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Her Best Man
Brenda Harlen
Contents
Cover
Title Page
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Endpages
Copyright
Chapter One
When Amy Jensen arrived at her sister’s apartment on Thursday night, less than forty-eight hours before Lisa was scheduled to say “I do,” she found the bride-to-be in tears.
“What’s wrong?”
Lisa gestured to her dining room table, covered with dozens of champagne glasses, mini bottles of bubbly and spools of white tulle. “She dropped everything off half an hour ago, apologizing for the fact that she didn’t have time to finish.” Lisa impatiently swiped at the tears on her cheeks. “Finish? She didn’t even start.”
“She” being Susanna Victoria Dalton Jensen—their mother. Suffering from a self-diagnosed delicate disposition, she frequently took to her bed with migraines whenever she was faced with a task she deemed too onerous or demanding.
Amy set down the wine she’d brought and picked up one of the elegant crystal flutes. It had been hand-painted with the bride and groom’s initials surrounded by an intricate scroll pattern. “You did a fabulous job on these, Lisa.”
Her sister managed a smile, though it wobbled at the corners.”It just would have been nice if Mom had actually stepped up and acted like a mother instead of a drama queen for once in her life.”
Amy couldn’t disagree, so she went to the kitchen and returned with a corkscrew and a couple of wine glasses.
“Dad decided to throw a wrench into the plan, too,” Lisa told her. “He’s bringing Heather Cole as his date to the wedding.”
Amy worked the cork out of the bottle, poured the wine. “Why does that name sound familiar?”
“She was in my class in seventh grade.” Lisa accepted a glass of wine and took a long sip. “Never a dull moment in our family, is there?”
“I just wanted my wedding to go smoothly, without any last-minute snags. Now there’s been two—and bad things always happen in threes, so I can’t help wondering what the third is going to be.”
“There won’t be any more snags,” Amy assured her. “You’re just experiencing some pre-wedding jitters.”
Her sister glanced at the cluttered table. “I wanted to kick back tonight with my sister, drink wine and paint our toenails.”
“We can drink wine while we finish the favors. As for your toenails, I booked the ‘blissful bride’ package for you—including massage, manicure and pedicure—for ten a.m. Saturday morning at Sanctuary Spa.”
“Really?”
Amy nodded. “You’ve been running yourself ragged over the past few months organizing the wedding of your dreams, and now that the big day is almost here, I want you to be able to relax and enjoy it.”
“You always do that, you know?”
“Do what?”
“Whenever I start to feel sorry for myself for the parents I was given, you do something that makes me realize how fortunate I am to have a sister like you.”
“Nothing Mom or Dad says or does can change the fact that Saturday is your day—the day you’re marrying the man you love,” Amy said, and hoped that Lisa didn’t pick up on the wistfulness in her tone.
“I really do love him, with my whole heart.”
The curve of her sister’s lips was as instinctive as it was genuine, giving Amy hope that true love did exist, despite her personal experience to the contrary. “Then that’s all that matters.”
“You’ve gone above and beyond in so many ways,” Lisa said. “And I never even considered that it might be uncomfortable for you to be my maid of honor less than a year after you gave Adam back his ring.”
In truth, Amy’s feelings about her sister’s nuptials were somewhat mixed, not because of her own broken engagement but because she’d always assumed that, as the older sister, she would be married first. Life hadn’t worked out that way, but she was sincerely happy for Lisa and Warren. And just a little bit envious.
“I never should have accepted Adam’s ring,” Amy admitted to her sister now.
“You didn’t love him?”
“I thought I did. Until he decided to take a job in California and I realized I didn’t want to go with him.”
“You were in the middle of your residency,” Lisa pointed out in Amy’s defense.
It was the same explanation that Amy had given to her fiancé, but he’d known the same truth that she admitted to her sister now. “I could have applied to finish my residency in California.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“Because I didn’t love him enough.”
“I’d follow Warren to the ends of the earth,” Lisa confided. “And I’m sure he would do the same.”
Amy fluffed the bow she’d just tied and pretended that her own heart didn’t ache for the forever kind of love her sister had found. “That’s how it should be.”
“Have you ever loved anyone enough?” Lisa asked.
She pretended to consider the question, though the answer was as unequivocal as her feelings had been for the one man she’d loved. “Once. A long time ago.”
“Ben,” her sister realized.
Amy nodded. She’d loved Ben Seabrook with the innocence and intensity of first love. She had not only been willing to follow him to the ends of the earth, she’d offered to do so. He’d turned her down, insisting that they each had to follow their own path.
With the advantage of time and distance, she could accept that he’d been right. She wouldn’t be where she was right now if she’d followed the urging of her infatuated heart. It was an important lesson—and one she promised herself she wouldn’t forget.
Of course, her resolve had never been tested. Because in all the years that had passed since their final good-bye, she’d never seen Ben again.
