CHAPTER TEN
The next day, while Jamie took care of brother-of-the-bride duties, Lucy stood in front of a full-length mirror, looking at her reflection. Her hair was styled in a way she never would have chosen to style it, her body encased in a dress she never would have chosen to wear. The dress was pretty but subdued, with a modest neckline trimmed with lace.
Sighing heavily, she slipped on her silver shoes with the lovely but sedate three-inch heels and headed out.
The wedding was being held outside, on the green manicured lawn in the courtyard of the hotel overlooking the beach. As she walked toward where the pretty chairs were all arranged, she noted her casual up-do and dress seemed very similar to what other women were wearing, which both relieved and annoyed Lucy.
Luke, the man Melina had speculated was either a cop or a drug lord, smiled and held out his arm. She took it and let him usher her to her seat. Once she sat down he leaned close and said, “You look very nice today.”
“Thank you. You look handsome, as well.” And he did. Even when he smiled, Luke exuded danger. He was definitely a bad boy. Yet to her surprise, aside from noticing he was indeed good-looking, Lucy didn’t feel that heady tug of attraction she was expecting herself to feel. It was almost as if Jamison Whitcomb the Fourth had ruined her for other men.
She was seated at the end of the aisle somewhere near the middle. She could see Jamie near the front, looking good enough to eat in his black tux with burgundy vest and tie. She watched him talking and laughing with his friend Cole. And she noticed that several women seated around her were also looking at him.
Did they know he was as nice as he was sexy? And whereas Lucy had once thought those two things couldn’t truly be compatible, she knew his kind heart only made him that much more sexy.
As if he’d heard her thoughts, his gaze suddenly found hers and he smiled. Then he really looked at her, studying her from head to toe. He smiled again and mouthed the word, “Wow,” and fanned himself with his hand.
She felt herself blush, which pissed her off. She wasn’t the blushing type. She turned away quickly, only to jerk when she saw the two couples standing in the aisle next to her.
Mason’s parents, and his sister Diana and her date, likely her husband.
Mason’s mother smiled.
After all these years, Lucy still remembered Evelyn Lancaster’s smile. This was a pale imitation. That sparkle in her eyes, the way her whole face would light up when her son was in the room, was missing. There were deep lines around her blue eyes, and Lucy wondered how many of those lines came from the hours she’d spent crying over the loss of her son. Evelyn always had high cheekbones, but now they stood out so prominently she looked gaunt. There obviously wasn’t enough money in the world to erase the toll heartache had taken on her. Lucy’s heart ached for Evelyn in a way she wouldn’t have thought possible.
“Hello, Lucy.”
“Hello.” She stood. “I’m very sorry about Mason. At the hospital, I didn’t get the chance to tell you.” Her parents had attended Mason’s funeral, but she hadn’t been invited. And the Lancasters had left Gail’s funeral as soon as it was over—too emotional to stay to chat, Lucy figured.
“Of course not, dear. You were very upset. We all were, of course.”
Mason’s father nodded. She remembered him as a giant of a man, but in reality, he was a couple of inches under six feet. His eyes were almond-shaped and the color of chestnuts, and when she was younger they’d always seemed cold. His wide nose had seemed to flare like an angry bull’s when she was in room, confirming his distaste for her. Now his eyes just looked aged and a little bit sad.
She had to wonder how much of her memories had been skewed by her own youthful insecurities.
Lucy could see Mason in him and she wondered how a father could stand to lose a part of himself that way. Was Mason’s sister a comfort to them now?
Would I be a comfort to my parents?
What kind of daughter lets her parents go through losing a child alone?
She looked at Mason’s sister, Diana, as they took seats in the row behind Lucy. She was dressed in a designer gown, her brown hair swept gracefully back from her face and fastened in a smart bun at the nape of her neck, her lashes long and dark and undoubtedly extensions, and she didn’t look grief stricken. But if someone stood Lucy in front of a mirror right now, would they be able to see the pain of losing Gail? Just because they couldn’t didn’t mean it wasn’t there. That it would always be there.
Mason’s mother leaned toward her. “Your dress is lovely, dear. You look like a princess.”
“Thank you,” she said. She looked down at her dress. It wasn’t her, but the back…she liked the back of it. The lace met in a V across her upper back and then it was open to the waist. Sexy in a classy way.
She rolled her eyes suddenly and thought, Keep it up, Lucy, and you’ll be a Stepford Wife before you know it.
