On The Way To A Wedding Read online

  Gord held a finger against his earpiece, concentrating on the audio that was being transmitted to him. “Okay, they’re winding up. Lauren, you ready?”

  She lifted her chin. “You’re in charge, Gord.”

  “Come on, Lauren. No hard feelings, okay? If I’m willing to forgive and forget what you did to me, you can loosen up a bit, can’t you?”

  “I’ll cooperate, Gord. The rest is up to you.”

  “Hey, you’re all right, aren’t you? We’re going to be live, so if there’s anything you need to straighten out with me beforehand, better tell me now.”

  “I’m fine.”

  “Okay. Good. Lieutenant Strada?”

  Nick stopped drumming his fingers. “Yeah?”

  “We’ll be on in one minute.”

  “Fine.” For the first time since he’d walked out of her office, his gaze met Lauren’s. “Might as well get this over with.”

  She’d wondered how she was going to sit beside him and function normally under the scrutiny of the camera. Well, she’d just found out.

  She’d never seen him so distant before. Oh, the passion and energy that always crackled around him were still there, but none of it was directed toward her.

  And that was good. As he’d said, they might as well get this over with.

  The news director shouted for quiet, then counted down from five and cued Gord. He straightened the cards he had written his notes on, pasted on an earnest smile and looked into the camera with the red light.

  “Good afternoon. This is Gordon Skinner coming to you live from the Channel Ten studio. It is my privilege to bring you the conclusion to a very special story about courage, heroism and one man’s dedication to his duty.”

  He transferred his gaze to the other camera. It aimed just to the left of his shoulder, allowing space to roll the tape of Nick’s “drowning.” “Ten days ago, most of the country watched in horror as I presented this moving footage of the tragic crash of Flight 703. We watched Lieutenant Nicholai Strada of the Chicago police risk his life to assist his fellow survivors to reach safety, and we watched him as he faltered and slipped under the water.”

  He paused as the camera moved back to widen the angle of the shot. “But the crash of Flight 703 claimed one less victim than had been believed. Lieutenant Strada did not die. We are now able to reveal that for the past ten days, he has been working undercover in order to gather the evidence that led to the arrest of Adam Duxbury.”

  Over the next few minutes, Gord methodically guided Nick and Lauren through questions that revealed the scope of their hoax. He was careful to leave the impression that he had known all along, and he was even more careful to punctuate any statements about Duxbury with words such as alleged and suspected. Once the framework of the story was established, though, Gord’s questions grew more personal.

  “Lieutenant Strada, what led you to trust Miss Abbot not to reveal your secret?”

  “Miss Abbot is a real professional,” he replied. “Everything she did was for the sake of her story.”

  Lauren braced herself against a wave of cold. They were her words. It was what she’d always told him. Yet hearing him state it so clearly only widened the gulf between them.

  “And Lauren,” Gord said, turning his smile toward her. “It must have been challenging to conceal a strange man in your home for more than a week without anyone discovering his presence. Tell me about the close calls you had.”

  She thought of that first night, how she’d had to help Nick to her bedroom and had ended up in his arms. And she thought about the night that Angela had found them in the kitchen, and about what they had been doing....

  Looking Gord in the eye, she chose her words carefully. “Lieutenant Strada is very resourceful and has a flair for improvisation. He was able to adapt quickly to changing situations.”

  “What was the most difficult aspect of sharing your home with Lieutenant Strada?”

  “We each were very busy compiling information for his investigation, so where we worked wasn’t an issue.”

  A hint of annoyance flickered across Gord’s face at the way she was sidestepping the questions. “What about your personal relationship? There must have been a good deal of tension with two complete strangers forced into such... intimate circumstances.”

  She heard the chair beside her creak as Nick shifted. She fought the temptation to look at him as she answered. “Despite the unusual circumstances, we managed remarkably well.”

  “Is there any truth to the rumors about a budding romance between the two of you?”

