The Best Man and the Bridesmaid
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Annie Claydon
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CHAPTER ONE
HE WAS HANDSOME. It was the first thing Andrea Allinson noticed about Cal Lewis, when he stepped into the hotel foyer. Maggie had gone into some detail when describing him, and the dark blond hair, tawny eyes and broad shoulders were all present and correct. Along with an indefinable quality that made Andrea catch her breath...
The hotel staff were homing in on their three newest guests like bees around a honeypot. The manager appeared from her office and shook everyone’s hand, declaring that everything would be perfect for the wedding. Maggie looked dewy-eyed and excited, as any prospective bride should, and a little pink cheeked from the ride up here on the funicular railway. Her fiancé, Joe, caught her hand and raised it to his lips.
But Andrea couldn’t take her eyes off Cal. He was standing a little to one side, allowing Maggie and Joe to be at the centre of everyone’s attention. Smiling and... Handsome didn’t really cover it. Very handsome, maybe, but that didn’t account for the tingle that was running down Andrea’s spine. Love at first sight might describe it, but Andrea was immune to that kind of thing. It was more likely just a severe case of physical attraction at first sight, which was awkward, but far more manageable.
Maggie caught sight of her, and broke away from the party, running towards Andrea and practically falling into her waiting arms.
‘I’m so excited!’
Andrea hugged her friend tightly. This moment had been a long time coming, but now Maggie and Joe’s wedding was just twelve days away. They’d met here, at the hotel in the Italian Alps where Andrea was the in-house doctor, and Joe and Maggie had decided that it was the perfect place for their wedding. In a little over a week’s time family and friends would be arriving, but for the time being the wedding party consisted of just Maggie and Joe, along with Cal, who was Joe’s best man.
‘Everyone’s been so kind.’ Maggie’s eyes were dancing with happiness. ‘We had champagne on the plane, and then the man who operates that gorgeous train gave me this...’
Maggie displayed a red rose that was pinned to her coat, which had been a little squashed by the embrace. Andrea set it to rights, and then couldn’t resist giving her friend another hug, which crushed the petals of the rose all over again.
‘It’s going to be perfect. I’ve got everything arranged at this end.’ Andrea had been liaising with the hotel staff for months, determined that everything would be perfect for her friends.
‘You’re more worried about this than I am. It’ll all be fine.’ Maggie displayed an enviable optimism about the arrangements for her wedding, maybe because she’d been through so much to reach this point. ‘As long as we’re all here and we’re happy and healthy, what can go wrong?’
Andrea had a list of all the things that could go wrong, but she wasn’t about to share it with Maggie. Her friend had a point. As long as everyone was happy and healthy, what more could anyone want?
‘And we’ll have more than a week together before the big day to relax. I’m so looking forward to it...’ Maggie hugged Andrea again, taking the opportunity to whisper in her ear. ‘What do you think of him? He’s rather lovely, isn’t he?’
Maggie had already made it quite clear that good looks were just the tip of the iceberg. Besides being handsome, Joe’s best man was kind and had a good sense of humour. He had a fascinating job and was a doctor too, so he and Andrea would have lots in common and plenty to talk about. Maggie had been to his flat in London and considered it comfortable and stylish. And he was single...
That final detail made Maggie’s intentions very clear. A flutter of romance between the head bridesmaid and the best man might be considered par for the course, but Maggie had obviously decided that Andrea needed a little shove in the right direction. As far as Andrea was concerned, Cal Lewis’s best attribute might be his ability to turn a blind eye to Maggie’s hints, because she wasn’t interested.
‘He’s...you’re right. Very handsome.’ That was more than obvious, and saying anything different would be the kind of lie that attracted suspicion from her friend.
‘And he’s a really lovely guy.’ Maggie’s bright blue-eyed gaze searched Andrea’s face. ‘The kind someone might move on with?’
