Circle of Friends Complete Collection

by Susan Mallery

  * * *

  DESPITE THE LARGE crowd of teenagers, everyone sat down together to eat. Instead of a table, they sprawled on the lawn in the shade of an old tree, even Noelle’s parents.

  Dev found himself surrounded by her sisters and on the receiving end of some serious grilling.

  “How long have you and Noelle been going out?” one of the sisters asked. They were all blond-haired, blue-eyed California types and there was no way he could tell them apart.

  “Four months,” he said easily, remembering when Jimmy had first gone out with Noelle.

  “Do you like how she kisses?” asked the one who was obviously the youngest.

  “Tiffany,” Jane said in a warning voice to her daughter.

  “It’s a legitimate question,” she said, then sighed. “Fine, what do you like about her? She’s bossy. Did she tell you that? She’s always getting on me to do my homework or clean up my mess in the bathroom.” She inched closer, then spoke in a whisper. “She goes crazy when I leave the sink dirty. Honestly, who really cares about that stuff?”

  “I can hear you,” her mother said from across the lawn.

  Tiffany sighed. “Fine.”

  Dev glanced up and saw Noelle watching him. He winked at her and was pleased when she blushed and smiled.

  “You like own the company, right?” one of the other sisters asked.

  “It’s been in my family for many years,” Dev told her. “I inherited it from my father.”

  “He’s rich,” she whispered to the sister sitting next to her. “Cool.”

  Jane groaned. “Obviously I’ve failed miserably with these girls. I apologize, Dev.”

  “No need.”

  Compared to how he’d screwed up things with Jimmy, she’d been brilliant.

  The questions continued, some easy, some more difficult, until the meal was finished. After everyone had tossed their paper plates into the big trash can by the garage, Noelle and her mother went into the kitchen for a couple of minutes, then returned with huge flats of fresh strawberries. Her father stood and faced everyone.

  “It’s Sunday,” he said.

  There was a collective groan from Noelle’s sisters, although their guests looked more expectant than unhappy. Dev wondered what significance the day of the week held.

  Bob glanced at him. “On Sunday, we all talk about something unexpected that happened in our week and how it has changed us for the better. We’ll let you go later so you can see how it’s done.”

  Dev looked at Noelle, who mouthed an apology. From her stricken expression he could tell she felt bad for not warning him about this.

  He was sure he could come up with something. Noelle could win the prize for unexpected news, but he doubted she would be sharing information about her pregnancy or their engagement. So what would she say?

  Bob cleared his throat. “I’ll go first.” He glanced at his wife, who—with Noelle—was slicing ripe strawberries into bowls and setting them out on the table.

  “Jane came to me and told me she wanted to take a job outside the church office this week. At first I was angry. I thought she was turning her back on our responsibilities to our community.” He smiled slightly. “As I thought about the situation more, I realized my anger didn’t come from that at all. Jane has never walked away from anything that needed doing. So why was I so upset?”

  He paused. “Eventually I realized I was upset because I would miss seeing her all the time. I’ve spent our marriage with the luxury of always being with the woman I love. I know being apart for a few hours a day is something I can endure, but knowing she won’t be there makes me appreciate the time we do have together.”

  He raised his bottle of water toward his wife.

  Jane smiled. “Thank you, honey.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  Tiffany groaned. “Please do not kiss. I beg you. It’s gross.”

  One of her friends bumped her shoulder. “It’s not gross, it’s romantic. I wish my parents still kissed.”

  Tiffany made a gagging noise.

  Her father looked at her. “Maybe you’d like to go next.”

  Tiffany sighed heavily, then stood and told about a book she’d read that had been on her summer reading list that she’d dreaded and how it had turned out to be really good. Now she knew that maybe she should give books a chance before deciding they were stupid.

  And so it went. Even the friends of the sisters stood and talked about something unexpected in their day. Some of them spoke eagerly and Dev wondered if this was the only place they got any positive adult attention.

  When it was Noelle’s turn, he wondered what she would say. She stood and smiled at him.

  “My boss called me into her office this week,” she began. “I’ve talked about Katherine before. She’s great. I love working for her. Anyway, she knew Dev and I were, ah, dating.”

  He hoped he was the only one who noticed the hesitation in her voice before she said the “d” word. He’d mentioned the engagement to Katherine, who hadn’t acted surprised. He wondered if she’d already figured out the truth.

  “She told me that sometimes things happen in different ways than we expected and that we should be open to that. Then she told me that Dev is a good man and that I was lucky to have him in my life.”

  All eyes shifted to him. He stared at Noelle, intrigued that Katherine had talked to her and that she had chosen that as her story.

  “I already knew you were a good man,” she said with a smile, “but it was nice to have it confirmed by an outside source.”

  Everyone laughed.

  The next person spoke, but Dev kept his attention on Noelle. There were depths to her he hadn’t expected. So far all the discoveries were positive. If they’d met under different circumstances...but they hadn’t. Besides, Noelle was the type to believe in happily-ever-after and he thought romantic love was a crock. He’d seen what “love” had done to his mother.