“How is Milly?” she asked, unable to help herself.
Evelyn’s face grew soft at the mention of her grandchild. She nodded toward Diana, and said, “Diana is doing a great job caring for her, and the baby is growing each day.”
A tug pulled at Lucy’s heart. Her sister had wanted her to have custody of her daughter, this woman was trying to stop that. Yet…
She caught a brief glance between Evelyn and Diana—a glance containing love and support.
At least Gail could rest well knowing Milly was surrounded by people who not only wanted her, but loved her, too.
The Lancasters were seated, and Lucy looked back up at Jamie. He and the groomsmen seemed to be having some kind of pow-wow, and the wedding planner was in the corner, speaking on the phone and looking like she had just seen a ghost. Jamie’s father looked concerned and his mother seemed to be scanning the area for something…or someone. That was when it dawned on Lucy…. She’d seen Gabe, the best man, and Ryan, Cole, Luke, and Jamie who were the groomsmen, but where was the groom? Usually by now he’d be up front with his groomsmen, eagerly waiting for his bride to appear.
Uh-oh, this isn’t looking good, she thought.
Lucy looked around like the rest of them, and that was when she spotted Jamie’s sister standing in the back. She was incredibly beautiful. Her dress was white with wide lace straps over the shoulders. It was cut in an A-line with a fitted bodice and a wide skirt, decorated with pearls, hand sewn no doubt, that gave it just a tinge of sparkle in the sun.
The dress made her think of Gail and her eyes burned with tears, which she furiously blinked back. When they were little girls, one of their favorite pastimes had been playing dress-up. One year for Christmas they had both received a bridal dress and the whole ensemble to add to their already burgeoning closets full of dress up clothes. They’d spent the entire month of January playing wedding. Lucy remembered how pretty she’d felt all dressed up in the lacy satin dress, and how pretty Gail looked in hers….
“Hey!” Jamie was suddenly standing next to her, bringing her out of her reverie.
“Hi. What’s going on?”
He frowned. “Are you okay?”
She nodded. “I’m fine. Weddings just make me weepy.”
Jamie hesitated, as if he knew she was lying, but then he looked at the couple next to her and smiled. “Come with me,” he said, taking Lucy’s hand to help her to her feet. He led her to a spot where there were no prying ears and then said, “Was Mason’s family rude to you? Because if they were, I swear—”
“No, they were fine, Jamie. I just—I just was thinking of Gail. It’s still hard to believe she’s gone. I mean, I didn’t see her for so long, but now, knowing I’ll never see her…”
Her voice broke and Jamie enfolded her in a hug.
That was all. He didn’t say anything else. He didn’t need to. His embrace said it all. He was there for her.
Finally she forced herself to pull away. “Now it’s your turn. I haven’t seen Eric….”
Jamie ran a hand through his hair. “Eric seems to have bailed.”
Lucy winced and placed her hand on Jamie’s arm. “Oh God. That’s awful. Your poor sister.”
“Yeah. I—I just don’t understand it. Eric’s been in love with Brianne since college. He’s a good guy, but apparently fifteen minutes ago he texted her—”
“He texted her? Oh my God, what a punk! What did he say?”
“I don’t know,” Jamie said. “Yet. I’ve only talked to my parents. I need to talk to Brianne but I didn’t want to leave you alone…especially with those people sitting behind you…without telling you what was happening.”
“Thank you. But you go to your sister. She needs you.” She tugged at her gown—it seemed to have ridden up when she’d stood.
He kissed her lightly. “Thank you, Lucy.” But he didn’t leave. He stared at her with an odd look on her face.
She managed to wrench the fabric back into place, then said, “What?”
“You know the clothes you wear don’t define who you are, right? You’ve heard the old saying that ‘Clothes don’t make the man?’ I know who you are, Lucy and that’s the person I care about. It has nothing to do with what you do or do not wear. I also think that you’re gorgeous. You look amazing in your own clothes and you look amazing in this gown. It’s hard for me to even remember that anyone else is here when I look at you. It’s even hard for me to remember that my sister needs me, but she does, so…”
Breathless more because of the expression on his face than his words, Lucy gave him a gentle push. “Go.”
“I’ll be back,” he said.
* * *
Jamie and Gabe flanked Brianne as they found a private corner in the hotel to talk, one that still gave them a good view of the wedding guests sitting outside. “What did the text say?” Jamie asked his sister. Gabe was standing next to her looking protective…and pissed.
