No Other Love

by Jean Adams

  Too dejected to fight back, Jenna merely nodded.

  “Now I suggest you get your beauty sleep. Don’t want you looking tired and drawn at the airport tomorrow, do we? I’ll collect you in the morning. Ten thirty. Sharp. Be ready.” Roger kissed her hard on the lips and left. It was all she could do not to wipe her hand across her mouth.

  The moment she closed the door, she could stop the pretense. Let go and let her tears fall. She might get over Lucas eventually, but oh, how it hurt right now. Someone had ripped out her heart and left her with a gaping hole. But was a hole supposed to hurt so much?

  Wandering into the bedroom, she could still see Lucas sitting in the chair beside her bed. He’d taken such good care of her. The sooner she got out of here, the easier it would be.

  Moving to the bedside table, where she kept the colorful peacock feather Lucas had given her the night of the opera, she gazed at it with tears in her eyes. Such a beautiful, delicate thing, but at the same time so strong, so resilient. She picked it up and ran its soft strands across her cheek.

  Laying on top of the bed, she closed her eyes and tried in vain to shut out all the memories of Lucas. At that moment she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt despite her plans and dreams, despite her mother’s warnings, she was hopelessly, helplessly in love with Lucas.

  Her soul mate. Her perfect match. There could be no other love for her.

  ****

  She’d just finished the last of her packing when the doorbell rang. Roger stood there with a big smile on his face.

  “Ready for the off, old girl?”

  “I suppose so. I’ll just take a last look around. See whether I’ve missed anything.”

  As Roger took her big case out to the waiting taxi, Jenna wandered slowly around the condo, clinging to any lingering memories of Lucas. From the bathroom where he’d taken such good care of her, to the bedroom when he’d plied her with hot lemon and tea.

  She’d miss him. Oh, God, how she’d miss him. Miss seeing him around. Miss trying to coax a smile out of him, then when she succeeded, that smile would bring out the sun to reflect in his chocolate-colored eyes. She’d even miss his gentlemanly behavior. The one man she hadn’t wanted to be a gentleman. She could easily have gone the way of her mother with Lucas if he’d—

  “Have you got everything? Ticket? Passport?”

  Why did Roger have to interrupt her memories? “Don’t fuss, Roger,” she snapped.

  One final look at the place she’d called her home for the past six months, a final glance at the chair where Lucas had slept beside her, then she sighed, turned abruptly, and closed the door for the last time.

  Chapter Seventeen

  The airport was the usual melee of happy people, despite the early time of day. Jenna waited beside Roger in the interminably long London check-in queue.

  She’d agreed to marry Roger in haste now she had to find the right time to tell him she’d made a mistake. That she wanted something else. Someone else. He wouldn’t be an easy man to convince, especially since he’d turned into a control freak the moment his ring was on her finger.

  The heartache at losing Lucas was something she’d have to endure for a long time to come. She’d probably forget about him eventually. Once she got home. Back into her old routine, away from all the familiar places.

  A tear poised to fall finally trickled from the corner of her eye and found its way down her cheek. She swiped it away with the back of her hand.

  This was it. She was leaving Los Angeles, and Lucas, behind forever. She was travelling to London with Roger, the Earl of Kendal

  But, oh, lord, how she prayed a miracle. But miracles today were in short supply. In a few weeks she’d be Lady Kendal if she didn’t speak up, and Lucas would be nothing more than a distant memory. She may not even be able to picture his face. But she wanted so much to remember him. The man who found it difficult to smile, but when he did—…

  “Your lipstick’s worn off,” Roger announced, interrupting her thoughts. “Put some on before we board, there’s a good girl.”

  “It’s all right.”

  “It’s worn off. Put some on. I don’t want my wife looking like a ragamuffin.”

  “I’m not your wife yet,” she threw at him.

  Roger gave her a glare she didn’t care for. The expression in his eyes scared her a little.

