Matter of Time (2 page)

L
izbeth Sanders pressed her lips together, worked them back and forth to smooth out her freshly applied lipstick, then curled her mouth into an I’m-having-the-time-of-my-life smile.

Two hours down, one to go.

“You’ve got this,” she said, nodding to her reflection in the bathroom mirror, trying to be as convincing as possible. “You’re a professional, and this is a piece of cake.”

When the evening started, Lizbeth had three goals. One, throw the best damn party Myrtle Beach had ever seen. Two, get through the evening without any awkwardness between her and Kevin Mazze, an ex-lover who was also the owner of the exclusive fly-in golf community now hosting this fabulous grand opening event. And three, give the appearance of a woman whose life was one hundred percent together when she ran into Kevin’s good friend Lucas Steele—unlike the last time she ran into Lucas at Kevin’s house and nearly passed out from the shock of seeing him after fifteen years.

Two hours into the grand opening, she’d successfully marked off the first item on her list and added two more: get through the remaining hour without any uncomfortable exchanges with Samantha Mazze, Kevin’s wife, and get the hell out of there as soon as possible so she could get to her hotel, open a bottle of wine, and drink to her night’s successes.

Her shoulders slumped and her smile slipped ever so slightly. Nothing said pathetic like sitting in a beautiful ocean-front hotel suite on a Friday night, drinking alone.

“You really need to get a life, Lizbeth.”

The woman with the dazzling smile and sad eyes in the mirror agreed.

It was that need for a more exciting and challenging life that led her to take on this event in the first place. When Kevin called and asked her to handle the grand opening of his newest golf course community in Myrtle Beach, she jumped at the chance. Riverside, North Carolina—the sleepy coastal town she called home—didn’t provide a lot of opportunities for variety. As an event planner, most of her business came from weddings and local fundraisers that consisted of recycled themes and recycled guests wearing brand-new clothing. An event like this gave her exposure to a new crowd of potential clients, and she gratefully accepted the blessing.

It wasn’t until she hung up the phone that she wondered how she would get through the planning and execution, not to mention the actual event, without the awkwardness that came from being around Kevin—a mortal man with a Greek god’s body of which she’d licked and sucked every square inch. Somehow, she, Kevin, and Samantha had put aside their personal pasts and pulled together a magnificent event she was sure Myrtle Beach would be talking about for quite a while.

Her chest expanded and her shoulders straightened.
Goal number one—check.

She was just about to turn and leave when the outer door to the restroom opened and Samantha strolled in.

“Hi, Lizbeth.” Sam stopped and tipped her head to the side, studying her. “Are you okay?”

“Of course.” Lizbeth waved her hand in the air, then realized she was probably overselling her fineness. Dropping it to her side, she consciously checked her smile and said, “How about you? Are you guys pleased with the turnout?”

“We’re thrilled!” Sam practically vibrated with excitement. “Kevin said this is the largest crowd ever for an open house.” She paused and glanced toward the door, where chatter and laughter joined the cool strains of the steel drum band. “Even from in here, it’s obvious how excited and impressed everyone is. You did an amazing job.”

Lizbeth’s smile morphed from God-help-me-make-this-look-real to genuine. “I appreciate the opportunity to handle this event for you guys. I don’t get many opportunities like this in Riverside.”

Sam’s long blond hair fell over her shoulders and spilled down her back as she tipped back her head and laughed. “I can imagine. Riverside is a great town, and we love vacationing there. It’s perfect for getting away from the stress of life. But Kevin never could’ve grown his business the way he has if he lived there full time.”

“Amen,” Lizbeth said while suppressing a sigh that would’ve expressed her frustration with not only her dead-end career, but her dead-end life.

As long as she stayed in Riverside, she would never have opportunities like this. She’d also never increase her circle of friends—which was so small it basically didn’t exist—or have a chance to meet a man who might possibly repair her wounded heart and satisfy her longing for a stable, long-term relationship.

“I hope you’ll consider handling the next grand opening for us as well.”