‘Don’t you worry about me. I have moving on in hand.’ Andrea squeezed her friend’s hand. It had been three years since Judd had died, and Maggie had been quite right when she’d gently suggested that maybe he would have wanted Andrea to move on with her life. But moving on was easy to wish for, and hard to do.
Maggie grinned at her. ‘Well, in that case—’
She jumped as Andrea nudged her hard. Cal and Joe had been relieved of their cases, and were heading towards them. Which was a relief because it meant Andrea didn’t have to listen to any more of the ways in which Cal was wonderful, and a new challenge because now she was going to have to look him straight in the eye.
‘Andrea...’ Joe greeted her with a hug. ‘It was nice of you to get the welcoming committee out for us.’
‘Everyone loves a wedding.’ Andrea smiled up at Joe. He’d been a rock for Maggie over the last two years, and their shared concern for her had brought Andrea and Joe together and made them firm friends.
‘And this is going to be the best wedding ever.’ Maggie smiled up at her fiancé. ‘Because I’m marrying you.’
Joe chuckled and kissed Maggie’s cheek. ‘We’ll take the lovebirds thing elsewhere in a minute, before we bore everyone to tears with it. Andrea, meet Cal...’
Andrea ignored Maggie’s excited smile. It was bad enough trying to dismiss the little thrill of excitement that coursed through her, and she was sure that any moment now she was going to blush...
‘Andrea. It’s a pleasure to finally meet you. Maggie’s told me so much about you.’
He had a nice voice—soft and deep, like rich honey. Andrea took his outstretched hand, feeling the warmth of his fingers. As handshakes went, this one was pretty spectacular, as well.
She was blushing now. Maybe it would be better if she stopped trying to ignore the unwanted feelings that gripped her. Just take them for what they were—a momentary thrill—and hope that he would manage to do something unattractive enough to make them wither and die.
‘Some of it good, I hope.’ Andrea tried to make a joke, but it just sounded as if she was fishing for a compliment.
‘I’ve been hoping all the way here that you might have just one or two faults that Maggie didn’t mention. This is my first time as a best man, so I’m feeling my way with it.’
It was said with the kind of smile that turned it into a very nice compliment. Andrea swallowed down the lump in her throat.
‘It’s my first time as a bridesmaid too. I guess we’ll just make our mistakes together, and hopefully no one will notice.’
This conversation was going in entirely the wrong direction. The thought of feeling her way with Cal and making a few mistakes was all-consuming.
But Maggie was looking extremely pleased at the way things were going. Smug, even. Andrea couldn’t deny her this small pleasure.
‘Why don’t we all go for coffee? I’m sure you could do with one.’
Joe nodded, clearly about to agree, and Maggie grabbed his arm.
‘We’d love to, wouldn’t we, Joe?’ Maggie gave an exaggerated look of dismay. ‘But I was up really late last night packing, and we had an early start this morning. We’ve hardly slept, and I can’t keep my eyes open. I just want to go and lie down for an hour.’
Joe smiled, clearly unable to deny Maggie anything. ‘Yeah, now you mention it...’ He took Maggie’s hand, looking around for someone to show them to their room. ‘Can we take a rain check?’
Cal nodded thoughtfully. Obviously he had something on his mind, and Andrea swallowed down the impulse to wonder exactly what he was thinking. Better to leave his thoughts out of the equation and concentrate on what she needed from him to make this wedding perfect.
‘Would you mind if I took a rain check too? I have some emails that I really need to answer...’
‘Cal! I thought you said that you were going to have a holiday with us!’ Maggie shot him a reproachful look and then turned to Andrea with a confiding air. ‘He’s very important. Very busy...’
Cal winced. ‘I’m not that important at all. My patients are, though; I’m sure Andrea understands that as well as I do.’
Would he just stop? Stop saying all the right things and do something that made him less...likeable. Wantable, if that was even a word. Andrea wasn’t picky, anything that would harden her heart against him would do.
‘Of course. I have a clinic later on this afternoon, and there are a few things I should do beforehand.’ Not very important things, but no one needed to know that. ‘I’ll catch up with you all this evening...’
