'I came to see if Abbie's alright, and I need to explain,' came her heavy American accent.
'Funnily enough, no, she's not ok, and whatever you have to say, she doesn't want to hear it. Isn't it enough you're with the man she loves, the man who said he'd be faithful until he was ready to give her more? Georgie said, in full protective mode, as she moved between us and folded her arms across her chest.
'But that's just it, I'm not with him. I'm not Miller's girlfriend, I'm his twin sister, Quinn,' she stated earnestly. I heard a small gasp from Georgie as I just blinked a few times, not sure if I'd heard her correctly.
'Miller doesn't have a sister, he doesn't have any family, he's an orphan. He was abandoned as a baby, so try pulling the other one,' Georgie shot back.
'He thought he had no family until he tracked me down last month, just like I thought I had none, too. He's been searching for our parents for years. Turns out they're both dead, but he found me. That's part of the reason he didn't want to leave New York, because he was hoping to find someone who could give him answers to his past. We're still not sure how or why we got separated as infants, but we're trying to make up for lost time now.'
'Say I believe you, and I'm not saying I do,' Georgie said firmly, 'why couldn't he tell Abbie that himself?'
'That's not for me to say, I'm only just getting to know him. I'm sure you probably know him a hell of a lot better than I do. But I know what it's like to be raised in the foster system. Kids like us, well, we're not big on trust. We find it hard to let people in and sometimes, if we think we're getting too close to someone, we like to test them by pushing them away.'
'Yeah well, Miller's not a kid anymore. I'm sorry he got a rough deal in life, you too as you seem ok, but that's not Abbie's fault and she's the one who's hurting right now. So thanks for your concern, but right now I'm taking my friend home. Come on, Abbie, let's get out of here,' Georgie urged, turning to offer her hand to me again.
I nodded and took it, keeping my eyes on the floor as we walked towards the door. Quinn was still talking in the background, and as soon as Georgie opened the door, I heard Miller's voice urging me to stop and talk to him, but I kept walking with my head down. He'd wanted time and space, but now I needed it. Right now, I felt like I was drowning and I just wanted some time and space to come up for air, breathe, and regroup.
Chapter Thirteen
The Great Escape
April
'OH GOD, I SOOOO needed this break,' sighed Georgie contentedly as she sipped a Mojito on the sun lounger next to me. I trailed my hand through the powdery fine white sand below me, drinking in the view down the beach and out to the stunningly clear blue ocean.
'Tell me about it,' I confirmed, shaking the sand off my hand and grabbing my Mai Tai. I took a decent guzzle through my straw and stretched out my legs, admiring my freshly pedicured feet, complete with appropriately tropical, bright coral nail polish.
I'd left the nightmare of the last few months behind me in England. I'd convinced Georgie to pack up the day after Tracey's wedding and come with me on a last-minute two-week trip, refusing to allow all of that baggage to board the plane with me. I'd factored out my year-end accounts to a freelancer, on the proviso that I'd work my butt off when I got home to check everything was to my satisfaction, and I'd booked this exclusive, luxury spa resort on the Riviera Maya in Mexico, with the second largest coral reef in the world. The fact that I was willing to run away at the busiest time of year for an accountant, a time when I normally thrived, thrilled to be doing the job I loved at such a pivotal time, only proved to me how close I was to breaking and how much I needed to recharge.
We'd arrived a few days ago and were so tired that we'd decided to laze around the infinity pool for the first week, snoozing between cocktails, snacks, and some saucy reading courtesy of our new best friend, Charlie. We'd asked her to come with us, but she had a few author-type commitments that she couldn't get out of. I was kind of relieved in a way. Much as I loved her, I was glad it would just be Georgie and me. She knew me well enough to know when to leave things alone and when it was the time to push me to talk. And that time hadn't arrived yet.
'Hello again,' I purred, dropping my sunglasses down my nose to peer over them at the dishy and very fit specimen of male jogging past. He was wearing a pair of seriously tight trunks, and as he ran by, he flashed a smile Georgie's way. I'd spotted him the first day we'd sat here, then multiple times since, and each time he couldn't help looking at my best friend. I gave Georgie a surprised look when she made no comment and put her nose back into her e-Reader. 'Cat got your tongue?' I enquired.
