Chapter 17
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Audrey settled back against the imitation leather of their usual corner booth and peered out the window.
She and Hannah used to have lunch together every Friday, but with the craziness of the past few months, their routine get-togethers had fallen by the wayside.
Audrey had spoken with Hannah a few times, and they had had dinner that disastrous night at Eros, but she was dying for some girl time.
Hannah seemed to be truly happy with Luke, and Audrey was excited for her—really, she was.
But she couldn’t help the little pang of envy that assaulted her when she thought of their relationship.
Audrey loved Hannah, and though she had only spoken with Luke a few times, she felt that he was a genuinely good person.
After all, he saved Audrey’s life after the incident at the health center last month.
That in itself told her just about everything she needed to know about him.
After everything Hannah had been through, she deserved someone like him, someone who would love her and treasure her for who she really was. Audrey thought she had found that in Scott, but she was wrong. They had similar interests, and for a while, it was enough.
Unfortunately, their attraction and lust didn’t have the power that Audrey saw between Luke and Hannah.
When Luke watched Hannah, his face softened, and admiration and adoration filled his eyes.
Audrey wanted someone to look at her that way, like she was their single focus, the one person they would put before anything else.
Her thoughts turned inexorably to Carter and their chance meeting at the hospital nearly a week ago.
It seemed that everywhere she went, Carter just happened to show up.
It felt like a kind of sign, but she wasn’t sure what it meant.
Either he was a sociopathic stalker or fate was trying to push them together.
She had a gut feeling it was the latter.
Audrey couldn’t stop thinking about the night they spent together. The way he made her feel was terrifying. She had a sneaking suspicion that if she ever truly gave herself over to the sensation, she would never recover.
The front door of the café opened, and her eyes were drawn to Hannah’s familiar form as she stepped inside and pushed her sunglasses to the top of her head.
Hannah held the door for the person behind her, a pretty young brunette with a baby in tow.
To Audrey’s surprise, both of them headed in her direction.
Audrey slid from the booth and greeted Hannah with a hug. Hannah pulled away and gestured to the woman standing just behind her. “I hope you don’t mind, but I invited Adalyn to have lunch with us.”
Audrey smiled and held out her hand. “Audrey Stanton.”
“I’m Adalyn,” she introduced herself, “and this is Jaclyn.” She jiggled the little girl propped on her hip.
They took a seat in the booth, and Hannah turned to Audrey. “Do you remember me talking about Luke’s friend, Jaxon?” Audrey nodded. “This is his wife and little girl.”
“Oh,” Audrey said, finally making the connection. “It’s nice to finally put a face to the name.”
“You, too,” Adalyn said as her eyes darted toward Audrey’s forehead. “I hope you’re feeling better.”
Adalyn had a savage-looking wound as well, and a small smile quirked Audrey’s lips. “I am, thank you. But it looks like we could be twins.”
Adalyn blushed and lifted one hand toward her head self-consciously. “Thankfully my hair is starting to grow back, so it’s not as noticeable as it was.”
Audrey nodded. Adalyn swept her hair to the side, partially covering the wound, and she was right; unless someone was specifically looking for it, it didn’t stand out. Adalyn still seemed a little bit uncomfortable, so Audrey moved the conversation along. “What do you do again?”
Audrey couldn’t remember ever hearing what Adalyn did for a living, but she seemed shy, and Audrey wanted to draw her out of her shell.
“I own Something Blue, a bridal salon downtown.”
Audrey grinned and turned her attention to Hannah. “Well, that’s convenient.”
“I know, that’s part of the reason I invited them,” Hannah allowed. “Adalyn will be designing my wedding gown. I hope you’re going to be my maid of honor. I’d like her to design a gown for you too.”
“I’d be thrilled,” Audrey said, and she meant it wholeheartedly. “So have you set a date yet?”
Hannah grimaced. “Not exactly. I want to keep it small, get married this fall, but Luke thinks it’s better to take our time.”
Audrey’s brows drew together. “Is he having second thoughts?”
“No.” Hannah rolled her eyes. “He says he wants to make sure it’s what I want, and he’s pushing for a long engagement.”
“I can’t blame him,” Audrey said softly. “He just wants what’s best for you.”
“I don’t know why he’s being so stubborn about it,” Hannah griped.
Audrey shot a look at Adalyn, who looked a little lost. She tipped her head toward Hannah. “She balked last time, so Luke is dragging his feet now,” she explained.
“I didn’t balk,” Hannah said with no small amount of disdain. “I just…”
Audrey barely held back a snort. “You freaked out and ended your relationship when he told you he wanted the two of you to move in together. Of course he wants to make sure he doesn’t screw up again.” She turned to Adalyn. “Right?”
Adalyn bit her lip. “I’m not sure I’m really the person you want to ask about relationship advice. I made a huge mess of things myself.”
“Between you and Jaxon?” Audrey asked.
“Yeah,” Adalyn breathed. “It’s not exactly common knowledge, but…” She glanced between Hannah and Audrey. “I’m sure I can trust both of you.”
