The Supermodel's Best Friend (A Romantic Comedy) (11 page)

Miles paused and turned aside to get himself
a coffee, studying Alex from behind the branches of a large potted
tree. He had to admit Alex looked pretty good—still had his hair,
wore an expensive watch, looked like he worked out at the gym.

Miles found himself sucking in his gut and
turned his attention back to stirring his coffee, laughing inwardly
at himself. If that’s what Lucy wanted, she could have him. He
would be a perfect husband. He wouldn’t tolerate anything less in
himself. If he discovered any flaws he would have to kill himself,
and then she could collect the hefty life insurance policy he’d be
certain to buy.

Alex came up behind Lucy’s chair. “Care for a
peach?”

Lucy jerked upright, slamming down the screen
of her laptop before twisting around in her seat. “Alex! Good
morning.”

“Mind if I… ?” Alex gestured to the seat next
to her.

Taking his time, Miles got out a tub of cream
cheese and picked through the bagels.

“Of course not. It’s nice to see you again,”
she said.

Alex sat next to her, his back to Miles. “You
brought your work with you?”

“No, just playing around. You know, killing
time.”

Alex handed her a mug. “I noticed your cup
was empty. Yesterday you took cream but no sugar, so that’s what I
got you.”

“Thanks, Alex,” she said, sounding genuinely
pleased. “I was too lazy to get up for another one.”

Miles stabbed his knife into the cream cheese
and smeared it over his bagel.

“If you’re killing time, does that mean you
might be glad to go for a walk?” Alex asked.

“A walk?” The way she hesitated and patted
her laptop, Miles assumed she was about to turn him down, but then
she said, “Yes. I’d like that. Right now?”

“We could have our coffee first if you’d
like.”

“Actually, I’m well caffeinated already, but
if you—”

“No, the coffee was just a bribe to get you
to talk to me.” He reached into his bag. “I’ve got peaches if that
didn’t work.”

Miles rolled his eyes. What a smoothie.

“I’ll have to put my laptop in my cabin.” She
looked over at the door and suddenly noticed Miles behind the tree.
Naturally, no man his size could hide for long behind an indoor
plant. Her smile fell and her ears turned pink. “Oh, it’s
Miles.”

Alex spun around in his seat. “Is it—Miles!”
He jumped to his feet, strode over with his arms wide.

Was Alex really going to hug him? Miles was
glad his hands were full. “Hi there, Alex, Lucy. Sorry to
interrupt. I was just—” He took an enormous bite of his bagel and
spoke with his mouth full.  “Eating.”

Alex slapped him on the arm. “Some things
never change, big guy.”

Now, Miles didn’t mind when Huntley called
him that, or even Ronnie or the kids, but when guys like Alex said
it he had to make a conscious effort not to deck the little prick.
“How was the hike?”

“Huntley bailed on me. Too cold, he said.”
Alex turned to Lucy, who had joined them with her laptop tucked
under her arm. “I was disappointed at first, but not so much now,
given the upgrade in my hiking partner.”

“You guys can catch up while I put my laptop
in my cabin,” Lucy said.

Not sure how long he could keep the bland
smile on his face, Miles stuck his hand out. “I’ll drop it off for
you. I’ll be heading back there in a minute.”

Alex slapped is shoulder again. “Thanks, big
guy.” He reached over to take the laptop from Lucy, as though to
hurry or guarantee the transaction, but she clutched it to her
chest like a freezing man with a heating pad.

“No, I’d rather do it myself. I didn’t bother
with the case.”

“I’ll be careful.” Miles held out the right
side of his unzipped sweatshirt. “I’ll nestle it in here like a
baby.”

She glanced down at his chest, in the shadows
of his body, and he felt his heart began to thud. He wasn’t ashamed
to admit he was sucking in his gut, or that he thought she was hot
and adorable.

“Well, sure. Thanks.” She handed it over.

He let his fingers brush against hers,
enjoying the flash of sexual awareness in her green eyes. “You’re
welcome.”

Alex practically carried her out of the
building. “We’ll catch up later, Miles,” he said, hooking an arm
around her back and pulling her away.

“Fawn should be in the cabin, so you can just
knock and she’ll get it,” Lucy threw out over her shoulder.

“No problem,” Miles said.

