Читать книгу Her Best Man - Brenda Harlen, Brenda Harlen - Страница 5

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.