The Best Man

by Carol Hutchens

  “You mean…you admit…you never—” Kate’s words ended in a strangled sound.

  “Joel! Stop this!”

  Joel looked at Luke. “I can’t, man. Don’t you see?” Pain sliced through his golden eyes. “I ruined things for both of you. If I don’t make things right, now, I may never get another chance.”

  “What are you saying, Joel?” Kate asked.

  Luke studied her pale face as Joel turned to her. He would give anything to keep her from hearing this. But Joel was right. It was time to clear the air. He watched the other man struggle for words.

  “I cared for you, Kate, I swear I did. But I didn’t love you like…” Joel’s eyes shifted to Luke.

  Luke gave a slight shake of his head but Joel took a deep breath and continued.

  “…I realize now, I didn’t love you like I should have. I’m sorry, Kate. I cheated you and I cheated me.” He stood and walked to the door. “And…I cheated Luke.”

  “What—”

  “I told you he spent three weeks searching for you after I came home without you.”

  Kate nodded, but her eyes didn’t leave Joel’s face, even when Luke gasped. He hadn’t realized Kate knew of his search in Thailand. Now, she would think he had failed her more than ever. He had come home without her just like Joel. Then, he agreed for her to put herself in danger at the Center, that night.

  Air whistled between Joel’s teeth. “I think it’s time you asked Luke what happened to his art collection.”

  “Joel!” Luke ground through clenched teeth.

  “Ask Luke why he moved out of a high class neighborhood to a cheap apartment.” Joel shook his head. “I messed up a lot of things, but now, I’m trying to make things right.” The door clicked shut behind him, leaving the room in silence.

  Kate’s whole life flashed before her eyes. Not the in the same terror-stricken way she had when that giant wave hit their sailboat, but close. This time, she feared she was going to die of shock, not drowning. But her heart thundered in her chest. Air whooshed out her lungs. Light flashed before her eyes.

  “Put your head down.”

  “What?”She blinked. The calm commanding tone in Luke’s voice eased her panic. She closed her eyes and took deep breaths. Luke had done all those things for her? Why? Could it be?

  Finally, both hands gripping the arms of the chair, she managed to control the panic and turned to look at Luke. Her face was so stiff the bones and muscles seemed glued together. The chill from Joel’s chased down her spine.

  Then she recalled how he had torn her life out of the frame on at least two previous occasions, and took a calming breath. She sent Luke an inquiring look.

  “That is so like Joel,” she said as she tried to bluff through the awkwardness with a fake laugh. But the expression on Luke’s face froze her next words in her throat.

  His eyes burned in a face devoid of color. If she had thought Joel was just trying to stir up trouble, now that she saw Luke’s reaction, she realized Joel had raked over some raw emotions. Hers and Luke’s it seemed.

  But she wasn’t ready to admit to herself, or to Luke, that Joel’s words held an element of truth. She’d barely accepted the facts, herself. It was too soon to make any admission to Luke. She was still adjusting to the idea that she’d had feeling for him before Joel stormed into their lives.

  She shoved to her feet on legs that trembled under her weight. Noise buzzed in her ears as she turned to the door.

  “Now that the entertainment is over, I need to get back to work.” When her hand was safely on the door knob and escape was only inches away, she glanced over her shoulder. “I have that court case coming up before Judge Mason in a couple of weeks. You know what that means.”

  “No, Kate, I don’t. What does it mean?”

  Kate whipped around at the hint of anger in his voice. What was going on? Luke never let his emotions show. That stone face of his was part of what made him so successful in the courtroom.

  But there was nothing rock solid or controlled about him at the moment. His eyes blazed with hazel tinted fire. His chest heaved as if he had been running instead of sitting here listening to Joel for the past thirty minutes. She blinked.

  Luke with his emotions in control, she could deal with. That Luke she understood. This Luke, the man ready to erupt into an emotional explosion at any moment, she didn’t understand.

