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  “Yes,” she said with a whisper of a smile.

  “And you and Steve will work things out?”

  “I’m not sure that—”

  “You will,” he assured her, forcing cheer. He clasped her shoulders in what he’d intended to be a friendly gesture, but dropped his hands when the compulsion to kiss her became too great. “You’ve got a few minutes to get your things together and out of here,” he said as he crossed to the door.

  “Derek.” She swallowed hard and looked as if she might say something, then averted her eyes and murmured, “I don’t have much to get together.”

  He couldn’t resist teasing her one last time. “A certain pink number comes to mind.”

  She blushed, and he decided the picture of her standing barefoot next to the bed, with disheveled hair and wearing her T-shirt inside out would remain in his mind forever.

  “I guess I’ll see you at the wedding,” he said, then left before he could change his mind about walking away. He had problems in Kentucky that needed his full attention immediately, he reminded himself as he rode to the lobby. The sooner he got through the wedding and on a northbound plane, the better. Guilt bound his chest like a vise.

  Steve was waiting for him in the lobby, jingling change in the pocket of his tailored slacks, looking every bit the part of a successful plastic surgeon.

  “I haven’t seen her,” Steve said as he walked up, clearly perturbed. “I gave her a pager so I could keep tabs on her, but she never wears it.”

  Good for her, Derek thought. “Ready to get a bite to eat?”

  “Let’s hang around in the lobby for a little while, just in case a news camera shows.” Steve craned his neck and scanned the massive lobby.

  Derek frowned. “Or Janine.”

  “Huh? Oh, yeah.”

  Rankled at his seeming indifference, Derek said, “If you don’t mind me saying so, you don’t seem particularly attached to your fiancée.”

  Steve shrugged. “What’s love got to do with it, right?”

  With his attitude of taking things lightly, Derek marveled how the man had made it through medical school. Then the answer hit him—Steve only took people lightly. “Well, it matters quite a bit when you consider you’ll be spending the rest of your life with someone.”

  His friend turned back and presented a dismissive wave. “If you’re thinking about what I said about her not putting lead in my pencil, don’t worry. My surprise wedding gift to Janine is a pair of D’s.”

  Derek frowned. “What?”

  “You know—D’s.” Steve held his hands, palm up, wriggling his fingers in lewd squeezing motions.

  Nausea rolled in Derek’s stomach. What did Janine see in this guy? Hell, why did he himself call him a friend? He struggled to keep his voice calm. “That’s kind of cruel, Steve. And unnecessary, from what I saw of Janine.” And felt, and tasted, his conscience reminded him.

  Steve scoffed. “You always did go for the mousy ones, didn’t you, pal?”

  So unexpected was Derek’s fist that Steve was still smiling when he popped him in the mouth. Steve staggered back, his eyes wide and angry. An expletive rolled out of his bloody mouth, but he kept his distance. “Have you lost your freaking mind?”

  “No,” Derek said evenly. “But you’ve lost your best man.”

  Steve’s face twisted as he swept his gaze over Derek. “Fine. I only asked you because Jack let me down.”

  “You and Jack,” Derek said, wiping the traces of blood off his knuckles, “are two of a kind.”

  “You’re jealous,” Derek retorted. “You were always jealous of me and Jack.”

  Derek set his jaw and turned his back on Steve, recognizing the need to walk away. A light from a news camera blinded him, but he didn’t stop. At least Steve had gotten his wish—he probably would make the local news.

  Steve’s spiteful words clung to Derek as he stabbed the elevator button. Jealous, ha. In his opinion, the man had only one thing worth coveting. He stepped into the elevator and leaned heavily against the back wall. A man knew his limits. He’d never competed with Steve or Jack for a woman, and he wasn’t about to start now.

  But at least he had his memories.

  *

  17

  « ^ »

  Janine closed the room door behind her and slung over her shoulder the pillowcase containing her illfated costume, her high heels and the items Manny had brought her. She’d managed a quick shower, but didn’t have time to dry her hair, so she’d simply slicked it back from her face with gel. The single pair of shorts and the sole T-shirt she had left were so formfitting, she’d decided to wear the coat. Buttoned and belted, admittedly it looked a little weird with the yellow flip-flops, but she didn’t care. A hysterical laugh bubbled out. With so many problems, she should be so lucky as to have the fashion police haul her away.

