Be My Hero by Nell Dixon
$2.99
109 Pages
Nathalie Mayer is thirty-four. On the surface she is an attractive, happy, single, successful woman running her own bridal business. Despite her line of work and her obvious delight in other people’s weddings, including that of her twin brother, Nate. Nathalie has always declared that a settled relationship is not for her. There has only ever been one man whom Nathalie felt she could love.
Evan Davies is back in town after a six year absence. Last time he was here, he and Nathalie had tentatively begun to take their friendship to a different level. Now he’s home again and has the reason for his sudden departure from six years ago with him – his daughter, Polly.
Chapter One
Nathalie hurried
over to the window as fast as discretion allowed, certain her eyes had played a
trick on her. Around her, her twin brother’s wedding guests chattered and
circulated on the dance floor. She focused on the large picture window and the
man she thought she had glimpsed on the terrace outside.
“Nathalie, are you
all right, dear?”
Her mother’s
concerned tone snapped her out of her reverie.
“I’m fine. I
thought — Never mind. I’ll just go and get a drink.” She picked up the skirt of
her long, dark red velvet gown and headed toward the bar area. One of her
brothers would be sure to know if the man she thought she’d seen in the garden
was really at the reception.
“Hey, little
sister,” Jerome, her older brother, called from the bar. Nate, Nathalie’s twin,
stood next to him. Dressed in their dark formal wedding suits, their family
resemblance appeared even more marked than usual, with their matching height, black
hair, and piercing blue eyes. Jerome had more of a devil-may-care appearance, she
thought. He had a reckless edge, even in wedding attire.
“You look
flustered,” Nate observed, looking at her warm cheeks.
“Dancing always
makes me thirsty.” She accepted one of the glasses of juice that stood amongst
the flutes of champagne, on large silver trays that sat all along the bar.
“Thank you so much
for arranging all this for us today, Tali. Jenni and I couldn’t have organised
the wedding without you.”
Nathalie smiled at
her twin’s use of her nickname. “Planning weddings is my job, and I’ve enjoyed every minute,” she assured him. “Although
a little more notice would have been nice.”
“Has Jerome told
you he ran into Evan in town yesterday?” Nate asked.
Nathalie took a big
gulp of her drink, pressing her fingers hard against the glass so her hand
wouldn’t betray her sudden trembling. “No, he didn’t mention it.” She was
pleased her voice sounded cool and controlled, even if she didn’t feel that way.
“I met him outside
the bank. I invited him to drop in to the party today if he had a chance.”
Jerome had a teasing look in his eyes as he watched to see how she would take
the information. All her brothers knew how she’d once felt about Evan.
“When was he last
in town? It’s been a few years.” Nate placed his empty glass back down on the
bar and, rather than waiting for an answer to his question, allowed himself to
be steered off by his bride to greet some more guests.
Six years, Nathalie
thought. In all the time Evan had been gone, she’d only heard the barest
snippets of information. She didn’t even know if he had married or started a
family.
“Look who I just
found outside!” Barnaby, her youngest brother, called from the doorway.
The prickling of
the hairs on the nape of her neck and an inner sixth sense warned her who she
would see when she turned around.
“Hello, Nathalie.”
The sound of her
name spoken by Evan’s cool, gravelly voice sent little butterflies of
excitement skittering around in her stomach. She struggled to take a breath. “Evan,”
she acknowledged.
He hadn’t changed
much in the last six years, except he‘d gained a man’s frame, broad-chested and
broad-shouldered. Small lines crinkled at the corners of his bright blue eyes,
and his hair had been cropped in a new shorter style.
Jerome handed him a
glass of champagne. “Glad you could make it. Have a drink.”
“I wouldn’t have
missed this for the world. Where is the groom?” Evan looked around the crowded
room.
“His bride spirited
him off.” Barnaby helped himself to a drink.
“We’ll go hunt him
down,” Jerome offered. He and Barnaby walked away, toward the dance floor,
leaving her alone with Evan.
“So, how have you
been?” he asked.
Nathalie swallowed.
“Fine. Busy. You?”
“The same.”
Heat crept into her
cheeks. This was ridiculous. She was thirty-four, not thirteen. He’d been gone
all this time, and he could still make her blush like a teenager.
“I guess, now that Nate’s
married, you’ll be next.” He took a sip of his drink.
