“Well, look who’s up and smiling a cat-that-ate-the-canary smile so early in the morning,” Leesha said as she adjusted the angle of her monitor for the video call.
Georgia shrugged. “Always happy to talk to my infinitely wise therapist.”
“Bullshit,” Leesha said, leaning back in her chair. “That is a morning-after smile if I’ve ever seen one. You’ve had that same smile every time I’ve talked to you lately. I guess things are still going well with the neighbor?”
Georgia tried to swipe the goofy smile from her face. She could see it staring back at her in the little video chat box in the corner, but she couldn’t seem to keep it down long. Since last Saturday, when she’d stayed overnight at Colby’s for the first time, each day had been another step forward, another victory—not to mention another hot night. “Things are going really well.”
Complicated. But well.
“He’s a great guy. I’m having a good time with him.” And Keats. But she wasn’t going to tell Leesha that part. Her best friend wasn’t one to judge, but Leesha would flip the shrink switch and analyze it to death. She’d probably tell Georgia she was acting out or rebelling or something.
Hell, maybe she was. But right now, for the first time in over a year, she felt like there was sun shining on her face. Things were looking up.
“Uh-oh,” Leesha said. “He’s a great guy? You’re not getting serious about him, are you?”
Georgia rubbed her lips together, smoothing the balm she’d swiped on before running over from Colby’s house to her own to make it in time for this call. “Would that be so awful?”
Leesha grimaced. “Babe, I’m glad you have that capacity in you still. But now’s not the time to be starting something serious. It’s only a few weeks before we need you to move back here. I don’t want to see you get attached to a guy and be heartbroken when you have to break it off.”
Georgia knew Leesha was speaking the truth, but she didn’t want to hear it this morning. Not after the amazing two weeks she’d had with the guys. The past few days had been the best of all. Waking up in the morning surrounded by their warmth and affection had felt more right than she wanted to admit to herself. And even though she knew it was temporary, she didn’t want to think about the end when it felt like so much was just beginning. “I could come back here after the trial.”
Sympathy crossed Leesha’s face—the oh-honey look. “The trial could take months. He’d have to wait on you. And what if . . .”
Georgia raised her palm, her happy mood plummeting. “Don’t
. I know what you’re going to say.”
What if Phillip is acquitted? That was what Leesha was going to say. Georgia didn’t want to consider that possibility, but of course, she had, over and over again. It kept her awake at night.
Leesha sighed and opened a drawer in her desk. She pulled out a stack of envelopes and set them on top of her day planner. “I wasn’t going to mention it because I didn’t want to add to your plate, but the lawyer said that you have the right to make the decision on it since technically it’s your mail.”
Georgia leaned forward, wanting to reach through the screen and pick up the stack. “What are they?”
“Letters from Phillip,” Leesha said, her frown lines marring her flawless mocha complexion.
Georgia’s skin chilled. “I thought those had stopped when I moved away.”
“No, he only adjusted where he sent them. He’s sent one every couple of days to my office since the last restraining order expired, but they’re addressed to you. I’m sure I broke some law, opening them without your permission, but I needed to make sure they weren’t threats or anything we could use against him in court.”
“He’s too smart for that.”
“Yes, he is. But you should know they’re long love notes. He says he wants to forgive you. He asks for you to take your accusations back. He wants to be together no matter what, blah blah blah.”
Georgia closed her eyes and rubbed them. “He’s so goddamned sick.”
“And obsessed, Georgia. If he walks out of that courtroom, he’s not going to give up on you. You need to be prepared for that, have a plan.”
And that was when what Leesha was really trying to tell her settled in. Phillip wouldn’t stop. If he went free, he would focus everything he had on finding Georgia. And when he did, everyone she cared about would be at risk again. Maybe he wouldn’t “hurt” her because he loved her. But if he showed up and saw she was in a relationship, he would go mad with rage again. Both Colby and Keats would be in the line of fire.
Phillip had tried to kill a man she had seen only a handful of times. He certainly wouldn’t hesitate to go after the two men Georgia was sharing a bed with every night.
She would never be free if Phillip walked. She’d never be able to care about someone without wondering if Phillip was watching and waiting for the perfect opportunity to quietly take that person out.
She sat her elbows on her desk, put her face in her hands, and screamed in frustration.
“I know, sweetie,” Leesha said. “I can’t imagine how impossible this feels right now. But we still have a good shot at getting him locked up. And if that doesn’t happen, we’ll figure out something for you so that you can feel safe. Renew the restraining orders, register things in a different name.”
“I don’t want to be some goddamned sitting duck the rest of my life, Leesh,” she said, getting more pissed than scared now. “I can’t take it. I’ll kill the motherfucker first. I’d rather be in jail than running away my whole life.”