1. That's What Friends Are For (11 page)

"Don't be ridiculous. I don't want any money from you. I just meant I was going to end the marriage as soon as I know what to do."

''Oh."

She stood and began to brush the wrinkles out of the skirt of her gown. "I'm going to go put my contacts in so I can at least see who's here."

"I'll wait out in the hall for you. We need to arrive together, looking properly blissful."

Every time she thought of Brad's audacity she wanted to throw something at him. How was she going to be able to look at him with a loving smile all afternoon? She shook her head. Acting ability, indeed. It would be the performance of her life.

Penny went into the ladies' restroom and replaced her lenses. Being able to see helped to boost her morale somewhat. She stared at herself in the mirror. Her face was white and strained, her eyes slightly puffy. It was not the face of a typically blushing bride.

Their delay in joining everyone at the reception did not go unnoticed. As soon as they walked into the room everyone started clapping and some of the comments held sly innuendos of Brad's impatience to get her alone.

Oh, no. Penny thought. She'd forgotten all the jokes and teasing that went along with a wedding. The only way she was going to get through the afternoon was by shutting her mind to the fact that she was with the wrong man.

Her mother hurried them over near the table where a three-tiered cake sat waiting for them.

"You can stand here and receive everyone. Then the photographer will start posing you for pictures."

The photographer! Something else Penny had forgotten. She glanced at Brad, and unconsciously did a double take.

She hadn't paid attention to him when she had come out of the ladies' room. It was only now that she saw what he looked like in his tuxedo.

He wore the traditional black and a ruffled shirt. The clothes fit him as if tailored for his tall body with its broad shoulders, lean hips, and long, muscular legs. He looked magnificent. The dark suit enhanced his tan and bright hair. The small bandage gave him a rakish look that made him very appealing.

"Well, if you aren't the sly one, young lady," Mrs. Fielding said, walking up and grabbing Penny's hand in a firm grip. "Letting us think you were marrying Mr. Duncan right up to the last minute. Of course you never fooled me a bit, you know." She winked at Brad. "But your engagement certainly served its purpose. It got Brad to come home so you two could work everything out."

Penny couldn't look at Brad. She couldn't believe the woman and she couldn't think of a thing to say in reply to the outrageous comment.

Brad spoke up, sounding relaxed and nauseatingly pleased with himself. "We're happy you and Mr. Fielding could come today."

"Oh, we wouldn't have missed it for the world, even before we knew of the dramatic denouement," she said archly. "It must have to do with your theatrical background and all."

Penny wondered how much longer she would be able to stand there and smile before she let out a scream.

"It was the most romantic thing I've ever seen," Mrs. Cantrell said when she reached them. "Why, when Reverend Wilder explained how you two suddenly realized how you felt about each other and that nice Mr. Duncan agreed to release you, I thought I would cry. It was better than anything I've ever seen on television!" She leaned over and whispered to Penny, "Even though he seemed a very nice man, I thought Mr. Duncan was too old for you anyway, dear. Isn't it nice how everything worked out so well?"

Penny wondered what all of these people would do if she suddenly started having hysterics? She felt very close to it at the moment. She had an absolutely insane urge to laugh and she knew the tears wouldn't be far behind. Already she could read the write-up in the local paper: "Bridegroom has to slap hysterical bride at wedding reception."

Somehow she managed to get through the next hour without breaking down. Then the photographer took over.

She would have been all right if she hadn't met Brad's eyes during one of the more soulful poses. The dancing light of amusement almost undid her. How many times had she seen the same expression on his face after they'd shared a joke?

Oh, Brad. No matter what, you manage to see the humor in every situation. Nothing in life ever really fazes you. How do you do it?

Then the photographer asked Brad to kiss her. This time the intent look in his eyes held a question. Taking a cue from him and determined not to treat what was happening like some gloomy Greek tragedy, Penny lifted her mouth and closed her eyes.

She felt his arms go around her and pull her tightly against him as his mouth found hers.

This kiss was nothing like the one he'd given her at the altar. As a matter of fact, it was like no other kiss he'd ever given her, and Brad had kissed her often over the years—friendly kisses, exuberant kisses, teasing kisses, hello kisses, goodbye kisses.