  This was the last straw. Had she given up the Bahamas for this? Little she could do about it now, but when she got home…

  She sighed, obviously, and fished in her bag for said lipstick, but only to shut Roger up, or she’d have him lecturing her on her unkempt appearance all the way home. It was somewhere in there, amongst all the clutter, probably slipped to the bottom and—

  She paused when her hand pulled out a piece of paper folded in half. It’d been torn from a notebook. Her heart raced. It was the piece of paper Lucas had given her bearing his Greek address. She closed her eyes. It was the reason lunch on Friday had resonated so deeply. They were in that same restaurant and she had half remembered Lucas giving it to her. She gripped the torn paper as though it were a lifeline. Now she could at least write to him. Tell him she wasn’t the two-timer he believed her to be.

  The metallic voice of the tannoy broke into her swirling thoughts. “This is the first call for Europa World Airlines flight 101 to Paris and Athens. All passengers should go to Gate Five.”

  The heaviness weighing on her heart all the way to the airport suddenly lifted. She felt lighter. Lighter than she’d felt since the day Roger arrived.

  And she knew. She’d been given her miracle. A second chance. If she didn’t act on it now she could lose Lucas forever. And she didn’t want to lose him.

  He was the love of her life.

  A split second was all it took.

  Stomach churning, she glanced up at her fiancé and slipped the engagement ring from her finger. There’d be an embarrassing scene, but that couldn’t be helped. “I’m sorry, Roger. I can’t do this.”

  He frowned. “Can’t do what?”

  She pressed the ring into his hand. “I can’t marry you. I can’t fly to London with you.

  “What in blazes do you mean? Now look here, Jenna—”

  “You’ll get over it.” She ran for the Athens flight.

  “Where are you going?”

  “There’s somewhere else I have to be,” she called over her shoulder. “With the man I love.”

  “That American chap?” he called after her.

  “That’s the one. I’ll send someone to collect my bag.”

  She smiled as a couple of rounds of applause followed her mad dash for the Athens flight. After a rushed check-in, which thankfully was accomplished by a friend, she finally boarded, let go a breath, and leaned back in her seat.

  Only after she’d settled did she stop to think about what she’d done.

  It was the longest flight she’d ever endured, that at times she wished she could get out and push. But it gave her plenty of time for reflection. What if he had someone on the island? What if he didn’t want to see her? What if he was working and she’d be in his way? So many what-ifs and so few answers. If she had done the wrong thing, then she’d leave him in peace. But as she picked at her food and slept her way through the night, one expression kept going round in her mind, and she clung to it now as the plane approached touchdown in Athens.

  Two-timer.

  It was the only clue she had to the way Lucas felt about her. She prayed she was right.

  She felt awful about dumping Roger. Technically that’s what she had done, but she’d had no choice. She’d been given the second chance to be with Lucas and she had to cling to that hope.

  The late afternoon air was hot and humid as she raced for the taxi rank.

  “Ferry to Poros,” she said to a sleepy taxi driver.

  The driver didn’t speak English, but when she showed him the piece of paper with Poros written on it, he knew exactly where she wanted to go and he came to life.

&nbs
p; As though sensing the urgency of her mission, the driver sped through the streets of a crowded Athens. She barely noticed the ancient Parthenon on the hill, arriving at the ferry terminus just in time for her to catch the last ferry of the day.

  ****

  Lucas snatched up his keys from the table by the door and caught his appearance in the long mirror. After giving himself a look of self-derision, he tucked his light blue shirt into his white denims and left the apartment.

  He stopped at the top of the hill to see the late afternoon ferry heading toward the island and figured it was about twenty minutes away.

  Making his way down the hill he headed toward the taverna on the wharf where he always had an early dinner before going home to work on his assignment. Sometimes he’d stay and talk, often into the night putting the world to rights with his friend, the owner of the taverna.

