years, and I never knew he was a she! I wonder why Richard never..."
"I don't know. Diana Forrester was his right hand, though. She had a fierce crush on him, too, but knew her place."
Georgie's expression was thoughtful. "There's something going on here I need to check in to. But not tonight. I'm exhausted. Too much champagne... ALEX!" she shouted, startling everyone, including Spit, who ran for cover. How could she forget! "I'm going to be an aunt! Lizzie's pregnant! Everyone was at the inn for the celebration tonight, and I tried to call and give you the news..."
"That's wonderful!" Alex rose from the table and gave Georgie a hug.
Denny took that as his cue to leave. "Delicious, as usual, Miss Darcy. Call me at the office soon and let me know what night you want to go out. Maria is usually free during the week, but I have this new boss who thinks I'm available day and night," he joked.
"Your new boss is paying dearly for your overtime hours," Alex grumbled good-naturedly. "But let Georgie tell you what night she is free and you can schedule us both off."
Denny left after that, and after seeing him to the front door, Alex called to Georgie to forget the dishes. "Come in here," he beckoned from the front parlor. "We've more important things to do."
Georgie didn't need to be asked twice.
"Twin Oaks Inn." Georgie was working in the office the next morning when the phone rang. It was Jane.
"I'm so thrilled for Lizzie and Will!" was the first thing out of Jane's mouth, and she and Georgie spent a few minutes sharing their continued excitement. "Let's give her a few months, make sure everything is going OK, and then we can plan a baby shower. Can we have it at the inn?"
"Of course. Or next door. Alex has plenty of room."
"Oh, so you are over your little snit, are you?"
"I don't know what you are talking about," Georgie said a little too innocently.
"Oh, come off it, Georgie. The entire world knows your every emotion, honey, and last night, when everyone else was so happy the walls were dripping sugar, it could only be Alex giving you problems. Want to tell Auntie Jane all about it?"
"No - my little 'snit,' as you call it, has been resolved. What I want to know is, will it always be like this?"
"Like what?"
"Me getting upset, him not having a clue as to why I'm upset, and just when I get mad enough to do or say something about it, he says or does something and diffuses the situation, one he wasn't even aware of in the first place. How does he do that?"
Jane howled. "Get used to it, sweetie. It's a guy thing. They don't even know they do it. However, I called because I wanted to remind you that you owe me a day of baby-sitting."
"I thought it was a night of baby-sitting?"
"Whatever. What afternoon do you have free?"
"I have time Thursday and Sunday."
"How about Sunday? I'll drop the kids off right after church and you can feed them. I'll come get them about six o'clock."
"Fine with me. Alex doesn't know it, of course, but he owes me big time, for two sets of dishes in the drainer. He can help watch the kids."
"Huh?"
"Long story. I'll tell you sometime."
"OK. See you Sunday, if not sooner, and ask Alex if we can use his house for Lizzie's baby shower."
"Will do."
"Yeah, I guess he did," Jane snickered. "And look what happened!"
"Jane?" Georgie was trying not to laugh. Jane really needed no encouragement.
"Yes?"
"You are very naughty!"
Sunday afternoon was a beautiful summer day, so after Alex and Georgie fed Maddie, Aaron and Grace, they put the baby in her stroller and walked the kids to the park. The elder two children were let loose almost as soon as they entered the park, with Alex on their heels to make sure they stayed safe. Georgie took Grace out of the stroller and walked over to a bench.
There was another woman seated there, a pretty thing who looked like she had seen better days, and who was very pregnant. Georgie thought of Lizzie and sighed. She loved the Bingley children dearly, but the thought of being a real, live aunt was almost as exciting as knowing that Alex loved her. Almost.
She watched a long time as Alex played with Aaron and Maddy, and thought how much like a real family the five of them appeared. Apparently the lady on the bench thought so, too.
"What a lovely family you and your husband have."
"Oh, we're not married." Georgie realized how that sounded, and she laughed out loud. "I mean, he and I aren't married, and we're baby-sitting for friends."
"Too bad. You look like you belong together, especially you and that baby."
