Love You Forever (2013 Wattys Finalist)

Chapter 36 - The Party

Robert woke up, blinking because of the sunlight streaming in the windows.  He laid there for a few minutes, thinking.  It was the day of the party, and he was looking forward to taking Georgie but he was concerned as well.  He knew she was worried her friends would ask questions about what she'd done during the years she was gone.  He just needed to make sure she didn't have to answer them.  He was going to have to do whatever it took for her to have a good time. 

When he entered the kitchen, he found Georgie sitting at the table drinking coffee with May and Marianne.  All three of them were reading.  Georgie had a book and the two older women were catching up on the day's news in their own preferred ways. 

"Morning," he said, and they all looked up to great him.

When he sat at the table with his tea and a bowl of cereal, May took off her reading glasses and closed her laptop, saying, "What do you two have planned for today?"

"Well," Georgie said slowly, with a shy smile.  "Today is the party so I guess we shouldn't go anywhere too far away.  I want to have enough time to get ready."  Marianne folded down the top of her newspaper so she could see Georgie.

"What were you planning on wearing?" she asked, suddenly seeming interested.

"I'm not sure.  I guess my jeans and a –."

"You can't go to the party in jeans, Georgie," Marianne said with a laugh, folding her newspaper and setting it aside.

"I don't really have anything else.  And besides, I don't know what the other girls will be wearing," she said quietly, looking at her mug.

"I think we should go shopping!" Marianne said with a smile, clearly excited by the prospect.  "We'll go to the mall – to all the stores the girls your age go to!  And we'll get you some new make up too!"  Georgie smiled at her, and then she looked at Robert, and her smile faltered.

"But – I'd hate to leave you with nothing to do, Robert," she said, looking concerned.  "Unless – I don't suppose you'd want to go –."  She trailed off.

"No, I'll be fine," he said quickly to reassure her.  "You should go shopping, yeah?  I'm sure I can find enough to do around here to keep me busy." 

He'd much rather do chores around the house than shop for party clothes any day of the week.  And besides, the two older women had been nothing but generous and kind to him during his visit, in spite of everything that was going on between him and Georgie, and he wanted to repay them. 

Within seconds, Georgie and Marianne were making plans about what shops they should visit and what she might wear.  While Robert drank his tea, he watched them.  It was good to see Georgie so enthusiastic.  Her concerns about her friends questions seemed to have vanished.  But it made it even more clear he had to make sure she had a good time.  He couldn't allow anything to ruin her night.

Later that day, they had an early dinner, then Georgie and Marianne went to Georgie's room to get ready for the party.  Now that it was closer to the time they were going, Robert was beginning to feel the pressure of how much depended on him protecting Georgie.  Perhaps sensing his nervousness, May suggested they play cards to pass the time.

Over an hour later when Georgie walked into the kitchen with a beaming Marianne following her, Robert was shocked into speechlessness while May exclaimed, "Oh, Georgie!  You look so pretty!"  Georgie thanked her, then looked at Robert with a shy smile.

"Do I look okay?" she asked.

"You look – nice," he said, catching himself before he said more.