Compulsion

Compulsion Part 21

"Thanks for a lovely evening." Georgia said as she inserted the key into her front door, and slowly pushed the door open. She was reluctant to see the evening end. It was wonderful, just doing something as normal as meeting another couple for a meal. Being with Elias was wonderful. "It really was perfect."

A sentiment shared by Elias. "Are you going to invite me in for coffee?" Elias asked hopefully as he waited by the door.

"Just coffee?" Georgia turned to face him, her eyes danced, "That's all you want?"

"What else are you offering?" He smiled widely and moved closer.

"Depends on who else is awake." She frowned. If her sister or father were awake then Georgia was going to be ultra cautious. For she knew that her father would use the fact she and Elias were sleeping with each other as leverage to consider marriage.

"I'll take my chances." Elias retorted and waited to see if she was just teasing or whether she was serious about him coming in for a coffee. Georgia held open the door and waved him inside. Elias smiled happily as he stepped into the hallway.

"I'll make coffee." She told him and having closed the door behind him as he stood in the hallway, she glanced at the stairs as if she was expecting to see her father or sister loitering on the landing. No sign of any noise, or anyone awake. Good, she thought and walked purposefully down the hallway.

Without a word Elias followed her into the house, and through to the kitchen. It seemed very quiet and he wondered whether Jacinto and Caitlin were out. Georgia put the kettle on, and retrieved two mugs. She indicated for Elias to take a seat at the breakfast counter.

Just then the door opened. "Ah, thought I heard the door." Her father padded into the room with a frown on his brow and concern in his eyes. "Caitlin got an emergency call out, I wasn't sure if that was her or you returning." He said by way of an explanation for his presence and his frown.

Georgia stilled instantly. If Caitlin was called out at this time of the night then it was obviously bad. And Caitlin for all her joie de vivre was someone who felt things keenly. She was just better at hiding it than most other people.

"Bad?" Georgia asked softly, if Caitlin got a call out at night, it was a dire emergency.

"Not sure. She was meeting someone to organise transport or something." Jacinto said and sighed loudly. He, like Georgia, knew that if Caitlin got a call out then things were going belly up and as the person on duty she was being called in to coordinate the response. Jacinto just wished he know how to lighten his younger daughter's load.

"She's a teacher, right?" Elias' puzzlement was obvious. Clearly Caitlin wasn't a teacher in a standard school not if Jacinto and Georgia's sudden tenseness was anything to go by.

"She is." Georgia nodded. Then figured she ought to explain a bit about Caitlin's situation as Elias looked baffled. "You know Cait works for an international relief agency." Georgia prompted. Elias nodded as he knew that but he had just assumed she taught at schools overseas. "Usually in areas that have or are experiencing difficulties." She pointed out and wondered whether Caitlin would be ok about details being shared. "When someone in their team, currently in the field gets hurt, whoever is on call gets to deal with making arrangements with the family and next of kin."

"Making arrangements?" Elias frowned.

"The agency believes people who have lived the experience can explain the situation better to friends and family, as they have been there. So they tend to ask whoever is in the country and on call to handle those sorts of emergencies"

"Sounds rough." Elias said with feeling.

"It used to be rare." Georgia frowned and looked over at her dad for confirmation. "Wasn't it dad? She never used to get the number of calls she gets now."