The Bride's Best Man. Judy Christenberry

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      Chapter Two

      Shelby and Pete marched down the beach as if they had no knowledge of the other’s presence. Dan and Kay, on the other hand, drifted along the beach, hands linked, through the waves.

      After the men had bade them good-night, the two ladies rode the elevator to their floor in silence. But as they entered their room, Kay exclaimed, “Wasn’t that a wonderful evening?”

      “I assume that’s a rhetorical question,” Shelby said.

      Kay came to an abrupt halt and stared at her niece. “You didn’t have a good time?”

      “Dinner on the beach was nice. That certainly doesn’t happen in Cleveland.” Shelby avoided any comment about the men.

      “Yes, that was lovely, wasn’t it?” Kay sat down on her bed. “What did you think of Dan?”

      “He’s quite charming.”

      “Yes, he always has been.” She had a faraway look in her eyes. “It almost seems like yesterday that I’d seen him.”

      Unable to hold back any longer, Shelby blurted, “He must be twenty years older than you, Kay!” She hadn’t meant to say anything negative, but she couldn’t help it.

      “No, he’s not! Dan is only twelve years older than me.”

      “And you’ve been writing for fifteen years?”

      “Well, that’s when it first began, but we didn’t write much until after I moved out of Cordelia’s house.”

      “Mom didn’t approve?”

      The dreamy look fled Kay’s face. “No,” she said in a clipped tone.

      “Why?”

      “It doesn’t matter. I’m going to bed. I think the time change is catching up with me.”

      She found her nightgown and went into the bathroom, leaving Shelby sitting on her bed. She crossed her arms over her chest. So her mother hadn’t approved of Dan? That was interesting. Her mother hadn’t had high standards, so what had he done? Robbed a bank?

      She opened the sliding door and walked out on the lanai. The gentle breeze and lapping waves distracted her from her thoughts for a minute. Then her mind returned to the contemplation of Kay and Dan Jackson.

      The man was charming, as she’d said, but not so charming that he sounded like a snake oil salesman. He appeared intelligent and patient. Certainly more than her. Impatience was one of her biggest faults. Darn it, the only thing she could find wrong with Dan was his age.

      “I’m out of the bath, Shelby,” Kay called out.

      When Shelby didn’t come in at once, Kay came closer to the lanai. “Aren’t you tired?”

      “Yes, I suppose so.” Shelby moved back into the room. “Is it okay if I leave the door open a little so we can hear the waves?”

      “Oh, yes, I think that’s a very relaxing sound.”

      “Me, too.”

      After they were both in bed, Shelby intended to question Kay about her relationship with Dan. But she discovered her aunt Kay was already asleep. Apparently nothing was bothering her conscience. And nothing should. She was a wonderful person, in spite of the tragedies that had surrounded her life.

      Kay’s parents had died in a car crash when she was ten. That was when she’d moved into Cordelia’s home. Shelby had been born that same year. Cordelia had turned Kay into a babysitter at once. Though Shelby had vague memories of her father’s presence, she didn’t remember much about him. But Kay’s presence in her life was clear. Together they went through the trauma of Cordelia’s divorce and the ensuing years. Shelby remembered her mother’s hysterics before every one of her father’s visits. Now she could admire his courage, but it hadn’t lasted long. The visits soon stopped.

      She remembered being upset when she didn’t see him again, when she couldn’t picture him in her mind. But as she listened to her mother describe him in mean, hateful words, soon it became easier to forget him. Cordelia loathed him so intensely, she had Shelby’s name changed back to her maiden name, Cook. It was as if all memory of her father had been erased.

      Then, after her mother remarried, Shelby learned men were untrustworthy. It was a life lesson she’d rather forget but would always remember.

      Banishing the memories, she listened to the waves and let them rock her to sleep.

      Morning had barely dawned when Shelby awoke. A peek at the bedside clock told her it was only six-thirty, but the time change was wreaking its usual havoc.

      “Guess you haven’t adapted to the time zone, either.” Apparently Kay was awake, too.

      Shelby got out of bed. “I’ll probably fall asleep right after lunch.” Then she noticed her aunt was already dressed, in a blue pantsuit. “You’re on the go already?”

      “You remember, I’m going to do some work with Pete today,” Kay explained, looking all too happy, in Shelby’s opinion. When she made a face, her aunt sobered. “You’re okay with that, aren’t you? I mean, you’re not…jealous, are you?”

      Shelby stopped her hairbrush midstroke. What reason would she have to be jealous of her aunt spending the day with Pete Campbell? Actually, she was counting her lucky stars that she got out of joining them. She continued brushing her hair and affected a light tone. “Why would I be jealous?”

      “Well, Pete was your…escort last night.”

      “If you want him, Aunt Kay, you can have him.”

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