Page 26 of Falling for You
“Five years is a big gap,” CeCe pressed.
Natalie scoffed. “Yeah, maybe in dog years. Let it go. When I turned thirty I had a big party, cried in the shower afterwards and then recovered. You’ll figure it out, trust me.”
CeCe shook her head so violently, she feared she slipped a disc. “No, no, no! No parties, I’m serious. Low key, if anything at all.”
“Pfft, fine. I won’t plan any birthday blowouts, but let the record show you’re a spoil sport.” CeCe stuck out her tongue, which Natalie promptly ignored. “Now let’s get back to the hot gossip. Tell me about the kiss,” Natalie ordered as she waited for details. Her necklaces clattered together, a metallic wind chime in the kitchen. “Remember, I’m an old married woman who hasn’t seen action in too long. I want all the details.”
Natalie’s last statement caught CeCe off guard. She assumed her friend’s marriage was a happy one. “What are you saying? Is everything okay with you and our fine mayor?”
Natalie rolled her eyes. “We’re not here to talk about me. We’re here to talk about you. You and the fact that you kissed the hottest guy in town. And I mean that. Have you seen Evan’s arms? I feel like he could bench press my minivan without breaking a sweat.” She fanned herself with a napkin.
CeCe had to ball her fists so she didn’t fan herself. She’d been up close and personal with those muscles on a near daily basis. She agreed wholeheartedly with Natalie; he could probably bench press some serious weight. Clearing her throat, CeCe said, “Yes, Evan’s an attractive guy, but that’s not news.”
“Yeah, the news is the fact that you’re finally swapping spit. The poor guy, he’s been drooling over you since he started working at the diner. It’s pretty much Buckeye Falls’ worst kept secret.”
“He has not,” CeCe argued lamely. “It’s a little crush. Totally harmless. And can we please stop with the spit talk? You’re killing my appetite.”
Natalie wasn’t convinced, and frankly neither was CeCe. Evan and she had crossed an invisible line last night, and she needed to figure out what it meant.
“Uh-huh. Then why did you kiss him?” She slurped from her coffee and waited for a reply.
There was no point ignoring her friend’s question. “I went over to his place last night to apologize for withholding the truth about Eric and the competition.” Just remembering the fact that she still wasn’t honest with Evan made her chest tighten. She hated keeping secrets, but she couldn’t figure out why she wasn’t telling him. He knew a lot about her, but something about Eric felt too sordid to share. The CeCe that dated Eric wasn’t the CeCe she was today, but that didn’t erase the hurt and embarrassment. She didn’t want to taint her potential present with Evan with her past with Eric.
“How did he react when you told him about your ex? That’s usually a complicated conversation, to say the least.” Natalie tapped on the handle of her mug, eagerly awaiting more gossip.
CeCe busied herself tidying up the sugar canisters on the counter, keeping her gaze away from Natalie’s searching stare. But it was no use; the bloodhound had picked up on the scent of deception.
Natalie’s nostrils flared. “Wait a minute.” She spaced the words out, her eyes laser-focused on CeCe’s profile. “You didn’t tell him you two dated?” A long stretch of silence filled the kitchen before Natalie finally squealed. “CeCe! Why not?”
CeCe carried the last of her dishes to the pantry and attempted to keep her cool. She felt a flush of shame creep up her neck at Natalie’s accusatory tone. “It didn’t feel like the right time, you know? I explained we used to work together and that things ended badly. I figured that was enough to get him off my back about the competition. But then he asked me out on a date, and I thought it would be fun or something.”
Natalie muttered into her coffee cup, “Or something indeed.”
Throwing her hands in the air, CeCe scoffed. “You told me to be happy! So, technically, it’s your fault.”
Natalie snorted, an unladylike action she saved for times like these. “My fault?”
“Uh-huh.” CeCe nodded. “Go find my happiness, and I guess I’m trying to. And did I mention he sang John Legend? How in the hell can I talk about my complicated dating history when he’s literally serenading me?”
Clearing her throat, Natalie frowned. “We’ll unpack the singing thing in a minute because I’m not emotionally prepared to think about that hunk crooning for you. But why the sudden desire to compete?”
At first CeCe didn’t have an answer. Putting herself, and the diner, out there in competition seemed a long time overdue. They did good work, and her dating history shouldn’t dictate their success. “Is this about rubbing your hot boy toy in Eric’s face?” Natalie waggled her eyebrows.
Now all the color drained from CeCe’s face. She placed her hands on her cheeks and took a deep breath. “Geez. I hope I’m not that shallow.”
“No. I don’t think you are. Although, it’s not a bad idea. You can show up to that competition and kick everyone’s butts. Plus, you’ll have the sweetest guy in Buckeye Falls on your arm. That seems like a true win-win.” Natalie nodded at her own sage advice before draining the rest of her coffee. “Tell me, what are you going to cook for the competition?”
CeCe sat back down on her stool and shrugged. “Not a clue. I was going to take today to rework the wedding candies and brainstorm some ideas.”
“Those wedding candies are perfect already. Don’t tie yourself down with all that. Start planning your menu for the competition.” Natalie checked her phone and groaned when she saw the time. “I gotta run. Ginny and I have a meeting with one of the boutiques on Main Street. They are planning a grand reopening after their renovations, and we offered to help throw a party.”
CeCe followed Natalie to the door. “That sounds fun. Let me know if they need help with catering.”
Natalie grabbed her purse and hooked it through her arm. “Who do you think is at the top of our catering list?” She winked and pulled CeCe in for a hug. “I’m really happy for you. You deserve to have some fun.”
CeCe squeezed a little harder than she needed to, sinking into her friend’s embrace. “Thanks, Nat.” When they pulled apart, she raised a finger. “Please don’t tell Ginny about me kissing Evan. I don’t know what it means yet, and I’d rather talk to him first.”
Natalie crossed her heart and sighed. “I’ll be able to keep this secret for about a week, but then you know I’ll fall apart and tell half the town. I’m sorry, but karaoke dates and hot kisses can’t stay secret for long.”