  Curiosity made her pause. She wanted to know what caused Luke to react this way. But like all the times in the past when emotions threatened to tilt her world out of orbit, she sought safety.

  “I can’t talk now, Luke. I’ve wasted enough time. Maybe later, okay?” She waggled her fingers, snapped the door closed, and took a deep breath, admitting she had made a mistake.

  “Is that wise?”

  Kate gave a start and pushed away from the door supporting her weight as she eyed the secretary. “What?”

  Laurel gave her a knowing look. “You can say it’s none of my business, but it’s clear you’re crazy about him. Why are you burying yourself in work? You pretend as if you didn’t even care.”

  Kate swallowed back a hysterical laugh. Now, her husband’s second wife was giving her advice? How weird was that? But Laurel had been her close friend before she’d been Joel’s second wife. Some of the closeness of their past friendship remained.

  Kate cleared the lump threatening her voice. “I care about keeping my father’s firm alive, if that’s what you mean.” She turned a stern glance on the secretary as she walked toward her office. “And for the record, I think your husband has a big mouth.”

  Kate slammed her office door behind her and leaned back. The office intercom on her desk beeped. Forcing in a calming breath, she wobbled toward the desk and collapsed in her chair. “Yes?”

  “He does have a big mouth.” Laurel’s tinny voice sounded over the speaker. “But he has a big heart, too. He’s really sorry, Kate. Please believe that.”

  “Thanks, Laurel.” Kate whispered the words and let her finger slide off the button. If Laurel was right, if Joel was sorry and had spoken the truth, then she had more questions than ever.

  But now wasn’t the time to ask. She would tackle the personal questions when this firm was going full speed. After all, this was her father’s legacy. It was all he had left behind in this world. If he had every loved anything, he had loved this firm.

  She swallowed back tears.

  Mention of love and her father didn’t belong in the same sentence. Then it hit her. She reacted to Luke just like her father had reacted to her…like her mother had taught her in the past…put on a good face when faced with adversity.

  Her parents had been so different…and yet, so much alike. Her mother yearned for a husband and family as much as her father coveted success. Neither had reached their dream.

  Her father’s firm had been successful when he died…if that was how you measured success. A sinking feeling deep in the pit of her stomach insisted she admit that’s all that had mattered to the man who had contributed to her DNA.

  The man she called father hadn’t had a tender bone in his body. Did she really want to be like that?

  But she wasn’t anything like her father. She had thought she was when she was married to Joel.

  Joel.

  Just thinking his name made her cringe at memory of the mistakes she’d made. From the day they first met she’d turned her back on her feelings for Luke and allowed herself to be dazzled by a new man.

  Kate gulped air as her head swam.

  She had loved Luke from the start. Why hadn’t she seen that before it was too late? She had been so focused on impressing her father, she hadn’t allowed herself time to analyze her personal life.

  She swallowed back another rush of tears. Luke would never believe her now. Look at how she had reacted to Joel’s words, today. Even if she wanted to convince him that she cared for him, she’d made it impossible with her last words.

  Luke deserved better. He deserved a woman who lov
ed him more than life it’s self. A woman who would move heaven and earth to make him happy…

  Joel’s words blasted in her head. What has he meant? She knew he had been telling the truth about Luke coming to search for her in Thailand. Laurel’s comments some weeks back had confirmed that Joel was telling the truth.

  But what had he meant with that comment about Luke’s art collection?

  In her early days at the firm, she had longed to view Luke’s collection. Silly, but she had even practiced a response if he even mentioned ‘viewing his etchings’. A sob sounding giggle escaped her lips. She’d hung on Luke’s words and hoped…

  And then Joel arrived on the scene.

  Thinking of Joel brought her back to his last words. Was he implying that Luke’s missing art had something to do with her?

  The shocked expression on Luke’s face replayed in her mind. Maybe it wasn’t too late. Shoving to her feet, Kate tentative steps toward the door, but she stopped with her hand on the knob. Habit and the unknown held her in her tracks.

