Her Best Man

“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 (#u2a99b7f8-008d-520a-b742-3c04fc8cb125)

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.