Her Best Man

Lindsey frowned. “He’s just trying to be brave.”

Jamie chose that moment to look at them. With a wave of his hand and a grin on his cherubic face, he sped off to join Sandy’s oldest son, who had his nose pressed against the airport’s glass-paneled walls, intent on watching a plane land on the runway.

A tear trickled down Lindsey’s cheek. “I knew it. He’s going to forget all about me.”

“Lindsey,” Alex said gently, whisking the tear away with the tips of his fingers. “Jamie’s not going to forget about you. He’s going to be fine.”

She bit her lip to stop the trembling. “How can you be sure?”

“Because I just am.” He captured her hand and led her toward the plane. “Now listen to me, Lindsey. Do you have any idea how lucky we were to get these tickets? It’s the day before Thanksgiving. The busiest traveling day of the year. We’ll never be able to get another flight”

She dragged her pump-clad feet, apparently not impressed by their good fortune.

“Just remember,” he continued in his most soothing voice. “This is a vacation. You’re not supposed to think about anything but relaxing. No Jamie. No Rick. No work.” He gave a silent cheer of victory as they stepped onto the plane. “Nothing but the sand and the sea and taking it easy with me.”

She stopped midaisle. “Rick? What am I thinking? He’s going through an emotionally traumatic experience. He could lose his job. He shouldn’t be alone at a time like this. He needs me.”

A lesser man might have been miffed at the ease with which she’d brushed off the prospect of spending time alone with him on a tropical beach. Alex kept a firm grip on her hand, and his bruised ego.

“Lindsey, you’re not going to help your brother if you’re on the verge of burnout. You need this vacation. I’m not going to let you change your mind.” He glanced over his shoulder at the doors being slammed shut “Besides, it’s too late. The plane’s ready to take off.”

“Take your seats, please,” a flight attendant, a perky young blonde, said with a smile. “We’re ready to depart.”

“Oh, no,” Lindsey moaned.

“Oh, yes,” Alex said with a sigh of relief. He half led, half dragged her to their seats, giving her the window seat in hopes the view would take her mind off her misgivings.

He might have been hoping for a miracle.

“Do you have any idea how much work will be waiting for me when I get home?” she asked as she buckled her seat belt. A rhetorical question, obviously. She didn’t bother waiting for an answer. “I’ll be working twice as hard trying to fill all the orders before Christmas.”

A new spill of tears threatened.

Alex sighed, again, feeling like hell for forcing her to go on this trip...even if it was for her own good. Getting her away from life’s pressures—not to mention, the antique dealer who’d been hounding her for a date—was his top priority. It was the least he could do for the wife ... that is, the widow, of his best friend, he assured himself.

He took her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “It’ll be okay, Lindsey. Everything will be fine once we’re in Florida.”

The plane shimmied beneath their feet as it taxied along the runway.

She leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder. “I’m sorry, Alex. I’m ruining your trip. I don’t know what’s the matter with me. I just feel so guilty.”

“That’s okay. You’re a mom,” he offered in way of explanation.

He brushed his chin against the top of her head. Her hair felt soft, tickling his skin. He breathed deeply, inhaling the scent of lavender and springtime; Lindsey’s scent. The plane’s engine surged as it lifted from the ground. Alex attributed the light buoyant feeling in the pit of his stomach to the effects of takeoff.

“What does being a mom have to do with feeling guilty?” she asked, sounding almost amused.

“Guilt’s just part of the whole motherhood thing.” He stroked his thumb across the palm of her hand. It felt soft, smooth, and all so delicate. He cleared his throat, struggling with an ill-timed surge of awareness. “When you’re a mom, you feel as though you have to take care of everyone else. I speak from experience, mind you. My mother’s the world’s most notorious worrier. Your nurturing instincts kick into overdrive when you’re a mother. It’s going to take a while before they downshift into neutral.”

She sighed. “I suppose you’re right.”

“Of course I am.” His grin was devilish. “Aren’t I always?”

She angled her face upward to look at him and, for the first time that day, she smiled. “Oh, Alex. What would I do without you?”

Emotion stuck in his throat, making it impossible to answer. Another rhetorical question, thank goodness. Because it was one question that she need not ever ask. They both knew he would always be there for her.

With a contented sigh, she snuggled against him, the tension melting from her body.

Alex, on the other hand, suddenly felt as taut as a drum.

One look into her trusting, innocent eyes and his protective instincts had been put on full alert. Yet the feel of her soft curves pressed against him had his blood pumping hot and thick. An undeniable awareness pulsed through his veins. To complicate matters further, guilt was stretching its icy fingers deep inside him, chilling him to the bone. He felt hot, cold and tense all at the same time. Alex gave a silent moan. Lindsey was slowly, ever so slowly, sending him into sensory overload.

What the hell was wrong with him? he chided himself. Lindsey needed a chance to relax, to unwind. She didn’t need to be lusted after by someone she trusted, someone she considered a friend.