Sam’s comment short-circuited Lizbeth’s lamenting and gave her wilting mood a boost. “I would be honored.” She hesitated, afraid to say what was in her heart, but decided to be honest with Sam anyway. “I don’t know why you and Kevin chose me, of all people, for this job. But I’m grateful, and I’d love the chance to work with you on future projects.”

A mischievous twinkle flashed in Sam’s pale-green eyes as she shrugged her shoulder a couple times, like she meant to do it once, but a nervous reflex had it lifting repetitively. In the next instant, the twinkle passed and she grew serious. “I owe you.”

Lizbeth nearly choked on her sharp inhale and tried to cover it by laughing nervously. “What?”

“I never would’ve given Kevin a second chance if you hadn’t come to my house that night and asked me to. I can’t imagine how difficult that was for you. You were the injured party, and you must’ve been hurting badly, but somehow you found it in your heart to forgive Kevin for his transgression. That gave me the courage to do the same.” Another shoulder shrug. “I’m happy to help you.”

Lizbeth’s heart stuttered and her throat clogged with surprise. “You owe me nothing. As I told you that night, Kevin and I never made sense, but you’re perfect for him. I’m glad he found you.”

Anxious for an escape from the awkwardness of the moment, Lizbeth said, “I guess I should get back out there and make sure everything’s still on track.” She moved around Sam, pushed open the door, took two steps, and ran right into Lucas Steele’s side.

“Oh, for the love of God,” she huffed as Lucas grabbed her arm to keep her from toppling off her three-inch heels.

Just like at Christmas when she knocked on Kevin’s door and found Lucas on the other side, the sight of him—a life-sized, 3D replica of the only man she’d ever loved—stole her breath and ripped apart her chest, nearly doubling her over with pain.

“Are you trying to escape a fire?” Lucas asked, making sure she was steady on her feet before releasing her arm and glancing at the closed restroom door.

“Something like that,” she muttered while fidgeting with her bag and straightening her skirt to hide her reaction from a man who’d always been too perceptive.

Her muttered reply seemed to amuse him, which only added to her irritation. Five minutes ago, she’d been in the bathroom, giving herself a pep talk and feeling fairly confident she would successfully mark off most of, if not all, her goals. She should’ve known things were going too well.

But she was a survivor if nothing else, so she got back into the game by slapping her dynamic smile in place, fluttering her eyes, and laughing off the embarrassment heating her face. “You look well, Lucas.”

She couldn’t say,
It’s good to see you,
because just like at Christmas, laying eyes on Lucas was ten steps deep into hell. He reminded her of all she’d had, of all she’d lost… and what she spent most of her adult life futilely wishing for again. For the past fifteen years, she’d been trapped in the past, and looking into Lucas’s moss-green eyes—identical to Logan’s—made that fact even clearer.

He tipped his head to acknowledge the compliment and said, “You’re as beautiful as ever, Lizbeth.” He glanced around the room, then returned his attention to her. “Congratulations on the grand opening. Kevin is damn near giddy over the turnout.”

Despite the pain in her chest and lungs, Lizbeth’s throat lurched and her chest twitched with restrained laughter. Kevin Mazze was far too manly for an adjective like giddy, and she suspected Lucas used the term intentionally as a way of easing the tension.

The bathroom door opened, and Sam—Lizbeth’s proverbial fire—emerged. Realization flared in Lucas’s eyes a second before Sam drew up short and broke into a wide smile.

“There you are,” she said, throwing her arms around Lucas’s neck. “I was beginning to wonder about you.” The last was said more as a question than a statement, and her coy, sideways glance made Lizbeth believe there was as much silent communication going on as verbal.

“Heavy traffic, that’s all.”

“Okay, good.” The mischievous twinkle flashed again as she glanced from Lucas to Lizbeth. “I’m off to check on the babysitter. Enjoy your visit.” With a little finger wave, she disappeared into the crowd, and Lizbeth was left struggling for a viable excuse to make another quick escape.

But her brain and mouth couldn’t get onto the same wavelength, and she found herself staring at Lucas, probably with her pathetic heart in her eyes. God, he looked so much like Logan—which made sense, since they were identical—it was impossible not to traipse down memory lane while in his company.

“We were both so stunned at Christmas,” Lucas said, breaking the uncomfortable silence surrounding them, “we didn’t have a chance to catch up. What have you been up to all these years?”

