Runaway Bride (Across the Stars: Book 2) by Ruth Ann Nordin Page A

you?”
    “Sure.” Mark offered her a polite smile.  “You were Caitlyn’s maid of honor.”
    “And you were Chris’ best man,” Sandy replied.
    “I am the best, but I try not to let it get to my head,” he joked.
    “What does being the best man have to do with your head?” Chris asked.
    “It’s an expression, sweetie,” Caitlyn told him as she pulled out of the parking spot.  “And he’s not serious.  He’s just kidding.” Glancing at Sandy, she added, “He’s not an egomaniac.”
    “I’ll never learn all the strange phrases you have on this planet,” Chris muttered while Caitlyn drove down the street.
    “You should watch more TV,” Mark advised.  “They use idioms all the time, especially in sitcoms.”
    “I have better things to do with my life than watch TV,” Chris replied and gave Caitlyn a wide smile.
    Sandy sighed.  What was it like to be loved to the point where the man practically worshiped the ground you walked on?  No doubt, Chris would give up anything to be with her.  Sandy didn’t often envy others, but in this case, she couldn’t deny the slight twinge of jealousy over Caitlyn’s good fortune.  True, Chris’ method of securing the marriage to Caitlyn left a lot to be desired, but he loved her above everything else.  Sandy thought of how easily Josh ended their engagement twelve years ago and wondered why he hadn’t been willing to give up more to be with her.  Because his love wasn’t unconditional, she thought.
    She forced the past aside.  This was a lousy way to begin a possible relationship with Mark.  Mark wasn’t Josh.  He was looking for a wife, something he couldn’t have back on his planet.  She had to give him a chance.  Smiling, she turned her attention to Mark.  “Caitlyn says you and Chris work together.” Fine.  So it was a lame icebreaker, but she couldn’t think of anything else to say.
    “Yep.” Mark nodded.  “He’d get bored if not for me.”
    Sandy noted the teasing tone in his voice as he glanced at Chris.  “Much like Caitlyn,” she mused.  “She made the diner fun when she worked there.  It’s not the same without her, but I’ll forgive her for abandoning me since she’s happy.  Good friends, those you can depend on no matter what, are hard to come by.”
    “They are,” Mark agreed.  “That’s why I’m glad Chris and I ended up at the same place.  He’s a good friend.”
    Chris looked at Mark, his eyebrows raised.  “We’re friends?”
    Mark laughed.  “Of course we are.”
    Caitlyn shot Chris a pointed look.
    Sandy sensed a private message being exchanged between Caitlyn and Chris but knew better than to ask what it was.  Every couple was entitled to their secrets.
    “Do you know Lexie?” Mark asked.
    She turned her gaze in his direction.  “I do but not that well.  She spends most of her time with her mom or…” She glanced at Caitlyn.  “Who is the guy she’s marrying?”
    In a high pitch tone, Caitlyn mimicked her mother, “The doctor.”
    Everyone chuckled and Sandy had to wait until she stopped laughing before she continued, “I don’t know his name.  I think it’s something like Rick.”
    “No, I think his name starts with an ‘N,’” Chris replied.
    “Nick,” Mark said.
    “Probably,” Sandy agreed.  “Anyway, I see Lexie when my family is doing something with Caitlyn’s family, like a backyard barbeque, but other than that, I don’t.”
    “It’s sad we don’t even remember the guy’s name,” Caitlyn said as she made a left turn onto another street.  “I mean, he’s going to be my brother-in-law.”
    “It’d help to remember his name if we got to see him,” Chris added.  “I have no idea what he even looks like.”
    “You’ll get to see him today.”
    “Maybe.”
    “He’s not going to miss his own engagement party.  Even a heart surgeon wouldn’t do that, no matter how important he is.”
    Mark leaned forward so he could get a better look at Caitlyn.