  “None whatsoever,” she answered quickly, hoping the microphone didn’t pick up the tremor in her voice or the short oath that Nick muttered.

  At a signal from the director, Gord turned his gaze back to the camera. “I’ll have more on this fast-breaking story on our regular newscast this evening. Until then, this is Gordon Skinner, live from the Channel Ten studios.”

  As soon as the lights were switched off, Gord leaned forward to speak with Nick. “Thanks, Lieutenant. You did great. I’d like to do a follow-up sometime this week, so when would you be able to come in?”

  Nick unclipped the mike from his lapel and handed it to the technician who was waiting behind them. “No more,” he said, getting to his feet. “I think I’ve had enough of journalists.” He looked at Lauren. “Did you pack my stuff?”

  “Yes. It’s in a blue flight bag in my office closet.”

  “I’ll get it.”

  “All right.”

  “Thanks for your help. I’ll reimburse you for the groceries and all that.”

  “Don’t bother. It was a business expense.”

  His jaw hardened. “Yeah. How could I forget?”

  “Good luck with the trial.”

  “Thanks.” He lifted his hand, paused, then shoved it into his pocket and stepped back. “See you around, Lauren.”

  Too fast. It was happening too fast. Just like everything when it came to this man, there was no way to stop or even slow down the rush of events. The crew was already moving away the cameras, the buzz of the onlookers was growing. After ten days of being alone with Nick, now their last moments together were going to be spent in front of a crowd.

  But perhaps it was better this way. They had already postponed this too long. Swallowing hard, she lifted her chin and forced her lips into a professional smile. “Goodbye, Nick.”

  The passion was gone from his eyes, and in its place there was regret and a flash of something else, something that looked far too much like... pain.

  Lauren curled her fingers around the arm of her chair, fighting the urge to reach out to him. Oh, God. She’d thought that by ending things now neither one of them would get hurt.

  She’d been wrong about that, too.

  Chapter 13

  The muted hum of conversation and clinking cutlery blended in the air with the perky strains of Mozart. White wicker furniture and cool blue tile gave the restaurant a relaxed, inviting atmosphere. Normally Lauren enjoyed dining here, but she hadn’t tried to fool herself into thinking she’d enjoy it today. The most she’d hoped for was that by getting out of her apartment she might start to dislodge the bleak mood that had enveloped her since Nick had left yesterday. Yet ten minutes into her lunch, she knew she wouldn’t be able to swallow a single bite.

  She set down her fork carefully and stared across the table at her sister. “What did you say?”

  “I said, I’ve decided to go back to Eddy.”

  “You mean you’re going to go through with the wedding after all?”

  Angela nodded, giving her a wobbly smile. “It’s kind of late to call the whole thing off. Saturday’s only four days away.”

  “Don’t worry about the details. It would be a lot easier to cancel a wedding than to dissolve a marriage. If that’s the only reason you’ve reconsidered...”

  “No, it’s not the only one. I have to admit it gave me a push, but this is what I want to do.”

  Lauren bit
the inside of her lip to keep from arguing. She’d promised herself that she wouldn’t interfere with her sister’s decision, but it was difficult not to. She had to keep reminding herself that Angela was a different person, that she was a mature, rational adult, that perhaps she and Eddy would beat the odds and make their marriage work.

  “Thank you,” Angela said.

  “What for?”

  “For not trying to talk me out of it. I know what you’re thinking. I can see it by the look on your face.”

  She sighed. “All right, you know how I feel, but you should ignore it. It’s no secret that I’m not exactly the poster girl for the institution of marriage.”

  Angela chuckled. “No, really?”

  “I do have to admit that I’m a bit curious about what tipped the balance in Eddy’s favor.”

  “Ah, besides the fact that he’s six feet tall and handsome as sin?”