Drawing on years of practice, making sure everyone saw a beautiful, successful woman who had the world by the tail—not the unhappy, mostly broken woman who lived underneath—she smiled and said, “Oh, a little of this and that.” She kept her tone light and airy, expressing she hadn’t a care in the world. “After college, I spent a few years traveling Europe and Australia.”

Her goal had been to put as many miles between her and Logan as possible, but even escaping to the other side of the world hadn’t snapped the emotional bond keeping her tethered to him. “After coming back to Riverside, I settled down and started my business.” She held her hand out to the side, as if to say,
Take note of exhibit A.
“What about you? I saw your name on the guest list and noticed you live in Myrtle Beach now.”

He didn’t answer immediately… simply studied her as if trying to read between the lines of her abbreviated recap. He’d always been so perceptive, she feared him seeing too much, seeing the secrets she kept hidden beneath the mask. But looking away would’ve been just as telling, so she slowed her rapid breathing, kept her smile in place, and locked her gaze onto his.

After a long pause, he said, “I moved to Myrtle Beach to join an architectural firm. I was there several years, then eventually branched out on my own. I got married…” Shadows crossed his eyes. “It didn’t work out, so we’re in the process of a divorce. I also partnered with two friends from college to start a club. Do you remember Ian Stewart and Mathew Galindo? They were the same age as Logan and me.”

She’d known Logan’s name would likely come up at some point, but she was unprepared for its staggering blow to her chest. She clenched her teeth to hold her smile in place and hide her agony, then swallowed and nodded but didn’t speak.

“The club keeps me busy so I’m not always roaming around an empty house in the evenings.” He paused and studied her again, as if asking,
Can you relate?

Did he know she’d never married? That she’d never had a relationship last more than a year, and Kevin Mazze was the only person she’d managed that with?

“Hey,” he said, his eyes and smile brightening, “I’m headed there after I leave here. You should come with me.”

“Oh gosh.” Her hand fluttered to her throat as she searched for a good excuse to decline the invitation. “I appreciate the offer, but I can’t.”

“Why not? Do you have plans for the evening?” He leaned in close, conspiratorially. “Taking advantage of the big town while you’re here?”

If she didn’t know better, she would swear he was mocking her, or maybe challenging her, like he knew she didn’t have other plans. But there was no way he could be privy to that information since she hadn’t told anyone, especially not Kevin or Sam, of her pathetic plans to go back to the hotel and spend the evening curled up with wine and a book.

Before she could answer, which meant lying and telling him she had all kinds of fabulous offers for the evening, he leaned down so his mouth was next to her ear and said, “I’m betting you don’t have any concrete plans that can’t be changed. Am I right?”

God, the bastard was as infuriating now as he’d been fifteen years before. She’d never understood how he was so adept at reading people, but he’d always been spot on with his evaluations. She sighed and looked out at the lobby filled with laughing guests thoroughly enjoying themselves as she reconsidered his offer.

Declining his invitation had been a knee-jerk response to protect herself from spending more time with him. But it might be fun to go to a club, get out and about on the town… possibly meet another potential client or two. One never knew who they might run into, and she’d bet Lucas’s club catered to an upscale clientele that might garner a few new leads.

Spending time with Lucas would be difficult, just like it had been after Logan left and Lucas hovered over her for months, making sure she was okay. And truth be told, if he hadn’t been her constant shadow, making sure she ate and got out of bed and went to class, she wasn’t sure she would’ve survived.

Maybe running into Lucas after all this time was exactly what she needed to finally get closure on that part of her life. And maybe, after all these years, she’d be able to move forward.

“Okay,” she said, capitulating. “You’re right. I don’t have any plans that can’t be changed.” She might be changing her mind, but she’d be damned if she’d let him in on her original plans.

“Fantastic,” he said with a wide, beaming smile. “I’ll stick around until the party is over, and then you can follow me downtown. You’ll have a great time.”

A sparkle in his eye reminded her of Sam’s mischievous glint, and a layer of concern danced across Lizbeth’s skin. She frowned and studied him but then decided she was just tired and letting her imagination take over.