  Her feet were so heavy, she could barely walk. When she reached the elevator bay, the overhead display showed one car on its way up. For a few seconds, she entertained the idea of waiting for it, then she changed her mind and headed for the stairs. Why tempt another panic attack?

  Descending the stairs slowly, she tried to sort out the ugly tasks before her. Marie said she’d be there in an hour, which gave her time to find Manny, and talk to Steve.

  Talk to Steve.

  Her joints felt loose just thinking about it. Funny, but in her mind, breaking their engagement seemed anti-climactic compared to confessing she’d somehow misplaced a family heirloom that was worth twice as much as her education had cost. And priceless to his mother, she knew. Her stomach pitched. Oh, well, being in debt was the American way. Some people made thirty years of payments on a house, she’d simply make thirty years of payments on a ring. That she didn’t have. And would never truly be able to replace.

  After a few requests, and scrupulously avoiding the lobby, she found Manny at a loading dock arguing heatedly with a deliveryman trying to wheel in a cartful of red and white carnations. “Janine! Just the person I needed to see. I wanted to call you, but it’s been so crazy now that we’re actually back in business.” He wagged his finger at the burly man. “Call your boss. She knows I strictly forbid carnations for our live arrangements.” He clucked. “Smelly weeds.” Turning back to Janine, he tugged her inside to some kind of workroom.

  “I read on the sheet left in our room that the quarantine was lifted early this morning.”

  He rolled his eyes. “Very early this morning. The CDC traced the bacteria to a bad batch of barbecue and a peck of bad stuffed peppers served last Thursday, all from a caterer we sometimes use in a pinch. Past tense, natch.”

  “Is everyone going to be okay?”

  Manny nodded. “All but two guests have been released from the hospital, and those two are recovering well, according to Dr. Pedro.”

  Starved for good news, she grinned. “Excellent.”

  “And now for the bad news,” he said, his gaze somber.

  “You didn’t find the ring.”

  “No, I didn’t.” Manny pointed to the grass-stained cuffs of his white pants. “I swept the entire area with a metal detector. I found three quarters and a dime, but not what you were looking for.” He stroked her hair. “I’m sorry, sweetheart, but I’ll keep looking. It’ll turn up somewhere, and I have an extremely trustworthy staff. If it’s here and we find it, you’ll get it back.”

  “I’m offering a reward,” she said, morose. “My firstborn.”

  He laughed. “I’ll put out the word.” Then he sobered. “And what’s this my catering director tells me about the wedding being back on?”

  “He’s misinformed,” she assured him. “I am not marrying Steve Larsen.”

  “And does he know that?”

  She puffed out her cheeks, then exhaled. “I’m on my way to tell him about the wedding … and the ring.”

  “And about Mr. Stillman?” he probed.

  Her heart jerked crazily. “No. Derek and I made a pact.”

  “To bear chil
dren?”

  A silly laughed escaped her. “To secrecy. There’s nothing between us except a mistake.”

  He lifted one eyebrow.

  “Okay, two mistakes. But that’s all.”

  “You don’t have feelings for him?”

  She smirked. “Manny, don’t you think I have enough problems for now?”

  He nodded and relented with a shrug. “I guess I got carried away, what with my perfect record and all.”

  “I hope this failure isn’t going to keep you from getting wings or something,” she teased, thinking the silver lining of this black cloud had been making a new friend.

  “Don’t concern yourself about me,” he said. “Now, go.” He shooed her toward the door. “Put this dreadful task behind you, then burn that coat, girl.”

  She threw him a kiss, then made her way toward the lobby, her pulse climbing higher and higher. Every other step she reminded herself to breathe, refusing to have a panic attack now. She’d made her bed, and now she had to lie in it … alone.

  Which was, all things considered, better than lying underneath it.

