A Broken Promise

Chapter 10

Georgia sat in the beach chair and watched the waves as they crashed on the shore. The past six months had been an escape for her. When she had left London she had gone to her aunt's home in New York where she had spent a few weeks moping around. After the third week when she wouldn't tell her aunt what was wrong and she refused to change her despondent attitude, her aunt told her to leave.

Georgia couldn't help but smile at the memory. Her aunt had always been about the tough love. She hadn't been sent out without a plan though.  Her aunt had insisted that she go to the beach cottage, which was a fine idea in her aunt's mind since she had no clue about the weeks that Georgia had spent there with Ewan. It had been strange at first to be there without him, but at least she could mope and Aunt Priscilla wouldn't have to watch her.

Sighing, she stretched, enjoying the way the sunshine felt on her skin. Her aunt had seen her at her worst both times she had lost her loves. This time she hadn't had the never ending tears like she had when her husband had died but the depression had been deeper.

It was harder to know that Ewan was out there, in the world, living his life, and she was unable to see him or talk to him. With her husband she had understood that he was gone and there was no bringing him back.  There had been no need for hope then. Now,, there would always be a part of her that would hope to hear Ewan's voice, catch his smell or catch the sight of him.

Georgia had purposely avoided all media.  It was rare for him to be mentioned in anything other than the gossip columns but she didn't want to take the chance, she was still too raw.

The sun was slowly dipping below the dunes and houses behind her, casting long shadows along the beach.  The season was just beginning and now she no longer had the beach to herself. The first few months of her stay there had been no one just herself until Reggie Carlisle had arrived to stay in his family's mansion across the water. It was all very 'Great Gatsby' except that Reggie had hopes of an affair not a romantic relationship between them.

He was a handsome man, a few years her junior, who had a sense of the ridiculous about him. He was the antithesis of Ewan.  Where Ewan was dark and foreboding Reggie was lighthearted and friendly, and Georgia had taken to him right away.

As if on cue Georgia felt a shadow fall across her and she looked up into Reggie's friendly blue eyes.

"Hey beautiful, did you miss me this afternoon?" He plopped down next to her, his blond streaked hair in disarray from the wind.  He had most likely drove his convertible with the top down.

"I cried all day long," Georgia said seriously.

"I know, I'm like an addiction.  If you don't get your daily hit then you get the shakes." He stretched his legs out in front of him and leaned back on his elbows.

"More like a decadent dessert." Georgia shook her head.

"Right, sweet and irresistible." He grinned.

"No, more like one bite goes a long way and too many will make you a little queasy."

"Why you little..." He reached for her and pushed her from her low chair, tickling her.

"Stop Reggie....I....hate... to...be ...tickled." She squirmed and panted out the words between breaths.  She really did hate to be tickled, to her it was a form of unnecessary torture.

"Fine, I'll stop if you give me a kiss."

"No Reggie."                             

He tickled her harder.

"O.K., O.K.," she shrieked. After he stopped she offered him her cheek and pointed to it. "On the cheek like a good boy."

He gave a dramatic sigh as he leaned over and gave her a brief peck.  "When are you going to give into my irresistible charm and fall for me? You're fighting a losing battle you know."