  It had killed her.

  “Your turn,” Bob said a few minutes later.

  Dev stood. “Noelle has talked about her family in glowing terms,” he said. “Mostly I thought it was just that—talk. But now that I’ve met you, I see she was modest in her praise. You are a true family and spending the day with you has given me an idea of what I want for my own family someday.”

  He hadn’t planned what he was going to say and it revealed more than he would have liked. Still, it was true. He might not have a lot of faith in the love between a man and a woman but he believed in family. Maybe because his had never been what he wanted.

  He saw Bob and Jane exchange a pleased glance, then look at Noelle. Obviously they approved of him for their daughter.

  His gut tightened. Until that moment he hadn’t considered that doing the right thing meant deceiving two very decent people. What consequences would Noelle have to face later?

  Still, there was no going back. Not with Jimmy’s child on the line.

  * * *

  THE FOLLOWING WEEKEND Noelle managed to ignore the reason for the plane trip right up until they stepped off the escalator in the massive baggage claim area and she saw a man in a suit holding a sign that said “Hunter.”

  Then reality crashed in and she realized that she was hours away from being Mrs. Hunter.

  Married. Was it possible? The need to scream built up inside of her, but before she could decide if she would give in or not, Dev walked over to the man.

  “That’s us,” he said, motioning to the sign.

  “Mr. Hunter,” the man said with a smile. “I’m Johnson. Do you have any luggage?”

  Dev indicated the small wheeled bags they’d carried onto the plane. “This is it.”

  “Very good, sir.”

  Johnson took her bag and led the way to a large white limo
. While the luggage was stowed, Dev opened the rear door and motioned for Noelle to climb in first.

  She’d only been in one other limo. That had been a little over a year ago for her senior prom. She’d squeezed in with four other couples and had laughed the entire way to the hotel where the dance had been held. However she didn’t think that was something she should share with Dev.

  Instead she sat on the pale leather seat and did her best to keep from passing out.

  He glanced at her, then reached for her hand. “Breathe.”

  “You tell me that a lot,” she murmured, once again aware of the warmth of his fingers against hers and how being close to him made her feel safe.

  “You’ve been panicked a lot lately. We’re fine. We’ll get through this and then the worst will be over.”

  She wasn’t sure about that. “I’ve never done anything like this before.”

  He grinned. “Run off and get married? It’s a first for me, too.”

  She smiled back at him. “It’s not just the running off. It’s everything else.”

  “Piece of cake,” he told her. “Pretend it’s just a regular weekend. We’re here to have fun.”

  “Regular weekend?” she asked with squeak. “We barely know each other and we’re getting married because I’m pregnant with your late brother’s child. I don’t know what you do for fun, but I tend to avoid situations like this.”

  He leaned in and kissed her forehead. “You’ll be fine.”

  She wanted to believe him, but wasn’t sure she could. She kept a hold of his hand and studied the sights as they drove from the airport to the Vegas Strip.

  Traffic was slow and it took a long time to get down to the Bellagio. Noelle recognized the beautiful lake in front of the massive hotel from scenes in television and the movies.

  “I’ve never been here,” she murmured.

  “At the Bellagio or in Las Vegas?”

  “Both.”

  “I think you’ll like it.”

  The limo pulled around to the main entrance. A uniformed man opened the rear door and Dev stepped out. He waited for her to join him, gave his name to the bellman, tipped the driver, then led her inside.

  The first thing she noticed was a beautiful art glass ceiling. Everywhere she looked she saw glass flowers in a rainbow of colors. The detail was incredible, as was the sheer mass of flowers. From there Dev led her to a conservatory decorated in celebration of the upcoming Fourth of July holiday.

  Paths crisscrossed between gardens and clever displays of flowers and patriotic arrangements.

  “I love it!” she said with a grin. “This is amazing.”

  “They know how to impress,” he said. “Come on.”

  He led her through part of the casino. Gaming tables stretched out for what looked like miles. There were tons of slot machines and a level of noise that surprised her.

  “So many people are gambling,” she said. “Where do they get the money?”

  “It’s entertainment. Plus, everyone is hoping to get lucky and hit the big one.”

  She’d brought ten dollars to gamble with. Somehow that didn’t seem enough to hit the big one.

  They made their way to the VIP check-in. Dev offered a credit card and signed a form. While the uniformed man was processing their keys, Dev turned to her.

  “I meant to give this to you before we left,” he said.

  He handed her a credit card. She glanced down and saw it was in her name.

  “Unless you buy an expensive car,” he said, “You can’t reach the spending limit. Use it however you want.”

  The clerk handed over a small folder containing their room keys and gave instructions to the elevator.

  “I don’t need this,” she whispered as they walked away from registration.

  “Yes, you do,” he told her. “How are you going to buy groceries or get gas or pick up things for the house? What if you want clothes or shoes or a puppy?”

  She blinked at him. “I couldn’t really handle a puppy right now.”

