1. That's What Friends Are For

by Annette Broadrick

  Penny realized that, like Sonia, she really was interested in hearing how Brad had adjusted to suddenly being thrust into the limelight of the entertainment world. She plied him with countless questions—some serious, others teasing, and he patiently answered them, one by one.

  When he grew tired of sitting quietly. Brad started a game of tag, and Penny seemed to forget her dignified years and chased him, convinced that he would be too out of shape to give her much trouble. She was wrong. Whatever he did in New York to keep in condition, it certainly worked.

  Eventually they threw themselves on the grassy bank of the slow-moving river where they had left their food. Brad reached into the water and pulled out two soda cans dripping with water and handed her one. Penny was convinced that nothing had ever tasted so good.

  "See? I told you I'd buy you a drink," he pointed out with a grin. He couldn't help but appreciate the fact that she no longer looked like the prim and proper Ms. Blackwell who was marrying the regal Mr. Duncan in a week. She'd lost the combs that had held her hair away from her face, so that the curls tumbled riotously around her cheeks and across her forehead.

  Her face was flushed from running, and she was still breathing hard. The thin tank top did nothing to disguise the sauciness of her heaving breasts. Perspiration dotted her upper lip, and Brad had an almost uncontrollable urge to reach over and wipe it away with his thumb.

  How could he possibly give up this woman? He had thought he would go out of his mind for the first several months he'd spent in New York. Only the remembered conversations with first her parents, then his, enabled him to recognize that before he asked her to marry him, Brad owed Penny a chance to have a life apart from him.

  Their parents had known how to get him to give her time. They had pointed out that she would probably marry him out of habit, because she was used to following his lead. Did he really want a bride who accepted him for that reason? They had already known the only answer he could live with.

  "What's the matter? Do I have dirt on my face?'' Penny asked with a grin, looking totally relaxed and unconcerned with her appearance. She was stretched out on the grass on her side, propped up enough so that she could drink from the can without spilling it. In her shorts and skimpy top she reminded him of the young girl he'd known, free and uninhibited.

  "Don't you always?" he teased. "I think you must bury your nose in the dirt every so often."

  She broke off some blades of grass and tossed them at him, then laughed as they decorated his shirt. "You aren't much better, you know. Just look at your shoe."

  They both gazed at his foot. His shoe and sock still dripped muddy water where he'd slipped off one of the rocks when they'd crossed the shallows. "What would your fans think of you now, Mr. Crawford?"

  "I hope they would realize that I haven't enjoyed myself so much in years," he said with a smile. He gave up trying to resist temptation and reached over, running his thumb lightly across her upper lip.

  Penny jerked her head, startled by his touch. His eyes were filled with golden sunshine, their toffee color warm and inviting.

  "I'm not going to hurt you," he said softly.

  "I didn't think you were," she admitted. "You just startled me, that's all."

  Brad chose not to pursue her reactions to him. At the moment it was enough for him to see her looking so relaxed and at ease.

  He rolled over onto his back and stared up at the trees above them. Sunlight dappled the ground around them, the leaves forming a canopy above. "We had some good times together, didn't we, Runt?" he asked.

  She nodded.

  "Do you remember the time you lost your glasses and accused me of hiding them from you?"

  She laughed. "Yes."

  "I almost got a beating for that. My folks believed you."

  "I wonder why? You were always hiding something of mine—my baseball glove, my volleyball."

  "Maybe so," he admitted, "but never your glasses. You couldn't see a thing without them."

  "How well I remember."

  "Contacts made a big difference for you, I know."

  "You're right. A whole new world opened up. Particularly when I got the extended wear. Do you have any idea how wonderful it is to wake up at night and be able to see the clock without putting on my glasses?"

  "Weren't you ashamed of accusing me of taking them and getting me in trouble?"

  "Wel-l-l, maybe. But I'm sure you did a lot of things and never got caught, so it probably all evened out."