  Eddy? Handsome? Lauren pictured his face in her mind. While his cultured features and sandy hair were certainly pleasant, she wouldn’t describe him as handsome. As sin. No, for that a man would need to have more drama, more animal appeal, maybe a few more inches in height and a hard, muscled body. And dark brown hair that curled at the nape of his neck, and piercing steel blue eyes and a smile that dimpled with hidden, sensual knowledge...

  It had been almost a day since she’d said goodbye to Nick. How much longer would it take for her to accept the fact that he was gone? Reaching for her water glass, she forced her thoughts away from him. Again. “Yes, besides that.”

  “Well, I’ve spent the last three days and nights trying to figure it out and this morning while I was at work it all hit me. I realized I was looking for a guarantee that everything would be fine. I wanted to know that my life would be wonderful and trouble-free once I said ‘I do,’ and that the kind of happiness we’ve known will last forever. And about the time I realized that, I decided I’d been a fool.”

  “I wouldn’t have thought so. There’s nothing unreasonable about exercising caution when you’re making such a major decision.”

  “But that’s the point,” she said, leaning forward. “Life won’t be perfect. We’ll probably always argue about the music on the car radio and a hundred other things over the years. As long as we can talk through our problems, we’ll be able to solve them.”

  “Didn’t you and Eddy talk before?”

  “Not enough. It seems silly, considering the fact that we’ve been living together, but sometimes the day-to-day stuff gets in the way and we talk to each other without really saying what’s important.”

  “You’re both individuals, with jobs and lives of your own, so it’s understandable.”

  “Sure, but we shouldn’t let things slide. If two people love each other, they should put that before their careers. I mean, my job isn’t going to keep me warm at night, or grow old with me, or listen to my problems.”

  “No, but it’s not good to be completely dependent, Angela, either financially or emotionally.”

  “I know how Mom was, and I know how scared you’ve always been of being like her—”

  “Me? Scared of being like Mom? Angela, I’m in no danger of that. I’ve always taken after our father.”

  She shook her head. “I know I was only five when he left, but I understood more than you think. You saw how unhappy Mom’s bad luck with men made her, and you saw how Dad thrived on his freedom, so you deliberately modeled yourself on his example. But we can’t let what happened with our parents hold us back from living our own lives.”

  “It didn’t hold me back. I was willing to give marriage a try, but Harper showed me how unsuitable I am.”

  “Unsuitable? Why? Because you didn’t approve of infidelity?

  “No, because I drove him to it.”

  Her eyebrows shot up. “What?”

  “You’re such a warm, open person, Angela. Your ease in dealing with emotions is something I’ve always admired. I’m not like that. I didn’t give enough of my heart to Harper, so it was understandable that—”

  “That’s a load of bull,” Angela interrupted. “Harper was an idiot, and he did what he did because of him, not you. I never knew you’ve blamed yourself all these years.”

  “The infidelity was only a symptom of the underlying problem. And it’s not a matter of blame. It’s accepting the type of person I am.”

  “That’s your problem. You don’t accept the type of person you are.”

  Her sister was wrong, Lauren thought. Look how disastrously things had turned out because she’d believed she could handle the involvement with Nick. Instead, she’d lost control of her emotions, lost her objectivity and her good sense. Unless she straightened herself out, she might end up losing her job. No, she accepted her limitations, all right.

  So it was for the best that she ended things with Nick before he saw how unsuited they were. Yes, it had been the right choice, the logical, sensible choice.

  But if it was so logical and sensible, why did her heart feel as if it had been torn in half? He was gone, so why couldn’t she stuff all those feelings he’d unleashed back behind her barriers? Why did the past day seem so empty, and why did the days to come seem so...what? Hollow. Meaningless. Like the neat, distant, perfect pictures on a postcard.

  “I’m sorry, Lauren. I wasn’t trying to criticize you.”

  She cleared her throat, pulling herself back to the conversation. “It’s okay. But I’d much rather talk about your wedding than dredge up everything that went wrong with mine. Now, since the ceremony is on for sure...?” She paused, lifting her eyebrows to punctuate the question.