Penny couldn't compare this particular kiss with any of those. She felt a tingle in her body that started in her toes and shot up through her until she felt the top of her head seem to shoot off.

His lips felt firm yet they were also tender. He took his time, as though they had nothing better to do, as if there weren't a roomful of people watching and a photographer whose flash periodically added a fireworks display behind her closed eyelids.

Brad was kissing her the way he kissed the countless women Drew Derek pursued on television. No wonder they kept coming back for more!

Vaguely Penny became aware of the general laughter and a smattering of applause around them and she stiffened. They were making a spectacle of themselves.

She pushed herself away from him and glared up into his smiling face. ''You're supposed to look happy," he said just under his breath, never breaking his smile.

Penny flashed him an equally brilliant smile. "You try that again and I will place my knee in the exact spot you instructed me to all those years ago to ward off unwanted advances!"

He flinched in mock horror. Then he laughed—he actually had the nerve to laugh. "To think that you would use my own teachings against me," he said, still too low for anyone to hear.

The photographer interrupted their murmured comments, convinced this was a couple who was counting the minutes until they could be alone. "Okay, now. How about some pictures with you both cutting the cake."

Why not? Penny thought. Maybe I can stuff enough cake into his mouth to choke him. "Bridegroom chokes to death on wedding cake." Then she remembered the previous Sunday's accident coming on the heels of her dire wishes for his early demise. Penny hurriedly explained to the Fates that she didn't really want him to die and to please ignore her last suggestion.

Opening the gifts brought back to her how differently this part of the afternoon would have gone if Gregory had been there instead. Brad seemed to be having a great deal of fun and the onlookers were relishing his reactions and comments.

She had to admit that his quick wit often caught her off guard and she found herself laughing at his humor and antics—until she picked up the envelope that must have fallen off one of the gifts. The envelope was addressed to Brad Crawford.

Very few people could have known that Brad would be there to open gifts. She handed the envelope to him in silence. When he opened it, Brad continued to stare down at the contents, his expression blank.

"Come on. Brad, don't hold out on us," someone yelled. "Somebody give you a million bucks?"

He glanced over at her and she noticed his color had faded.

"What is it?" she whispered.

Without a word he handed her two pieces of paper that looked like airline tickets. They were. She stared down at them in bewilderment. The tickets were for a round trip to Acapulco for Mr. and Mrs. Brad Crawford, leaving that afternoon from the airport nearest Payton, to return the following Saturday.

Penny looked up at Brad in dismay.

"Tell us! Tell us!" several people said, laughing.

Penny cleared her throat. "Well, it's, uh," she glanced at Brad helplessly. Brad looked at her and shrugged. She started again. "It's round-trip tickets to Acapulco, leaving in a few hours."

Her announcement created a great deal of excitement and speculation. "What a wonderful idea! Great wedding gift! Marvelous place for a honeymoon!"

Honeymoon? Penny's heart seemed to sink in her chest. She leaned over and whispered, "We can't use these. Who in the world gave them to us?"

"I don't think you want to know," he said, his expression deliberately noncommittal.

"What do you mean?"

He handed her a note that he had continued to hold. She stiffened when she saw the page with the name Gregory Duncan neatly imprinted at the top. His slashing handwriting read, "You might as well use these since they're paid for. The hotel reservations have been changed to your name." It was signed with Gregory's initials.

The realization of his betrayal seemed to flood over her and for a moment Penny thought she would double over with the pain. Brad must have recognized how she felt because he leaned over and said, "You know, Penny, it might not be a bad idea to take him up on the offer. It would give us time to get away and decide what to do. If we don't go, what then? All these people are just waiting to see us happily depart somewhere or another. Why not Acapulco?"

Acapulco. Gregory had remembered a conversation many months ago when she had commented that she had never been out of the United States. So that's where he'd planned to take her on their honeymoon.

What kind of man would leave his intended bride on the eve of her wedding, then provide the honeymoon trip as a wedding gift when she married someone else?

Penny realized that she didn't know Gregory Duncan at all. Perhaps she never had.

"What do you think?" Brad asked.