The steep, uphill path was caked with snow, which crunched under Cal’s boots. He had woken early, and in the bright morning the mountains seemed to be a welcome reminder that the world kept turning, without any regard for his own small preoccupations.
He’d reckoned that he had everything under control. That was the way he liked things. Two weeks off work, during which his bosses had suggested he consider their offer of a promotion. He’d get in a little skiing, help out with the wedding arrangements, and then have the pleasure of seeing his best friend marry the woman who made him supremely happy. If Maggie had teased him a little about how well he’d get along with the head bridesmaid, it was just a little harmless fun.
Then he’d seen Andrea. It was as if the busy hotel foyer had suddenly lost focus, and the only thing that was clear and bright was her. When the porter had tried to take his case, Cal had realised he’d been clenching his fingers so hard around the handle that his knuckles were white. He’d apologised and smiled at the man, then followed Joe over to where the women were standing.
He thought he’d seen the suspicion of a blush on her cheeks. Maybe the temperature had actually risen and the sudden warmth in his chest wasn’t just the result of his racing heartbeat.
Cal had thought himself relatively fearless. But when faced with Andrea’s blue-grey eyes, her soft, dark curls, and the feeling that somehow he’d known her all of his life, he’d run away...
Yesterday evening, he’d sent his apologies to Joe and Maggie and ordered dinner in his room, writing a string of emails. This morning, he’d left the hotel early for a walk, telling himself that a little solitary exploration was what he always did when he found himself in a new place. These excuses were beginning to wear a little thin.
Climbing higher, he could see the hotel below him, the low sun glinting in the large windows that made the most of the stunning views. People were beginning to circulate on the veranda, and early morning skiers were heading for the slopes that surrounded the building. The funicular railway, that ran high over the rugged terrain between the hotel and the village at the foot of the mountain, seemed to glisten in the morning light.
Here, of all places, it felt as if he’d found something precious. Something he didn’t understand. Cal had spoken with Andrea for a total of maybe five minutes, and yet every word, every glance, had embedded itself deep in his consciousness.
Cal shook his head and turned, lengthening his stride as he made his way up the steep path. It didn’t matter if this was just a passing impression, or something real, his way forward was exactly the same. His inability to commit to a relationship had already hurt a very dear friend. He was bad news, and liking someone was no excuse for breaking the rule he’d made that relationships were best left alone.
He would, however, have to spend a fair bit of time with Andrea since they had a wedding to organise. And now that a little exercise had worked off the shock of feeling something—feeling so much—when he’d first seen her yesterday, he knew he should stop avoiding her. They would work together on the wedding, maybe share a quiet toast with each other when everything went off smoothly, and that would be that.
Piece of cake.
Cal’s absence from dinner the previous evening had been half expected, but when Andrea joined Joe and Maggie for breakfast the next day and found them sitting alone, she couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed.
‘He’s gone for a walk.’ Maggie turned the corners of her mouth down. ‘And then apparently he has to make some phone calls. I can’t imagine what he finds to say that takes so long.’
Andrea glanced at Joe, for help. He understood...
‘You know this job isn’t a nine to five.’ He gave Maggie a smile. ‘Would you want things any different?’
Maggie shrugged. ‘No. Dedication’s a very attractive trait. Within reason, I suppose...’
Andrea laughed. ‘Dedication doesn’t always listen to reason.’
She’d been dedicated once, to the work that she and Judd had shared. It had seemed a perfect match, living and working together, sharing the same ideals. It had started slowly, as a friendship, and then turned into love, gradually growing together, their work and their lives dovetailing neatly.
And then the accident had ripped everything away. She’d been unable to save Judd, and had lost, not only the one man who meant everything to her, but her own confidence in being able to make a difference. Coming here to take up a job that didn’t stretch her professionally amongst people who were little more than acquaintances had helped her to heal and given her a measure of peace.
‘You won’t go back, will you? To Africa...’ Maggie’s face was suddenly serious.