  Angela nodded firmly. “For sure.”

  “Then I have to get busy. What’s left to do?”

  “I guess for starters I’d better reschedule that final dress fitting I canceled last Saturday. And I was supposed to get back to the caterers about the appetizers because of Eddy’s cousin’s allergies. There was a problem with the church, too, but I was waiting until I’d decided for sure before I found out what it was.”

  Lauren held up her palm. “Good thing I have the rest of the week off.”

  “Have I ever told you what a great sister you are?”

  “Angela...”

  “Okay, okay. You don’t like getting mushy, but I really appreciate everything you’ve done for me. And I owe you big time for letting me stay with you these past few days.”

  “You don’t owe me a thing. You were there for me when I needed you.”

  “Well, I can’t thank you enough. The time away from Eddy really helped. Seeing what life would have been like without him was a good way to realize how much I have to lose.”

  “I’m glad I could help.”

  “Oh, you did. Considering everything that was going on with you, I guess I couldn’t have shown up at a worse time.”

  “Well, everything’s back to normal now. Or it will be once I get back to work.”

  There was a pause. “Are you going to see Nick again?”

  “They gave the story to Gord. I might run into him if I’m called to testify at Duxbury’s trial.”

  “That’s not what I mean. I was kind of hoping you and, Nick...well, with so many sparks flying whenever you two are in the same room—”

  “That’s irrelevant,” Lauren said. “Any relationship needs more than that.”

  “Sure, but it’s a good start. And you two spent a lot of intensive time together, so you had the opportunity to see beyond the physical thing.”

  “It wouldn’t have gone anywhere. We’re just too different. Besides, he wasn’t looking for something serious or permanent any more than I was.”

  “Then why aren’t you eating your salad?”

  She pushed aside her untouched plate. “I had a late breakfast.”

  “I remember you weren’t up when I left for work this morning.”

  “I have the week off, so I slept in.”

  “Lauren, if you want to talk about it, I’m willing to listen. Lord knows I’m no exp
ert, since I’ve barely settled my own love life, but if there’s anything I can do to help....” Her words trailed off as she looked past Lauren’s shoulder. “What on earth is he doing here?”

  Lauren glanced behind her and her empty stomach turned over.

  Dressed like the upstanding, conservative businessman he purported to be, his navy blue suit projecting a calm solidity, Adam Duxbury was making his way through the busy restaurant. His silver hair flashed as often as his smile as he paused to say a few words to acquaintances as he progressed across the room. He looked as relaxed today as he had when Epstein had arrested him.

  “I thought he was supposed to be in jail,” Angela said.

  Lauren quickly straightened to face her. “He must be out on bail already.”

  “After what he did?”

  “Allegedly did,” she said. “He was just arrested, not convicted.”

  “But...isn’t he dangerous? He threatened the lives of Nick’s family, didn’t he?”

  “That was only to keep him from gathering more evidence. The threats would be useless now, since matters are out of Nick’s hands.” From the corner of her eye she saw Duxbury continue on a path that would lead him directly toward them. “He should know he has nothing to gain by harming anyone at this stage.”

  “He gives me the creeps,” Angela muttered.

  That was putting it mildly, Lauren thought. Into her mind came an image of Wanda’s face, the swollen jaw, the blackened eye, and she thought about Nick’s partner, Duxbury’s other victim. And how many more were there that no one knew about?

  “Why, hello, Miss Abbot”

  At the smooth voice, Lauren lifted her chin and turned her head. Duxbury had stopped beside their table. She made herself nod a greeting.

  From this close, she could see deep lines of strain around his forced smile. His tailored suit couldn’t hide the brittle tension that surrounded his solid frame, and his baby blue eyes had a glazed, distant look. He seemed like a man teetering on the edge.

  Lauren had a sudden, completely irrational impulse to flee. She fought it down, reminding herself that they were in a public place, that he couldn’t hurt her, that he had no reason to hurt her.