"Oh, Grace and I are old friends, aren't we, sweetheart," she cooed at the baby, who gurgled and smiled. "And I am going to be an aunt soon, myself. I can't wait. I love babies."
"You should have some of your own, too."
Georgie eyed Alex, chasing Aaron around the swings. "Oh, I plan on it. And sooner rather than later, I think, although I don't know how well a family will work with my current job. I run the Twin Oaks Inn down the street."
"That would make it difficult to raise kids, I imagine."
"Exactly! But I'm a fairly optimistic person. I'm sure, with some help, we can work things out."
"You're lucky to have someone to work with. I'm afraid it's just this little one and myself for now," the woman told her, rubbing her extended stomach in a distracted manner. "My mother has been no help at all, and the baby's father, well...I don't even want to think about it."
Grace had fallen asleep, so Georgie put her tenderly back in the stroller, where she didn't, unbelievably, wake. She looked up to see Alex waving her toward the park entrance, a worn-out Aaron on his shoulder, Maddy trudging along manfully behind.
"I'm Georgie, by the way. I have to go, but I hope things work out. Take care." Georgie slowly wheeled the sleeping baby away.
"I'm Lydia," the other woman said sadly to herself. "And I'll try."
Georgie had found a new friend in Denny James.
The perfect administrative assistant, and very aware of Alex and Georgie's relationship, he structured his supervisor's days and work load so that Alex could be home at a decent hour and spend more time with Georgie.
Georgie was not slow in showing her appreciation, and homemade goodies began showing up at Insectitech on a regular basis.
Maria Lucas, thrilled that her fiancé was working for Alex, and that Alex and Georgie were together, took it upon herself to organize several evenings for the four of them. One night they went dancing, they all enjoyed bowling at the Meryton Lanes, and when Georgie invited everyone out to the farm, Maria even planned lunch. Georgie joked that she and Alex had their own social secretaries.
There was one fly in the ointment, however, and Denny spotted it in the first few weeks of his employment: Amy Larson.
He found it annoying the way she tried to boss him around, and how she always found some way to put her hands on Alex. Wondering if Georgie even knew of Amy's existence, he talked to Maria, who promptly showed up at the inn for a chat with her friend.
"She's next door cooking supper and feeding Alex's cat," Richard told her when she dropped by. Maria found Georgie in the kitchen next door, singing along with a local country music station and making pies.
"Whatcha doing?" she called from the back door.
"Baking pies. Peach and berry. I've made some lemonade, too. Wait out there. It's too hot in here and we can sit out under the trees."
"Mrow," the kitten demanded.
"Yeah, you can come, too. But if you even look like you are wandering off, back in the house you go."
"Mrow!" Spit agreed, so she let him out the door and asked Maria to keep an eye on him while she fixed a tray.
Soon Georgie joined her friend outside, bringing two tall glasses of lemonade and big slices of chocolate cake.
"I'm going to gain ten pounds before the end of the year if I keep baking like this," Georgie admitted.
"Well, they say you do that when you get married or move in together."
"I wouldn't presume to think that far ahead."
Maria didn't believe her for a second, and told her so.
"I'll admit the thought of marriage to Alex has crossed my mind a time or two," Georgie laughingly replied.
"Only a time or two? Speaking of Alex, Denny really likes working for him. Says he's a nice man and a good boss."
"He is a nice guy."
"In fact, Denny says that except for Miss Larson, it's the best job he's ever had.
"Miss Larson," Georgie groaned. She rolled her eyes and Maria chuckled.
"It infuriates Denny to see her put her hands all over Alex, always touching him and stuff. I'm glad it's not Denny she wants, or I'd have to go down there and smack her around. In fact, you should be down there smacking her around."
"I don't know," Georgie prevaricated. "I don't really go around taking people out, you know." Her expression was as innocent as a newborn baby's. "I wonder what Alex thinks of all this attention?" She had always wanted to know that, but had been afraid to ask Alex.
"Can you say 'clueless'?"
Georgie cracked up. "I should have known."
She should have known, too, that sooner or later, Amy would realize Alex and Georgie were a serious couple, and take action.