  He bought an American newspaper from the stand, even though the news was three days old, ordered coffee and settled at his usual small table to read his paper. Catch up on the news from home. He usually watched the ferry dock, bringing with it a new crop of tourists. He’d followed this same routine for the past few days. Maybe it was time to change his routine. He took a mouthful of coffee.

  Right now though, this was the only way he had of getting Jenna out of his system. Not that he was having much luck. He hoped a month would be enough to at least take the sting out of losing her to the earl.

  No other woman could cut it for him.

  Nothing unusual happened as he watched the ferry disgorge its passengers today, but somehow he sensed something was about to. His gut churned violently. Hell, he never checked his appearance in the mirror. Just picked up his keys and left.

  He took a sip of the bitter coffee and skimmed the front page, but he didn’t read immediately. Instead, he sat and watched the ferry’s ramp grind slowly down on its heavy chains to land with a metallic thud on the wharf.

  His eyes strayed back to the front page as cars drove off the ship, then looked up to watch the latest crop of tourists disembark. He turned the page and folded back the paper while keeping his eye on the passengers.

  A family of four. He half smiled as he watched the children scream off the boat. He’d have liked kids. It wouldn’t bother him how noisy they were.

  Several couples followed. A small pang of envy went through him, but as usual he pushed them to the back of his mind. Not that he had anything against couples. He was just so tired of doing everything by himself. Tired of being alone.

  He returned his attention to the newspaper, only glancing up when he heard the sailors shouting and the ramp start to lift. The ferry was closing down for the night, in readiness for the first trip back in the morning.

  He drew in a sharp breath when a woman with red hair caught his attention. He put down his paper, his heart thudding in his ribcage. Jenna?

  No. It was wishful thinking. He was imagining things again. Everywhere he went, he imagined her face. And where was Roger?

  Dammit! He couldn’t get her out of his mind. Get real, Nelson. What would she be doing here anyway? He closed the pages of his newspaper, laid it on the small round table and squinted.

  No, it couldn’t be her. Close though. It was just another woman who looked a lot like her, becoming who he wanted her to be. Because he wanted Jenna to be here, sharing this beautiful Greek island.

  But she wouldn’t come here in a million years, leastways, not without her fiancé.

  He watched her let go of her suitcase and take a piece of paper from her purse. She looked up and smiled at a man approaching her.

  Lucas picked up his paper again and tried to put the woman from his mind. When he squinted in her direction once again, the man had gone and she was fishing in her purse. Jenna always did that.

  His heart kicked. Serves you right for falling in love, dumb ass.

  But his gut still churned.

  He downed his coffee and decided that tonight, assignment or no assignment, the way he was feeling right now, he’d never be able to concentrate on work. He’d stay for dinner and chew the fat with his Greek friends. Best to get engrossed in serious conversation with friends and finish the work in the morning.

  Until he came to sudden decision and slapped his paper shut. He’d be damned if he’d let her go without a fight. For various reasons he’d lost everything he’d ever held dear. He wouldn’t lose Jenna, too. No one was more dear to him than her. If he kept seeing her face everywhere he went, then something had to done. Pretty damn quick.

  He might be clutching at straws, but what he’d done, in effect, was take away her choices. Hell, he knew how she felt about that. By not telling her he loved her, he’d made her decisions for her.

  He’d go to England and find her. But where did he begin? Easy. First, he’d go to the airline and hope they gave him her address.

  He’d pack tonight, leave first thing in the morning. He might be out of luck, but he’d never know unless he did something about it.

  His eyes strayed again to the woman on the wharf. She was still there. Feeling better than he had all week, he slapped the paper shut with a decisive nod, folded it none too carefully, and pushed his chair away from the table.

  His cell phone rang. That’d be his client. He’d been expecting a call.

  He glanced once again at the woman. She was waiting for someone to answer her phone.

  A strange notion flew through his mind. He gaped. “It can’t be. Can it?”

  Slowly, he picked up his phone, never once taking his eyes from the woman.