‘No, I don’t think I will. Going to Africa was just...it was never really a choice; it was something I just knew would happen. I’ll never regret it, or the things that I was able to do there. Or meeting Judd. But I’m not going back.’
‘You did more than most of us, Andrea. This is your place now, and that’s good too.’
Joe was a doctor, and he knew what her work here consisted of. He must also know that most of her days consisted of bumps and sprains, with the odd broken limb or case of flu to break the monotony. The sense of achievement in the face of heavy odds wasn’t so great, but it was all that Andrea could do now, and it had to be enough.
‘It is what it is. I like it here.’
‘I still worry about you, stuck away up here in the mountains. Never meeting anyone...’
‘Maggie...’ Joe’s voice contained a hint of warning. He clearly had his reservations about Maggie’s new role as matchmaker.
‘It’s okay.’ Andrea grinned at Joe. ‘It’s what friends are for.’
Maggie nodded in agreement. ‘Of course it is. And Cal is...well, naturally Joe didn’t choose him as his best man on that basis, but since he’s here...’
Joe put his face in his hands, in an expression of fond exasperation. It was time to surrender gracefully, before Maggie managed to wring any definite promises from her.
‘Okay. I heard you. And if I do manage to catch up with Cal before the wedding, I’ll keep it in mind.’ Andrea reached for the folder in her bag. ‘And meantime, this is for you. All the arrangements for the wedding.’
‘Ooh!’ The folder had the desired effect of changing the subject and Maggie flipped through the pages. ‘Thank you. This is so amazing. Look, Joe, there are stars...’
‘The stars indicate who’s supposed to be organising what. Pink are for you, Maggie, and blue is for Joe.’
Joe watched as Maggie turned the pages. ‘They’re all purple and green.’
‘Look, here’s your stag night. There’s a blue one.’ Maggie consulted the index and turned to the page.
‘Oh, right.’ Joe read the entry. ‘So...apparently I just have to turn up?’
‘That’s right. The green stars are for Cal...or...whoever’s up for organising it.’ It seemed suddenly too presumptuous to ask anything of him.
‘He did promise to do something. I think he’ll appreciate the list of venues.’ Joe smiled. ‘Thank you so much, Andrea. This is fantastic.’
‘I told you Andrea had everything under control.’ Maggie gave him a bright smile, flipping the pages. ‘There you are, see. You have to turn up to the wedding, as well.’
Joe chuckled. ‘Yeah. I’ll be doing that, don’t you worry...’
Cal. Green stars. The first had to be introduced to the second at some point. But it seemed that when Cal wasn’t holed up in his room, writing emails, or going for early morning walks, he was on the phone. Presumably on calls that lasted a while, because he hadn’t joined them for lunch, either.
There was only one conclusion, and it was inescapable. Since Joe had confirmed that his friend wasn’t a hermit, and that he’d had several conversations with him since they’d arrived here, Cal must have caught wind of Maggie’s matchmaking intentions and was avoiding her. Andrea couldn’t help a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, accompanied by the sharp tang of disappointment. They were actually two very good reasons why she should keep her distance.
But the wedding wasn’t going to organise itself and she was going to have to seek him out sooner or later. Andrea decided to leave that until after her afternoon surgery.
‘Andrea.’ For once, she hadn’t been thinking about him, and the deep, honey-soaked sound of his voice took her by surprise. The bunch of keys that she’d just taken from her handbag to lock the door of the medical suite dropped to the floor with a clatter.
‘I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.’ Andrea had been about to bend for the keys, but he was there first. As he rose, she caught a hint of his scent. Soap-fresh and yet somehow carrying with it an image of hot nights. Her limbs entwined with his... Andrea swallowed hard as Cal dropped the keys into her hand.
‘You didn’t. Thank you.’ It occurred to Andrea that he might be here for the medical suite, and not her. ‘Is there something you needed? You’re not sick, are you?’