  He reached over and touched her hand. "I've really missed you, Runt."

  Penny looked at him a long time without speaking. "I missed you, too," she said, finally. "For the longest time I didn't think I'd ever be happy without you in my life." She began to smile. "Isn't that crazy? Now I have a whole new life separate from yours, and everything in my life is just perfect."

  She looked over at him and idly noted that he had closed his eyes. His thick lashes rested on his high cheekbones. "Do you remember how we always used to argue? It drove our mothers nuts."

  "Yeah, but all they had to do was find something to get our minds off whatever we were arguing about.''

  "Are you saying we argued out of boredom? Surely not."

  Without opening his eyes he said. "You were always such a tomboy, no bigger than a minute, convinced you could do anything anyone else could do, and you usually managed to prove it no matter how hard I argued against you."

  "I can remember a few times when you managed to help me in such a way that nobody else knew I hadn't done it all myself."

  He smiled to himself. "That's what friends are for."

  "Yes," she said with a hint of surprise. "I guess it is."

  The quietness of the park settled over them, and Penny laid her head on her folded arms. She was probably going to be sore tomorrow with all of her unaccustomed exercise today. Her eyes drifted closed. The park was so peaceful. She'd just rest her eyes for a few moments and...

  "Penny? You'd better wake up. I'm afraid we both fell asleep."

  Penny sat up with a start. The sun had almost set, and she glanced at her watch in dismay. "Oh, no! Gregory was supposed to pick me up almost half an hour ago." She came to her feet and stared up at Brad and his rueful expression.

  "I'm sorry, Runt. I didn't mean this to happen," he said softly.

  The sincerity in his voice couldn't be mistaken. Quickly slipping her sandals on, Penny said, "It was just as much my fault as yours." She hoped Gregory would understand. She'd never been late for a date before. He was such a stickler for promptness.

  Her life seemed to be falling into a shambles since Brad had appeared, although she couldn't really hold him responsible. He just seemed to have that effect on her. Life never seemed to be as serious when he was around. And it was a lot more fun.

  They were quiet in the car going back. Penny tried to prepare herself for her coming meeting with Gregory. Surely he would understand. The time had seemed to slip away. Besides, she had needed that day. It was a day apart from her life, apart from time, separate and complete. She and Brad had returned to their childhood, the innocence of youth where time was meaningless because there was so much of it.

  Surely Gregory would understand. If only she could think of a more logical explanation.

  But she wasn't sorry for going to the park with Brad. At least she could be honest about that. She had enjoyed every minute, even the argument in the car with Brad earlier.

  There was no reason to expect Brad to approve of the man she married. She was certain that Brad would never find a woman that was good enough for him in her estimation. The thought gave her quite a pang in the region of her heart.

  Penny had been careful not to ask Brad about the women he had dated, many of whom he'd been photographed with. She hadn't wanted to know about them. She knew she was being silly, but she couldn't help it. Brad was very special to her and it was time she acknowledged that to herself.

  He always would be.

  ❧

  A
s soon as they pulled up in the driveway, Gregory stepped out on the front porch of the Blackwell home. Penny took a quick inventory of what she and Brad looked hke and almost groaned aloud. They both had grass stains on their clothes, and his shoe looked much the worse for a dip in the river. Her hair, from the glimpse she had gotten in the side mirror, looked as if she had styled it with an eggbeater.

  She felt as though they had been caught skipping school as they walked up the sidewalk toward the well-dressed man who waited for them.

  "I'm glad to see you two are all right. We'd begun to worry about you," he said calmly.

  Penny smiled in relief. He didn't seem at all angry but showed a perfectly natural concern. Before she could say anything. Brad said, "I really am sorry about today, Gregory. But you see, after all that physical exertion we fell asleep and weren't aware of the hours passing." His tone and smile were friendly and nonchalant.

  Penny saw Gregory's body stiffen and his expression freeze. Quickly reviewing what Brad had just said, her eyes widened with horror. Of course he'd told the truth, it was just that...

