Page 41 of Rocking Player
She linked her arm with mine and said, “And your mom?”
I told her as we headed into the liquor store and added our items to the maroon cart. “White wine.”
She read a few labels and I pointed to one I knew Mom liked.
“Okay,” she said.
We had three drinks in the cart now. “And you?”
She avoided my gaze. “I’m not picky.”
I pointed around the store and said, “The world is your oyster. Get what you want, including non-alcoholic if that’s your preference.”
Her face turned bright red as she blushed and squared her shoulders. “I want…to not be dragged to New York.”
Goosebumps grew on my arm like she didn’t support my choice anymore, though she hadn’t said officially. We headed to the cashier. “What’s wrong with New York? It’s a fun place.”
I gave the clerk my card and turned from Georgie for a moment. Her frown was clear from her profile, but once we paid and had our bags Georgie said, “I’ve been to Manhattan, and I needed a vacation to get over it.”
I carried our bags to the trunk of the car and ignored how my heart raced as I said, “We don’t have to live in Manhattan.”
She scoffed and raised her eyebrow. “You want the best of the best, and I can’t change who I am to live in New York. I wouldn’t know how.”
I closed the door and took a deep breath. No need to stress as it was only a possibility as this point. “Texas would make my dad happy as well as you.”
She walked with me to the grocery store without a glance, but said with a frown, “I might hate it there too. I’ve never been.”
I needed her and baseball to make my life whole. This was what we'd agreed to when I'd told her my plans.
I ignored how my skin prickled on my arms and asked her instead, “Where have you been?”
We went to the vegetables and found the corn on the cob as she said, “Pittsburgh, Orlando once, and the Bahamas.”
I’d seen all fifty states at this point in my life and half of Europe on vacations. We grabbed the potatoes next as I asked, “That’s it?”
She shrugged and said, “I’ve not been to London to see my sister. I've never really traveled, but she’s expecting us at the wedding.”
If our lives didn’t mesh, we were both in trouble. “Are you against travel?”
“No,” she said as we headed to the butcher section. “I want Jeremy to see more of the world, but I’ve been worried about spending the money. And the holiday season is usually expensive.”
I picked up six prime cuts and tossed them in the basket. “We’ll get passports and go to your sister’s wedding as a family.”
Her face brightened like I’d thrown her a lifeline. “That would be great.”
I pushed the cart forward and tried to match her glee. “Christmas in London, sounds like a movie title.”
She gently pushed into my side and said, “And thank you for listening to me about New York.”
Only if they weren’t the best offer. Otherwise, we’d have our first serious argument. We paid at the self-checkout. “If they up their offer and it’s the most after taxes though, we’ll need to talk about it again.”
She crossed her arms and stared at me as I paid with my card. As we finished and I grabbed the bags, she asked, “Just talk? Or are you going to sign and ask me later?”
I knew she had more to say. My own face heated. Maybe that had been my plan. I hadn’t visualized it. “You said you were okay with me going after the money.”
“I am.” She walked with me as she then said, “I’m just not okay with how close everyone lives in New York. My two-story house, with three bedrooms and a basement and attic sometimes feels small for me, and it's just two people.”
Score one for Georgie. Space wasn’t known in Manhattan, and I hadn’t researched commute options with bigger homes. If that was the best option in the end, we’d figure something out. Cramped wasn’t an image I saw as optimal either for raising our son. “I promise to talk to you before signing anything.”
