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

“You don’t like him?”
    Caitlyn shrugged.  “I don’t know him enough to like him or not like him.  It’s just that from what I’ve heard about him, I get the feeling he thinks we’re all here to admire his greatness.”
    “Caitlyn,” Chris replied in a tone that suggested she was being too hard on him.
    “You haven’t met him.  Ever,” she emphasized.  “So how would you know?”
    “Did he actually come out and say he’s better than everyone else?”
    “It’s not what he says but the way he says it and the way he acts.  There are subtle things that crop up when you’re talking to him.  Personally, if it weren’t for my mom, I don’t think Lexie would even consider him.”
    “Really?” Mark asked.
    “Really,” Caitlyn replied, glancing at Chris who shook his head.  “It’s true.  Lexie doesn’t stand up to our mother like I do.  She lets Mom run her life.  I just hope Nick makes her happy.”
    “Have you talked to Lexie about this?” Sandy asked her friend.
    “Yes,” Caitlyn said, glancing at Sandy, “but Lexie says there’s a side to Mom that I don’t see.  Apparently, there’s a good friend buried somewhere under the bossy woman.”
    Sandy decided not to say anything else.  She’d seen small moments where Caitlyn’s mom showed a tender side, but she knew her friend didn’t want to hear it.  And who could blame her after all the grief her mom put her through with Randy and then Chris?  She once suggested Caitlyn talk to her mom—have a real heart to heart conversation with her—but Caitlyn insisted it’d be pointless.  So Sandy opted to stay out of it.  It was the least she could do since Caitlyn didn’t press her for the reason Josh dumped her.
    Caitlyn parked in a spot along the beach where other cars were and motioned to the large house.  “Here we are.”
    Interested to see what kind of home a doctor lived in, Sandy peered out the window.  Her eyes grew wide.  “It’s huge.”
    “Are all those windows a good idea?” Chris asked.  “Don’t you have to worry about hurricanes in this area of the planet?”
    While Caitlyn answered him, Sandy’s attention went to the people lounging along the balcony and then to those sitting in chairs set up on the beach.  The Gulf of Mexico wasn’t far away and a couple of people chose to take a stroll along the shore.  Sandy couldn’t help but think if a man offered her this kind of home, she might marry him too, even if he was conceited.  At least she’d live comfortably.  She couldn’t blame Lexie for taking the offer.
    “Thank goodness there’s a lot going on at this party,” Caitlyn said.
    Sandy hid her grin.  No doubt her friend was thinking of a way to avoid her mother.  “Well, I’d like to see what Nick looks like since I haven’t seen him yet.”
    “I wouldn’t mind seeing what he looks like, too,” Mark said as everyone got out of the minivan.  “Mind if I join you, Sandy?”
    Sandy caught the excited expression on Caitlyn’s face and her heart did a crazy flip-flop.  It had to be a good sign he was choosing to go with her instead of Caitlyn and Chris, right?  Don’t get your hopes up, she warned herself.  He might just want to meet Nick.  Clearing her throat, she waited until Caitlyn and Chris headed for the beach before turning to Mark.  “My guess is the groom-to-be is in the house since he’s hosting the party.”
    “You’re probably right,” he replied.
    As they headed for the front door, she thought over what she could say to start a conversation.  “So, you and Chris are good friends?”
    “Yeah.  He’s a really good guy.”
    “Everything happened so fast when Caitlyn met him.  I wasn’t sure what to think of him at first.  She was married to my brother before he passed away.  It’s nice to see her with Chris, after everything that happened.  I mean, they got married so fast, but it’s worked out.  That’s the point to finding someone anyway, isn’t