It started innocently enough, when, one Sunday afternoon, after Georgie had invited him to the farm, he asked if they could stop by the office first.
"Sure. I've yet to be given a tour of that place..." Georgie hinted.
"I think I can find someone knowledgeable to show you around," he teased.
So they went to Insectitech, and Georgie ooohed and aaahed appropriately over the offices and laboratories, until they ran into Miss Larson.
"I've just been catching up on my work," that woman explained when Alex wondered what she was doing at the office on a weekend. But the look she gave Georgie was full of venom.
"Carry on, Miss Larson. I'm just showing Georgie around."
"How nice," Miss Larson said sweetly, and got up from her desk to follow them around. She watched Georgie, who had her hands behind her back, nosing around several tables with interest, and sidled over to her while Alex wasn't looking.
"Careful, Miss Darcy. Musn't touch!"
Alex looked up from a metal holder of test tubes in surprise. "Please don't touch anything, Georgie. This work is extremely sensitive and valuable."
"But-"
Miss Larson smiled slyly at Georgie, and she quelled a sudden desire to punch the research assistant right between her eyes. But Miss Larson wasn't finished. Ever so slightly, she slid a glass dish over to the edge of the counter, where it wobbled for a moment before shattering at Georgie's feet.
"Oops!" Miss Larson said insincerely. "I do believe Miss Darcy is a trifle on the clumsy side, sir. Perhaps she could be persuaded to tour elsewhere in the building."
"But-"
"Not a bad idea, Miss Larson. But we really must be going anyway. Come, Georgie."
Georgie followed Alex meekly enough, but she was fuming - as she passed Miss Larson, that woman stuck her tongue out at her. Georgie resisted making an obscene gesture toward the assistant (what if Alex caught her, which seemed to be her luck...), but she did recognize Miss Larson's antics for what they were - a declaration of war.
If she didn't think it was war that day, though, she would have guessed at least sometime the next week. Every evening Denny made sure Alex was home in time to have dinner or some free time with Georgie, and every evening, Miss Larson called Alex's house with a question or other. As they all seemed valid questions, at least on Georgie's end of the line, she could not complain. Oh, she could complain, but then she would have looked like a jealous witch, and she wanted to avoid that all cost.
But, whenever they went out with Denny and Maria, and Miss Larson inevitably appeared, it started to get more than annoying.
"How in the world does she know when Alex is home, and how does she know where we are when we go out together?" she asked Denny one night when they had gone bowling. Alex had gone to get a pizza and a pitcher of beer for them all, and Miss Larson had trotted off after him.
"And does she realize how ridiculous she looks in those bowling shoes and her business suit?" Maria added.
"She's a sly one," Denny agreed. "I keep Alex's schedule on my desk, even his off-time, in case he is needed, and I suppose she is going over my calendar."
"Oh. That explains how she ended up on the other side of the creek at Pemberley Farms the other day, when we had taken the twins for a swim. That's as far as Will's land extends, or else I could have had the fun of ordering her off the property."
"What about property?" Alex wanted to know, balancing a pizza and a pitcher.
"Nothing dear," Georgie told him and helped him set everything on the table. She noted with much satisfaction, however, that Miss Larson had not been invited to join the group.
"Did you notice how Miss Larson shows up everywhere we go?" she asked innocently. "She looks so lonely. Perhaps Maria and I can fix her up with a man, so she can have some fun of her own."
"I don't know, Georgie. She's such a workaholic. Every time I go into the office after hours, she's always there. She might not appreciate it."
"Oh, I'm sure she wouldn't appreciate it," Georgie agreed sweetly. Maria snickered and even Denny hid a smile. "Her type never does. But I feel so sorry for her..."
But the blind date idea was a bust. Georgie had at first considered pressing Richard into action, or even Dr. Bennet, but decided against it. What if they hit it off? Then she would be forced to see Miss Larson forever. It was Maria who came up with the solution: Guy Rogers, the saxophone player in her jazz trio.