  She took a deep breath to clear her head.

  In the past few minutes, she’d repeated the same mistakes she had made in the past. She had let go the old Kate…hadn’t she? Didn’t she have new confidence since her brush with death? Hadn’t she promised she would live each day to the fullest?

  Kate whipped the door open.

  Her action caught Luke with his hand raised, ready to knock. She stared at him, mouth open.

  His hand fell to his side. His gaze dropped to her lips. He stepped forward, bringing them toe-to-toe, gripped her by the elbows, and swiped a swift kiss across her lips.

  Kate saw stars. She heard bells. Her lips burned with his heat. Her arms tingled from the touch of his hands. Lack of a sane though in her head convinced her she was on the verge of discovering something grand.

  She swallowed. Licked her lips. Tasted Luke’s coffee and peppermint on her lips and finally managed to speak. “I-I was coming to—”

  Luke brushed past her and turned in front of her desk. “I was coming to—”

  “Was he right?” Kate closed the door.

  “Right?” Luke rubbed a finger along the side of his nose.

  “Joel! Was he right? Did he…we…mess everything up?”

  Hands in his pockets, Luke tilted his head and stared at the ceiling. “Ah-well—”

  “What happened to your art collection?” Her gaze clung to him as he wandered around the room. For long minutes she enjoyed to perfect motion of his body. Tall, broad shoulders and a trim waist, he looked like an athlete in perfect condition.

  Color rushed to her face as she recalled how he looked wearing nothing but a sheet draped around his waist. Longing surged through her. All this time she’d thought she had returned from near death with a goal to be independent and save the world.

  Not once had she considered she had a second chance to save herself. Her breath escaped in a long shuddering sigh. In the past, her life hadn’t been what she had dreamed, but she could have it now.

  All she needed was courage.

  Two months ago she’d thought she could face anything after surviving that tsunami. But since that night at the Crisis Center when Luke had let her go into a dangerous situation, she had questioned her strength.

  Her mother taught her to make the best of life and hide disappointment. Her father’s desertion had made her determined to work for what she wanted.

  She had done both.

  But she realized none of that mattered, now. What she wanted most in her life was to be accepted, be loved for herself. And the man she wanted desperately to share that love with was pacing her office right now.

  She took a deep breath. He wasn’t going to tell her. Luke didn’t care enough about her to share his secrets. She had waited too late! Now, she had one last chance and nothing left to lose.

  “I love you, Luke.”

  “Kate…don’t,” he lifted both hands, and then dropped them with a gusty sigh. “I don’t know where to start.”

  He didn’t want her love? Well, she wanted details, even if he didn’t want her love. He owed her that. At least she could put the past to rest once she knew all the facts.

  “What happened to your art collection?”

  “Kate, it’s a long story.”

  Hope surged through her when she saw the red slashing his cheeks. “I’ve got time.”

  “What about that court case? Your client?”

  Kate sent him a weak smile. “I’ve learned what’s important, from recent events.”

  Luke gave her a smile that warmed her to her toes. “I don’t know how to make you understand.”

  “Tell me!” Kate wanted to rush around the desk and kiss the smile on his lips. “What’s this all about, Luke?”

  “You, Kate…it’s about you.”

  “Me?” she repeated. “What does your art collection have to do with me?”

  Luke rubbed an index finger across his lips, and straightened in his chair. “After I came back from Thailand,” his gaze held hers, “you know I went to look for you?”

  Kate nodded and tried to keep the impatience out of her voice. “Joel told me. Then later, Laurel added details.” She felt warm all over when she thought of Luke dropping everything to travel to a foreign country to search for her. “That’s one of the first things Joel told me after he got over the shock of seeing me alive.” Lips trembling, she said, “I don’t know how to thank you, Luke.”

  His features tensed. “You don’t have to thank me. You were missing. My choices were simple.”

  Kate blinked. Times like this, memories of the events surrounding her rescue returned to haunt her. “What happened to your art collection?”