The problem was, she could no longer think. About anything. Everything had suddenly piled up on her and she felt that she couldn't deal with another decision. She looked at Brad and said, "I don't care at this point what we do or where we go. Just get me out of here."

Taking her at her word, Brad used the tickets as a reason for their hurried departure. But the well-wishers couldn't let them leave without the traditional spray of rice over them as they dashed for Brad's mother's car.

"My suitcases!" Penny gasped, hurrying down the sidewalk.

"Your dad said he put them into my car this morning."

They got into the car, waving at all the happy, smiling people who had helped them to celebrate their wedding day.

Brad took Penny's hand and squeezed it gently, then placed it on his thigh before driving away. ''Well, Mrs. Crawford. We may have the shortest marriage in history, but it looks like we're going to have our honeymoon!"

P
enny stood on the balcony of the luxury hotel and stared at the sun as it set over the Pacific. She had never seen the ocean before and knew that she should be experiencing all of the excitement of the unknown.

The view below had all the earmarks of a fantasy— white sands, gently swaying palm trees, and the variegated blues of the ocean—a virtual tropical paradise.

Penny felt no excitement, no anticipation, no pleasure. She felt numb.

From the room behind her she heard Brad's voice speaking to the bellhop, but she didn't turn around. She had nothing to say to Brad at the moment. Only questions that needed to be asked eventually, and decisions to discuss. But even the answers to those questions could do little to change the present situation.

Nothing could change the fact that she was now officially on her honeymoon—with the wrong man.

Staring out at the panorama spread far below her, Penny knew when Brad opened the wide sliding glass door and joined her on the balcony. She didn't turn around.

They had spoken very little since leaving the church. By the time they made their connections and were on the plane to Acapulco, Penny felt exhausted. She slept most of the way.

Penny recognized Brad's dispirited mood and no longer believed this was another one of his pranks. During the reception, fleeting memories of their conversation the night before had occurred to her.

Penny realized that the blow to his head hadn't affected him as she had thought at the time. He'd been trying to warn her that Gregory wasn't going to be at the church. One of her questions was how he had known. What could he have said or done to cause Gregory to risk ruining his reputation in Payton rather than marry her? Whatever it was, Penny knew she wasn't quite ready to face Brad's possible treachery.

And that was the cruelest blow of all. That Brad, her childhood friend, her most trusted companion, could be responsible for what had happened.

If that were true, she had not only lost her fiance but her belief in the integrity of her best friend. How ironic that she was now married to him.

"The view is really something, isn't it?" Brad said quietly.

She could hear the tenseness in his voice. He wasn't feeling any better about the recent turn of events than she was. She supposed that was something they had in common at the moment.

"Yes."

When she didn't say anything more, he asked, "Are you hungry?"

"No."

"Neither am I." Brad pulled out one of the chairs tucked under a small table on the balcony and sat down. "At least we're away from the comments of all the well-wishers," he offered in a gentle voice. "Are you very tired?"

Penny continued to gaze out toward the beach. She hadn't looked at him since he'd joined her. Without turning she said, "Not really. I slept on the plane."

Brad was very aware of that. After she had fallen asleep he had pulled her into his arms so that she slept with her head on his shoulder. What had torn at his heart were the tears she had shed in her sleep.

Why had he ever thought that she would prefer to marry him than be abandoned at the church? Why had Gregory ever suggested it? Unconsciously he rubbed his head. Perhaps that was it—the blow to his head. His brains had been addled. Despite doing everything in his power to prevent it he had managed to hurt her, the very last thing he would ever have wanted.

Penny caught sight of the movement and turned slightly to see Brad massaging his forehead.

"Is your head bothering you?" she asked, suddenly remembering all that he had been through that week. She had been so wrapped up in her own misery she had forgotten what he was going through.

"A little."

"Why don't you take some pain medication and try to rest?''

He looked up at her and smiled ruefully. "Because the stuff is so strong, it puts me out for hours."

Penny found herself smiling for the first time since the wedding reception. "I don't find that such an unfavorable side effect. I wouldn't mind being unconscious for a while, myself."

His eyes met hers in total understanding. They had shared so much over the years. Today was one more experience that strengthened the bond between them. When the challenge of the reception confronted them, they had immediately united and faced the crisis together. Now that it was over, they could fall apart without fear of the other's ridicule.