But, then again, he’d be lying if he didn’t admit he’d always thought of Lindsey as a beautiful woman. It felt so good, so right, holding her close, touching her. For just a moment he allowed himself to imagine what it would be like if the circumstances were different, if she weren’t the widow of his best friend, if they were alone without another soul in sight...

Thump-thump-thump.

Alex nearly jumped out of his seat at the noise, sure the plane was about to crash. A just punishment for him and his prurient thoughts, he told himself.

The thumping noise stopped as the flight attendant rolled the drink cart up to their seats.

“First time flying?” she asked, glancing at Lindsey’s tear-stained face. She flashed a smile at Alex. “Perhaps your wife would like a drink to calm her nerves?”

“Wife?” Alex stiffened. Instant heat suffused his face.

Lindsey lifted her head off his shoulder so quick Alex feared she’d suffer from whiplash. She snatched her hand from his and blurted a hasty denial. “I’m not his wife.”

“No, of course not. We’re friends,” Alex said, feeling the totally inappropriate need to explain. “Just good friends.”

Lindsey brought a hand to her throat. Her wedding ring, the ring Danny had given her, glinted in the overhead light. “We’re traveling together.”

“To attend my sister’s wedding,” Alex added, speaking around the lump of guilt lodged in his throat.

“I see,” the attendant said, volleying a wary glance between the two of them. “Well, then, would your ‘friend’ care for a drink?”

Alex looked at Lindsey. Her face had turned about two shades pinker in the last few seconds. She shook her head, refusing to meet his gaze.

Alex cleared his throat. “No, thank you.”

The attendant nodded. “Perhaps later...”

Alex smiled wanly.

The attendant left them then, pushing her cart down the aisle.

An uncomfortable silence stretched between them. Lindsey shifted in her seat, tugging at the hem of her rust-colored skirt. Alex watched as she scooted herself as far away from him as the narrow seats would allow. New lines of tension etched her face. All of the progress he’d made toward easing her worries were for naught. She looked as uncomfortable now as she had before she’d boarded the plane. Lindsey glanced at her watch and feigned a yawn.

“Would you look at the time. It’s already three o’clock. I had to get up early this morning to pack, then off to school...well, I’m just exhausted. You don’t mind if I take a nap, do you?”

“No, of course not,” he said quickly.

Without another word, she folded her jacket into a pillow, curled her body away from him, and squeezed her eyes shut.

Alex felt like an idiot.

An unexpected anger simmered deep inside him, threatening to bubble out of control. Not an anger directed at Lindsey, for she’d done nothing wrong, but at himself. He was the one who’d broken the terms of their friendship. Holding her close, comforting her was an indulgence he should never have allowed.

He’d had no right.

The only man who had that right was his best friend. A man who’d been dead for nearly two years. A man Lindsey had, obviously, never stopped loving.

Chapter Three

“Lindsey,” a familiar, teasing voice whispered, rousing her from her nap. “Rise and shine, sleepyhead. We’re ready to land.”

She took her time waking up. With a purr of contentment, she allowed herself a luxuriant stretch—at least, as luxuriant as possible in the tiny seat—working the kinks out of her body. Her arm brushed against a masculine shoulder, sending goose bumps of awareness skittering up her limb.

Her eyes flew open.

Tentatively, Alex met her gaze.

In a heartbeat, the reason for her escape into slumberland came back to her with the force of a blow. She’d practically thrown herself into Alex’s arms. The flight attendant had believed them to be married. The mistake had embarrassed Alex. She’d seen that as clearly as the blush on his cheeks.

Now, he was looking at her with such uncertainty it made her heart ache with regret.

The plane bumped to a stop, throwing her off kilter. Passengers stood, gathering their belongings. Alex rose to his feet. Lindsey followed at a slower pace, giving herself a moment to recover her balance.

He stepped into the aisle, waiting for her to join him. His hand pressed lightly against the small of her back, guiding her as she moved into the aisle. The gesture sent tingles along her spine. It felt too intimate, reminding her too clearly of the stirring sensation that being close to him earlier had caused in the pit of her stomach.

Lindsey bit back a moan. Agreeing to this vacation with Alex had been a mistake. She felt unbalanced. Her emotions were too close to the surface. Who knew what might happen when she was in such a confused state?

An hour passed by the time they gathered their bags and paid for a rental car. It was dark when they stepped outside. The air felt warm, moist against her skin. In St. Louis, it had been thirty degrees. Here, in Florida, the temperature hovered in the sixties. Her sweater and wool skirt felt heavy and uncomfortable. She longed to change into something cooler.

Obviously, Alex felt the same way. He loaded their bags into the trunk. Then, with a grunt of satisfaction, he stripped out of his suit jacket, tossing it onto the back seat before he started the car. His tie quickly followed.

“Comfy?” she asked with an amused smile.

He grinned.

“Hey, it’s a vacation, remember?”