"I don't care if they hit it off or not, because she's not stalking my man," she told Georgie, who had to agree. However, even after Denny and Maria went to a lot of trouble for Guy to meet Miss Larson innocently enough at Insectitech, and he asked her out, she refused. He called her again, and again she refused. Georgie and Maria had to admit they had failed, but they weren't about to give up the war, just because they had lost a skirmish.
Alex, too, had begun to wonder what all the secrecy between Denny, Maria and herself was about.
"We're just trying to fix Miss Larson up with a man," he was told, and he let it go.
"You know," Denny said one evening, when they had all gone dancing and Miss Larson had shown up once again, "if you and Alex were married, that would go a long way in showing her she hasn't a chance with him." The trio watched as Alex, being polite, was dancing with his research assistant.
Georgie blushed. "There is nothing I would like better than to be married to Alex, but he is the type to take forever to propose."
"What is wrong with proposing to him? I'll bet he accepts in a heartbeat!" Denny wasn't blind; he knew how much Georgie meant to his boss.
"Hmmm, do you think so?" Georgie, once she had an idea in her head, was as much of a bulldozer as her brother. Propose to Alex...
"You propose to Alex? I think that is a wonderful idea!" his mother enthused the next afternoon. "Let's face it, my dear, the boy is incredibly slow. I sometimes wonder if he is even my child."
"Oh, I think he is, because he is so sweet," Georgie couldn't help but reply.
"Well, I'll admit there is some resemblance."
"I only have one problem. His research assistant, Miss Larson." Georgie went on to explain how Alex was being stalked by his employee.
"Of all the nerve! But I have an idea. Let me think about it for awhile, and I will call you this evening at the inn. In the meantime, what are you feeding my son? He stopped by the apartment the other day when he was in the city for a meeting, and I swear, we are going to have to buy that man some new clothes. He has put on ten pounds, at least! About time, too!"
"Unfortunately, I've gained almost the same amount!"
"Oh, I think you could use it, too, my dear. It's not good for women of child-bearing years to be too thin, you know..."
"Ur, um, yes ma'am," Georgie meekly replied. But she was grinning from ear to ear as she asked Mrs. Bailey if Alex had told her the news about Lizzie.
"No! But you know Alex, dear, he is so absentminded. That's wonderful! Gives me a good excuse to go shopping, too."
"We are going to have a baby shower here very soon. May I send you an invitation?"
"I will never forgive you, dear, if you don't!"
"Insectitech, Dr. Bailey's office."
"Denny!" Georgie didn't know why she whispered, but it seemed appropriate.
"Georgie! Why are you whispering?" he whispered back.
"I don't know." She laughed and tickled Spit with her foot while she whipped up a cheesecake. "I'm here at Alex's, baking, with just Spit for company."
"Can you send that cheesecake into the office?" he asked plaintively.
"Sure! In exchange for some help..."
"Spill it! And make it quick! Miss You-Know-Who is coming down the hall right now."
"OK! Look, I'm going to propose to Alex over a picnic in his office. I want you to schedule me an appointment for lunch for next Tuesday."
"So late? Why not this Friday?"
"You know how busy it gets at the inn on the weekends. If I do this next Tuesday, I will have time to prepare."
"Gotcha. I'm penciling you in for lunch next Tuesday."
"Thanks, Denny, you are the best!"
"Don't forget to send the cheesecake."
"If you don't think Alex will get jealous," she said with a laugh.
After a telephone conversation that continued over several days with Mrs. Bailey and Denny, Georgie showed up at Insectitech promptly at noon Tuesday in a sexy summer dress and strappy little sandals, a basket full of his favorite foods, and a ring, only to find a crotchety old lady at Denny's desk, and no appointment on the calendar for Georgie.
"What?" she cried when the old lady nastily told her she was not allowed to wait in Dr. Bailey's office.
"No appointment, no appointment," she told Georgie.
"When is Denny coming back?" Georgie wanted to know.
"He called in sick today, not that it's any of your business."
"Oh, no!" What else could she do but haul her lunch home with her, and start all over? And why did she have the sneaky suspicion that Miss Larson was behind this latest snafu?