But soon that would no longer be true—because on Saturday, her sister was marrying his brother. And Ben was the best man.
***
Ben Seabrook had lost count of the number of flights he’d taken from one obscure corner of the world to another. He’d flown economy and first class, he’d hitched rides on cargo planes and military choppers and medical transports. His experiences had been alternately thrilling and terrifying, all in pursuit of a story. But today, as he waited to check-in at Rio de Janeiro Internacional, he wasn’t searching for a headline—he was glad to be going home.
Twelve years earlier, he’d left North Carolina and he’d never looked back. As soon as he was gone, his parents had finally ended their acrimonious marriage, after which his father had moved to San Antonio and his mother had relocated to New Haven. Only his brother had stayed in Charisma. Now Warren was getting married, and he’d asked Ben to be his best man.
Of course he’d said yes. And then he’d put the wedding and all related details out of his mind while he made his way to Ishinomaki to report on how the city was dealing with the after-effects of a devastating tsunami. From Japan he went to Kazakhstan, then to Sierra Leone and, most recently, Brazil. His work kept him busy, leaving him little time to contemplate his brother’s upcoming nuptials or anything else. But now that he was finally on his way home, his mind was overwhelmed with memories of Charisma and the people he’d left behind—especially Amy Jensen.
Ben stepped up to the counter and offered his ticket and passport to the female agent behind the counter. She punched some numbers into the computer, then shook her head.
“I’m sorry, sir. I can’t check you in for this flight. We’re overbooked.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“I’d be happy to book you on the nine o’clock—”
“I’m supposed to connect in Miami thirty minutes after the eight o’clock flight is scheduled to land.”
“I’m sorry, sir.”
“I realize it’s not your fault,” he conceded. “But I have to get to North Carolina for my brother’s wedding.”
“We do have a flight at nine o’clock into JFK that—”
“JFK?” He stared at the Brazilian agent. “Have you ever been to the United States? It’s not a ten-minute cab ride to Raleigh from New York City.”
“If you’d let me finish, sir—the flight gets into JFK at six-thirty-five, and from there I can connect you on the twelve-thirty to North Carolina.”
“And what am I supposed to do at JFK for six hours?”
Of course, she didn’t respond to his question, she only said, “Do you want a seat on that flight, sir?”
He nodded, out of other options.
Chapter Two
Amy didn’t want to risk being late for the rehearsal if her shift at the hospital ran over, so she took a change of clothes to work and planned to get ready there. Now, with forty-three minutes to spare, she straightened the skirt on the designer wrap-style dress she’d bought for the occasion and surveyed her reflection in the mirror.
The jersey fabric was the color of crushed berries and emphasized her curves. Or maybe that was the new underwear she’d splurged on for the occasion—a push-up bra that promised “more cleavage than ever before” and matching satin bikinis. She’d planned to leave her hair down…until she remembered that Ben had always preferred it that way. Then she’d deliberately twisted it up and secured it on top of her head.
Though she knew it was ridiculous, she was more than a little nervous about seeing him again. They’d been high school sweethearts, but high school had ended a long time ago. Since then, he’d traveled the world and won numerous awards as a journalist, and she’d successfully completed her schooling and training to become an ER doctor. They’d each done what they’d wanted to do, but she’d never forgotten him.
Her cell phone chimed just as she slid her feet into four-inch Prada heels that would bring her five-foot five-inch frame closer to eye-level with the best man’s six-feet. A quick glance at the message made her heart leap into her throat. She immediately dialed the familiar number. “Lisa—what’s wrong?”
“It’s Ben.”
“What happened?” she asked, assuming that her sister was calling about some kind of medical emergency.
“He’s not here.”
Amy exhaled a breath she hadn’t even realized she’d been holding. “Then what’s the emergency?”
“Warren went to the airport to pick him up and found out he never got on the plane.”
The possibility that Ben might not show up for the wedding filled Amy with equal parts disappointment and relief. Disappointment because she’d wanted to see him again, to prove to herself that she was completely over her teenage crush. And relief because she was apprehensive about the reunion, in case she wasn’t as over that crush as she wanted to believe.
What had started as infatuation had grown and deepened during the summer after ninth grade. One day, she’d snuck over to the park with some table scraps for a stray dog that had been hanging around there—and found Ben feeding the hungry animal. The dog didn’t have a license or a tag, but he did have a collar with the name “Barkley” etched in the leather. For three weeks, Amy and Ben had made frequent trips to the park to give the animal food and water. She’d wanted to take Barkley home, but Lisa was allergic to dogs. Ben had considered doing the same, but his mother wouldn’t let any animals in her house. Their shared concern about the dog had been proof to Amy that there was a soul-deep connection between them, and for a long time she’d believed they were destined to be together forever. She didn’t believe in such things anymore.
