home,” Shelly said as she rushed forward, exuberantly throwing her arms around Jill. “How was Hawaii? My goodness, your tan is gorgeous. You must’ve spent hours in the sun.”
“Hawaii was wonderful.” A slight exaggeration. She’d hardly slept since Jordan’s departure.
“Tell me everything,” Shelly insisted, taking Jill’s hands. “I’m dying to find out who you met after we mailed you the wedding dress.”
“Honey,” Mark chided gently, “give her a chance to breathe.”
“Are you with someone?” Shelly asked, looking around expectantly. “I mean, you know, you’re not married, are you?”
“I’m not even close to being married,” Jill informed her friend dryly.
Mark took charge of the beach bag Jill had brought home with her, stuffed full of souvenirs and everything she couldn’t fit into her suitcase. She removed one of the three leis she was wearing and looped it around Shelly’s neck. “Here, my gift to you.”
“Oh, Jill, it’s beautiful. Thank you,” Shelly said, fingering the fragrant lei of pink orchids. As they walked toward the appropriate carousel, Shelly slipped her arm through Jill’s. “I can’t wait a second longer. Tell me what happened after the dress arrived. I want to hear every detail.”
Jill had been dreading this moment, but she hadn’t thought she’d face it quite so soon. “I’m afraid I’m going to have to return the dress.”
Shelly stared at her as if she hadn’t heard correctly. “Pardon?”
“I didn’t meet anyone.”
“You mean to tell me you spent seven days in Hawaii and you didn’t speak to a single man?” Shelly asked incredulously.
“Not exactly.”
“Aha! So there was someone.”
Jill tried not to groan. “Sort of.”
Shelly smiled, sliding one arm around her husband’s waist. “The plot thickens.”
“I met him briefly the first day. Actually I don’t think he counts….”
“Why wouldn’t he count?” Shelly asked.
“We sat next to each other on the plane, so technically we met before I got the wedding dress. I’m sure he’s not the one.” Jill had decided to play along with her friend’s theory, pretend to take it more seriously than she did. Logical objections, like this mistake in timing, should convince Shelly—but probably wouldn’t.
“In fact,” she continued, “I’ve been thinking about that dress lately, and I’m convinced you and your aunt Milly are wrong—it’s not for me. It never was.”
“But it fit you. Remember?”
Jill didn’t need to be reminded. “That was a fluke. I’m sure if I were to try it on now, it wouldn’t.”
“Then try it on! Prove me wrong.”
“Here?” Jill laughed.
“When you get home. Right now, just tell me about this guy you met. You keep trying to avoid the subject.”
“There’s nothing to tell,” Jill insisted, sorry she’d said anything. She’d tried for the past few days to push every thought of Jordan from her mind, with little success. He’d haunted her remaining time on the islands, refusing to leave her alone. If she did sleep, he invaded her dreams.
“Start with his name,” Shelly said. “Surely you know his name.”
“Jordan Wilcox, but—”
“Jordan Wilcox,” Mark repeated. “He doesn’t happen to be a developer, does he?”
“He does something along those lines.”
Mark released a low whistle. “He’s one of the big boys.”
“Big boys,” Shelly echoed disparagingly. “Be more specific. Do you mean he’s tall?”
“No.” Mark’s smiling eyes briefly met Jill’s. “Although he is. I mean he’s a well-known corporate giant. I’ve met him a few times. If I understand it correctly, he puts together commercial projects, finds backers for them, works with the designer and the builders, and when the project’s complete, he sells. He’s made millions in the last few years.”
“He was in Hawaii to put together financial backing for a shopping mall,” Jill explained.
“Well,” Shelly said, eyeing her closely, “what did you think of him?”
“What was there to think? I sat next to him on the plane and we stayed in the same hotel, but that was about it.” It was best not to mention the other incidents; Shelly would put far too much stock in a couple of dinners and a day on the beach. Heaven help Jill if Shelly ever found out they’d exchanged a few kisses!
“I’m sure he’s the one,” Shelly announced gleefully. Her eyes fairly sparkled with delight. “I can feel it. He’s our man.”
“No, he isn’t,” Jill argued, knowing it was futile, yet compelled to try. “I already told you—I met him before the dress arrived. Besides, we have absolutely nothing in common.”
“Do Mark and I?” Shelly glanced lovingly at her husband. “And I’m crazy about him.”
At first, Jill had wondered what Mark, a tax consultant with orderly habits and a closetful of suits, could possibly have in common with her zany, creative, unconventional friend. The answer was simple. Nothing. But that hadn’t stopped them from falling in love. Jill couldn’t be in the same room with them without sensing the powerful attraction they felt for each other.
However, there was little similarity between Shelly’s marriage to Mark and Jill’s relationship with Jordan. What she’d learned from her father’s life—and death—was the value of balance. Although her career mattered to her, it didn’t define her life or occupy every minute of her time.
“In this case I think Jill might be right,” Mark said, his voice thoughtful.
“He’s the one,” Shelly said for the second time.
“I’ve met him,” Mark went on to say. “He’s cold and unemotional. If he does have a heart, it was frozen a long time ago.”
“So?” Ever optimistic, Shelly refused to listen. “Jill’s perfect for him, then. She’s warm and gentle and caring.”
At the moment Jill didn’t feel any of those things. Listening to Mark describe Jordan, she had to fight the urge to defend him, to tell them what Andrew Howard had told her. Yes, Jordan was everything Mark said, but there was another side to him, one Jill had briefly encountered. One that was so appealing it had frightened her into running away, which was exactly what she’d done that day on the beach. He’d kissed her and she’d known immediately, intuitively, that she’d never be the same.
