Free 1. That's What Friends Are For by Annette Broadrick Page A

knew she mustn't be selfish, so she walked him to the door in silence.
    He paused at the door and looked down at her. "I'm going to be extremely busy, so don't worry if you don't hear from me. I'll be back in time for the rehearsal Friday night. You can count on it."
    She nodded. "I'll just think about this time next week when we'll be on our honeymoon," she said with a grin. "That should help fill the next few days."
    "I'm sure you'll want to spend some time with Brad while he's recuperating." Gregory waited for a denial, for some sign that, despite everything he had seen and heard, Penny wasn't as attached to Brad as Gregory was finally coming to accept.
    "Yes, that's true," she said, unaware of what he was thinking. "You know his television character is supposed to be in a coma. He almost had a chance to find out what that was like firsthand." She shook her head. "I bet he's already regretting having come home for the wedding."
    "Then again, it might have been a very crucial decision for his future. Who knows?" Gregory said, leaning over and kissing her softly on the mouth. "I suppose only time will tell."
    I wonder what he meant by that? Penny asked herself when she went upstairs and began to prepare for bed. Gregory could certainly be enigmatic at times. No doubt that trait was one of the reasons he was such a brilliant attorney.
    ❧
    "Oh, how sweet," Brad cooed in a cloying falsetto voice, clasping his hands under his chin and giving her an idiotic smile. "You brought me some candy," he said as she walked into his hospital room the next morning carrying a gaily wrapped package.
    Penny was relieved to see him looking so much better. His color had improved considerably since the day before. Today he looked almost rakish with his head bandaged, but there were still deep bruises under his eyes.
    "What I have is much better for you than candy," she informed him, walking over to the bed and handing him the package. '"I've brought you a coloring book and some crayons." It was worth the search she'd gone to that morning to see the expression on his face.
    Without missing a beat he said, "Fantastic, what kind?"
    "Only the best for you, my friend—a book immortalizing the characters from Star Wars."'
    Brad started to chuckle, then gently touched his head. "Please don't make me laugh. My head feels like it's going to topple off my shoulders when I so much as move it. Laughter would destroy me."
    She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "Poor baby. And here I thought you'd be so pleased."
    "I am. I am. You're the only one who knows about my secret passion for the Star Wars trilogy."
    "Oh, I don't think you managed to keep your deep, dark secret from your mom. Remember, she was the one who attempted to keep order in your room for years."
    He smiled. "Yes, but I've learned that I can trust the two women in my life to keep my deeply-guarded secret."
    "So how are you feeling?"
    "Like I've spent a week wrapped around several bottles of booze and just surfaced."
    "That bad, huh?"
    "I knew there was a reason I never drank much. Can you imagine someone paying to feel this bad?"
    "Who are you kidding? You never wanted to lose your wholesome kid image and you know it."
    "Wholesome? Me? Don't let my producer hear you say that. He's convinced I look like the sort who'd start seducing maidens before breakfast and continue throughout the day without pause."
    She grinned. "Are you sure that's the appeal? I always thought you looked like the sort women dreamed of being seduced by."
    He eyed her speculatively. "Oh, yeah? Tell me more."
    ''Nothing doing. You're too vain as it is."
    Brad patted the side of his bed and she perched on it. "I don't think I remembered to thank you for your help yesterday," he said.
    "My help! That blow to the head must have really befuddled you, my friend. I'm afraid I was the one who caused it."
    "That's not the way Dad explained it. You probably saved us both from a serious, perhaps even fatal, collision."
    Penny