of having a female friend. Men thought about sex all the time, right? It was inevitable that his brain would put two and two together eventually.
Lena disappeared down the hallway. Deciding not to follow, Colt went into the kitchen and filled a wineglass from the open bottle he found in the fridge. It was the same bottle that had been there when he’d visited three months ago on his way to film a piece in Spain. He remembered because he’d come from Alaska where the frigid temperatures had played havoc with the film equipment. He’d brought the bottle with him, picking it up in the airport. He could no longer recall which airport it had been, they all started to look the same after a while.
Colt shook his head, hoping the wine hadn’t spoiled. Yelling down the hall, he asked, “What now, Lee?”
She stuck her head around the corner, her bare shoulders just visible and her lips twisting into a crooked line. “I have no idea,” she said before disappearing again.
Taking a sip of the chilled wine, he stopped in the open doorway of the kitchen, leaning against the jamb. The place was definitely bare. Lena had spent a lot of time and energy filling her apartment with things that mattered. It had been comfortable, warm and welcoming. This place had always been her pride and joy.
Boxes were stacked in the corner. He could see the neat labeling from here and knew she probably had a master list tucked into a binder cataloguing which box held what. The whole thing was depressing.
Lena returned wearing an oversize T-shirt and a pair of black leggings. Her hair, previously arranged into a twist that had probably taken hours, was now piled haphazardly on top of her head, tufts sticking out in every direction. In that moment she reminded him so much of the young girl he’d met so many years ago.
They’d both been ten the summer Lena and her mother moved into the estate next door. They’d become fast friends, inseparable. She’d spent more time at his house than hers, blending seamlessly into his family. His parents had treated her like one of their own.
When she’d left nine months later he’d been so upset. His parents had given Lena a laptop so they could keep in touch. And they had, building a friendship on emails, phone calls and brief visits here and there that had lasted through distance and time.
He hadn’t seen that carefree girl in a very long time. He wasn’t sure when she’d disappeared—probably when her mother was dragging her all over the world. Or maybe after his parents’ fatal accident. His life had been falling apart and she’d been holding together the pieces for him. Or possibly while he was rushing from one corner of the globe to another, working his butt off trying to prove his talents as a photographer and documentarian were more important than his bank account and family name.
Sure, he could have bought a production company and hired himself to direct any film he wanted, but that wouldn’t prove he had the skills to make it on his own.
Staring at Lena, he wondered what else he’d missed in the months and years they’d been separated. And whether he could have prevented the debacle at the church if he’d been here more than a few days at a time.
Closing the space between them, he held out the wine he’d poured for her. With a sad smile, she took a long swallow. Cradling the glass against her body, her mouth twisted over the rim. “I think it’s going to take more than some wine to fix this one.”
Unfortunately she was right, and her family would likely descend at any moment. “This probably isn’t the best place to hide. Maybe you should get away for a few days?” he suggested. “Let things die down a bit before you have to deal with everything.”
“I can’t afford to go anywhere. I spent all my savings on the dress.” She gestured halfheartedly to the pile of satin still sitting behind them in the entranceway.
“What about the honeymoon?”
“Wyn paid for it,” she said slowly, drawing out the words as she apparently turned over the idea. “But I’ve got all of the travel documents.”
For the first time since he’d walked into the church, Colt felt a genuine smile tug at his lips. “Even better. Where was he going to take you?”
A spark flickered in her eyes for just a moment as she told him, “To a secluded Caribbean resort off the coast of St. Lucia. It’s supposed to be upscale, adults only. I was really looking forward to it.”
“Well then, I think it’s the least the bastard owes you.”
“No, I can’t. Besides, I wouldn’t want to go by myself. That would just be … depressing.”
“So take a friend.”
Lena’s head cocked to the side as she studied him for several moments. “What are you doing for the next week?”
“No, I didn’t mean me,” he sputtered.
“Why not? I haven’t seen you in forever. The last time you were in town hardly counts. You were so jet-lagged you spent half your time sleeping.”
Colt could see the hope in Lena’s eyes. He hated to disappoint her. “I was hoping to be in Peru to film a documentary about an exciting archaeological find, but the producer chose another director.”
“I’m so sorry, Colt. I know you really wanted to land that one. Why didn’t you tell me when you found out?”
“You were all wrapped up in the wedding plans. Besides, it isn’t important. Something else will come along. It always does.”
He tried to hide his disappointment, but probably failed miserably. The job was perfect, everything he’d been working and waiting for. A great opportunity, an interesting subject and a challenging location.
Lena didn’t seem to pick up on his lie, though; she was understandably preoccupied with her own disappointment.
“So there’s no reason you can’t go with me. Come on. Fruity drinks and lounge chairs on the beach. Sleeping late, five-star meals. You know you want to.”
He opened his mouth to say no again, but as her eyes went misty with unshed tears, Colt realized it was a losing battle. When she said, “Please, Colt, I need you,” it was the final nail in his coffin.
“Fine.” He sighed, and tried to ignore the tremble of her bottom lip when she wrapped her arms around his body and squeezed tight.
“Thank you,” she whispered against his skin, her nose buried in the crook of his neck.
Her breath tickled and something thick tightened in the back of his throat. He ignored it.
He held her, knowing what she needed right now more than anything was a friend. But the moment was interrupted when a loud knock sounded on the door.
“Lena, let me in.” A man’s voice boomed through the closed door.
Colt didn’t have to ask who was on the other side. The stiffening of Lena’s muscles beneath the circle of his arms said it all.
Jerking away from him, she faced the door, but didn’t actually move to open it. “Go away, Wyn. I don’t want to talk to you right now.”
“Fine, but your mother gave me your suitcase.”
Lena
