The Best Man to Trust

CHAPTER Nineteen



“I think that should do it. You folks are free to go.”

Tom felt a collective sigh of relief fill the study. The sheriff’s pronouncement was what the wedding party had been waiting to hear for days. Now it was finally here.

After an endless night of waiting for the police to arrive, they’d finally made it through that morning. At long last, the bodies were taken away, the questions had been answered to the best of everyone’s abilities and the remaining members of the wedding party were cleared to leave.

It was finally over.

Meredith rose to her feet. “Thank you, Sheriff. Let me walk you out.”

With a nod to the rest of them, the sheriff followed her from the room.

Leaving the rest of them there, sitting in silence.

There were only four of them, Tom thought with a pang, surveying Scott, Rachel and Alex. When the cars carrying them had come up the mountain, they’d been full of passengers eager and excited for this weekend. Now it was time for the cars to make the return trip down the mountain, and there were only four left to take the journey.

Three, he amended. Because he wasn’t going anywhere.

Alex was the first one to move, rising from his seat. “I guess we should get moving then. I, for one, will be glad to get out of here.”

Neither Rachel nor Scott disagreed with the statement. Neither of them said anything at all.

Rachel looked at Scott, her expression pained and pleading.

Scott stared straight ahead. He hadn’t looked at her once since they’d entered the room.

Tom knew Scott hadn’t spoken to her at all since yesterday. He’d jumped into the task of digging out from the storm, spending all afternoon and evening with Rick and Tom to uncover the rental cars and clear the driveway in front of the mansion so they’d be able to leave once the plow from town unblocked the road, Later he’d asked Meredith for a room of his own, then immediately headed to bed, exhausted like the rest of them. He’d claimed he was too busy to talk to Rachel. Tom suspected that as much as Scott wanted to get out of there, he’d also been making himself busy to avoid talking to her.

Something he still seemed determined to do. He finally stood, turning to face Alex. “Can you give Rachel a ride to the airport?”

Alex glanced between two of them, clearing his throat uncomfortably. “Uh, yeah, sure. I can do that.”

Rachel burst to her feet, as well, evidently having had enough. “Scott, please. Talk to me.”

He didn’t even glance at her. “I don’t think there’s anything to say.”

“I’m so sorry—”

“I know,” Scott said simply, cutting her off. “It just doesn’t change anything.”

Rachel didn’t seem to have a response to that, her face falling.

“Come on, Rach,” Alex said, starting for the door. “Let’s get our bags and head to the airport. Maybe we can get home tonight.”

With a resigned nod, she turned to follow him. When she reached the door, she stopped, placing her hand on it, and glanced back.

Scott kept his eyes steadfastly averted, his face hard as stone.

After a moment, she lowered her head and escaped into the hallway.

Almost immediately Scott seemed to relax, his shoulders sagging.

“You okay?” Tom asked him. He had a feeling he already knew the answer.

Scott gave a sharp shake of his head. “I just want to get out of here.”

“You sure you don’t want to talk to her?”

“There’s no point. She lied about so much. She was going to marry me and there were so many things she’d kept from me. It’s like I don’t even know her. I don’t know if I ever did.” He looked at Tom. “What about you? You ready to head to the airport?”

That was the million-dollar question. And he definitely knew the answer.

“I don’t think so,” he said carefully. “I think I might stick around for a little while longer.”

Scott’s mouth curved slightly in a small, fleeting smile. “I had a feeling you might have some things to take care of here.”

Tom grinned sheepishly. “Is it that obvious?”

“Pretty much. I’ve seen how you look at her, and how she looks at you.” Scott bumped his fist on Tom’s arm. “Good for you.”

“Thanks. I admit it feels a little strange to have it happen in the middle of all this....”

“Hey,” Scott said seriously. “Something good should come out of this. I’m happy for you.”

Tom looked into his old friend’s face, and beneath the weariness and sadness, he could tell Scott meant it. He wasn’t so mysterious. He was Scott, the old friend he wanted to get to know again, the one he didn’t want to lose touch with ever again.

They made their way out of the room and into the front hall. The front door was open, sunlight flooding through to fill the space. The sight was a little disconcerting. He’d never seen it so bright in here before. It looked completely different.

Then a figure came through the doorway, briefly blocking the light.

And there she was.

Meredith.

* * *

MEREDITH STOPPED JUST inside the door, her attention immediately drawn to the man standing at the base of the stairs.

Tom.

Her breath hitched at the sight of him.

You folks are free to go.

All of them.

He began to cross the space toward her. A nervous ripple quaking through her belly, she forced her feet to move to meet him.

They hadn’t had much of a chance to talk in the past twenty-four hours. He’d been so busy digging out from the storm with Rick and Scott. He’d been gone all day, and at night he’d been exhausted. At least she’d had him in her bed. Even if he was too tired to talk, it was enough to have him there beside her, cradling her close. She hadn’t let herself think about what would happen once the road was finally clear and the police came, wanting to cherish every moment she could.

But this was it. No putting it off any longer.

They met in the middle of the marble floor. He stopped a few feet in front of her. “Everyone’s getting their bags to head to the airport.”

