dark brows rose, and he met her mock anger with a smile. But was there something different there? Something other than his usual, almost patronizing expression? He waited, biding his time, until she reached his side. His breath teased the bare skin of her neck as he leaned close and asked, “How did I do that?”
Debbie fought off a shiver threatening to shake her down to her shoes. “The bet, remember? I thought for sure you would be the next Pirelli to fall and yet Sam’s already engaged. How the heck did that happen?”
He frowned as if seriously weighing her words. “Maybe you don’t know me as well as you think you do.”
His espresso eyes challenged her, and Debbie’s confidence started to tremble right along with her suddenly weak knees. Swallowing, she countered, “More like I don’t know Sam. After all, he’s the one who got engaged when I never thought he would.”
“And I’m the one who’s still single. Maybe I’m not as settled as you seem to think.”
If anyone was unsettled, Debbie decided, it was definitely her. She should walk away now, while she still could, while she still had any hope of getting back on equal footing with Drew again. But that was ridiculous because she did know him. She knew him well enough to realize he was messing with her, giving her a hard time, same as always. She was the one who was overreacting thanks to her foolish decision to give voice to her fantasies. She was the one who’d let the crazy thoughts out, and it was going to be up to her to put them back where they belonged.
“Come on, Drew. Tell me you don’t see yourself married with a couple of kids.” A look of admission flashed in his eyes, and Debbie pressed her point. Nodding in Nick and Darcy’s direction, she said, “Tell me you don’t want that.”
He glanced over at the happy couple, who were busy staring into each other’s eyes. “Sure, I do,” he agreed readily enough for Debbie to think she’d been right all along about him playing her. “Someday. But there’s something else I want right now.”
She didn’t realize what Drew meant until he took the slim flute from her, set it aside on a nearby table and pulled her onto the dance floor. Her hand rose automatically to rest on his shoulder and her feet quickly found the rhythm of the slow, romantic ballad. It was hardly the first time she and Drew had danced together, and as he pulled her closer, she caught scent of his cologne. The woody fragrance with its hint of cedar was the same brand he’d worn for years—a yearly Christmas gift from his sister. Sophia knew her brother wouldn’t bother to buy something he’d consider unnecessary. Debbie knew it, too. She knew Drew. He was as comforting and familiar as the smell of his cologne, except—
The trip in her pulse as he spun her beneath the crystal chandelier wasn’t the slow, steady pace of comfort, and she found no familiarity in the tingle of goose bumps chasing across her chest when her breasts brushed the starched front of Drew’s tuxedo shirt. His eyes darkened—whether as a result of the intimate contact or in reaction to her own, Debbie didn’t know, but there was no denying the heat in his gaze.
The rush of unexpected and unwanted desire took Debbie back to her teenage years and her helpless, overwhelming crush on Drew. To the unrequited longing mixed with the heartbreaking knowledge that he would never see her as anything more than his kid sister’s friend. A part of her, that small part that had never lost hope even in the most hopeless of situations, longed to believe everything she was seeing in Drew’s expression, longed to believe that maybe, just maybe, he did view her as more than the girl next door.
A decade-old memory drifted through her thoughts. The door to the bakery had been open, letting in the warm summer air and allowing the scents of fresh-baked breads and muffins to drift out onto the sidewalk, to lure tourists and locals inside. Standing behind the counter, she’d caught sight of Drew through the front window. He’d been away at college, but her pulse had taken that same familiar leap as if he’d never been gone a day. He’d smiled at her as he’d stepped inside and the warmth in his gaze had threatened to reach inside and pull her heart straight from her chest.
She’d cut her hair since she’d seen him last, straightening the life out of the curls she hated and taming the locks into a more sophisticated style. She’d been on yet another diet and had dropped to a smaller size. Was this the day when Drew would finally see her for who she really was? Anticipation hammered through her veins until she’d caught sight of the tall, leggy brunette on Drew’s arm.
Debbie had kept her smile firmly in place as he introduced her to the girlfriend he’d met at school. She asked all the appropriate questions, showed just the right amount of friendly interest until the moment the couple said goodbye. As the two of them walked out of the shop, Debbie had heard the other girl teasingly ask if she was one of Drew’s ex-girlfriends.
Nah, that’s just Debbie.
She could still feel the ache of a broken heart as her dreams of Drew being her boyfriend slipped from her fingers and into the gorgeous brunette’s hands. But she’d wised up after that, too, forcing herself to get over her pointless crush. She didn’t want to be “just Debbie,” and she refused to follow the vain hope that Drew might see her any other way.
Lifting her chin, she met his gaze head on. “If this is wedding fever, you should know I’m immune.”
“Wedding fever?”
“You know,” she answered. “Sympathy pains brought on by too much contact with the crazy-in-love bride and groom.”
“I wouldn’t call anything I’m feeling right now pain.”
Debbie stumbled slightly at his words only to have Drew pull her even tighter against his chest. How many times had she dreamed of a moment like this? A moment when Drew would hold her close and finally, finally claim her mouth with his own? If he kissed her now—
Oh, if he did, Debbie had no doubt she’d fall for him all over again, wrapping herself in foolish hopes and dreams that had no place in the real world. Gazing up into his eyes beneath the chandelier’s glittering lights, the promise of the longed for kiss made the risk almost, almost seem worth it....
Fortunately, the song came to an end, giving her the excuse to step back and take a sanity-saving breath. “That’s the fever talking. You’re delirious, but don’t worry, it won’t last.”
“Debbie—”
“I need to check if Darcy needs anything. Bridesmaid’s duty and all.”
Quickly slipping away, Debbie ducked between the guests gathered along the edges of the dance floor, but she didn’t stop to look for the bride amid the crowd. She escaped through the first doorway she found. The sound of music and laughter faded as she stepped out onto a secluded balcony overlooking the historic bed-and-breakfast’s manicured grounds. The cool, ocean-scented night air touched her warm cheeks, and as Debbie gazed up at the night sky, she couldn’t help thinking all the stars she’d wished upon for all those years were laughing down at her now.
As her mother had often warned her... “Be careful what you wish for,” she whispered.
* * *
Drew quickly lost sight of Debbie as she darted out the French doors at the back of the ballroom. Forcing himself to let her go, he headed over to the bar and ordered a beer. He clenched the cold bottle in his hand and took a long swallow of the malty brew. She had every reason to run away from him, and he had no right to go after her until he figured out what the hell was going on.
Was Debbie right? Was he suffering