'What?' she replied, not looking up. I frowned, sure she had a hint of a blush on her porcelain cheeks, which was unusual for her.
'Hot totty alert. He just jogged right in front of us, looking like some kind of bronzed Olympian, then smiled at you, again, and you didn't bat an eyelid. Again. He's gorgeous, so your type. Didn't you see him just now? Or all the other times he's jogged past in the last few days?'
'Hmmm,' she nodded, her eyes still scanning her screen. 'He's ok, I guess.'
'You guess?' I set my cocktail down and swung my legs off the bed as I turned to face her. 'Ok, what's the deal?'
'No deal,' she shrugged, avoiding eye contact by picking up her cocktail and chasing the straw around the glass with her lips before catching it and slowly sucking a load down, trying to stall a reply.
'You little liar, Georgie Basset! I know you too well, what gives?'
'Ok, I saw him. Every. Single. Damn. Time. He's gorgeous. So hot I had to check my bikini hadn't burst into flames from where my body heated up. Happy now?'
'No. Why were you trying to hide the fact that you fancy him?'
'Because … oh, you wouldn't understand.' She dismissed me with a flick of the wrist, set her cocktail back down, and picked up her e-Reader again. I leaned over and snatched it out of her hand.
'Uh-uh, sweetie. This is one discussion you're not wheedling your way out of. Come on, talk.'
'Fine,' she sighed. 'You know me really well, Abbie.'
'Well, I should hope so, best friend and all.'
'And you are, you so are, but you've only known me with Greg, or the Georgie who's single and totally uninterested in men.'
'Your point being?' I finished my cocktail and raised my hand to one of the waiters who was hovering nearby.
'You don't know Georgina, the girl who's super shy when she sees a guy she likes. Who gets so flustered that she can't speak, let alone look him in the eye. That's why I haven't smiled back, because I think he's gorgeous. I got butterflies in my tummy the first time I saw him.'
'Ok, colour me confused here. When you like a guy, you make out that you don't, thereby ensuring he won't approach you and saving you the embarrassment of admitting you fancy him? Hold that response,' I suggested when she opened her mouth to reply. I ordered two more cocktails and some slices of watermelon, then gestured for her to continue.
'Seriously, Abbie. I'm totally bashful when a guy I like comes to talk to me. I say stupid things and make myself look like a fool and they can't back away fast enough. Best to just save myself the humiliation and not let them know I like them.'
'How the hell did you get engaged to Greg then, or lose your virginity?' I uttered, not following her crazy, twisted logic at all.
'Because I liked them, I didn't like them, like them.'
'There's a double-like system in place? When did that come into play?'
'Oh, you know what I mean. Look at you and Heath. You like him, I think in time you could even go on to date him, but you don't like him enough for him to be "the one." You'd be settling for Mr. "Ok for now", instead of waiting for Mr. Perfect. And that's what I did, though I didn't realise it at the time. Subconsciously I think I did know, as I didn't feel any stress or tension around Greg or the other guys I dated. Like it didn't matter if they got to know the real me and decided they didn't like me, it wouldn't be any great loss. But with Mr. Perfect … ' She trailed off, a dreamy look in her eyes, until I snapped my fingers and broke her out of her daze. 'With a guy that I feel an attraction that strong to, there's a risk. It matters, you know?'
'So you're saying a few looks at a hot face and body jogging past for the last few days and you think you've found Mr. Perfect?'
'You make me sound really shallow,' she protested before slurping up the remains of her drink. 'But I just took one look at him and felt like I'd been winded. Then he caught my eye and smiled, and it was like someone had sucked all of the air out of my lungs. It was like I felt this connection to him, a total stranger. It scared me, so every time I see him coming up the beach now, I make myself not look.' She bit her lower lip anxiously as she studied my face for my reaction.
'Ok, I sort of get that. I felt the same way the first time I saw Miller at Rachel's wedding. But what I don't get is you closing yourself off to the possibility of meeting someone who might be your happy ever after. By letting him think you're not interested, you probably lose any chance of finding out if there's something there. By letting him know, by maybe having a few drinks with him, the worst that can happen is you don't get on and he walks away. No harm, no foul. You're no worse off.'