  Steve was easy to spot pacing in a conversation area flanked with leather furniture, but she was surprised to find him alone, and apparently agitated. Pausing next to a gray marble column, she observed the man she’d thought to marry, hoping to see some kind of justification for why she had accepted his proposal in the first place.

  Steve Larsen was a strikingly handsome man, no doubt. White blond hair, perpetually tanned, with breathtakingly good taste in clothing, housing and transportation. She squinted.

  And an ice pack against his mouth?

  At that moment he looked up and recognized her. “Janine?”

  Summoning courage, she crossed the lobby. “H-hi,” she said, feeling as if she were face-to-face with a stranger.

  “Hi, yourself,” he said with a frown. “Where the devil have you been?”

  She blinked. So much for a happy reunion. Tempted to snap back, she reminded herself of the messages she had to deliver. “Collecting my things,” she said, indicating her makeshift bag. “And tying up loose ends.” Stepping forward, she pulled away the ice pack and gasped at the dried blood and redness beneath. “What on earth happened to your mouth?”

  His scowl deepened. “I fell,” he said, gesturing to the marble floor. “It’s nothing.”

  “But you might need stitches—”

  “I said it’s nothing!”

  Drawing back at his tone, she averted her eyes, noticing several people were staring.

  Steve noticed too, instantly contrite. He bent to kiss her high on the cheek, a gesture she’d once found so romantic. Now she swallowed hard to keep from pushing him away. Her response wasn’t fair, she knew. She had made a huge mistake by agreeing to marry him. He bore none of the blame for her naive acceptance.

  “Let’s sit,” she suggested. “I need to talk to you.”

  Her heart skipped erratically, and her hopes of easing into the conversation were dashed when Steve asked, “Where’s my ring?” He grasped her left hand with his free one.

  She attempted a smile, but failed. “Um, that’s one of the things I have to talk to you about.” After clearing her throat, she blurted, “I lost it,” and winced.

  He lowered the ice pack and stared. A muscle ticked in his clenched jaw. “You … lost it?”

  Tears sprang to her eyes and she nodded. “Steve, I’m so sorry.”

  “Where did you lose it?” he demanded. “How?”

  She shook her head, her tears falling in earnest now. “I don’t know—I’ve looked everywhere. I’m so, so sorry.”

  Steve lay his head back against the chair and moved the ice pack to his forehead. “My mother is going to kill me.”

  Sniffling, she said, “I’ll tell Mrs. Larsen it was all my fault, Steve.”

  He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. “Except you weren’t the one who was supposed to get it insured—I was.”

  “You didn’t get it insured?” she squeaked, then hiccuped.

  His eyes bulged from his head, and his face turned crimson. “I didn’t think you’d be careless enough to lose it!” He sat forward, his head in his hands. “Oh my God, my mother is going to kill me.”

  “I’ll repay you,” she said. “You and your family. Every dime, I promise.”

  He seemed less than impressed. Looking at her through his fingers, he said, “First of all, it’s an heirloom, Janine. It can’t be replaced. And second, I find the notion of you paying me or my family out of our household money, which will be primarily money I’ve earned, utterly ludicrous.”

  “Th-that’s another thing I want to talk to you about.”

  “What?”

  She looked around to make sure no one was within earshot. “I’m not going to marry you, Steve.”

  His face took on a mottled look. “You’re not going to marry me?”

  She nodded.

  A purplish color descended over his expression, and he surprised her by laughing. “You are not going to marry me?” He slapped his knee. “Oh, that’s rich. My mother spent all day Thursday calling everyone on the guest list letting them know the ceremony had been canceled, then she spent all this morning calling everyone again to tell them the ceremony is on again. And now you’re saying she has to call everyone yet again to tell them the wedding is off again?”

  Astonishment washed over her. He was more concerned about his mother being imposed upon or embarrassed than about losing her? “All I’m telling you, Steve,” she said calmly, “is that I’m not marrying you.” She stood and attempted to walk away, but he blocked her retreat.

  “Janine, you can’t just change your mind—I have plans.”