Contrary to what everyone else thought, Alex was getting dog tired of being pursued by Miss Larson, and he was totally aware of how frustrated Georgie was by the entire ordeal.
When Miss Larson had caused several accidents that day in the lab, he almost called her on it, but having dealt with Amy before, he was in no mood to listen to her saccharine-sweet apologies and witness her crocodile tears. At the time, it was easier to have Georgie bear the brunt of the situation, even as it pained him to have her do so.
And his Georgie did not complain when Amy began showing up everywhere they did. He had nothing but admiration for the patient young woman he was hoping to soon call his wife.
He had the proposal all planned out, too. With some help from his mom, whom he was sure would welcome the idea with open arms, he would fix supper for Georgie, who always cooked for him, and then take her out on the front porch, where he was planning to have a swing installed. There he would ask her, in the summer moonlight, to share the rest of her life with him. He already had the ring, so it would be just a matter of timing...
"That man has awful timing!" Georgie grumbled that same afternoon. She had gone to Insectitech for another lunch date, only to be told, sheepishly, by Denny, that someone had changed his calendar once again, and Alex had taken the opportunity for a quick trip into the city to see his mother.
"Now how am I going to be able to propose?" she wailed. "I've got to fix that woman's wagon before she... Why good afternoon, Miss Larson," she called sweetly as the research assistant approached Denny's desk. "Fancy meeting you here!"
"I work here," Miss Larson said haughtily, implying, of course, that Georgie did not. The picnic basket got a pointed look, and then a smirk that Georgie wanted to wipe the floor with. "Mr. James, if you will be so kind as to submit these purchase orders? I need these as soon as possible. As in yesterday!" she barked, dropped a huge pile of papers on Denny's desk, and walked away.
"Blasted witch!" Denny growled. "Spends all week hoarding these things and then expects me to deal with them at the last minute... On the other hand, what if she never gave them to me at all?" He grinned wickedly at Georgie, picked up the pile of forms and then proceeded to shred every last one of them.
"You are a bad man," Georgie admitted.
"I do my best. Now, as to your appointment, what can we do to keep her from erasing you off the calendar?"
"Give me a different name?" she suggested.
"Perfect! And I know just the name to use, too. There is one person Amy Larson would never dare erase from Alex's schedule - his mom!"
"Yeah! Let's schedule Mrs. Bailey for...next Tuesday again, shall we? And let's send a memo to Miss Larson asking her to drop by at that time, so she can be introduced. There is no way she is going to want to miss that!"
"Looks like I'm not the only bad one around here," Denny murmured, but he readily complied. "I'll draw up the memo tomorrow, because by then, she will know that he went to see his mom today. She can come in while the two of you are having a cozy picnic, and after you have asked him to marry you. And I'll ask her to bring a jar of ants, too. Can't have a picnic without ants."
"Ants?"
"Yes, and I want you to find a way to break the jar and get her in trouble. Ants are not cheap, no matter what you might think, and Alex will not think too kindly of her damaging valuable research material."
"I may have to forget Alex and fight Maria for your hand," Georgie told him as the two laughed over their plan.
"Well, Mom, what do you think?" Alex showed his mother Georgie's engagement ring, and she started to laugh.
"What's so funny?"
"Nothing dear," she tried to tell him, but the thought of Alex and Georgie in a race to propose to each other was nothing short of hysterical.
"Mom..."
"Sorry, dear." She wiped her eyes with a tissue and took the ring out of his hand. "Platinum? It's beautiful. The sapphires will match her eyes, and the diamond is exquisite. Where did you get this? Tiffany's?"
"I had it custom-made by a jeweler in Meryton. He said he was doing a lot of custom work lately. Did you know there is some woman in town who plans on proposing to her boyfriend? The guy was telling me all about it, and that's just crazy. Mom? Mom! What is so funny?"
"Never mind. Georgie is going to love this, and that is all that matters."
"If I could only get rid of Miss Larson..."
"The woman is stalking you, Alex. Give her a period of time in which to quit, or you will fire her, and if that doesn't work, your father can write up some sort of restraining order, or whatever it is they use for those kinds of weirdoes."