“What gives you
that idea?” She dated, yes, but not seriously. There had only been one man she
had ever given her heart to, and he stood in front of her — six years after he’d
walked out of her life without any warning.
“You and Nate are twins. You always did
everything together, and you’re a beautiful woman. It seemed a natural
assumption.” He shrugged.
“How about you?”
Her gaze darted automatically to his ring finger. She wondered where he’d been
and what he’d been doing whilst he’d been gone. There were a million questions
she longed to ask.
“I’m single. I was
married for a while.” His expression hardened, and the sudden ice in his gaze sent
a chill along her spine.
“Oh. So what brings
you back into town?” She decided to turn the conversation to a safer subject.
That way she could ignore the inconvenient feeling of sweet relief that had
swept through her when he’d said he was single.
“I’m visiting
family. I’m looking for a house to buy, as I intend to settle back here.”
“I see.” Nathalie
dropped her gaze and took a sip of her drink. Her mind worked overtime at his
news.
“Evan!” Her
brothers returned with Nate and Jenni.
Nathalie took
advantage of her clan’s arrival to slip away and recover her composure. Just an
hour ago, she would have sworn she was so over him. Now, after seeing
him again, she wasn’t so sure. Nathalie never liked to feel unsure about
anything.
If he moved back
into town, it was inevitable she’d bump into him again. They had the same
friends, had always moved in the same circles. He had been friends with her
brothers for years, from when they were growing up. How would she cope with
seeing him all the time?
Her mother, slim
and chic in her pastel blue dress, beckoned to her from the other side of the
dance floor. “Have you seen Jenni?”
“She’s in the bar
with Nate. Evan Davies has just arrived.”
Her mother’s blue
eyes, so like Nathalie’s own, surveyed
her shrewdly. “How wonderful. I’d heard he’d come back. Jenni will need to go
upstairs and change soon. I wondered if you could go and help her.”
Nathalie wondered
why all of her family except her seemed to know Evan was back in town. Keeping
her thoughts to herself, she pinned a smile on her face for her mother’s
benefit. “Of course, I hadn’t realised the time. I’ll go and see if she’s
ready.”
Her mother patted
her hand, much the way she had done when Nathalie had been a small child in
need of reassurance. “Thank you, darling.”
****
Evan made small
talk with his old friends at the bar, but all his attention was on their
sister—the once-so-familiar figure of a tall, slender woman in a dark crimson
gown on the edge of the dance floor.
Six years before,
he had been at another wedding, where Nathalie had been a bridesmaid and he’d
been best man. He’d received the bombshell letter that same day, the day he’d
left town without saying goodbye. That had been the last time he’d seen her, until today.
The first time they’d
met, he’d been sixteen. He and Jerome had played hooky from school to go
fishing. They’d snuck back to Jerome’s house to get some snacks and drinks when
a tall, skinny schoolgirl with jet-black pigtails and flashing blue eyes had
caught them in the kitchen. It had been pure bad luck that Nathalie had come
home early for a dental appointment. Both he and Jerome had been grounded for a
month for that escapade.
Nathalie rejoined
the circle and spoke to her twin’s new bride. “Mum said to see if you wanted to
get changed yet.”
Jenni nodded. “Give
me a minute.” She headed back toward the dance floor.
Nate and his
brothers turned to speak to another guest, and Evan found himself face-to-face
with Nathalie for the second time that day.
“Here we are again.”
He wished he’d said something less prosaic.
“Yes.”
“Nate told me that
you organised all of this.”
She seemed glad of
the conversational opening. “I own a bridal shop, and one of the services we
offer is wedding planning. Nate and Jenni only just got engaged at Christmas,
so a Valentine’s Day wedding was a little short notice, but if I couldn’t help
my own brother, well…” She
shrugged.
Evan surveyed the
faint flush along her high cheekbones. “You were a bridesmaid last time I saw
you.”
Her expression
changed, and for a moment, Evan saw the fourteen-year-old-girl from the kitchen
all those years ago. “Yes, well, thanks for reminding me of that!” she snapped.
“Excuse me. I have to help Jenni.”
He watched her go
in search of Nate’s bride and cursed his own idiocy. Nathalie hadn’t needed to
be reminded of the last time they’d met. Some things didn’t alter — he’d made a mess of
things then, and he’d made a mess of them again now. That had been tactless,
reminding her of how he’d treated her.