  “I know.” He took her hand. “Noelle, we’re getting married. A credit card comes with the ring.”

  She wasn’t sure she could ever be comfortable spending his money, but if she weren’t working it wasn’t as if she were going to be supporting herself.

  “I don’t think I like this part,” she said in a low voice.

  “Didn’t you read the paperwork? I promised to support you for the length of our marriage.”

  “Reading it and living it are very different.”

  He pushed the Up button for the elevator. “Hadn’t you planned on being a stay-at-home mother?”

  “Eventually,” she admitted. “I’d thought I’d go back to work when the kids were in school, but for the first few years...” Her voice trailed off as she saw him looking at her. She sighed. “This is different.”

  “No. It’s not.”

  They stepped into the elevator.

  “While we’re at the hotel, you can charge anything you’d like to the room,” he said. “Just give them the room number and your name. We’re both listed.”

  While she pondered that, they arrived on their floor. She hadn’t paid attention to their room number, so she didn’t know which way to turn. Fortunately, he kept hold of her hand and she simply followed him down a lovely hallway.

  Their hotel room had double doors. Dev opened the one on the right and she stepped into a massive sitting room that was probably the size of the whole downstairs of her parents’ house.

  There was a round table big enough for six, a wet bar, two sitting areas and a television nearly as big as a movie screen.

  “We’ll have to discover it all ourselves,” Dev said, putting down the keys on a marble entry table. “Usually the manager comes up and explains all the amenities, but I wasn’t sure you could take one more thing.”

  She tried to smile in gratitude, but she was too shocked by everything. Who on earth would get a room like this and how much could it cost?

  He crossed the room and pulled the sheers aside. “Come look.”

  She moved next to him and saw they had a view of the lake, along with several of the hotels around them.

  “We’ll be able to see the water show,” he said. “You’ll enjoy that. Come on.”

  He led her across the sitting room and into the biggest bedroom she’d ever seen. There was a bed that could easily sleep five, a small sofa, a desk, floor-to-ceiling windows and carpeting so plush she nearly sank to her ankles. All of which was lovely, but then she saw both their suitcases on a bench at the foot of the bed and her throat tightened.

  Were they sharing? Logically the bed was plenty big enough. And once they were married, it wasn’t as if she could refuse Dev. He would be her husband. Marriage of convenience or not, if he had expectations, she wasn’t sure she could in good conscience say no.

  She could ask for time, though, right? That was reasonable. He would have to understand that under the circumstances she couldn’t be expected to—

  He stepped in front of her, cupped her face in his hands and said, “Stop. Whatever you’re thinking, just stop.”

  She stared at him. “How did you know?”

  “The sudden look of panic on your face.” He dropped his hands. “Noelle, I meant what I said. We’re doing this for the baby. I’m not trying to seduce you. I know they left both our suitcases here, but the suite has a second bedroom where I’ll be sleeping.”

  Relief made her knees nearly give way. “Really?”

  He smiled. “I promise. Look, as we just discussed, neither of us has been married before. This is going to be a big change. We’ll take it slow, okay?”

  She nodded.

  He touched her chin. “Hey, I’ve never even lived with a woman before.”
<
br />   Really? She found the thought comforting. “But you’ve gone away for weekends with them,” she said.

  He shrugged. “Once or twice.”

  She smiled. “More than that. You have a reputation, Mr. Hunter.”

  “Really. And what would that be?”

  “That you have had a string of incredibly beautiful, exotic women in your life.”

  “Huh. I never knew anyone was paying attention.”

  “They were.”

  She stared into his amused eyes and felt some of her fear ease. Maybe this was the strangest situation she’d ever been in, but they were in it together and somehow that made things easier.

  He stepped back. “We have a couple of hours until the wedding. Are you hungry?”

  When he said the “w” word, all her fears and worries crashed into her. She nearly staggered from the impact.

  “I can’t eat,” she told him, her stomach getting upset just at the thought of food.

  “Okay. Why don’t you rest? We need to leave here about three-thirty.”

  She glanced at her watch. “I’ll be ready.”

  “Good.” He walked to the door, then glanced back at her. “You can still change your mind.”

  She shook her head. “I want to do this,” she said, hoping she sounded confident and sure, instead of terrified. “I’ll be ready.”

  * * *

  DESPITE NOT HAVING slept in nearly three nights, resting was impossible, so Noelle alternatively paced the length of the beautiful bedroom and stared out at the incredible view. An hour before it was time to go, she plugged in her electric curlers, then checked her dress for wrinkles.

  After curling her hair, she redid her makeup, then changed into a strapless bra. She’d found her dress at the outlet mall. It had been one of those great moments in shopping history—with the price marked down four different times and the dress landing under a “50 percent off on this rack only” sign.

  The dress was white, with spaghetti straps and an asymmetrical hem. The top was fitted, the skirt full and there were tiny clear crystals angling across fabric.

  She supposed it had been a prom dress that hadn’t found a home and while it wasn’t the dress she’d always imagined for her wedding, she felt pretty when she slipped it on and closed the side zipper.