  "How interesting," Gregory said. "Perhaps you'd like to go into a little more detail. Helen said you'd gone for a drink. I never considered that to be physically taxing, myself.''

  "Oh, Gregory, he didn't mean that the way—" Penny began, only to have Brad interrupt her.

  "Why don't you run upstairs and get cleaned up, Runt? I'll be glad to make our explanations to your fiance. After all, he has every right to want to know how you spend your time with me."

  Penny glanced uncertainly at Brad, then at Gregory. Brad still sounded casually friendly, but there was a tautness in his stance as he stood facing Gregory that contradicted his tone.

  "Good idea. Penny," Gregory agreed quietly. "We're running quite late as it is."

  She glanced over her shoulder at the two men as she opened the screen door. Neither one of them had moved. They seemed to be waiting for her to leave before continuing the conversation.

  Penny could have cheerfully wrung Brad's neck. There was absolutely no reason for the innuendos. What was he trying to do, give Gregory the wrong idea about their relationship?

  The warm spray from the shower soothed her and Penny tried to relax. Brad had always had the ability to turn her world upside down. Why did she think anything had changed? However, she had complete faith in Gregory's ability to see through Brad's teasing and desire to cause mischief.

  It would do no good for her to ask Brad to lay off. He would see that only as a challenge. So the next best thing would be to make sure she kept the two men apart. After all, it would be for only a few days, then Brad would be out of their lives once again.

  When she returned downstairs Gregory was waiting alone in the living room.

  She looked at him in surprise. "Where is everybody?"

  ''I convinced your parents to go to their dinner engagement earlier. If something had happened, I told them I'd get in touch."

  Once again Penny felt guilty at her unusual and irresponsible behavior. How could she explain what she didn't understand herself?

  ''I really am sorry for making you wait," she said.

  Gregory took her arm and escorted her outside. "Let's forget it, shall we?" he said, helping her into the car. "I managed to get our reservations changed, so there's no harm done."

  Gregory was quiet on the way to the restaurant and Penny searched for something to say. Finally she asked, "Did Brad tell you we went to the park?"

  He glanced at her with an enigmatic expression. "He did mention that, yes."

  "It was so beautiful there. I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed being out of doors." She wondered when she had lost touch with nature. Her schedule didn't seem to include outdoor activities. Impulsively she turned to Gregory and said, "I wish you'd been with us."

  Penny tried to picture Gregory hiking and wading but it was difficult. She couldn't see him laughing about his shoes getting wet or muddy. Gregory would have been out of place. She and Brad had been reliving their childhood, falling back into a familiar pattern, one in which Gregory did not fit.

  "From the description that Crawford gave, I don't think I would have enjoyed the afternoon very much," Gregory said.

  Even though Penny had just reached the same conclusion she was surprised to hear Gregory echo her thoughts. "Why not?"

  "I generally get my exercise playing racquetball or tennis."

  "Oh." Funny, they'd never discussed hobbies that much. Gregory had been so busy with his law practice since she had met him that she assumed he didn't have time for many activities. Every time she felt that she knew him, Gregory revealed another facet of his personality. She wondered if he felt the same way about her.

  Was it ever possible to find out everything about a person before you married? It wasn't that anyone deliberately omitted telling the other some things. There was just so much to learn about another person. Gregory had spent thirty-nine years doing things she knew nothing about. She'd spent twenty-five. How could you possibly catch up on everything? And how did you decide what was important to know before the wedding, rather than learning about it in the years after?

  They had a quiet dinner at one of the nicer restaurants located near the interstate highway. Penny asked intelligent questions about some of Gregory's cases, drawing him out so that she could feel closer to him somehow.

  One of the things that she admired most about him was his dignity in all situations. He always handled himself well. Tonight he could have justifiably shown anger and spoiled their time together. Instead, he seemed to have forgotten the less than auspicious beginning of their evening, relegating it to its rightful place of unimportance in their life.