‘Actually, it’s you I need.’ He frowned suddenly, as if that was a little too blunt for his liking. ‘I’m sorry I haven’t been around much. I know I need to touch base with you over the arrangements for the wedding, and Joe tells me you have a folder.’
‘Yes, I have.’
Good. Cal and the folder. Green stars. Forget about everything else.
‘Maybe I could get you a coffee? Whenever you have a moment.’
‘Now’s good. I only had two people on my list for my surgery and so I have the rest of the afternoon free. I can go and fetch my folder, and join you in the main coffee lounge.’
He nodded. ‘Thanks. That’s good of you.’
As soon as she’d pointed him in the right direction for the coffee lounge, and watched him turn the corner out into the reception area, Andrea made for the back stairs, and the small apartment that was situated above the medical suite.
Even when he was relaxed and moving slowly, Cal had a kind of energy about him. It was evident in his face and the way he moved, and it held the tantalising promise that anything might be possible. Anything and everything.
Andrea made for the bathroom, splashing cold water onto her face. Anything and everything extended as far as Cal’s duties as best man, and no further. There was no place for her wildly beating heart, nor for her fevered imagination; now more than ever she had to be cool and collected. If she showed Cal that she was just as immune to him as he was to her, they could find a way to work together and make sure this wedding went without a hitch.
‘Okay.’ She squinted at herself in the bathroom mirror, resisting the impulse to put a little lipstick on. ‘You know what you have to do. Stop being such a teenager about it.’
The comfortable coffee lounge offered spectacular views of snow-capped mountains, reaching up towards a clear blue sky. Cal was sitting by the window, and Andrea hoped that the panorama would have its usual calming influence on her. Maybe even provide a topic of conversation, if there were any awkward silences.
He was just as mouth-wateringly handsome as he’d been ten minutes ago. Maybe more so—it was difficult to quantify it exactly, particularly when she was trying to ignore it.
‘Joe tells me you already have everything well organised.’ He rose, waiting for Andrea to sit down before he lowered himself back into his seat. ‘I’m planning on following your instructions to the letter.’
Nice. He was obviously keen to lay down a few ground rules, and this one would make everything easier.
‘Nothing’s set in stone, and I don’t want to tread on your toes, if there’s anything that you were planning.’ Andrea bit her tongue. Just a thank-you would have done; it wasn’t necessary to invite any further discussion.
Cal nodded thoughtfully, turning with a smile to the waitress who brought their coffee. Foamy cappuccino, just the way she liked it. Andrea remembered that his parting shot had been to ask how she wanted her coffee, and he must have already ordered.
‘How did you meet Maggie?’ It seemed that Cal was just as keen as Andrea was to keep the conversation on the topic of their friends, which was a relief.
‘We lived on the same road when we were children. We’ve been best friends since we were six. I hear you met Joe at medical school?’
‘Yes, that’s right. And you’re the in-house doctor for this hotel complex...’
He stopped speaking, pressing his lips together as if he’d made a faux pas. Being the doctor here was just a fact, but the way they’d managed to veer into asking about each other so quickly was unsettling.
‘Yes. I...um...’ Andrea took a breath. ‘I’ve brought the wedding folder.’
She reached into her bag, taking out Cal’s copy of the folder and putting it down on the low table between them. He nodded, making no move to pick it up.
‘It seems we’ve heard all about each other already.’ He raised one eyebrow, as if he could say more, but was debating whether that was wise.
‘Yes, I suppose so.’ There wasn’t much doubt that Maggie had told Cal as much about her as she’d told Andrea about him. She felt her ears begin to redden, and wondered what on earth Maggie had found to say.
He was studying her face, and she felt a flush begin to spread from the back of her neck. This was very awkward. Then suddenly he smiled and the ridiculous feeling that she’d known him all her life, and that it wouldn’t do any harm to be honest with him, asserted itself. Andrea turned her attention to her coffee, picking up her cup. At the moment, distance seemed a lot less complicated than honest.
Then Cal spoke again.
‘I’m getting the sense that Maggie hasn’t confined her matchmaking efforts to just me.’
