Her Best Man

They both glanced at the covey of plastic airport lounge chairs where they’d left Jamie in the care of Lindsey’s friend, Sandy. The boy with the “damaged psyche” was busy pretending to be an airplane in flight, obviously not giving the departing adults a second thought.

“Yeah, he really looks like he’s ready for the psychiatrist’s chair,” Alex mused.

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.