Page 13 of That Secret Something

I felt Rebecca’s gaze on me like she could read my mind and quickly glanced away. Tristan picked a brilliant moment to drop off our drinks.

“So, I have an important question for you both,” Lily started, tipping a small amount of salt onto her thumb. She passed the pot to us, and we did the same, waiting for her to continue. “Would you both be my maids of honour?”

“Both of us?” I asked.

“Yeah. I told you, I can do anything I want for my wedding, and I want you both to be my number one.” She looked between us, and I could’ve sworn I saw a shimmer of a tear in her eye. Uncharacteristic for Lily. She hadn’t even cried when her hamster died. “What do you say?”

“Of course!”

“I’d be honoured,” Rebecca said, reaching across the table for Lily’s hand.

She batted her off, gesturing to the shots in front of us. “Only one way to make it official.” She counted us down from three, and we followed in unison, licking the salt, downing the tequila, and sucking the lime slices into our mouths.

“I guess it really is official, then,” Rebecca stated, not even one visible wince from the alcohol. Her gaze flicked to mine, and my heart thrummed in my chest.

“I guess so.” I held her eye for far too long. Heat bloomed through my belly. It must’ve been from the buzz of the tequila or the idea that my best friend in the whole world was getting married. It was definitely not anything to do with the notion of spending more time with Rebecca Lawson. Absolutely not.

Six

A week after the news of Lily’s engagement, the three of us met at her house, a beautiful contemporary new-build in Cliffleton, a small town on the outskirts of Manchester. I’d been worried when she and Tyler were looking for a house, thinking they’d end up hours away, but they’d only moved to the next town over from where we grew up.

That was a huge relief.

Lily was talking my ear off at her glass dining table about the endless list of possible venues to choose from. I nodded every few sentences, pretending to listen, absorbed instead by Rebecca’s strong legs in her tight black jeans as she refilled the kettle.

Lily Lawson had many qualities, but sitting around watching the world patiently pass her by wasn’t one of them.

“Erica Lundwood got engaged last week, and I just know she’s going to try and get all the best spots in the city.” She sighed, tapping her manicured nails on the table. “I bet she wants a spring wedding, too.”

“Spring? This year?” I snapped my gaze away from Rebecca and to the blue eyes scowling at me.

“Yes, Jess. Weren’t you listening? I don’t want to wait.”

“But that’s in four months.”

“I know.” Lily sighed again, her nostrils flaring. “That’s why I need you in your full-on party-planner mode so we can get this sorted. It would be great if you could contribute too, Rebecca.”

Standing behind her sister, Rebecca shook her head, catching my eye. She rolled her lovely greens, and a smile broke across my face.

“What are you smiling at?” Lily asked, jolting me again from my Lawson lusting. She glanced behind at Rebecca, who promptly turned to fill the mugs with boiling water. My eyes were drawn to her bare arms, the muscles defined in her biceps as she stirred. Only Rebecca could pull off a navy sleeveless hoodie. In January, too.

She placed the steaming mugs on the table in front of us, and Lily huffed, moving a black marble coaster under each of them immediately. She pressed her lips together as she did so, biting back a comment, but I could already sense the pressure building inside her head. Rebecca and I had both been on the receiving end of one of Lily’s tantrums, and it was safe to say it wasn’t pretty. Rebecca must’ve sensed it budding too.

“It’s okay, Lilz. We’ve got plenty of time to sort it.” She tapped her hand on the table in a supportive gesture, and I admired her selection of silver rings. I spotted a cute turtle one and wondered what it meant. “What else do you need me to do?” Rebecca went on.

“Well…” The sisters shared an intense look for a moment, and I wondered what I’d missed. Lily held her cup with two hands and blew into it steadily, despite it being the temperature of molten lava. She set it back down and brushed her nails through her shoulder-length brown hair. “Like we spoke about… The wedding photos and video are really important.”

“I’ve got it covered. I’ve got a great camera and can borrow the rest of the equipment from Ashley.”

My ears pricked at the mention of Ashley, wondering if the name belonged to someone Rebecca worked with or slept with. Damn those gender-neutral names. I pushed those thoughts away.

“Thank you, I appreciate that.” Lily sighed deeply. “The rest of it will just be about attending the appointments. Venues, dresses, cakes, etcetera. Work’s super busy at the moment with this new treatment we have, and if I only book the appointments for weekends, I won’t be getting married in four years, never mind four months. So I’ll have to do some mid-week.”

“You…want me to go to them with you?” Rebecca asked.

Lily shot me a look, blue eyes wide and pleading. “I was hoping you could take on fewer party-planning jobs, so you could come along as well?”

“What, you don’t trust me?” Rebecca teased.

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