“Of course.” They shared a look, then nodded, and Adalyn continued. “Jaxon and I haven’t exactly had a normal relationship,” she stated slowly. “We met at my cousin’s wedding in Vegas, then got to talking at the bar. Things got a little out of hand, and we… decided to get married.”
Audrey lifted her brows in surprise. Adalyn didn’t exactly strike her as the type of person to do something rash and impulsive. “Well, that’s one heck of a story to tell your grandkids.”
“Yeah, well there’s more.” Adalyn’s cheeks turned red, and she looked horribly contrite. “I woke up the next morning, then freaked out and told him I wanted a divorce. He was already heading back overseas when I realized that this little one was on the way.”
She ran one hand lovingly over the baby’s pale blonde hair, then dropped a kiss on the top of her head. “We hadn’t really taken the time to get to know each other, and I didn’t exactly have a way to reach him.”
All of a sudden, Audrey knew exactly where the story was going. “How did he find out?”
Adalyn bit her lip. “His tour ended just a couple months ago, and he ended up moving back. I emailed him a couple times while he was out of the country, but he never responded. Then he tracked me down one day and saw Jaclyn at the salon with me, and he just… knew.”
She gave a little shrug of her shoulders, and Audrey’s heart went out to her. Adalyn looked genuinely distraught, as if she truly regretted what had happened. Determined to stay positive for her, Audrey piped up.
“Well, it looks like everything worked out for you. That’s all that matters. Besides, I have friends in the military who missed the birth of their babies. There’s nothing to say he would’ve been able to make it back in time anyway.”
“I guess,” Adalyn said, though she didn’t sound convinced.
Hannah turned her probing gaze on Audrey. “Since we’re speaking of men, how’s Carter?”
Audrey speared Hannah with a glare. “I told you—”
“Yeah, yeah. I know what you said. Now tell me the truth.”
“There’s nothing to tell.”
Hannah tipped her head and lifted one eyebrow as she studied Audrey. “Liar.”
“We…” Audrey trailed off, trying to figure out exactly what to say. So much had happened, and she had never filled Hannah in on what exactly transpired that night at Eros. “We’ve been talking a little bit here and there.”
Hannah glanced at Adalyn. “She’s crazy about this guy, but she won’t admit it because he was the lawyer who represented her in her divorce.”
“That’s not—”
Adalyn pursed her lips. “You’re not talking about Carter Cross, are you?”
Immediately, every sense went on high alert for Audrey, and she eyed Adalyn. “Why?”
Audrey couldn’t begin to explain the irrational jealousy that flared up when she heard Carter’s name fall from the other woman’s lips. She tried to brush it off, but the prickly sensation remained.
“He was actually our lawyer, too—before we cancelled the paperwork.”
“Small world,” Hannah remarked as Audrey let out a relieved breath. Hannah turned back to her. “So, are you dating now?”
Audrey cleared her throat. “Not officially.” Not at all.
Hannah just nodded, but her clear gray eyes held a mixture of concern and pity.
Part of Audrey wanted to ask for advice, but she couldn’t begin to formulate her own feelings on the matter.
One minute she’d decided she was better off without him; the next she was wishing that he was next to her again.
She’d heard the expression “when you know, you know.” Well, she didn’t have a freaking clue.
When would it click for her? She felt like her emotions were all over the place.
“I’m still trying to work through everything,” Audrey admitted. “I’m not sure what I should feel or think. Part of me still feels guilty.”
“Why?”
“You know.” Audrey leaned her elbows on the table. “I was still married. And even though Scott cheated on me, I always wanted to hold myself to a higher standard. Plus, a lot has happened between Carter and me already. I don’t know if it’s fixable.”
Hannah sucked her bottom lip into her mouth before speaking.
“This is only my two cents, so take it with a grain of salt.” Audrey lifted a brow at her.
“I can attest to the power of communication. I nearly ruined something good because Luke and I weren’t on the same page.
I don’t know what’s been said or what happened between you and Carter, but I’ve seen the way he looks at you.
I believe anything’s fixable if you both want it. ”
Audrey pondered Hannah’s words for several long moments. She knew Hannah was right. There was only one problem... she had no clue what she wanted.
“Just think about it,” Hannah said softly.
“I will.” Audrey let out a sigh as she glanced at her phone. “I’ve gotta go. I have an appointment in half an hour.”
“Carter?” Hannah turned her gray eyes on Audrey, and she nodded.
“I just have to stop in to fix a billing issue.”
“Good.” Hannah’s lips curled into a smile. “Then you can—”
Audrey waved her off before Hannah could tell her—again—how sweet Carter seemed and how she should give him a chance. “I already know where you’re going with that.”
“Then you should know I’ll just keep pestering you until you listen.” Hannah gave Audrey a big phony grin when she glared at her. “Quid pro quo. You helped me with Luke. Now it’s my turn to help you with Carter.”
Audrey rolled her eyes as she scooted out of the booth. “See you later. Nice to meet you, Adalyn. Thank you for not matchmaking like this traitor here.” She jerked her head toward Hannah, and Adalyn laughed.
“Good luck. If he’s really as amazing as Hannah says he is, I think you’ll need it.”
Yeah. So did Audrey.