Absentmindedly, he
took another sip of champagne and sighed as Nathalie continued to walk away
through the crowd with Jenni and another bridesmaid.
****
Nathalie’s hands
shook as she attempted to unfasten the tiny seed pearl buttons on the back of
Jenni’s bridal gown.
The other
bridesmaid offered to help. “Here, let me.”
Jenni craned her
neck to see what her two helpers were doing. “It’s not like you to be all
fingers and thumbs.”
“I’m sorry.”
Nathalie picked up the clothes hanger, ready to help her friend remove her
dress for hanging.
“He did look very
nice.” Jenni stepped out of the pool of white silk.
Nathalie’s cheeks
flamed. “Who? Evan’s just an old friend of Jerome’s.”
Two pairs of eyes
looked at her with interest.
“I used to have a
crush on him. Then we dated for a while before he left town a few years ago.”
Nathalie bent to pick up the wedding dress and hide her hot cheeks.
“Methinks the lady
doth protest too much.” Jenni laughed.
Nathalie placed the
dress on the padded hanger and zipped up the protective cover with care. “We’d
better hurry. The car will be here for you and Nate soon.”
“I’d better not
keep my husband waiting. I have to toss my bouquet.” She smiled at Nathalie.
Nathalie ignored her
comment about the bouquet. Her new sister-in-law meant well, but Nathalie had
no wish to become a bride. Romance and fairy-tale weddings were for other
people. She had resigned herself a long time ago to remaining the bridesmaid
and never the bride. Hadn’t Evan just reminded her of that?
They found Nate waiting
on the staircase for his bride, so the newlyweds could say their farewells
before setting off on honeymoon. Nathalie joined her parents at the foot of the
stairs with the other guests, as the final photographs were taken.
“I’m glad he’s
finally happy,” her mother murmured.
“Me too.” Nathalie
felt pleased her twin had managed to put his past behind him, but she couldn’t
help feeling sad, knowing the same kind of happiness wasn’t destined to be
hers.
“Okay, get ready!”
Jenni called as she turned her back to the crowd and prepared to toss her
bouquet.
Pure instinct
brought Nathalie’s hand up in time to catch the posy of scarlet roses and green
ferns as it came winging toward her. Her brothers whooped as she made a perfect
catch, and the guests standing around her congratulated her.
“Your turn next,
dear.” Her father patted her arm and moved off with the rest of the family to
see the bridal couple leave.
Nathalie stood
still for a moment and bent her head to inhale the deep, rich scent of the roses
in her hand. Ridiculous superstition!
“Are you coming to
see them off?” Evan’s voice, deep and masculine in her ear, made her jump. Lost
in her own thoughts, she hadn’t realised he was still there.
“Of course!” She
drew a deep breath. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to snap.”
“No, it’s okay. I
think it’s me who owes you the apology for earlier.”
She forced a smile,
her nerves feeling ragged and raw. “Then we had better put it behind us.” She
took a step forward, ready to leave, only to freeze again as Evan slipped his
arm through hers to escort her.
Her pulse thudded
as he walked with her to where the wedding guests sprinkled more confetti and tied
the last tin can onto the back of Nate and Jenni’s wedding car.
“Look after
yourself, Tali, and thanks again for everything,” Nate whispered in her ear. He
hugged her before climbing into the car next to his new bride.
As Nathalie struggled
to keep her composure, Evan circled his arm around her waist in support. A tear
slipped down her cheek. She dashed it away with her free hand. “I’m okay.”
“Let’s go inside. It’s
cold out here,” Evan replied.
“The party will be
ending soon. I should find my parents.” Nathalie peered into the golden pool of
light that spilled from the open door of the reception area, out on to the
driveway where she and Evan still stood.
“Have you got time
for one dance?”
A shiver ran down
her spine, and not from the cold. The gentle warmth of Evan’s hand on the small
of her back and the musky scent of his cologne sent a tattoo of desire through
her body.
“I don’t know.” She
licked lips that felt dry.
“For old times’
sake?” he murmured. His gaze fixed on her face, and she couldn’t refuse when he
continued to look at her the way she always dreamed he would. The same way he
had used to look at her.
Dumbstruck, she
nodded, and he led her back inside.