Alex looked back at him. A message passed
between them, ancient and hostile and male, before Alex smiled and
shut the door between them.

Ah, well. Better luck next time. Letting out
the air he was holding, Miles lugged his inadequate breakfast and
the laptop over to a couch in the corner and put his feet up on an
ottoman. An older couple was just arriving, led by the golf cart
guys in their white uniforms, but Miles didn’t recognize them. More
and more guests were trickling in today, though most weren’t
officially invited until later in the week. The spa had too many
perks to waste, Huntley said—not that Lucy seemed to be taking
advantage of them.

He lifted the screen to see what the serious
redhead would be working on instead of having her soft, naked body
rubbed with scented oils.

Or maybe he could play solitaire, distract
him from the image of Lucy having her soft, naked body rubbed with
scented oils. Or worse, the thought of Alex doing the rubbing.

The screen lit up in the middle of a
spreadsheet of all things, and he remembered she said she was some
kind of analyst for a drug company.

But this was no work spreadsheet.

He looked up at the door where she’d
disappeared. If she suspected he’d open this up, she never would
have left it with him. No wonder she’d hesitated.

He wiggled his butt deeper in the chair to
savor the delightfully incriminating document in front of him.
Quickly, so he didn’t miss a thing if she came back early.

Her manhunt was documented.

The columns were color-coded, which was a
nice touch. He especially appreciated how PHYSICAL APPEAL was a
bright, garish red—though she’d numbered that as seventeen, putting
it in a row at the bottom, far below such important characteristics
as LIKES AQUARIUMS and REGULAR FLOSSER. Maybe the red stood for
stop. Or danger.

He couldn’t help but grin. The worst impulses
in his nature were in motion like a wind-up toy. Lucy thought
SALARIED JOB was more important than GOOD WITH KIDS? That was bad
enough, but having RECYCLES rated six rows above TONGUE?

And did that mean what he thought it did?

Another quick glance at the door, then Miles
had his fingers on the keys to make a few revisions. As a favor. It
was obvious she was going about her husband selection the totally
wrong way.

He hesitated, realizing how invasive and
immoral it was to do this. He was a private person. He’d be furious
if anyone ever did this to him.

Then again, he wasn’t the one
comparison-shopping men as though it was no different than buying a
camera on Amazon.

Were all women like this? Or just women
freaking out about passing thirty?

Like Felicia.

As a compromise to his conscience, he did a
SAVE AS and began moving columns and adding fields that were both
helpful, suggestive, and honest.

Really, it was the least he could do.

For her, Alex, and men everywhere.

“Thanks for the walk,” Lucy said as they
approached her cabin.

Alex had his hands in his pockets, watching
the pavement at his feet, and he glanced at her with a smile. “My
pleasure.”

She didn’t say anything else, unable to hide
her happiness that the hike was over. The wind was cutting through
her clothes, even her usual jeans and sweater. The hot tub called
to her.

“I suppose you’ve guessed by now,” Alex
said.

She paused with her foot on the bottom stair
to her cabin. The wind battered the wood chimes hanging from the
cabin’s overhanging roof, and she had to shove aside her vision of
steaming water for a moment to realize what he was talking
about.

She had to appreciate his direct approach.
Fawn had tried to complicate things, but it defeated the benefits
of getting friends involved. She turned to him and smiled. “That
we’re interested in each other?”

He laughed softly. “Nicely put.”

Shoving her numb fingers deeper into her
jeans pockets, Lucy tried to twinkle, but really, her ass was ice.
“I enjoyed our hike.”

“How about dinner?” He looked at his watch.
“After the tree ceremony. Unless that’s too early?”

Lucy only had a vague memory about a tree
ceremony being on the schedule that afternoon. Something Fawn had
set up. “No, that’s fine.”

“That gives us time to catch the movie
afterward. It’s an old film about modern life being out of balance.
The score’s by Philip Glass—”

“
Koyaanisqatsi,
” she said. “Where? In
the lodge?”

He looked pleased with her again. “No,
they’ve got a separate building with a stage and seating for that
sort of thing. Live music on Thursday night, I hear.”

“Oh, you know, I’m much more into music than
a movie. Let’s plan on dinner tonight though, after the tree
thing.”

“Great. Now get inside—I can see you’re
freezing.” He hesitated. Then, still smiling, leaned over and gave
her a quick kiss on the cheek. His lips were cool and light,
nothing sloppy.

