Page 23 of Pulled By the Tail
Chapter 5
Georgia
G,
I’m not saying that as a medical professional, I could end a certain two-timing cat bastard’s life and make it look like natural causes because that would be unethical. Plus, leaving an electronic record of such a boast would be dumb. Beyond dumb. But I am saying that I have certain skills and righteous fury.
Let me know what you think.
-Freema
Georgia barely slept. She couldn’t fault the enormously comfortable bed or the snuggly, plush blankets. Other than a few creaks of the floorboards in the hall and the groan of wind outside the windows, the house was quiet during the night. She just couldn’t turn her brain off.
She kept running through scenarios, trying to wrest some control over the situation. The one thing she knew for certain was that no matter what the contract said, if it was valid or not, she didn’t want to be married to Quil. They were finished.
Freema’s invitation to life on a colony sounded like her best bet, but that was still a few months out. Plus, she’d need to foot the transportation bill to wherever Freema settled. The agency—and by extension, Quil—paid for her travel to Corra. She had some funds but not enough to get back to Earth, probably not even enough to get off Corra.
Right. She needed a job and a place of her own. Staying in Quil’s house wasn’t an option. She didn’t want to see his smarmy, slippery smile or his side chickie’s better-than-you sneer.
Rolling onto her side, she buried her head under the pillow.
He got tired of waiting. How was that possible? He knew the distance before he signed the contract. The whole situation reminded her of Kevin’s unwillingness to be a supportive boyfriend when she was sick.
No, she mentally corrected herself. He was never a supportive boyfriend. Pity she didn’t see it. He just didn’t want to be associated with having a sick girlfriend, like her illness tarnished his reputation.
Georgia never considered herself a doormat, but two men just walked all over her like she had “Welcome! Please wipe your feet” printed on her forehead. Something about her must attract assholes. Or, more likely, she desperately wanted to be loved and accepted so she willingly turned a blind eye to romantic relationships.
She rolled onto her other side. The enormous empty bed stretched out before. She hated wallowing in self-pity. She wasn’t a doormat and deserved to be treated with respect.
Tomorrow would be better. It had to be.
Finally, after drifting in and out of a stress dream where she had to repeat high school—despite her protests that she went to college and had a degree—the silvery light of early dawn spilled through the window.
She showered and dressed, hoping that would revive her tired self, before checking her messages. Freema responded, outraged and sorrowful for Georgia’s predicament. She may have offered to commit a little light murder, which warmed Georgia’s heart. Then she looked out the window and discovered snow.
Actual snow.
“Holy hamburgers,” she said, jamming her feet into her boots. She had never seen snow in real life. Her hometown sometimes dipped into the freezing temperatures in winter but never for more than a few days and never had it snowed in her lifetime.
Bundled up with two layers and a jacket, she navigated her way through the maze of the house down to the ground floor. She didn’t find the front door but found the kitchen, which opened to the outside.
It appeared to be a small garden nestled against the house, with empty box planters near the doors and shrubs along a stone wall at the foot of the garden. Treetops poked over the wall. A gate hung partially open and Georgia couldn’t resist.
An inch-thick layer of snow covered the ground, dusting the shrubs and the tops of the trees. Her breath hung in the air like smoke and her boots made a pleasing crunching noise on the gravel path, despite slipping. Snow continued to fall in fluffy, wet flakes and Georgia tilted her head back, letting the snowflakes melt on her face. Her nose went numb from the cold and she was certain her boots weren’t waterproof, but it was marvelous.
The gate creaked opened and Georgia stood at the edge of an expansive lawn. Rolling forested hills surrounded the house on either side, blanketed in snow. When the shuttle landed yesterday, she didn’t have the opportunity to appreciate the view.
The world was fresh and calm in the morning light and she stood right in the middle of a living, breathing Christmas greeting card. She’d be okay. She wasn’t desperate or without friends. Life kept giving her lemons, but she’d handle it because lemonade was delicious as fuck.
“Human? Are you lost?”
Georgia turned toward the Tal female calling her from the kitchen door. “Why would you think I’m lost?”
“I’m certain I don’t know, but perhaps because it is snowing and you’re standing there like you’ve never seen snow before,” the woman said, shoulders pulling back. The words may have been sharp, but the tone held the infinite patience of a parent trying to explain to a child why they shouldn’t touch the hot stove. Georgia instantly liked the woman.
“But I’ve never seen snow before,” she said.
“Now come inside. It’s too cold and you’re hardly wearing anything.”