Lindsey relaxed at his teasing tone, feeling as though they were regaining the footing of their old friendship.

Alex drove confidently through the night-darkened streets. It was seven o‘clock, St. Louis time—eight o’clock in Florida. The traffic was light, the streets dark and glistening from an earlier rain. Lindsey sat back and enjoyed the ride.

His parents lived in a beachside estate on Whisper Key, one of the many islands that dappled the Gulf coastline of Florida. Their white stucco house was large and luxurious. As soon as they pulled into the circle drive, Lindsey was struck with a sharp reminder of the differences between her and Alex’s backgrounds.

She’d grown up the daughter of a St. Louis policeman. Until her marriage to Danny, she’d lived with her father in a two-family flat in south St. Louis. By no stretch of the imagination could she have considered her family wealthy. But they were rich in other ways, love being just one of those.

Alex, on the other hand, grew up in a palatial home in Ladue. It was only after his graduation from college that his parents had moved to Florida. He was born with the proverbial silver spoon in his mouth, never wanting for anything. Despite his family’s affluence, he was the most unassuming man she’d ever met.

Alex and his brother worked hard building their own company. For them, money was an afterthought, not a constant worry. Success seemed to be their main goal. Sometimes it was easy for her to forget that they came from such differing backgrounds.

“Relax,” he said as he helped her from the car. “My parents know you’re coming. They’ve promised to be on their best behavior.”

“Your parents,” Lindsey murmured thoughtfully.

Alex disappeared around the back of the car to unload their bags from the trunk.

Frowning, she followed him, asking, “Alex, exactly what did you tell them about... well, about my coming with you?”

He shrugged. “Just that you were looking forward to some time away from St. Louis.”

“Yes, but—”

She never had a chance to finish. The front door flew open and a tawny-haired young woman raced down the stairs toward them. Before Alex could say hello, she threw herself into his arms.

“Alex! I can’t believe you’re finally here.”

“Hey, sis,” Alex chuckled as he hauled the woman into a bear hug. “It’s good to see you, too.”

“Why didn’t you call when you got in?” she demanded when her toes were once again touching the ground. Graceful and fit, blond and beautiful, she reminded Lindsey of a feminine version of Alex. The Trent family resemblance was unmistakable. “I would have picked you up at the airport.”

He tugged on a strand of blond hair. “I didn’t want to bother you. Besides, I’ll need a car while I’m here.” He caught Lindsey’s curious gaze. “Lindsey, I don’t know if you’ve ever met my sister. Stephanie, this is Lindsey, Rick’s sister.”

“Rick’s sister, eh?” Stephanie raised a brow. Then, with a mischievous glint in her eyes, she extended a hand and said, “I promise not to hold it against you.”

Lindsey stared at her, uncertain what to say.

“Ignore her, Lindsey,” Alex said, looking amused.

“She remembers Rick from when she was in junior high. He used to pull her ponytail and call her brat.”

“Well, in that case, you have my fullest empathy. He calls me by that awful nickname, too,” Lindsey said, accepting the proffered hand.

“Stephanie, Alex, where are your manners? Stop chattering and bring our guest inside,” an older woman scolded from the doorway.

“Yes, Mother,” Alex and Stephanie chorused, chagrined looks on their faces.

Alex slammed the trunk lid, startling her. Lindsey jumped, uncertain why she should suddenly feel ill at ease. It wasn’t until Alex rested a reassuring hand on her shoulder that she forced herself to move.

His mother was a petite woman. Her silvery-blond hair had faded slightly with age. Her face was kind and beautiful. It was easy to see where Alex had gotten his good looks. After giving her son a hug and a fond buss on the cheek, she turned her attention to Lindsey. She seemed inordinately pleased by her presence.

“I’m so glad you could come, my dear,” she said, taking Lindsey by the arm, speaking gently as she led her up a stairway of marble. “Have you eaten dinner, yet?”

“Um—no,” Lindsey said, trying not to ogle the house’s rich furnishings. “But I’m really not that hungry.”

With the walls painted white and the windows placed with an optimum view of the ocean in mind, the house had a light, airy feel about it. It was large and spacious, with an eclectic mix of contemporary and traditional furnishings. Yet it had a comfortable, lived-in quality. It was a place where anyone could feel at home.

“Well, perhaps you’d like a sandwich later. Right now, I’ll show you to your rooms. I thought you and Alex might like to freshen up after your trip.”

“Thank you, that would be wonderful,” Lindsey said, glancing back at Alex. He followed behind, deep in a conversation with his sister.

“I do hope you’ll enjoy your visit,” Mrs. Trent continued. “I was so pleased when Alex called to say you were coming.”

“Thank you,” Lindsey repeated, wondering what else Alex might have mentioned about her. Since Jamie’s birthday party, they hadn’t discussed the details of her role in this weekend’s festivities. As far as she knew, Alex might still be expecting her to play the part of his “girlfriend.”

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