Page 14 of Lime Tree Hill

“So it’s ‘say yes to the dress’ and a walk on the dark side for Tayla.”

“But you don’t even like the guy.” Ruby served herself another slice of cake and added a dollop of cream.

“And with good reason.”

“Maybe, but you can’t hold on to that grudge forever. When you look at it from his viewpoint, it was a bit weird, you doing all of Norman’s shopping and holding his credit card. And Mitch has apologized for that tiny whoops in judgment.”

“Yes, but only after I showed him my book of receipts. Can you imagine how I felt? He was so nice to me straight after Norman died, and then suddenly, I’m ‘Tayla the petty thief.’ I’d done nothing wrong, but I was scared stiff of the man. My poor little teenage self had her illusions shattered, that’s for sure.”

Ruby pointed her fork at Tayla and grinned. “I always knew you two had a history. I thought you might have?—”

“What? Slept with him? I couldn’t even talk to boys back then, let alone men. And I was hardly about to lose my virginity to Norman’s hunky grandson at seventeen.”

“You never had a sense of sexual adventure. Not like Lisa and me.”

“I never had the chance, did I? My sex-ed consisted of dogged-eared pages of mildly erotic fiction, not actual experience.”

“What about at AUT?”

Tayla sighed. Her university years had been like all the others. Dry. “I went on a total of five dates, all unfortunate.”

“The men or the dates?”

“Both. Some guys just have no idea. One even wore white dress shoes with his jeans.”

They both giggled. It was always the same when they weretogether. They giggled about everything. “But it happened eventually?”

Apart from Hayden, Tayla had never discussed her non-existent sex life with anyone. And with Hayden, the details had been glossed over to the point where she’d almost slipped on them. Ruby wasn’t usually one for questions, but with the wine flowing nicely, their party of two took a sudden turn into Honest Truth Road.

Tayla reached for her wine and gulped down the final mouthful. She stared at her sister.

“No way! You’re still a virgin?” Ruby’s eyes widened in disbelief. “How is that even possible? What about you and Hayden?”

“He wanted to wait.”

“Until when—the freakin’ cows came home to roost?”

“Until we were married.”

“Hold on. Back up. Married? When was this happening?”

Apart from those first few days at her father’s bedside, Tayla hadn’t shed many tears since leaving Sydney. Now, as much as she tried to keep the jovial mood of their conversation going, one lone tear trickled down her cheek. “It felt like we were on our way, do you know what I mean? He loved me. I’d never had that romantic love before.”

She stopped to blow her nose. “He’d been working long hours at the hospital, or so I thought. When he asked me to marry him, he suggested we elope, then have a small party for our family and close friends later. He’d been married before, so didn’t want a big affair. I was reluctant at first, and sad you guys wouldn’t be there. But when I thought about the drama Lisa went through with her wedding, I agreed.”

“So what happened?”

“We decided to have no contact for a week beforehand, so it would be more exciting when we saw each other again. The day of the wedding was unbearably hot, and even as I slipped into mydress, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong.”

Ruby’s brow furrowed as she reached for Tayla’s hand.

“The ceremony was set for noon…the only time the chapel had available. I arrived early. The photographer wanted to take some shots at the altar, so we shared the limo. When we’d finished, I sat in the front pew as the world rushed by outside. By the time the hour was up, I hardly noticed the noise in the chapel grounds as the guests arrived for the next ceremony.”

Tayla’s voice cracked as she recounted the events. “The conversation in my head wouldn’t hush. He’d had an accident…changed his mind…been called into work and would run in at any minute, still straightening his tie. I found myself second-guessing the time…the day, the date, the address. Even my sanity. I must have checked my phone a hundred times. Called him, texted, left messages. But he never answered. Never showed. It was one of the loneliest times in my life, and I’ve had my fair share of those. The celebrant ushered me out the back and into a waiting cab just before the next bride arrived.”

“You had the wrong day?”

“No, right day…wrong man.”

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