What about you? she almost asked. Instead she glanced toward the stairs, where Scott had just disappeared at the top. “How’s he doing?”

“Not great,” he conceded. “But I think he’ll be okay.”

“Do you think there’s any chance they’ll work things out?”

He gave his head a small, sad shake. “I don’t think they can. He told me it’s like he doesn’t even know her. She lied about so much.”

With most of the others out of the house and Alex in his room, no doubt already beginning to write about the experience, Meredith had spent some time with Rachel yesterday. She knew what the other woman was going through. Greg had intended to devastate her life, and it seemed he’d succeeded. “She told me when they met again she thought she was being given a second chance to make things right.”

“Unfortunately, I don’t think she can.”

It was sad, but Meredith could understand Scott’s feelings. She knew what it was like to marry someone who wasn’t who she’d thought he was. At least Scott had learned the truth before he’d taken those vows.

If only it hadn’t come at such a high price...

“What about you?” Tom asked. “What’s next for this place?”

“Adam and Jillian will be back this afternoon. And then I guess we’ll decide what to do next.”

“No more weddings?” he asked softly.

“Maybe Adam and Jillian’s. I’m thinking a simple ceremony with no staff and no guests. Safer that way.” She smiled sadly. “But otherwise, no. No more weddings.”

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s all right,” she said, not sure if she meant it. “I guess it wasn’t meant to be.”

He tilted his head back and took in the building. “This place is amazing, though. I’m sure you could find something to do with it. A hotel. A private retreat. Or...”

He trailed off, the suggestive lilt on that final words instantly grabbing her interest. “Or?”

“Or maybe you don’t want to do anything with this place at all.”

Her heart missed a beat, then quickly picked up speed. “Then what do I want to do?”

Tom met her eyes. “Maybe see what else is out there. See the world.” He paused, his voice softening. “See how much more there can be. With me.”

With him. There were so many ways to interpret those two little words, all of them wonderful.

And here it was, what she’d wanted for so long.

A new beginning.

Never in a million years would she have dreamed it would be with him.

She smiled, unable to keep the happiness off her face if she’d wanted to. “Is that an offer?”

He matched her smile, gracing her with that dazzling grin. “Is that a yes?”

She could have yelled it. Instead, she managed to nod, her smile widening as she said it.

“Yes.”

She watched the joy dawn on his face. He lunged forward, his arms closing around her, lifting her up, pulling her close. She felt no tension at his touch, every bit of her melting against him. She knew this man’s embrace. Nothing had ever felt like it. Nothing ever would.

He pulled back to look into her eyes. “I should point out that I don’t have a job at the moment.”

“Neither do I,” she reminded him.

“When I get one, it could take me anywhere.”

“Sounds great.”

He grinned. “Want to see the world with me?”

The world, and so much more. “Absolutely.”

The excitement on his face matching her own, he pressed his mouth to hers, then wrapped his arms around her.

It should have been terrifying. The uncertainty. The suddenness. The recklessness of it.

But it wasn’t. It was a chance. The best one she’d ever been offered. She wasn’t about to let it go.

Tom chuckled softly against her hair. “I have to admit, you’re a lot different than I thought you were back in school.”

Her heart stopped dead in her chest. Doing her best to hide her reaction, she eased her hold on him. This time she was the one who pulled back to look into his face. “What are you talking about? You didn’t even know who I was in college.”

His brows drew together, a quizzical look in his eye. “Sure I did. You used to draw those cartoons for the paper. I used to see you sitting in that quiet nook in the southeast corner of the quad, sketching on your pad.”

Nothing he could have said would have surprised her more. All those years of thinking about him, she’d thought he had no idea she existed. She’d always thought she’d been invisible.

Somehow she found her voice. “Why didn’t you ever say anything?”

He chuckled, lowering his head sheepishly. “Well, I have to admit, I always thought you were kind of intimidating.”

She almost laughed in disbelief. “Me?”

“Sure. You seemed really intense. You were always so serious, always frowning. I can’t remember ever seeing you smile.”

That was because she hadn’t, she reflected. She’d never thought she’d had a reason to.

She’d been protecting herself, guarding herself against the rejection of others by keeping them at bay.

Thinking of it now, she had to smile, nearly shaking her head. In disbelief. In amazement.

So much time wasted, for no better reason than she’d been afraid.

Taking in her expression, he grinned, too. “That’s better.”

And it was, she thought, her smile deepening, the warmth inside her growing as the realization, the certainty, washed over her.

She was done hiding. She was done being afraid.

She was ready for so much more.

Tom looked past her to the still-open door, the sunlight pouring in to fill the hall. “It feels like we’ve been in here forever, doesn’t it? Do you want to go outside for a while?”

He was right. It was time to get out of here. “More than anything.”

Releasing her, he stepped back and held out his hand.

That outstretched palm seemed to offer so much. A chance. A beginning. The world.

Her heart soaring, she placed her palm in his.

“Come on.” With a laugh, he started forward, picking up speed, pulling her with him.

She quickly caught up, matching him step for step, as she raced him, laughing and smiling, into the light of a new day.

* * * * *