Page 44 of Lime Tree Hill

“Luka was best man, so…”

“Yeah, I got that memo. He’s more important than your sister, is he? The spineless bastard.”

“Of course not.” Mitch chuckled and turned his attention to Tayla. “Come on. I’ll show you to our room.”

As Tayla caught the ‘our room’ comment Mitch threw so casually across the driveway, CeCe linked arms with her. “Then youcan help me decide what to wear,” CeCe said. “Let me warn you though, I may look, smell, and talk like a girl, but I hate dresses with a passion.”

Tayla glanced over at Mitch, standing at the back of the truck, their bags at his feet. He raised his eyebrows and mouthed,“Good luck,”and then with a chuckle, shut the lid of the tray before following them inside.

A short hallway separated Mitch’s old bedroom from the rest of the house. French doors led to a garden courtyard, and through a side window, avocado trees covered the landscape.

CeCe turned to Tayla. “Right. I’ll leave you to get settled.” She pointed across the courtyard. “My room’s the one on the end. See you in a bit.”

As CeCe left, Mitch placed Tayla’s bag on the luggage rack. She frowned at the queen bed.Great.

“Are you ready to play your part in this game of pretense?” he asked.

She caught his slight smile as he repeated her words from the day at Norman’s cottage.

“You mean we have to share a bed?”

“CeCe will be asking all kinds of questions if we don’t.”

Tayla grabbed her phone from her bag, annoyed that the heat blooming on her cheeks would reveal her embarrassment. “Um… I’ll just go help her with her outfit.” She went to walk away, desperately in need of some fresh air and distance from herhusbandafter all those hours on the road together.

“Tayla?”

She turned. Mitch seldom used her name, but when he did, she liked the way it sounded.

He stepped toward her. “Just relax. This is purely business, remember?”

“Of course.”

Tayla walked across the courtyard to CeCe’s room, her thoughts scrambling for order.Purely business.

She knocked before letting herself in and was amused when she came face to face with CeCe in nothing but a lacy bra and panties. “So, what have you decided?”

“I don’t know.” CeCe sighed. “And you know what? I hate birthday parties but I’m determined to enjoy this one, and I want to look the part.” She pulled over a chair and motioned for Tayla to sit. “I’m so glad you came.”

“Thanks for inviting me.”

“In all honesty, I was shocked when Mitch told me you guys had eloped. So were the rest of the family.” CeCe opened her wardrobe and pulled out several tops and a pair of jeans. “Did you have a thing for each other back in the day? Wait, don’t tell me you made one of those marriage pacts?”

“I did, but not with Mitch. It was with my best friend, Tim. We were in our senior year of high school—both single—so we thought, gay, straight, it could work once we were over thirty. And to answer your other question…no, I was only seventeen when I met Mitch.”

“I still don’t get it. How come no one knew about you?”

Tayla shrugged, eager to shut down the third degree. “We’d both just come out of relationships, so?—”

“Rebound romance. I love that trope in movies. Not that movies and real life often have much in common, but it doesn’t hurt to dream.”

“Do you have a boyfriend?”

“Not right now.” CeCe’s expression saddened. “I decided to up my standards a long time ago. Although, I did have an epic meet-cute moment once. And I meanepic.”

Thoughts of Mitch drifted away, and she smiled. Tayla loved a juicy meet-cute story. “And?”

CeCe laughed. “Never mind. Enough boy talk. I’d better decide what to wear or I’ll be late for my own party.”

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