  He punched a button. “Luke Nelson.”

  A woman’s soft voice spoke into his ear. “Hello, Lucas.”

  He stared in disbelief, his heart racing violently. “Who is this?” he asked cautiously.

  “It’s Jenna.”

  “Blake?” he blurted like an idiot.

  She laughed. “How many Jennas do you know?”

  “You’re kidding me.” His heart beat a tattoo, thundering in his chest like a summer storm, keeping time with his gut. “Where are you calling from?”

  “Poros wharf.”

  Slowly he got to his feet. “I thought it was you. I can see you.”

  “Where are you?”

  “Look to your right. Costas’ taverna.”

  She spun and stared.

  He walked slowly toward her, gripping the phone as though by switching it off she’d disappear in a puff of smoke. “Roger not with you?”

  “No, he’s in the UK.”

  His heart pounded faster as his feet picked up speed. “Will he be joining you?”

  “No.”

  He was half running now. “Be with you any second.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Heart racing, Jenna waited for Lucas to join her. The few seconds it’d take for him to reach her seemed to take forever.

  During the long journey, common sense kept trying to tell her she should call him from Athens. At least then she could’ve retreated with a little dignity if necessary. But common sense had flown out the window, or why was she here at all? Now she’d burned all her bridges. Truth was, she’d been too scared he’d say, ‘I’m busy. Don’t come,’ and she so wanted to be here.

  Nowhere to retreat now.

  She watched as he approached. Even though he was almost running it felt as though time had stopped.

  She gasped when a final shiver of common sense finally burst through all her denials. What would she do if he had another woman? What would she say? But she’d clung to this moment with hope in her heart. And to two words. Two-timer. As far as she knew she hadn’t two-timed him, so why would he say a thing like that to Bill?

  She’d been stupid not letting him know she was coming, but she’d wanted to surprise him. Maybe the surprise would be on her. Soon find out. As the seconds ticked by, year-by-year, echoes of his voice lingered on the airwaves. Just speaking his name made her heart feel lighter. Her stomach tightened. She held her breath. Well, at least he was here. What if
she’d had a wasted journey and he’d decided to go home to LA?

  Heart thumping mercilessly, she waited as his long denim clad legs moved closer to her, that wonderful smile she’d fallen in love with, spread all over his handsome face.

  His cell phone went dead. Seconds later he was within speaking distance. He grabbed her by the shoulders, pulled her to him and kissed her cheek. “Beautiful girl! What are you doing here?”

  He’d never called her that before, at least not to her face. Good sign?

  “I thought there was an open invitation for anyone to visit.”

  “Sure. Always is. I just didn’t expect…”

  “Well, I took you up on it.”

  “I’m glad you did. Hey, I just ordered dinner. Let me go cancel the order and we can—”

  “Don’t cancel it on my account. I’ll join you if that’s all right. I haven’t eaten since I don’t know when.”

  “Don’t they feed you on that airline of yours?”

  She laughed nervously. “Of course they do, but I wasn’t hungry.”

  He picked up her suitcase, guided her across to the taverna and sat her down. A hovering waiter handed her the menu.

  “What do you recommend?”

  “I ordered the lamb.”

  “Then I’ll have the same.” She took in the sights and sounds of the island, then turned to face him. “So, what’s to do around here?”

  “I’ll check out some tourist spots for you. I know there’s a fiesta here on the wharf in a couple of days. The people give thanks to the sea for taking care of them so well. There’ll be plenty of seafood, a parade, fireworks, everything. Would you like to go?”

  “Sounds like fun.”

  Lucas ordered her meal and a bottle of wine. “So, do you have somewhere to stay?”

  Help! “Uh, no, not yet. I was hoping you could recommend somewhere.”

  “Well, I can recommend the cheapest place in town.”

  “Oh, it doesn’t have to be cheap. As long as it’s clean and—”

  “Tidied the living room myself.” He shot her a grin. “Just before I left.”