Brad wondered if Penny had any idea how rare that bond was. Or if she cared.

"Good point," he said, answering her smile. "I may just take your advice." He glanced around, taking in the view from the balcony. "We certainly found a spectacular spot to hide and lick our wounds, wouldn't you say? "

She heard the underlying pain in his voice and she closed her eyes, almost wincing at the sound. Brad looked tired, as though he hadn't slept much in the past twenty-four hours.

His decision must have caused him a great deal of agony, and her accusations hadn't made the situation any easier. She had struck out at him in pain, perhaps unconsciously hoping to ease her own. Why had she placed all the blame on him?

Penny acknowledged that sometimes, when a person is so filled with hurt and the pain takes over, it's hard to recall who administered what particular jab of agony. She had struck out at Brad for some of the pain inflicted by Gregory.

"I'm sorry for all of those hateful things I said to you earlier," Penny said slowly, opening her eyes and meeting his gaze.

His gaze seemed to soften and grow warmer. "Thank you for that, Penny," he replied.

''I think everything will look a little better to us in a few days," Penny said, "once we've had a chance to get used to the idea of what has happened. We don't have to make any decisions today." She walked over to him and softly stroked his forehead. "Why don't you take something for that headache, okay?"

He studied the expression on her face for a long, silent moment. Apparently satisfied with what he saw, Brad nodded. "I think you're right. Without this throbbing in my head, I could probably think a lot more clearly.''

Penny watched him walk back into their room. He took off his coat and tie, then opened his suitcase and took out the small bottle of tablets. After disappearing into the bathroom he soon reappeared, sat on the side of the bed and slipped off his shoes.

She could almost feel the groan of relief he gave when he stretched out on the bed and closed his eyes.

Poor Brad.

It was amazing how quickly her perspective changed as soon as she began to think of someone besides herself, Penny thought wryly. She had certainly been enjoying a pity party of her own all day—feeling misused, abused and totally duped.

She needed to look at what the nefarious Brad had done to her. Why, the dastardly fellow had sought her out the night before and attempted to explain that her fiance had backed out of their engagement at the last minute. When she refused to take him seriously, Brad, being the blackguard he was, had filled in as bridegroom rather than leave her to face a crowded church alone.

Gregory was the one who needed to make explanations. Penny shook her head wearily. What difference did it make? It was much too late to search for answers, but she knew that her mind would busily work to solve the mystery of the disappearing bridegroom.

How well do we ever get to know a person? Penny wondered, leaning against the railing and looking toward the water. No matter how hard we try, there are too many depths to be plumbed in a person to hope that we can ever completely know him.

She probably knew Brad Crawford better than she knew any other living human being. He knew her equally well. He'd once mentioned to her that the knowledge they shared about each other was more significant than she had ever acknowledged.

One thing Penny knew with fierce certainty—Brad would never have done to her what Gregory had done. Never.

She sighed. Today had been the most traumatic day of her life. She was glad to see it end.

Penny slowly entered their room, unsurprised to find Brad asleep. A frown still creased his brow and without thought she reached over to smooth it away with her forefinger.

He muttered something and shifted restlessly on the bed. It sounded as though he had said "Penny." She felt an ache in her chest. It wouldn't be surprising if he were having nightmares with her in the starring role.

Poor Brad. When he had decided to go home to attend a friend's wedding, the last thing he'd expected was to find himself in a featured role.

Penny wandered into the bathroom, a little awed by the luxurious fixtures. "Well, Penny, old girl, it's your wedding night, so how do you intend to spend it?" She reached over and turned on the water in the large tub. A warm soak in the tub sounded like a good way to relax. Too bad she hadn't thought of bringing along a good book to read, she decided whimsically.

And then she'd probably be ready for bed. Bed. She was going to share her bed with Brad. Of course it wouldn't be the first time. But the last time they'd slept together was on a camping trip when the zipper wouldn't work on her sleeping bag and he had offered to share his. As she recalled, she was eight years old at the time.

Somehow she knew that sharing a bed with the adult Brad would be an entirely different experience.