"What are you talking about? Wedding, what wedding?" I asked as Liz pulled back and looked at me with confussion written all over her face.
"Maxie's wedding. You didn't know?" She asked shocked.
"Maxie is getting married? When? To who?" A thousand questions were running through my head as I fired off the first few I could get out.
"Umm, maybe I shouldn't be the one to tell you. She never mentioned anything when you talked on the phone?" She asked as she cleaned off some tables and stuck the tips in her apron before going back around behind the counter.
"Well we haven't talked on the phone in a long time, actually about a year and a half. I got really busy in Australia with my hotel chain I established on the coast. I just never got the time and she never called. I haven't even talked to my mom or Mac in just about as long." I said as I put all my luggage beside the stool I was sitting on at the counter.
"Water front hotels, huh. You sure look like you have been in Australia. Look at you all toned and tanned. I'd give anything to look like you." Liz said with a laugh.
"Me, why would you want to look like me. I've always envied you." I said astonished at her comment.
"Are you kidding, after two kids, a husband, college classes and working here, my body is the last thing I pay attention to anymore." She said as someone came up to the counter to pay for their food.
"Speaking of, how is Lucky?" I asked referring to her husband. They got married a couple years ago around the same time I came back for a couple weeks to visit. I had been in Australia for six years. I left as soon as I graduated and I took two years of intense college courses and earned my Bachelors in Hotel Managing and Business and opened a chain of hotels on the beach called "New Heights". Luckily they were an instant success being that they were on the beach, the main attraction in Australia.
"He's great! We switch off everyday. He works in the morning while I am at home with the kids and do my classes online and then I come in here once he gets off in the evening. It's hard but it works, things will calm down once the boys are in school." She said as she beamed at the mention of her two sons Jacob and Joshua. They were the most adorable boys. Liz had sent me pictures of them as they got older over the internet. My only means of communication with anyone anymore.
"Ok so back to Maxie getting married. Why wouldn't she call and tell me?" I asked as I thought hard about what would cause her to not tell me she was getting married.
"I'm not sure, but I think you should talk to her about it." Liz said with a sympathetic look on her face.
"Ok, but do you know when it is?" I asked hoping it would be during the time I would be here. I had gotten a sudden wave of home-sickness and things were going good enough with "New Hights" that I was able to come back for a couple weeks.
"Tomorrow." She mumbled but I still made out what she said.
"WHAT!?!?" I couldn't believe it, my sister, my only sister was getting married tomorrow and failed to tell me. We never got along great with each other but that didn't mean I wouldn't have wanted to know and come back for it.
Just then the bell signaling someone walking in the door, chimmed. I was too lost in my thoughts to hear it but I seen the look on Liz's face go from that of sympathy to what looked like a little bit of fear as she looked at who had just walked in. When I noticed her change I followed her gaze to see Maxie standing by the door with what looked to be the man she would be marrying in some 24 hours. Atleast I hope it was, she looked pretty comfortable with thim. I couldn't tell who it was because he was bent down whispering something in her ear, hiding his face, as she laughed loudly at his comment and wrapped her arms around his neck. Just as soon as he pulled his head back to look into her eyes my heart hit the floor and my worst fears were realized. It was Dillon.
Maxie giggle some more as Dillon kissed her before dipping her back like they do in the old movies. Huh, yea old movies alright. She finally looked around the room before her eyes rested on me and all the color drained from her face. "Georgie?" She asked as she stood back up straight and Dillon jerked his head in my direction.
"Dillon?" I asked not even comprehending what Maxie had just said.
"Georgie, look we need to talk. A lot has happened since you left and...." Dillon started to say as I stood up and started grabbing my luggage which consisted of a large piece on wheels and my carry-on which I flung over my shoulder.
