Lime Tree Hill (A Reluctant Kiss #1)

7. Ruby’s on a Tuesday

7

RUBY’S ON A TUESDAY

Ruby’s suburban house was lit up like a Christmas tree when the Uber pulled up outside two weeks later. Tayla had caught the dusk flight from Clifton Falls to Auckland. When she walked in the door, her nieces were already in bed and her brother-in-law at work. Ruby greeted her with a tight hug, a compassionate smile, and the promise of a glass of chardonnay.

As she’d approached Clifton Falls Airport, Tayla had been unable to resist another peek at the billboard. She wished they’d take the darn thing down, so she didn’t have to look at his naked torso every time she drove past. It wasn’t as if she needed reminding what an annoyingly handsome man Mitchel Harrington was. It had occurred to her, more than once, to either look away or focus on the other men in the shoot. But what was it they said about train wrecks?

As Tayla followed Ruby toward the kitchen, the smell of curry wafting through the house helped her relax. They ate straight away, their conversation focused on their father and Cherry Grove. It wasn’t until Ruby served an almond coconut cake for dessert that the discussion turned to Mitch.

“So, what have you decided?” her sister asked .

“Well, as I said on the phone, I’ve been over the orchard’s books with the accountant, and it’s not looking good. They even have credit card debt they can’t meet the repayments on.”

“Really? I had no idea.”

“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 were together. 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 my dress, 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.”

“He left you at the altar? No way!”

“It turns out he was at the hospital, but not with a patient. His ex-wife went into early labor, and they welcomed a baby boy on the Monday morning. I’d had no idea they were still a couple.”

“Sweetie, no. I’m so sorry.”

A sob caught in her throat. “All the time we were together, he’d been seeing her too. No wonder he was hardly ever home. Not that we lived together. That was our next step.”

“And was it his baby?”

“According to his PA. She’s a chatty little thing. I called her, pretending it was about a patient. She was more than happy to share Hayden’s exciting news.”

“Have you talked to him since? ”

Tayla plucked a tissue from her sleeve and wiped her eyes. “Once, a few days after I landed in Auckland. He offered me every excuse under the sun at first. But in the end, he was too exhausted to keep up the pretense. Of course he apologized…said he loved us both, and still wanted to marry me, but the timing wasn’t quite right. Can you believe that? It all came down to timing. If it wasn’t for the baby’s early arrival, we would have been married by now. How scary is that?”

“I’m so sorry you went through that alone. Why didn’t you tell me when you were up here last?”

“I should have. But, you know, Dad was so sick, and I needed time to lick my wounds. As it turns out, I’m packing up our family home, and Hayden’s in Sydney dealing with poop explosions and sleepless nights. Meanwhile, we’d started to meld our lives, so I still have stuff at his place. And I need to sort out my apartment. I should do that this week if I can get a cheap flight.”

“Do you still love him?”

Tayla chewed her bottom lip while she considered her sister’s question. “I’ve been asking myself that very thing since the moment I boarded the plane to come home. You don’t stop loving someone because they’ve done you wrong. You may love parts of their personality…their behavior less, but that final disconnect takes time. In some ways, marrying Mitch will give me that time. I won’t be able to pack up and return to Sydney, knock on his door, and ask him why. I can hide at Lime Tree Hill and take stock.”

Ruby looked at Tayla with concern. “Maybe. But what will you have at the end of it? A ‘divorced virgin’ label to attach to your story. Isn’t it all a bit too drastic?”

“Yeah, I’ve thought about that, but with my history with men, what does it matter? Think of it this way—historically, marriage for purely romantic reasons was never popular. Women married for honor, or necessity, or economic advantage. And my decision to marry Mitch would be purely economic.”

“Yes, but that economic advantage is for Mum and Dad, not you. You’re lining yourself up to be the sacrificial lamb, and I’m the only one in the family who even knows about it.”

“And that’s the way it has to stay. Mind you, I haven’t seen Mitch for a couple of weeks. So who knows what’s going on in that head of his?”

Ruby picked up their plates and took them to the sink. “You said his lawyer suggested we contact a realtor?”

“He did. I had a look on the net but didn’t know where to start. I hoped Mitch would still settle, so I put it in the ‘too hard’ basket.”

“With interest rates being so low right now, you’d think he’d be able to raise the money. Lime Tree Hill’s a huge operation. He must be loaded and then some.”

Tayla shrugged. “Maybe he doesn’t like debt.”

“Maybe. Anyway, do you remember Andrew Harper? We went out for a while in high school. Broke my little heart, then wanted me back a year later.”

Tayla shook her head. “No. Why?”

“He owns Clifton Falls Realty. I’ll give him a call.”