She smiled and slipped through the door,
grateful he was already turning to walk away.

Damn
.

He was just fine.

She’d have to try harder.

“Hey, welcome back!” Fawn stood on the bed
wearing a gray knit dress that skimmed her knees, staring at the
open armoire. “The only mirror in the entire cabin is in there.
Totally annoying. Too small and too high.” She bounced down to the
floor and pulled the dress over her head.

Lucy kicked off her boots, peeled off her
jacket, and walked past her to the bathroom. “It’s beautiful here,
Fawn, but I admit I’m having longing thoughts for a tropical
paradise.” She slipped out of her jeans and folded them over a
chair, noticing they were soaked up to the knees.

Fawn frowned. “What happened to you? You’ve
got mud on your face, and not the expensive kind.”

“I was a little too shrimpy to make it over
that river without getting wet.”

“What happened?”

“The stepping stones are for long-legged folk
such as yourself. I fell in. Got wet, it was cold, we had to come
back.”

She put her hands on her naked hips, eyebrows
wiggling. “We?”

“Me and Alex.”

Fawn put her hand over her mouth as though
trying to hide her tell-all grin of triumph. “How was it?”

“Fine, but freezing. I’m going to use that
hot tub now.” Peeking out the rear door window at the vinyl-covered
spa on the private wood deck, she unhooked her bra and slipped off
her underwear.

“Would you mind putting on a bathing suit?
I’ve got Huntley coming over here in a few minutes to… talk.”

Lucy slipped on a white terrycloth robe that
fell to her ankles. “Can’t you
talk
in his cabin?”

“No, no, we really are just going to talk.
His father’s watching some game because Huntley’s the only one with
a TV in his cabin and Huntley Junior—oh crap, I’m going to have to
stop calling him that, but then what am I going to call him? Mr.
Sterling is so formal. Huntley is my Huntley, you know?” Fawn
grabbed fistfuls of her hair. “They just got here, his parents, a
whole day earlier than we thought. So I’m kind of freaking
out.”

“That’s why you’re having a wardrobe
crisis?”

“Exactly.” Fawn reached into the armoire and
pulled out a white blouse and black slacks. “What do you think? I
want to look serious, you know, not like some bimbo.”

“That kind of says ‘catering.’”

“Even with a bright scarf? Yeah, you’re
right.” She shoved them back on the bar, pulled out a red pantsuit.
“How about this?”

Lucy bit her lip and peeked outside at the
spa. Getting her swimsuit out of a drawer, she said, “Look, Fawn,
I’m not really the one to ask, you know? I’m sure Krista would
love—”

“I should call her, but I don’t have time.”
She pushed her blond hair out of her eyes. “Shit. I need to be put
together for this.”

“You always look beautiful, Fawn. And that’s
the truth.”

“No, I mean to talk to Huntley. I’m a wreck
and I need to be calm. I so wish the yoga vibe lasted longer.”

Lucy put on her black one-piece Speedo,
gearing up her courage to ask Fawn if she feared Huntley might get
cold feet around his parents, when the door suddenly banged open
and the handsome groom stepped inside.

“Honey, I’m home!” he cried, then saw Fawn
wasn’t alone. “Oh, hey there, Lucy. Miles was just asking about
you. Did you get your laptop?”

She looked around the room, saw it on the
little desk by her bed. “Yeah, it’s right there.”

“He wanted to make sure you got it. Guess you
went for a little walk with somebody this morning?” Huntley strode
over and punched her gently on the shoulder.

Lucy had to smile. “I did. Didn’t you get the
memo?”

He shifted his happy gaze to Fawn. “Not
yet.”

“I’ll let you get to it, then.” Tugging her
swimsuit up, Lucy opened the door to her hot aquatic sanctuary and
stepped outside. Surrounded with a tall wood fence and shielded by
the cabin, the deck wasn’t very cold at all. Actually, she thought,
inhaling deeply, it was quite pleasant. Lavender, sage, something
white and floppy that might be jasmine. Wonderful.

She flipped back the cover and sank into the
bubbling water.

Just as she was about to close her eyes, Fawn
appeared. “Just so you know, we’re going for a walk, so you can get
naked if you want. We’ll go straight from there to the tree
ceremony.”