She smiled at the two of them, her gaze softening. “I know. I feel that. Thank you.”
Colby’s heart felt as if it had inflated in his chest. Trust. Coming from someone like Georgia, it was like pure gold being dropped in his hands. He wanted to lift her up, kiss her, tell her he was honored to have it because he knew how valuable a commodity it was for her. But he held himself in check. He needed to play it cool.
Even if he felt anything but on the inside.
Damn, he was fucked.
TWENTY-SEVEN
Georgia’s heart was beating so fast, she was surprised the pendant around her neck wasn’t vibrating from it, but so far, she hadn’t gone into full panic. Colby had arranged for them to eat in the private dining room at Sawgrass, one of his best friend Kade’s restaurants. They’d had to walk through the busy restaurant to get to the private space, and that had sent her brain firing with worries as she scanned the faces in the crowd. But having Colby’s arm around her had helped. Beyond being a reassuring emotional presence, his sheer size provided a feeling of safety on some elemental, cavewoman level. If someone wanted to hurt her, not many people would mess with a guy as big and intimidating-looking as Colby. And though Keats wasn’t as massive as Colby, she had a feeling he could be as vicious and tough as a junkyard dog when provoked.
So sitting between the two of them had her more settled than she’d been in over a year in any public place. She could breathe a little. And the air smelled damn sweet.
She still couldn’t get over all the events of today. The morning had started off so awful and bleak. And when Colby and Keats had shown up, she’d been more than annoyed that they’d ignored her orders to stay away. She’d wanted to lock herself in the darkness.
But then so much had changed so quickly when she hadn’t been able to scare them off. Just saying her story out loud to someone who wasn’t Leesha or a lawyer had felt liberating. Her secrets were like bars on a cage, keeping everyone at a distance while simultaneously holding her hostage. With secrets, she was only a character playing a role, a fake. So throwing back the curtain and putting it all out there had taken some of the power out of the memories and had brought her closer to the two men she’d confided in.
Then there’d been dishes breaking. And strange relief. And Keats had kissed her. Really kissed her. The dynamics had shifted to sandy terrain again, leaving her unsure where exactly this was going. Colby hadn’t seemed to mind the kiss. In fact, he’d looked like he’d enjoyed the show. Kinky bastard. And God knows her mind had been whirling on the drive over here, wondering what exactly had transpired between the two men. That speculating had painted some very vivid pictures in her head. But she knew this could be dangerous territory.
Keats and Colby had something new between them, and she got the sense there was more than just a hot hookup brewing there. There were feelings. And though she was attracted to them both and more than tempted by the thought of falling into bed with them, she didn’t want to screw up what they had going on. She was in no position to get involved in anything serious when she hoped to move back to Chicago in January. Plus, she didn’t want to muddle things for them.
Georgia tried to shake off the worries and focus on the conversation the two men were having.
“So they still haven’t given you any idea how long you’re going to be on leave?” she asked.
Colby’s expression had darkened considerably in the last few minutes at the shift in topic. “No. My boss says it’s mostly posturing by the board. They want to look like they’re doing everything they can so that the parents don’t sue. But when I talked to the powers that be yesterday, it was like I was on trial. I’m worried they’re going to cover their ass by throwing mine under the bus.”
“That’s bullshit,” Keats said, his jaw twitching. “Why doesn’t the kid step up and tell everybody it had nothing to do with you?”
Colby sighed. “The kid’s parents didn’t listen to him before. They’re not going to now. He’s tried to tell them what happened.”
“You shouldn’t have to take the fall for a messed-up kid with messed-up parents making a dumb decision,” Keats said. “Not again.”
Colby sent Keats a tired look. “Last time I earned some of that fall.”
“No. You didn’t.” He smirked after a few seconds. “But damn, you’d be hanged in the town square if they saw us now. Nobody would believe nothing happened back then.”
Colby shook his head and scrubbed a hand over his face. “God, I don’t want to even think about that.”
Georgia smiled. “You two would be quite the scandal, huh?”
“You have no idea,” Keats said in between bites of food. “They’d probably think that we ran away together back then and have been hiding out in secret since—my innocent straight mind brainwashed by the big, bad bisexual teacher.”
Colby sent him a wry smile—one laced with affection. And in that moment, Georgia felt the two’s shared history like a fourth member at the table. She believed them when they said that nothing inappropriate had happened between them back then, but she also could tell their bond had started way before this recent reunion.
Maybe she should step back and get out of their way.
“She’s thinking too hard again,” Keats observed as he twirled some pasta on his fork.
“What’s got that wrinkle in your brow, gorgeous?”
“Nothing, really.” She smoothed the edge of the tablecloth. “I guess I’m just processing everything. It’s been a crazy few days.”
Colby held out a bite of his steak. “Stop analyzing everything and give yourself a break. We have good food, good wine, and good company. Sit back and enjoy.”
She took the bite, chewed, then took a sip of her wine. “You’re right. If I overthink this one, my brain will explode.”
Colby leaned back in his chair, fingering his wineglass and considering her. “You mean thinking about being out of the house?”