“That’s between Eric and me,” Brianne said with a glance at Gabe, as if she’d already made the statement several times. “And really, I don’t want any of you to be mad at him….”
Gabe snorted. “Unbelievable. The guy left you at the altar—”
“I’m well aware of that, Gabe.”
“Yet you’re protecting that asshole.”
Brianne closed her eyes and shook her head. “You know he’s not an asshole. He’s your friend.”
“Not anymore.”
Her eyes popped open. “You don’t understand.”
“No, I don’t. Because you’re not explaining what the fuck is going on. And he’s not here.”
Jamie held up his hands. As pissed as he was at Eric, as much as we wanted to punch the guy first and ask questions later, he couldn’t ignore the fact that Brianne was being so calm. That she didn’t seem all that surprised—or all that upset—that her fiancé had left her at the altar with only a mysterious text as explanation.
“What’s going on, Brianne? Did you two have some kind of fight?” Jamie asked.
“No, no. Not exactly. But you see…” She took a breath and lifted her chin. “Yesterday, I—I told Eric I thought he was having second thoughts. That if he truly wasn’t one hundred percent sure he wanted to marry me that we should call the wedding off rather than string things out. So you see, he’s only doing what I asked of him.”
Gabe’s fingers tore through his hair. “Are you insane? The time for second thoughts passed a long time ago. But if he was going to raise them, he should have raised them when you brought it up, before the damn guests arrived. And what made you think Eric was having second thoughts? The guy adores you.” He shook his head. “But it doesn’t matter. He’s obviously lost it, just like I’m going to lose it when I see him. Eric’s dead.” Gabe looked at Jamie as if waiting for him to agree.
“I’m trying to get all the information before I go out hunting for blood,” Jamie said. “It looks bad for Eric, yes, but—”
“But what? You’re okay with him doing this to your sister?”
“No,” Jamie gritted out. “You know I’m not. But you’re completely ignoring what Brianne is saying.”
“Because it’s bullshit.” Gabe turned to Brianne and pointed a finger at her. “You don’t deserve this. And the fact my former best friend did this to you is not something I can forgive.” Turning on his heel, Gabe stormed away. Brianne let out a muffled cry of dismay before taking a deep breath and turning back to Jamie, crossing her arms protectively at her waist.
“Thank you for staying calm and listening to me.”
He gathered his sister in his arms and hugged her tightly. “I don’t know what’s going on, Bri, but whatever you need I’m here. If you want me to hunt down Eric…”
She shook her head.
“Or just help you get rid of all the guests…” He looked over the agitated crowd and saw
heads bowed and close together. People were talking. Gossiping. About his sister. Anger flushed over him, but then he caught sight of Lucy. He calmed, and turned his attention back to Brianne.
To his surprise, Brianne shook her head again. She tipped her head back to look at him. “As embarrassed as I am right now, this is for the best, Jamie. Things…things were going on with me and Eric, things you don’t know and you don’t need to know, and if he’s had doubts, he can’t help that. I encouraged him to dig deep and make the tough call, and he did. In return, I have to deal with an uncomfortable situation, but bottom line—I’ve avoided marrying a man who wasn’t sure about me. That’s something that should be celebrated.” She pulled out of his arms and smiled bravely. “Good thing we’ve already got a party in the works.”
“You still want to go ahead with the wedding reception…just without the wedding?” Brianne had always had a flair for the dramatic but this…
“Yes, I—”
At that moment, Gabe returned. When Brianne looked at him, he simply walked up to her, put his hands on her shoulders, and stared down at her. Then he said, “Whatever you need, squirt. You know I’m here for you.”
Brianne blinked rapidly, obviously trying to hold back tears, and mouthed, “Thank you.”
“So how do you want to do this?” Jamie asked her.
“Let’s get the party started.”
“You’re sure?”
“Very sure. I want you to go out there and have fun with Lucy.” She looked at Gabe. “And you, grab a bridesmaid and have a great time. I’m fine, I promise.”
Frowning, Gabe opened his mouth to say something, but abruptly closed it when Brianne walked away.
Gabe looked at Jamie. “I’m not buying it. She’s not telling us something.”
“Maybe. But we’re not going to get anything out of her right now. We’ll give her what she wants and keep our collective eyes on her. That work for you?”
Gabe looked in the direction that Brianne had disappeared. “For now,” he said.
Jamie sought out Lucy again. If his sister wanted them to party, he had the perfect person to be by his side.