  What had she ever seen in him? she wondered as she studied his cold eyes. “We’re too different, Steve, I should’ve never said yes. I’m sorry if this causes you or your parents undue embarrassment. I’d be glad to call every guest personally and accept full blame.”

  She tried to walk past him, but he grabbed her arm, his chest heaving. “I’m starting to think you didn’t lose the ring after all.”

  “What?”

  “Maybe you’re planning to sell it.”

  A chill settled over her heart at the realization that she and Steve didn’t know each other at all, but had still planned to marry. “I swear to you, I don’t have the ring. And I swear I’ll pay you the money it’s worth, even if it takes a lifetime. I’m sorry it has to end this way, but we don’t love each other. I’m sure we’ll both be happier—”

  “Will you, Janine?” he asked, still gripping her arm. “Will you be happier going back to your scruffy little old maid existence?”

  His hurtful words stunned her to silence.

  A little smile curled his battered lip. “Since you’ll never be able to repay me for my ring, there is something you can do for me.”

  “What?” she whispered, frightened at the change in his demeanor.

  “I still have my hotel room.”

  Revulsion rolled through her, and her mind reeled for something to say.

  “Mr. Larsen.”

  They turned, and to Janine’s immense relief, Manny stood a few feet away, his hands behind his back, his face completely serene.

  “Yes?” Steve asked, easing his grasp on her arm a fraction.

  “I’m the general manager of this hotel, and I have something for you.”

  He frowned. “What is it?”

  Manny withdrew one hand from behind him and held up a stopwatch, which he clicked to start. “Ten minutes,” he said, his voice casual. “Ten minutes to remove your personal belongings from your room and leave the premises.” Then he smiled. “Without Ms. Murphy.”

  Janine suppressed a smile of her own. The general manager had succeeded in shaking Steve enough that he released her arm.

  “I don’t think you know who I am,” Steve said, his chest visibly expanding.

  “Sir, I know exactly who and what you are,” Manny replied, then
glanced at the stopwatch. “Oh, look, nine minutes.”

  Steve’s bravado faded a bit. “I’d like to speak to your supervisor.”

  “I am my supervisor,” Manny explained patiently, never taking his eyes off the stopwatch.

  Steve looked at her, but she kept her eyes averted to avoid provoking him further.

  “I’m going to sue you for the worth of the ring,” he hissed.

  “Why?” she asked, lifting her gaze. “I don’t have anything worth taking.”

  His feral gaze swept her up and down. “You got that right,” he said, then glared at Manny. “Forget the room. There isn’t anything in my life that can’t be easily replaced.” After a dismissive glance in her direction, he wheeled and strode across the lobby toward the revolving door.

  She stared dry-eyed until he had disappeared from sight. Then her knees started to knock and she sank onto the pale leather settee.

  “Real Prince Charming,” Manny muttered, patting her shoulder. “If you can wait another thirty minutes, I’ll take you home.”

  “No, thank you, I have a ride,” Janine said, although she didn’t recognize her own voice.

  “Janine?”

  At the sound of Marie’s voice, she sprang to her feet and rushed into her sister’s arms.

  “What’s going on? I just passed Steve in the parking lot and got the feeling if he’d had a gun, I would have been target practice.”

  “I broke our engagement.”

  Marie scoffed. “Is that all? Darling, men are a dime a dozen.”

  “And I lost my engagement ring.”

  Marie sucked in a sharp breath. “Oh, now that hurts.”

  Janine pulled back and looked at her sister’s pained expression, then laughed in blessed relief. She turned to Manny and mouthed, “Thank you,” then she and Marie strolled through the lobby arm in arm. When they passed the reservations desk where Janine had first begged her way up to room 855, she marveled at the changes in her life in a mere forty-eight hours.

  She’d lost the man she thought she wanted, and met the man she knew she needed. But when Derek’s face swam before her, she quickly squashed the image. She wasn’t about to fall into another relationship so soon after her humbling experience with Steve. No matter what she imagined her feelings toward Derek to be, frankly, she simply didn’t trust her own judgment right now.