"How do you know about Miss Larson?"
"I talk to Georgie about twice a week, dear. Don't you think all of this is unfair to her, too?"
"Yes, it is. She's been a trooper, though, never complaining, always trying to be as nice as possible to Amy. I really admire her for the way she is handling all this. Any other woman would be plotting a thousand evil ways to get rid of her, or at least throwing things and screaming at me to handle it all. My Georgie is above that."
"Yes, dear," his mom agreed, trying extremely hard not to burst into laughter again. "Georgie is very patient. Have you seen her lately?"
"Only in the evenings. She keeps talking about coming by the office so we can go to lunch, but I haven't seen her name on my appointment book yet. She must be too busy at the inn. Sometimes she can't even get free until late afternoon."
"I imagine that would be difficult," said Mrs. Bailey with a straight face. "Why don't you check with your efficient Mr. James and see what can be arranged? Maybe you could even go home for lunch one day?"
"Good idea! Denny is a whiz at organizing. I'll call him right now." He whipped out his cell phone and dialed his office.
"Dr. Bailey's office, Miss Larson speaking."
"Amy? Alex. Where's Denny?"
"He's taking a coffee break. What can I do for you, doctor?"
Alex cringed. Amy tried to make her voice sound sultry, but it only grated on his nerves.
"I need you to leave a note for Denny, please, asking him to call Georgie and schedule a time I can go home for lunch with her. OK?"
"Yes, sir!"
"This is very important, Miss Larson. I'll be checking my schedule."
"Yes, sir!"
"There, done!" he told his mother after he hung up. "Denny will take care of everything."
"If he gets the message," Mrs. Bailey said under her breath.
"Hello?"
"Hello, Georgie dear!"
"Donna, how lovely of you to call! I was just thinking about you!"
"Yes?"
"That Larson woman did it again - I went to have lunch with Alex today, and he was gone. Did you have a nice time with your son?"
"It was very entertaining," Mrs. Bailey said with a laugh, but didn't explain herself. "And I have some interesting news. Alex is planning on coming home one day soon to have lunch with you." She didn't tell Georgie every detail of that lunch, of course. She wouldn't spoil this for either of them for the world.
"Oh, really. I wonder if Denny knows about this yet."
"Not yet. Alex called to arrange everything with him, and Miss Larson was at his desk. That's why I'm calling. Would you be a dear and call Denny and tell him Miss Larson was supposed to leave a message on his desk to call Alex? If you call now, Denny can phone Alex while he is on his way back to Meryton. Otherwise..."
"...he will never get the message."
"Exactly!"
Sometimes, the best-laid plans often go awry. That Tuesday morning, Alex looked at his schedule and saw his mother was down for lunch. That wouldn't do. He called her to cancel, and when she admitted to having no such appointment, he figured Miss Larson was up to her antics and decided to go home and surprise Georgie. Without telling Denny where he was going, he slipped the ring box into his pocket, waited until there was no one in the outer office, and headed toward the inn.
However, when he got there, Richard admitted Georgie had gone to Insectitech.
"Uh, oh..."
Racing back across town, he snuck back into his office, made a couple of phone calls, and waited for Georgie, only to have a surprised Denny tell him that Georgie had arrived, found him missing, and left again, very unhappy. There was one person waiting, unfortunately, and that was Miss Larson. Wearing a new suit and carrying a jar full of black ants.
"I can't wait to meet your mother," she simpered, waltzing into his office to discover Alex there alone. "Where is she?"
"Why don't you tell me?" Alex said with something akin to a sigh.
"I don't know what you are talking about?" If Alex had been looking at his research assistant, instead of staring out of the window, he would have seen genuine puzzlement on her face. Instead, he watched as Georgie's little convertible came racing back into the parking lot.
"Come off it, Miss Larson!" Thinking he might need a witness, he quietly turned on the intercom and prayed Denny was at his desk. He didn't realize, however, that he had switched on "broadcast," and his conversation was being sent to the entire building.
"You have been stalking me for weeks, Miss Larson, you caused the accidents in the lab that you blamed on Miss Darcy, and you have been erasing my appointments and filling them in with your own! I called my mother and she was never scheduled to visit me today. How do you explain, then, why she was down on my calendar?"
