Twice in a Lifetime Read Online Free PDF Page B

The two of you can do it. You have to.” Her voice didn’t waver, but a tear spilled down her cheek.
    Georgia’s throat tightened as panic swept through her. How? The one thing her grandmother asked of her, and she couldn’t even think where to begin.
    She turned to Matt and saw the reluctance in his eyes. He was no more eager to take this on than she was, even though he didn’t understand the situation the way she did.
    As for the family—her stomach clenched at the thought of explaining this to them. It made her want to scurry back to Atlanta until the storm was over.
    But she couldn’t, because the bottom line was, if she couldn’t talk Miz Callie out of this, she also couldn’t leave her to face the consequences alone.
    “All right.” She patted her grandmother’s hand. “You win. I’ll do my best.”
    As to whether that would be good enough—well, she seriously doubted it.

    Georgia tiptoed out onto the deck when the sun was still low over the ocean, her running shoes in her hands. Miz Callie was sleeping, and she didn’t want to disturb her, but an early morning run was just what she needed to clear her mind.
    She tugged the laces tight. After a night of trying to think of a good way to explain the situation to her parents, she didn’t have an answer. Too bad she wasn’t more like her cousin Amanda, the older of Uncle Brett’s and Aunt Julia’s twins. Amanda never let anyone stand in her way when she was convinced she was right. Of course, that led to the kind of loud arguments that would have Georgia hiding under the bed, but at least Amanda fought for what she wanted.
    Well, she wasn’t like Amanda and never would be. And their grandmother wasn’t turning to Amanda right now. She was turning to Georgia, and it was up to her to do the right thing for Miz Callie.
    Once she knew what that was, anyway. She trotted down the stairs and stopped abruptly, halfway down. “Adam!”
    Her oldest brother held out his arms when he saw her, and she catapulted into them for a hug that lifted her off her feet.
    “Hey, Little Bit, how are you?”
    “Don’t call me that,” she said automatically, though she doubted she’d ever get him to stop, since he’d been teasing her with that since their parents brought her home from the hospital.
    “Pardon me, Ms. Georgia Lee.” He set her down,
    grinning. “I just have trouble believing you’re all grown up now, and engaged to boot.”
    She focused on his chest, clad in a Coast Guard Academy T-shirt, instead of his face. She couldn’t fool Adam. “That last part’s not so true anymore.”
    “Really?”
    She nodded, miserably aware that the news could now be spread to her huge extended family in a matter of minutes. “Listen, Adam, you can’t tell anybody the engagement’s over. I didn’t tell Mamma yet.”
    He whistled softly. “Okay. Nobody’s hearin’ it from me, cross my heart. But you probably ought to tell her soon.”
    “I know. But you know how she’ll be, denied the prospect of a wedding. I don’t suppose you’d care to get married instead.” She peeped up at his face, ready for his grin.
    “Not me,” he said quickly. “This old boy is not putting his head into a noose, thank you very much.”
    She shook her head with mock sorrow. “What are you doing over here this early? On your way to or from the station?”
    Adam, like his father and many other family members, had gone into the Coast Guard almost automatically. That was what Bodines did. He seemed to thrive on the life. His lean, craggy face lit up whenever anyone gave him a chance to talk about the service.
    “I’m on duty in an hour, but I figured I’d catch you jogging and get in a private chat.” He glanced toward the cottage. “How’s Miz Callie?”
    “Fine. Feisty as ever.”
    “You find out what’s going on with her yet?”
    She hesitated. The last thing Miz Callie had said to her the previous evening was a plea to keep this quiet, at least
    for a while, from the