When Honey Got Married by Kimberly Lang, Ally Blake, Kelly Hunter, Anna Cleary Page B

felt. Well, she’d been the one in control then.
    Half the time she’d been thanking her lucky stars she was an actress. What if Rainer had been bored?
    Even Brent…
    Oh, Brent . She covered her face with her hands because, face it, she could hardly look herself in the face. How could she be in love with one man and moved to wild animal lust for another?
    There. She’d admitted it. A minute alone with Rainer and she was the original Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. After months of emotional and sexual deprivation, in the space of hours her situation had become unbelievably complicated.
    She was just smoothing some gloss onto her swollen lips and dreamily reliving those first enchanted moments of the kiss when the door swung open and Honey burst in.
    Eve started from her reverie, hoping her erotic adventures weren’t stamped on her face, especially when she saw Honey’s eyes widen.
    “Oh,” she said guiltily. “Oh, Honey. How—how are you?”
    “Fine, Eve. Fine. I’m fine.” Honey’s lips stretched in a smile, though her amber eyes held shadows that looked anything but fine. “Just—just needing a quiet moment. There’s so much going on.”
    “Is there? Yeah, well. ’Course. I guess you should have an early night. With all the …excitement to come.”
    “You’re right. I intend to. Oh, and hey.” She moved a little closer, swung her arms at her sides the way she always had when she was nervous. “I want to say how pleased Brent and I are that you came all this way just for us. Bellefleur probably seems like Hicksville to you now.”
    “No, it doesn’t. I love Bellefleur. Anyway, I …had to come.” Eve lowered her gaze. “I wouldn’t have missed it.” A small but rocky silence fell. Struggling for something safe to say, anything, Honey’s younger sister popped into Eve’s head and saved the day. “So… So then. Where’s Nina? I felt sure she’d be here tonight.”
    “She will, but not till later. She’s been unavoidably delayed. She really wanted to be here for this, she sincerely did. She’s devastated to miss it.”
    “I’m sure.”
    “She’s bursting to see us all. Honestly . It’ll be the first time she’s been home in seven years.”
    Eve nodded. “Yeah. I heard that.” Then noting the shadow cross Honey’s face, she hastened to add, “Seven , though? Is it really? That’s a long time. ”
    “Listen, it’ll be fine ,” Honey said fiercely. “ Just fine .”
    “Oh, sure, sure it will. Why wouldn’t it? You must be so…looking forward to seeing her.”
    “I am. And anyway, I—I want to tell you how grateful I am to have at least one of my old friends present here tonight. And looking so beautiful. Like a real New Yorker. You know…” She started to talk so fast words tumbled over themselves. “My imagination has been running wild. Don’t laugh, but I was even worried that you and Brent… Well, I know he has a great big soft spot for you, since you and he were so close and all at one time. How silly can one woman be .” She rolled her eyes, then spread her arms. “But here you are, having a great time. And we’re all great friends. ” She beamed, the sincerity in her eyes stirring Eve with a terrible, heart-crushing doubt. “Thank you, Eve. Thank you.” She surged forward and threw her arms around Eve in a hug so warm Eve felt momentarily immobilized with shock.
    But… Well, what else was she to do?
    She wrapped her arms around Honey and hugged her right back. All those times together when they were kids flashed through Eve’s mind, secrets they’d exchanged, jelly beans they’d shared, the seventh-grade science project…
    When the clinch ended she was jolted to see actual tears in Honey’s eyes.
    “ Honey. Oh, Honey. Are you all right, darlin’? Is everything all right?”
    Honey waved a hand in teary, smiling dismissal and tottered into a cubicle to sit on the toilet lid. Shoulders sagging, she leaned forward and rested her blond head in her hands. “Oh,