"But I...I...I only erased Georgie's appointments, Alex. I never wrote in any other ones, I swear!"
"So you do admit to erasing Georgie off my schedule?"
"Yes! And I've been following you around and calling you on purpose, too! And yes, I did cause those lab accidents! I love you and I hate Miss Darcy! Oh, why couldn't you choose me? Are you happy now?" she shrieked. In a rage, she took the jar of ants and threw it to the floor, where it landed on the carpet with a thud. "Look at this stupid jar! It won't...even..." Amy kicked the jar with her shoe and it flew across the room where it hit the desk and shattered, scattering bewildered little ants in all directions. "And you can't fire me - I quit!" She stormed out of the office. Scatterings of applause were heard down the hall.
"Good!" Alex called to her retreating figure. "I won't have to shell out any severance pay! I won't have to use that restraining order, either!"
"Alex!" Georgie cried, flying into his office as quickly as she could.
"Watch out for the glass..."
"Oh!" She stopped, the picnic basket thudding to a halt on the back of her legs.
"Good riddance, huh? Denny, can you get someone in here to clean up? I'll admit the ants are a realistic touch to Miss Darcy's picnic lunch, but I can think of a better spot for a meal. Shall we?" Holding out an arm to Georgie, he escorted her from the office, leaving a grinning Denny in their wake.
"Where are we going?" Georgie wanted to know.
"You'll see." He wouldn't say anything more, but drove out of Meryton and took the north road. Georgie started to grin as she watched the landmarks leading to the farm passing her by. But when they drove past the entrance to Pemberley Farms, she frowned.
"Where are you taking me?"
"For a drive." They headed north and west for almost an hour before skirting back around the western part of town, and, finally, Georgie saw that they were headed home.
"Home?" she asked.
He pulled up into the driveway, and Georgie saw something odd on the front porch. When had Alex gotten a swing? Spit was lounging in it, sunning himself, and the front door was open.
"Welcome home, darling," Alex told her softly as he walked her into the house.
It was just as he had planned, with a little help from his mother and Richard. His mom had called a florist and a handyman, and Richard had whipped up a nice dinner. The swing was hung, the front parlor and the dining room filled with flowers, and dinner was on the stove.
"Alex, it's beautiful! What's the occasion?"
"Us. Go wash up, my love, it's time to eat."
Georgie went to wash her hands, and her brain was working fast and furious. If Alex was going to celebrate their being together, now was a perfect time to ask him to marry her. She patted her skirt pocket, where the ring she had had designed just for Alex sat, and hurried back to Alex's side.
"What about Spit?"
"He can have the swing to himself. For now. Have a seat, so I can serve you."
Georgie pouted after he left the room. She should have offered to serve, and then she could have put the ring in his food.
He was back soon, though, too soon for her to talk him into letting her take over, because he was carrying a plate of hors d'oeuvres.
"No, no, no, you just sit there, and enjoy."
"But Alex, I can help..."
"Nope. Eat. Tonight," he said in a silky voice, "the kitchen is mine."
"Ummm, OK."
Alex was extremely attentive during the meal, coaxing her to eat lobster thermidor and new peas, and a handsome chocolate gateau for dessert. If she hadn't been so confused about the entire day's proceedings, and intent on getting in her proposal, she might have been more aware of Alex's intentions. As it was, she was completely clueless when he finally finished his cup of coffee and gently steered her out to the porch swing.
A protesting Spit was ushered inside, where, unknown to his human friends, he proceeded to shred the dining room flowers.
Georgie was settled on the swing, and Alex sat down beside her and put an arm around her shoulders. She thought he was going to kiss her, but he began to laugh instead.
"What is so funny?"
"Here I had planned a romantic evening, candlelight and roses, and plenty of moonlight, and the darned porch isn't even facing the moon!"
Georgie chuckled and tried to rise from the swing. "We could stroll around to the back of the house..." And when they got there, she could propose.
"Nope." Alex's arm kept her seated. "I'm going to follow my plan as closely as I can."
