Wedding Date with the Best Man

She raised her chin. “I’m an honest person.”

“Honesty is a rare quality these days.”

“No kidding.” Jayne wasn’t about to disagree with him, especially after her experience with Rich. The cheating jerk.

And what did that say about Tristan? He and Rich were best friends.

She watched a bead of condensation drip down her glass.

“You cut your hair,” Tristan said.

Her gaze met his. “I’m surprised you noticed.”

“I’m a photographer, remember?” he said, as if that explained anything. “An eye for detail.”

She’d forgotten. Her cheeks burned. How could she have forgotten what he did for a living? He’d spent two days trailing her and Rich around town, taking their picture. But then again, she’d pushed as much of that painful time out of her memory as possible. That included her groom’s best man.

Still, she wanted to cover her embarrassment.

“My friends treated me to a makeover at a fancy salon in Las Vegas.” She fingered the short ends. “Rich told me never to cut my long hair, so I told the stylist to chop it all off. I had a moment of sheer panic when she did, but decided I actually liked the shorter length and have kept it this way even though there are times I look in the mirror and don’t recognize myself.”

Tristan drew his brows together.

Uh-oh. Deep in thought? Or disgusted by her rambling? Not that his opinion mattered to her. “Too much information?”

“Not at all,” he said. “I was just looking at your hair. The longer length was nice, but this style flatters your features better. You should get your picture taken.”

Thinking about the deposit she’d lost canceling the wedding photographer sent a shiver down her spine. Of course she’d lost a lot more than money with the breakup. Pride. Respect. Confidence. “I don’t like having my picture taken.”

“I remember.” His lips formed a wry grin. “But I managed to get some good shots anyway.”

“I never saw any of them.”

“I’ll get you copies.”

Jayne crossed her arms over her chest. “Um, I…”

“Bad memories?” Tristan guessed.

“Yeah, sorry, but thanks for the offer.” She picked up a cookie. “I know Rich is your best friend, but he wasn’t the man I thought he was. I wouldn’t want to spend the rest of my life with someone like him.”

Even if she’d thought he could give her everything she’d wanted. Everything, that was, except his love and fidelity.

Dredging up the past made her uncomfortable. This called for chocolate. She bit into her cookie.

“Then everything worked out for the best,” Tristan said.

Still chewing, she nodded.

“You’ll find someone else,” he said. “Someone better.”

Jayne choked, coughed, and reached for her tea. Plunging back into the dating scene was about as appealing as a case of food poisoning. Taking a year off from dating seemed a reasonable amount of time after a broken engagement. She needed time to regain the self-confidence to make the right decisions and trust her judgment again.

Besides, her three friends had found the loves of their lives when they hadn’t been trying to find “the one.” Maybe Jayne had been going about this happily-ever-after business the wrong way. Maybe she’d been trying too hard to get what she wanted. “I’m not really looking.”

“You don’t have to look. Someone will find you.”

Her breath caught in her throat. Tristan sounded so…romantic—a way she’d never heard him sound in the short time she’d known him. He’d always seemed so unfriendly, almost arrogant, back then.

“You won’t have to do anything,” he added.

Her heart melted a little. That sure would be nice.

Thanks to what had happened to her best friends in Las Vegas, Jayne knew Mr. Right finding her could happen. And she really did want it to happen one of these days.

Ever since she was a little girl Jayne had wanted the fairytale to come true. She was over the heartbreak Rich had caused, but she wanted to focus on work and getting her life back in order first. Her heart had fooled her. She didn’t want to be duped again.

“I hope that happens someday.” She emphasized the final word. “Just because things with Rich didn’t work out doesn’t mean I can’t live happily ever after here in San Diego with my one true love.”

“If that’s what you want, go for it.”

She thought about her and her mother’s dream. “Isn’t that what everybody wants?”

Tristan set his iced tea on the table. “Not me.”

Okay, so maybe the guy wasn’t so romantic after all. She shouldn’t be surprised, given his long-time friendship with Rich. A true romantic wouldn’t condone a cheater’s behavior. “That sounds a little…bitter.”

“Not bitter, just experienced.” He stared at his glass. “I gave marriage a try. It didn’t work out.”

She leaned toward him. “You were married?”

He nodded. “You sound surprised.”

“I am,” she blurted. He was attractive enough to have his pick of female companionship, yet had chosen to settle down. She wondered what kind of woman had made him want to say I do. No doubt a gorgeous model or actress-type, with a killer body. “I mean, you don’t seem like the marrying kind.”

“I realized I’m not, but I tried to make it work.”

Yeah, right. That was what all men said, but actions spoke louder than words. If only she’d realized that with the first man in her life…her father.

Her dad had done nothing to make things work with her mother. Jayne still remembered hearing her parents’ yelling late at night when she’d be in bed. Still, she’d never thought he’d leave one day and never contact her again. “Let me guess—you were misunderstood?”

Tristan laughed. “No, she understood me quite well. I take full responsibility for the failure of my marriage.”

His words touched Jayne. Her father had never admitted failure. He’d blamed all their problems on her mother. God rest her soul. “That must be a hard thing to admit.”

“I’m just being honest.”

“I appreciate that,” she said. “As you said, honesty is a rare quality these days.”