  “Joel doesn’t know when to keep his mouth shut.” He shifted in the chair. “When I saw all the devastation on the island, I had to do something. So, I-uh-sold my art work and donated the money.”

  Kate couldn’t breath. Not the panic attack again…she didn’t want Luke to see her like that. Her fingers fumbled with the folders on her desk. She glanced at her watch. “Oh…court, I’ve got to run.”

  She was in her car, turning the engine when her next coherent through occurred. What did she do now? She didn’t have a court case. But she couldn’t just sit there and listen to how Luke had shredded his life because she had gone missing, either.

  The whole situation made her sick.

  She remembered how much Luke valued his art work. Once, when they had taken a break while working late, he’d let it slip that his father had been verbally and emotionally abusive. As a kid, he had found solace in the beautiful things in life, rather than focusing on the negative.

  Kate forced air into her lungs and made her body relax. It was so unfair. She had been the cause of Luke giving up something that meant so much to him.

  She felt like a user…like her father.

  Her father took everything her mother had to give, all the love she had for him, and then he left. Kate didn’t want to be the same way. She wanted to treat people better than her father had.

  How could she ever repay Luke for his loss? How could she show him how much she appreciated his efforts?

  She couldn’t. Anything she did would seem like she was trying to repay him, and she would end up insulting him. All she could do now was keep her distance. Maybe if she wasn’t around, he would forget the sacrifice he had made.

  ***

  Luke pounded on Kate’s apartment door. She hadn’t returned to the office after she ran out on a supposed court case. He needed to talk to her. The last thing he wanted was to leave her thinking he felt cheated after giving up his collection.

  He needed to find a way to tell her he had given the money because his heart and his head had led him to, not because Kate was missing.

  Would she believe him? He doubted she would. He didn’t believe it himself.

  He had returned from Thailand heart heavy with memory of all the bodies he had seen. He wanted to help. Money seemed the answer
. Giving up an art collection that reminded him of an unhappy period in his life seemed the perfect answer.

  He could tell her that. She would question his actions. Or, he could tell her the truth. He hadn’t wanted to live with beauty in his life if she wasn’t there to share it with him.

  Would she believe the truth?

  “Kate, open up. I see your car. I know you’re there.”

  The door creaked open. “What are you doing here, Luke?”

  “I’m hungry. I thought we could share a pizza.”

  “No, thanks, I’m tired. I just want to go to bed.”

  “That works for me.” Luke gave the door a nudge.

  “I didn’t mean—” Kate’s voice trailed off as she spotted his grin. “Come on in, but I’m serious. It’s been a long week. I want to get to bed early.”

  “Volunteering on a building project again tomorrow?” Luke pushed the door closed behind him.

  Nodding, Kate plopped down in the corner of the sofa. “How about you?”

  Luke dropped to the chair opposite. “Count me in.”

  Kate sent him a half-smile. “How long have you been working with Habitat for Humanity?”

  “Truth?” Luke’s gaze roamed over her. Kate nodded. “Since I came back home without finding you.”

  Kate’s heart clenched. “Don’t blame yourself, Luke. At least you tried. That’s more than Joel did.”

  “You hold that against him?” Luke sent her a level glance. He needed to know.

  “I searched through piles of bodies for any sign of him for three months. What do you think?”

  Luke winced at the raw emotion in her voice. “I know how bad I felt when I couldn’t find you. Not that I wanted to find you in the body count.” He sighed. “I couldn’t believe he came home alone.”

  Kate blinked tears from her eyes. “It was so bad. I shouldn’t blame him. I know how shocking it was.” She met his glance and held it for long seconds. “I certainly don’t blame you. You tried. I-I’ll always treasure knowing that, Luke.”

  He shrugged. Telling her that his life hadn’t been the same when he learned she was missing didn’t seem like a smart move. Hell, a smart guy wouldn’t have shown up on her doorstep tonight, his heart in his hand. But he was tired of keeping a rein on his emotions.