Backstage Romance: An Austen-Inspired Romantic Comedy Box Set by Gigi Blume (ebook reader with highlighter txt) 📕

“Why doesn’t the owner just fix the door?”

She shrugged one shoulder as we moved down the hallway. “Just one of many things to fix around here, I guess.”

I followed her into the dining area and thanked her again as she forked in the opposite direction. When I reached my booth, Wyatt was on the phone, talking animatedly with his hands and smiling like a goon. I wondered who he was talking to. A girlfriend? Maybe he followed his own advice and called his mom. I sank onto the cushion. Did he even notice I’d been gone?

Wyatt laughed. “Yeah, I couldn’t believe it either. All our luggage was in the trunk. Small miracles.”

A pause while the person on the other end asked a question.

“Well, I hope the guy can fix it. I don’t know about mechanical stuff.”

He nodded, listening in the phone.

“You got it, man. Anyway, Georgia just sat down so I’m going to pass the phone to her, but it was cool chatting with you, Billy. I’ll make sure she gets home safely. Okay. Bye.”

Wyatt passed the phone. What on earth?

“Hello?”

“Who the heck is that bozo?” Will barked on the other end. “He wouldn’t shut up. Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”

“He sounded a whole lotta crazy. You’re in Iowa?”

“I think this is Nebraska. But yeah. It’s been crazy.” I glanced at Wyatt. He had his eyes on the dessert menu card.

“You just stay put. I’m coming to get you.” There was urgency in Will’s voice.

“No way. I’m fine. You get ready for your big day. I’ll be there soon.”

“I don’t like the idea of you traveling with that guy. You don’t even know him, George.”

“It’s just until we reach a major airport. Don’t get all action hero on me. I’m a big girl.”

He sighed heavily. “You sound like Beth.”

“That’s why you love us both so much. Text me Bing’s number and I’ll call him when I have an ETA.”

Bing was my brother’s best man. He and his girlfriend Jane lived in Manhattan, not too far from me. Both of them had awesome Broadway gigs but were already in California for the wedding.

“You should have flown out with Bing and Jane a week ago.”

“You know why I couldn’t do that.”

He was silent for a long moment. Probably conjuring up all sorts of scenarios. I knew he was only trying to protect me. But he was getting married and he had his wife to think of now.

“I’ll check in with you every few hours. Will that make you feel better?”

“No. I want a tracking device on that man.”

“I’ll see what I can do. Bye.”

Will grunted. I took that as goodbye and ended the call. Wyatt looked up from the dessert menu completely oblivious.

“Billy seems like a nice guy.”

Yeah. If you only knew what he thought about you, pal.

6

Wyatt

As I stood in Al’s Auto Repair, watching Georgia’s face become increasingly redder, I scolded myself for not paying closer attention to what the mechanic said when he towed the car. Georgia’s chin dimpled under the pressure of her clenched jaw and her cute little booted foot tapped impatiently as Al explained why he couldn’t do any repairs.

“I don’t understand. You said these things could sometimes be fixed.”

“The operative word there is sometimes,” said Al. “But even if I drain the intake manifold and the combustion chamber, I’d still need to disconnect the fuel injectors and crank the engine over. Maybe then the starter would have enough torque to fling all the standing water from the spark plugs. Then, if the water reached the axle differential...” He scratched his chin, thinking about the various scenarios. It was Greek to me. I should have paid closer attention in my high school shop class instead of daydreaming about poetry.

As Al continued to talk, and boy could that guy talk, I realized why Georgia and I tuned him out earlier. His jargon went right over her head and I was too distracted by her pink cheeks and spunky mannerisms. She may not have gotten everything he said, but she perched her eyebrows high and nodded as if to say, “Make it so.” Jean Luc Picard style.

That’s when we left for the diner.

Georgia was cute as a button but she was a spitfire when she let herself get all riled up. Something stirred in me that wasn’t all that unpleasant. I could tell by the way her fists clenched while Al rattled on—there was a tempest brewing in that pint-sized figure of hers and one way or another, she’d find a way to land the blame on me.

I swallowed that down with a hard lump in my throat. No matter how pretty, that girl was spoilt. Poor little rich girl accustomed to getting her way. I’d been there, done that, thank you very much. And got my heart stomped on.

Besides—Georgia had a huge rock on her finger. Some lucky son of a monkey would miss her tonight.

“And even if I can get the thing to start, it’s still a rental and has to go back to...” he glanced at the license plate frame, reading, “Cheap and Cheerful Car Rental. Sorry. Those are the rules.”

Georgia threw me a pointed look, like I was supposed to do something manly. To somehow convince this guy to fix our rental car. I cleared my throat and straightened to make myself appear taller.

“So what you’re saying here is—under the right circumstances, the car is fixable,” I said with my best Robert De Niro stare.

“In theory, yeah.”

“And with a little incentive, you might be convinced to, ya know, help us out?” I winked for good measure. I was talking big. It felt kinda cool. I didn’t have money to bribe the guy or anything. Pesky details.

Al crossed his arms and studied Georgia and me. She might have been batting her eyes or giving him the pout. A trick right out of Reeses’ playbook.

Al rolled his tongue around in his cheek—the wheels turning in that head of his. He held all the