Which meant it was up to her to tell this woman the truth. Nerves bubbled in her stomach. She deserved whatever was going to happen next. A James never ran when things got tough, they owned up to their mistakes. Not that she’d ever been allowed to make a mistake.
“Which means you have to come to the Wishing Well tonight.”
“The Wishing Well?” Was it an actual Wishing Well?
“Yeah, it’s our local bar,” Kiesha said enthusiastically.
“A bar?” When was the last time she’d been to a bar?
“Yep, and it’s Trivia Night tonight. You look like you’re smart. You’d have to be in order to be an FBI agent, right? Not that it matters, we always win anyway. So come around seven-thirty. It starts at eight sharp. No late-comers allowed. We take our bar trivia seriously around here.”
She could tell. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.” Especially once she told Kiesha what she’d done. Kiesha wasn’t going to want her around once she knew.
“Oh no, it’s not a good idea. It’s a great idea. You are staying here the night, right?”
“Umm, yes, actually. I booked a room at the motel for a week.” That had been a foolish idea in hindsight. “But I think that I might actually—”
“That’s perfect. See you tonight.” She pointed another finger at her. “Don’t disappoint me.”
Georgina had faced down terrifying criminals, other agents who thought she couldn’t do her job because she was female and slight, and her mother . . . no, scrap that, she’d never faced down her mother. That woman was terrifying. But right now, so was Kiesha.
And so she found herself nodding.
“Great.” Kiesha clapped her hands, smiling widely. “See you tonight. Got to go before Ed notices I’m missing and threatens to spank me or something.”
“Sp-spank you?”
“Yeah, he’s done it before. The ass.”
A loud horn beeped, frightening them both. Kiesha nearly fell on her ass. Georgina reached for her, but she managed to grab onto the open door to steady herself. She turned to scowl at the huge red truck that rolled past them. Then she lifted her finger. “You’re an asshole and a tattletale, Jonny Jacks!”
Then she pushed off, chasing after the truck. Was she really just going to roller skate down the middle of the road? Wasn’t that dangerous? Should Georgina stop her? Then she disappeared around a corner and it hit her.
She was going out with the woman she’d wronged. This was a nightmare.
3
Georgina couldn’t believe she was doing this. Why hadn’t she just checked out of the motel and headed home?
Because you have so much waiting for you there? A barren apartment. Not pets. No friends. Not even a potted plant.
Maybe she should get a potted plant.
Why? So you can talk to it like a crazy lady?
Besides, she couldn’t go home. Not until her conscience was clear. She needed to tell Kiesha what she’d done and take her punishment. She deserved it.
Then she could go home.
Perhaps she could take a trip out to New York and visit her oldest brother, Spencer.
Yep. And have him pry into your life, report back to Mother all the ways you are failing. Yeah. That’s not going to happen.
She sighed. So instead of going back to her lonely apartment, here she was. Going to Trivia Night at a bar. She’d never been to a Trivia Night in her life. She’d spent a ridiculous amount of time trying to figure out what to wear. Which was just silly, since most of her clothes were the same.
Drab and dreary.
Plain and boring.