Pushing the memory aside, she focused on her sister’s present concern about the best man. “He probably took another flight.”
“This is the third snag,” Lisa said. “And Warren will be so disappointed if Ben isn’t here for the wedding.”
“He’ll be disappointed, but nothing will stand in the way of his exchanging vows with the woman he loves.”
Lisa exhaled a shuddery sigh. “You’re right. I’m overreacting.”
“Understandable,” Amy assured her.
“But you’ll be at the church by six o’clock, won’t you?”
“I’m leaving the hospital in ten minutes to deliver the favors to the hotel, and then I’ll be right there,” she promised.
After her sister’s heartfelt “thank you,” Amy disconnected the call and tucked her phone into her purse.
As she walked through the staff room, Dr. Justin Garrett let out a wolf whistle. “Wow, Jensen. Put a dress on you, and you actually look like a girl.”
“Dial down the charm, Garrett. You’re going to make me blush.”
He smiled, flashing white teeth and mouthwatering dimples that had made a lot of women blush—and more. “Seriously, it’s a good thing I’m on call tonight, because you’re going to give that ex-boyfriend of yours a coronary when he sees you.”
“Maybe—if he’s there,” she told him.
Justin’s brows lifted. “Your best man’s AWOL?”
“I thought you were my best man,” she teased. “Well, mine and every other woman’s.”
“Some days it’s a blessing, some days a curse,” he said. “But since I’m going to be at the wedding tomorrow, I’m happy to pose as your date, if you want one.”
She was touched by the offer. Shortly after Lisa had accepted Warren’s proposal, Amy had worked a long shift in the ER with Justin and, during a lull in the early hours, she’d confided her history with her sister’s fiancé’s brother. And Justin being Justin, he no doubt remembered every word of that conversation.
“Thanks,” she said sincerely. “But I can handle it.”
He nodded. “Let me know if you change your mind.”
“I will,” she agreed.
She passed the triage waiting room on her way to the door, pausing when she recognized a woman seated in one of the plastic chairs with a little boy in her lap.
“Hey, Chloe,” she greeted the mother, then crouched down and gently touched the back of her hand to the child’s cheek. He was pale and feverish, and his skin was clammy. “Who’s this—” she wracked her brain for the names of her friend’s two boys “—Ethan or Owen?”
“Simon.” Chloe’s smile was weary. “He’s my third.”
“I guess it’s been a while,” she noted, her attention already shifting to the child again. “How old are you, Simon?”
He held up two fingers, then unfurled a third.
“His birthday was last week,” Chloe explained.
“What are his symptoms?”
“Fever, lethargy, stomach pains.”
“Vomiting?”
Chloe shook her head just as Simon bent over and threw up his spaghettiOs—all over Amy’s DVF curve-hugging jersey dress.
***
Ben rented a car.
It was an eight-and-a-half hour drive from New York City to Charisma, but he preferred driving to waiting. He’d planned to rent one anyway so that he would have his own transportation while he was in North Carolina. It had made sense until he hit the gridlock and construction delays that added almost two hours to his travel. He also hadn’t anticipated that thoughts of Amy would be his constant companion throughout the journey.
He had fond memories of her and all the days they’d spent together, but he was surprised to realize just how many memories he had. She’d been an integral part of the life he’d left behind. He’d missed her when he left, and had continued to miss her for a very long time afterward. Not that he’d admitted it back then, because he’d had plans for his life that didn’t include his high school girlfriend.
Out of sight, out of mind—or so he’d wanted to believe. But occasionally, when he’d been sleeping in a cave in Afghanistan or shivering in a tent in Husavik or fending off rats in Deshnoke, it was dreams of Amy that had helped him get through the night. The memory of her radiant smile had given him light in his darkest hours, and thoughts of her sweet kisses had kept him warm on the coldest days.
At sixteen, Amy had been soft and sweet and innocent and loving. She’d given him everything he’d asked—and more. He’d loved her, but he’d still left her without looking back. Because he’d suspected that if he didn’t get out of town right after graduation, he might never want to go. So he’d said goodbye to Charisma and to Amy, but he’d never forgotten her.
From his brother, he’d learned that she’d gone to medical school as she’d planned and returned to Charisma to work in the ER at Mercy Hospital. The last time he’d asked about her, Warren had said she was engaged. Ben hadn’t asked again. And he’d refused to believe that his increasing dissatisfaction with his own life had any connection to the knowledge that she’d obviously moved on with her life—without him. After all, it was what he’d told her to do.
More than two years had passed since he’d learned of her engagement, so she was likely married by now. Which meant that her husband would be at the wedding with her. As unreasonable and unrealistic as it was, he didn’t want to think about her being with another man, kissing another man, loving another man. So as he drove, Ben cranked up the volume on the radio in an attempt to drown out the unwelcome thoughts.
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