His Best Friend's Wife (Bachelor Best Friends 2)

“I miss him, too.”

Once again, he had floored her with a few simple words. Unable to respond, she merely nodded and opened the door, stepping through it and closing it quickly behind her.

Sitting in her car a few minutes later, she gripped the top of the steering wheel and rested her forehead against her hands, remembering Evan’s words. His tone had been sincere, and his voice had held an old pain she believed was genuine. Whatever still simmered between her and Evan, Evan did miss his friend.

She reminded herself that their one impetuous kiss hadn’t exactly been a betrayal of Jason, especially since they’d walked away quickly and had never allowed themselves to be alone together again after that. It hadn’t been long afterward, in fact, that Evan had joined the army, saying he wanted to make a contribution to the war against terrorism that had been raging so furiously then. He’d been home on leave the weekend Jason died.

Even knowing they’d done nothing wrong, she still struggled with old guilt Evan probably couldn’t understand. Guilt because she and Jason had parted with an uneasy truce after a quarrel. And guilt because, even though she had been a good wife to Jason and had loved him very much, she’d never been quite sure what she would have done had Evan answered differently when she’d asked him to give her a reason not to marry Jason.

* * *

Thursday evening, Renae sat in an uncomfortable, straight-backed chair in the school auditorium, watching Leslie and Daniel take their bows on stage along with the other first graders who had participated in the program at this month’s PTA meeting. Along with the other audience members, Renae clapped heartily, laughing wryly when irrepressible Daniel pumped a fist in satisfaction that the performance was over.

“They did so well,” Lucy said, beaming with pride. “I think they were the stars of the show.”

Because neither of the twins had been featured singers in the medley of children’s tunes the classes had performed, Renae merely smiled.

Janet Caple, a mom who sat at Renae’s left, looked her way, still applauding as the players filed noisily off the stage under the direction of the first grade teachers. “They were all great, weren’t they? And how cute was it when Mickey Johnson forgot the words to his solo and all the other kids shouted them out for him?”

Renae chuckled. “The twins are looking forward to coming to Jacob’s birthday party Saturday, Janet. Thank you for inviting them.”

“Jacob wouldn’t have it any other way. He loves playing with Daniel and Leslie. I hope you’ll plan to stay. I’m providing food for the adults so we can visit while the kids play.” Janet angled herself a bit farther forward so she could see Lucy on the other side of Renae. “You’re welcome to come, too, Lucy.”

“Thank you, Janet, but my Sunday school class is having a luncheon Saturday. Renae will bring the twins to the party.”

Janet leaned closer to Renae and lowered her voice to a conspiratorial murmur. “Mike Bishop is bringing Cooper and Jackson, because it’s Mike’s weekend to have the kids. He’ll probably hang around to chat awhile. He’s awfully cute, you know.”

Renae felt Lucy shift restlessly in her seat, indicating she’d probably overheard Janet’s not-so-subtle attempt at a fix-up. “I’ve only met him a couple of times, but he seems nice enough.”

“His boys are good kids, too. And he and Theresa are long past the divorce, so maybe you should get to know him a little better.”

She didn’t want to be rude, but she wasn’t interested in Janet’s matchmaking efforts. Fortunately, Lucy stood then, bringing the conversation to an end. “We’d better get home so the twins can have their baths and get to bed on time, shouldn’t we, Renae?”

The school program had been held early in the evening, barely giving Renae time to get home from work before heading out again. Lucy had fed the kids an early dinner, but Renae had opted to wait, so she was a little hungry now.

Tucking her bag beneath her arm, she stood beside her mother-in-law and took her leave of Janet, saying she would see her on Saturday. She hoped her lack of response to Janet’s unsubtle hints about Mike Bishop had made her disinterest clear. She would hate for things to get awkward at the birthday party Saturday.

She had enough awkward situations in her life right now.

* * *

“I hope you don’t let Janet Caple make you uncomfortable at the party Saturday,” Lucy said later, as if she’d read the misgivings on Renae’s face.

Having just tucked the children into bed, Renae was finally getting a chance to have her dinner, sitting at the table with a freshly warmed bowl of her mother-in-law’s delicious beef stew and a wedge of jalapeño corn bread. Lucy’s heritage was Argentinean and her late husband had come from Mexico, so peppers were a staple of her cooking. Renae often teased that the twins had developed steel-lined mouths as a result. They loved their food spicy.

“This stew is delicious, as always, Lucy. And I won’t be uncomfortable at the party. I always enjoy visiting with the other parents.”

“I heard Janet talking to you about that man—that divorced father. I hope she doesn’t get too pushy about it.”

“I know how to handle matchmakers,” Renae answered mildly. “Don’t fret about it.”

Renae had been on a few dinner dates during the past two years, none of which had been successful enough for follow-up outings. While Lucy was hardly enthusiastic about the idea of Renae dating, she hadn’t actively discouraged her, though she’d always seemed relieved when there had been no subsequent contact. Renae didn’t believe Lucy had ever dated after losing her own husband, having focused exclusively on her then-teenage son afterward. Since Jason’s death, Lucy’s world had revolved around Renae and the twins, with her church activities and a couple of close friends her only other interests.

Renae, on the other hand, had her job and a few good friends outside the family with whom she met occasionally for “girls’ night out,” usually on Wednesday evenings. And yet there were still times when she felt an emptiness in her life outside her family. A longing for something...more. Something those few unsatisfying dinner dates had not provided. She’d often wondered why she couldn’t be more like Lucy in being wholly content with all the blessings she had.

Maybe if she were more like Lucy, she wouldn’t have been so disconcerted by a simple compliment from a broodingly handsome man yesterday. She wouldn’t have lain in her bed afterward reliving the light brush of his fingertips against her cheek, and shivering in response to the memory.

The prospect of spending tim