  Their life together would be one of consideration and understanding, of communication. There would be no arguments, such as she had with Brad. She and Gregory would calmly discuss then decide what needed to be faced in their shared existence. There would be no sudden bursts of emotion. Instead, they would share a sense of calmness and serenity.

  After dinner Gregory suggested they move into the lounge for after-dinner drinks. A small combo played quiet music and Gregory asked her to dance. Penny willingly agreed. Gregory was an excellent dancer. Penny felt relaxed and totally at ease when they returned to their table after dancing a medley of slow numbers.

  Gregory took her hand in his. He seemed to study it for some time before he looked up at her, his gray eyes serious.

  "Why have you never mentioned Brad to me, Penny?"

  She had been lulled into a relaxed state and his question dumped her out of the soft, fluffy cloud she'd been enjoying for the past hour or so. Penny stared at him with dismay. She had never seen quite that look on his face before. She wondered if that was the look he gave a witness just prior to cross-examination?

  Not that it mattered, really. She had nothing to hide. "I don't really know, Gregory," she answered with a slight shrug. "I suppose it's because I never thought him important enough to mention."

  His expression gave no indication of what he was thinking. "Not important enough, or too important to discuss?" he asked quietly.

  How should she answer that? Penny had only begun to realize earlier that day that her feelings toward Brad were not as clear-cut as she had thought. "We're just friends," she offered tentatively, wondering what had prompted Gregory's line of questioning.

  "I realize that. Since I've known you, I've met many of your friends, and you've talked of several others—some you knew here in Payton who later moved away, others you met at college with whom you continue to keep in touch. But you never mentioned Brad's name."

  How could she not have been aware of the omission? she wondered. She shook her head. "I really can't explain it, Gregory. Is it important?"

  "Not particularly. I find it a puzzle, that's all. And I've got the sort of mind that can't leave a puzzle alone until it's solved."

  "I don't see much of a puzzle about it," she offered. "Brad's been gone for three years. He's no longer
a part of my life."

  "But he was."

  "Yes. Do you have a problem with that?"

  "Not necessarily. How does he feel about our getting married?"

  Penny remembered Brad's earlier comments and knew she couldn't share what Brad had said with Gregory. "He wants me to be happy," she finally responded, realizing the truth of that statement.

  "I'm surprised he doesn't think you'd be happier with him."

  She grinned. "Brad? You mean you think Brad wants to marry me?" She laughed. "No way. He enjoys his freedom too much."

  Gregory didn't respond. Instead, he took a sip of his drink and said, "I received a call today that means I have to go back to St. Louis. I'll be there all of next week.''

  Penny gave him a stricken look. "But I thought you had arranged to be here the week before the wedding."

  "I had. I've had to rearrange my entire schedule. Unfortunately, it can't be helped. I doubt that I'll make it back much before the wedding rehearsal Friday night.''

  Penny felt the weight of her disappointment settle on her. Of course his law practice came first. She had always known that. At least he wasn't suggesting they postpone the wedding. After all the planning and hundreds of details, Penny shuddered to think of what it would take to change their plans now.

  "I understand," she said quietly, accepting what she knew she couldn't change-Gregory smiled. "Thank you for being so understanding. I appreciate your willingness to accommodate yourself to my schedule."

  He picked up his drink. "I'm glad we decided not to have the rehearsal dinner. I would have been pressed for time to have to arrange one."

  "It's okay. My friends understand."

  "I feel so fortunate to have found you. Nothing seems to upset you. You handle everything with such calmness."

  Penny smiled. "It's taken a while for me to reach this point, let me tell you. I used to have a fiery temper."

  "Well, I'm pleased that you are no longer bothered by it. The last thing I want to face at the end of one of my work days is a display of emotional fireworks." He reached over and patted her hand. "Your serenity is one of the first things that drew me to you. That, and your calm ability to handle people. Nothing ever seems to catch you off balance."