"Plan?" she asked dimly.
"Plan. Georgie, do you love me?"
"Alex, I love you with all my heart. In fact..."
"Georgie," he continued, as if she hadn't tried to interrupt, "I love you more than life itself."
"Alex, will -"
"I want nothing more than to be able to spend the rest of my life with you. Georgie, will you marry me?"
"Oh, Alex, no fair!" she wailed. "I wanted to ask you! Look!" She pulled his ring out of her pocket. "I even had a ring custom-made!" She knew that wasn't exactly the answer he was looking for, if the surprise on his face was any evidence, but it was too bad of him, really, not to let her have her way.
"I had a ring made just for you, too," he said gently, and produced it.
"Oh, Alex!" she cried, her disappointment in the proposal all but forgotten at the sight of her ring. "It's beautiful!"
"So you'll say yes?"
"I'll say yes if you say yes."
"Yes, Georgie, I'll marry you. Will you marry me, too?"
"Of course, darling."
Alex sealed their mutual agreement with a kiss. And several more. And then the two of them sat there and talked for several hours before going inside and phoning his mother, who cried. And laughed, especially when she could tell them she knew about both proposals.
Richard and Dr. Bennet laughed, too, when they strolled over to the inn to give them the good news, and then Will and Lizzie had to be called, and Lizzie cried buckets, blaming her tears on hormones.
"And you will be the matron of honor?" Georgie wanted to know, which set Lizzie off again, only this time because she insisted she would be as big as a barn by that time.
"Not really. I don't plan on having a long engagement," Georgie told her, winking at a surprised Alex. "We're getting married in two months' time, which should be just about right."
"Does this have anything to do with Alex undressing you?" Will wanted to know on the phone extension.
"Why yes, Will, it does," said the irrepressible Georgie. "I don't want to wait too much longer for him to be able to do it again!"
Epilogue
True to her word, Georgie threw herself into planning her wedding, and she pulled it off with only a few minor hitches by the end of August.
In the large, grassy area between the two houses, under a billowing tent, she had arranged for seating for two hundred people, a live band and a large dance floor. There were two open bars, a three-tiered cake she had made herself and a white limo decked out in pale blue ribbons.
Everyone agreed that the groom was handsome in a black tux, but the bride was stunning, her blond hair twirled up into a tiara attached to a long, narrow veil, and wearing a sleeveless, scoop-necked, princess-cut gown of white silk that swirled around her feet. A string of pearls around her neck complemented the pearly glow of her skin, and the summer sun caught the flash of the blue sapphires and diamonds in her rings.
Lizzie was the maid of honor, in an ice blue gown with an Empire waist, which helped to minimize her growing abdomen, and Jane supervised the twins, who were the flower girl and ring bearer. Alex's dad was the best man, and Spit, sporting a blue bow, sat in the front row on the groom's side with Mrs. Bailey.
Richard was in charge of catering, and had pulled out all the stops with the best barbecue dinner Will said he had ever had. The band played country music, as per Georgie's request, and she danced with as many men as she could before it was time to cut the cake. Then it was back to the dance floor, and just when she thought she could not stand up any longer, Richard took her in his arms for a few last turns.
"So, Mrs. Bailey, what do you think?"
"I think, Colonel Fitzwilliam, that we did a darned good job."
"Happy?"
"Hmmmm, deliriously so. I wish you would close the inn this next week, though. Make up something - say the plumbing is broken, and reschedule the guests. I don't like the idea of you trying to run this place by yourself. It's not fair, after all the times I've ditched you lately for Alex. It wouldn't be so bad, if Will hadn't already planned to take Lizzie on a cruise, and now Jane and Charles are going, too. And Dr. Bennet will be at the farm with the kids..."
"Don't you even give it a thought, Georgie Girl. I can manage, even without Dr. Bennet. You'll only be gone a week. What can happen in a week?"
Ahhhh, Richard's famous last words - what happens in that week will be coming up soon (possibly in another couple of weeks, if I can get a few chapters ahead) in "Welcome to the Twin Oaks Inn."