The Bride's Best Man

Shelby’s inner sensors went on alert. Something was screwy.

When they were both dressed in their new sundresses, makeup on and hair fixed, they descended to the lobby. Shelby had braided her long hair, even though Kay wanted her to leave it loose, on her shoulders.

“We’re early. Want to go look in that shop? They have some pretty dresses,” Kay said. She loved shopping.

“No, I don’t think so. You go ahead, though.”

“Dan is tall with dark hair. Call me if you think you see him.”

“You don’t have a picture of him?”

“No, I don’t.”

“Then maybe I can pick up more than one tall, dark-haired man, so you’ll have a choice,” Shelby said with a grin.

Kay looked shocked. “Oh! I…I don’t think I should go look.”

“I was teasing. You’ve got plenty of time before he arrives.”

Though Kay appeared uneasy, she moved to the dress shop, but she kept her gaze fixed on Shelby.

Shelby felt bad. Her teasing had upset Kay and spoiled her shopping. She relaxed in the chair she’d chosen and watched people enter the lobby.

A few minutes later a pair of men entered. Both were tall and handsome, but one was considerably older than the other. Too old for Kay.

Shelby stiffened as she noticed the older man staring at each person in the lobby. Could this be Dan? She got up and moved toward the shop to check with Kay.

Her aunt turned when Shelby called her name. She didn’t have to ask about the man because when Kay’s gaze moved past Shelby, her face lit up. She ran and hugged the man Shelby had wondered about.

“Dan! I’m so happy to see you!”

Dan replied in kind, then kissed Kay on the cheek. In Shelby’s judgment, Dan seemed a bit more intense than an old friend.

Then his gaze shifted to Shelby. Much to her surprise, he stepped closer, as if he was going to hug her, too. But she immediately held out her hand, stopping him in midstep.

“How do you do?” she said stiffly.

He took her hand with a rueful grin. “I’m fine. Sorry, but I knew you when you were very little. I’m pleased to say you’re just as pretty today as you were a little over twenty years ago.”

“I’m sorry. I don’t remember you.”

“Not a problem.” He turned toward his dark-haired, brown-eyed companion. “Allow me to introduce Peter Campbell, a friend of mine and an officer in my company.”

Shelby nodded but said nothing.

Dan continued the introductions. “Pete, this is Shelby Cook, Kay’s niece. And, of course, this is Kay Cook.”

Shelby knew she hadn’t been gracious, but Pete barely returned her nod. He did, however, take Kay’s hand and kiss it with a big smile on his face. Was Pete the one Kay was interested in? Shelby estimated his age to be around thirty, a little younger than Kay. Still, Pete would be better for Kay than Dan who, with graying at the temples, looked about fifty.

“Shall we go, ladies?” Dan asked.

Shelby wanted to say no. For some reason she wanted to hurry to the airport and get out of Hawaii in spite of the lovely sunshine and gentle breezes.

Kay, on the other hand, happily took Dan’s arm and sailed out of the hotel.

“Miss Cook?”

Shelby looked at the younger man who’d called her. He was offering her his arm, as Dan had done to Kay, albeit more reluctantly. She moved forward, but she didn’t take his arm.

Dan and Kay weren’t walking fast, so they caught up with them quickly.

“Where are we going?” Shelby asked.

“To the hotel next door. Its restaurant is known worldwide,” Dan answered. The man beside Shelby said nothing.

Shelby was wearing flats because she was five-nine, so walking to another hotel wasn’t a problem. Kay, though, had on high heels. Maybe it was good that she was clinging to Dan’s arm. Shelby supposed she wore heels because she knew Dan was so tall.

Pete was tall, also, which was nice for Shelby. She didn’t go out with short men. Of course, she seldom went out at all, so it wasn’t difficult to eliminate one segment of the male population.

Neither, she reminded herself, was she going out with Pete. He was simply tagging along with Dan, as she was with Kay.

In the restaurant, the ma^itre d’ asked if they wanted to dine on the beach or in the dining room.

“On the beach? We can do that?” Kay asked.

Dan smiled. “I believe the lady has chosen.”

“Very well, sir. If you’ll follow me?”

Shelby wouldn’t deny Kay’s desire to eat on the beach, so she didn’t voice her doubts about an enjoyable dinner. Of course, she had doubts about the dinner for other reasons, too.

Once she stepped outside, however, she had to admit dining on the beach was a wonderful choice. Their table for four was set on a silken tarp, with the long tablecloth fluttering in the ocean breeze. Once they were seated, Shelby looked up and saw a moon rising in the sky over Pete’s shoulder.

“Look, Kay. Do you see the moon?” Shelby asked, gesturing toward Pete.

Pete looked at Shelby. “You don’t call her Aunt Kay?”

Shelby stared at the man before saying briefly, “No, not always. She’s only ten years older than me.”

“Really?” Pete asked, staring at Kay.

“Yes, really,” Shelby returned. She didn’t like the way the man was looking at Kay, as if sizing her up.

“Most people think I’m her mother,” Kay said with a chuckle.

“You are more my mother than my real mother ever was,” Shelby said softly, taking Kay’s hand.

Dan took her other hand. “She’s right, Kay, and we all know it.”

Shelby looked at Dan. “How do you know?”

“Kay wrote me about what happened.”

“You knew my mother?”

“We met,” he said briefly, shrugging his shoulders.

“And my father? Did you know him?”

“About as much as I knew your mother. I was more Kay’s friend.”

“So why did you move to Hawaii?” Shelby asked.

“I was in a bad situation and I needed to get away.”

Since Kay would’ve been only in her midteens, Shelby guessed she couldn’t blame him for leaving. “What does your company do, Dan?”

“Oh, a mixture of things. I import cars and sporting equipment, and I export Hawaiian items, such as macadamia nuts, leis, muumuus, most anything we think will sell on the mainland.”