The band had
switched to waltzes, since the evening had almost drawn to a close. Around
them, couples slowly circled the dance floor. Nathalie’s feet moved to the
rhythm of the music, all her senses on maximum alert. She tried to scramble her
brain into gear as they danced. They had always been well matched as dance
partners, and dancing with a man who was taller than her was a rare pleasure.
“Are you moving
back to be near your family?” Evan’s mother and his sister still lived locally.
“Mum’s not getting
any younger, and I’ve been offered a job here.” He twirled her around the
corner of the dance floor.
Her heartbeat
quickened with the beat of the music. “It sounds pretty definite, then?”
“I’ve some
appointments to view properties tomorrow.”
The music stopped,
and the bandleader started to make his announcements. Evan released her from
his arms. “Thank you for the dance.”
“My pleasure.”
Nathalie shifted her feet. What is the matter with me? She hadn’t
felt so socially inept in years.
“I have to go. It
was good to see you again. Could I give you a call sometime?”
“That sounds nice.”
She struggled to sound cool and collected. Perhaps if she agreed to see him
again, she would get some answers and maybe break this stupid spell he seemed
to have cast over her.
“I’ll be in touch.”
He leaned forward and brushed his lips against her cheek, sending heat into her
skin.
Only when her
mother called to her from the edge of the dance floor did Nathalie realise that
Evan hadn’t asked for her phone number. She made her way across the room,
cursing herself for her stupidity at falling for his charm all over again.
“Could you come and
help me see everyone off home?” her mother asked.
“Of course.” She
scanned the thinning crowd. A little part of her half-hoped Evan might still be
there and realise his mistake.
Her mother moved to
the door to say goodnight to some of Nate’s employees. “Jerome’s giving Evan a
lift to his mother’s,” she added. “It was nice of him to call by.”
Nathalie’s heart
sank. If he asked Jerome for her number, she would be the subject of merciless
and annoying teasing from her brothers. Being the only girl in a family of
brothers meant that any man who showed any interest in her was subjected to an
interrogation the Spanish Inquisition would have taken pride in.
The last little
group of guests departed with hugs, kisses, and pieces of wedding cake.
“You will still
come to dinner tomorrow, won’t you?” her mother asked as she sank onto a nearby
armchair and slipped off her high-heeled patent leather shoes.
“If the offer’s
still good,” Nathalie teased.
“Good? You and Nate
have always been so close, being twins. I don’t want you to feel lonely, now that
he’s got Jenni.”
Nathalie sighed.
She would miss being able to call Nate at any time, now that there was someone
else to consider. “I’ll be fine.”
“Mmm.” Her mother
didn’t sound convinced.
“Really, Mum. I’m
quite happy living on my own.” She knew her mother would love for her to move
back home, but Nathalie loved her little townhouse, with its tiny garden and
modern styling. She also valued her independence.
“Are you still
seeing that young doctor you were dating?”
“I only saw him a
couple of times.” She leaned on the top of her mother’s chair and affectionately
kissed her grey hair. “It wasn’t serious.”
“It never is,
darling.” She heard the note of reproof in her mother’s voice.
“Mum, I told you I’m
fine. I’m not like Nate. I like being single. I’m having fun.” She wondered if
she would begin to believe it, if she told herself that often enough.
Her mother squeezed
her hand. “Oh, sweetie, I just want you to be happy. You know that.”
****
Evan watched from
his mother’s front door as the red taillights of Jerome’s car pulled away. It
had been good to meet up with his old friends. It had been even better to see
Nathalie again. He turned the key and let himself into the darkened house,
trying not to make a noise.
“Is that you, Evan?”
His mother appeared from the kitchen, a china mug in her hand. She had changed
into her nightwear.
“Yes. I thought you’d
be in bed.”
“I just got up to
make a drink and to check on Polly.” His mother smiled at him.
“Is she all right?”
His heart jumped. If anything had happened while he’d been gone, he would never
forgive himself.
His mother hastened
to reassure him. “She’s fine. I heard her cough, but she’s okay now.”
“I’ll go up.”
Evan crept upstairs
and pushed open the door to his daughter’s room. His pulse settled when he saw
her eyes shut tight in sleep, her small face flushed and healthy in the soft
glow of her nightlight. Relieved, he closed the door and headed for his room.
Polly had been the both the joy and worry of his heart since the day she’d been
born. Now that he had sole charge of her care, he worried about her ill health
all the time.
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