"No this is.....this is fine. Don't worry about me." I said as I stood up and went to walk out of Kelly's, stopping first to look at Maxie. She looked like she didn't know what to say or do. Almost like she wanted to cry. "Congratulations, you got yourself a keeper." I said as I looked over at Dillon before I walked out of the doors. My emotions were raging as I got a cab and went to the hotel and got a room. At one moment I wanted to cry and the next I wanted to throw something or hit someone. This wasn't happening, it couldn't be. I sat in my room for an hour before I heard a knock on the door. "Go away, I didn't order room sevice." I said angrily. The door opened a little.
"Can I come in Georgie?" I heard Dillon say as he opened the door wider. I forgot that if you stay in the Quartermaine hotel then any of them had free access to your room key. As much as I hated to admit it he had changed a lot in the years since we had last seen each other. His hair was still the wild mess it used to be, but he was built more, he was more muscular but still looked small standing there not knowing what to say. He also looked more grown-up.
"Why not, come on in." I said bitterly. "Is Maxie with you? Did she come along to rub this in my face?"
"Of course not, why would you say that?" He asked hurt.
"Let's see, only because she could never stand me being happy or having something that she didn't. So she won, she's given me the ultimate payback for whatever she thought I deserved." I said as I jumped up off the bed I was sitting on and walked over to the window.
"Do you honestly believe that this is all some big scheme to pay you back for something?" He asked disgusted.
"What else would it be?" I asked quietly as I watched all th people entering and exiting the hotel, all of them looking happy, none aware of the pain I was feeling.
"Umm maybe, just maybe we are getting married because we love each other." He said as I whipped around and glared at him.
"Don't even say that to me. You two couldn't stand to be in the same room when we were teenagers unless it was to piss the other one off. Do you just expect me to believe that you fell in love over night?" I asked as the anger built up inside of me.
"No, not over night. Georgie do you really realize how long you have been gone? Six year! A lot can happen in six years. You wouldn't begin to know what has gone on here. You were too busy in Australia to pick up the damn phone and call." I could tell Dillon was becoming frustrated with each passing second.
"I went over there to make something of myself, what did you do. Stay back to play house with my sister?" I said as I grabbed my suitcase and threw it on the bed and began looking for something. I was just trying to do something to keep from stressing out too much.
"I wanted to go with you, or don't you remember that? I wanted to go, but you said that you wanted to go by yourself to get settled in and then once you were sure that was what you wanted you would call and I would fly out there. I was willing to relocate to be with you, but it would interfere with your 'plan' so you didn't want to. Don't try to point this to me. What, did you honestly expect me to sit at home and wait for you for six years? I have a life too, one that deserves to be a priority in my life, not just your life and how this will effect you" He said as he turned around so his back was facing me.
"When did you and Maxie start dating?" I asked not really wanting to know the answer, but I knew I needed to.
"About 3 years ago. A little while after you left the last time. Her and Kyle broke up and I was there for her because she was your sister. You know six years ago I couldn't stand her, but that was because I was seeing what I thought I should be seeing. She isn't like what you think she is, Georgie. We talked a lot about you and how you moving to Austalia had put a lot of people's lives on hold. Everyone was waiting for you to come back. I was waiting for you to come back, or call or something. But you never did. She let me see that I needed to move on." He said with a passion I hadn't heard from him in a long time.
"Yea, move right on to her." I said.
"You know what, I don't expect you to understand, that's why we decided not to tell you about us getting married until things calmed down. This is no ones fault but your own. You didn't call, and you didn't come back." He said hurt.
"Dillon, I'm back now, come back to Austrailia with me. We can lay on te beach, go surfing, boating, it'll be great." I said as I tried to step closer to him, but he stepped back twice as far.
"I'm sorry Georgie, but I am with Maxie, I love her and I am going to marry her tomorrow whether you accept it or not. We'd love for you to come, but we'd understand if you didn't. I need to go, Maxie is really upset right now." He paused as he reached for the door knob and looked back at me. "You're too late, Georgie." He said as he walked out the door and I feel to the ground, my body heaving with the heavy sobs that were coming from deep within my soul.