“Makes sense,” he said.
She opened the door and indicated for him to follow, glad to get a moment of privacy with him. While she didn’t mind the fact that Danielle and Amy knew what was going on, she needed some time to think.
“Do you know when my parents will be coming into town?” she asked as she slipped into her coat.
“I think the tickets Nathan purchased said four in the afternoon.”
“That doesn’t give us much time to get ready, does it?”
“No, it doesn’t.”
She buttoned her coat, her gaze meeting his. “This is getting more complicated than I ever imaged. They already blabbed the news to Ryan.”
“Whoa, wait a minute,” he said, stopping her before she could walk to her car. “Are you talking about my cousin?”
“My mom has been a little…enthusiastic…about contacting your family. She friended Ryan yesterday on Facebook and told him it was because he was cousins with her son-in-law.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I explained everything to Ryan and asked my mom not to contact any of your other family members until I’ve had a chance to talk to her about it.”
“I hope you’re right. If my parents get wind of this…” He threw his hands up in the air.
“I know. As long as we don’t have them and my parents cross paths, we should be okay.”
After a moment, he released his breath and nodded. “Okay. That will be our main plan. We just need to keep everyone apart from each other. And it’s only for two weeks. That shouldn’t be too hard. I don’t visit my family all the time.”
“Right. And we’ll have you temporarily move into my apartment, so they will see your things there.”
“Should we really keep pretending we’re married?”
“Well…” She hesitated and tapped her foot on the concrete. “It just seems like the easiest thing to do, all things considered. I can’t get a hold of them, and they’ll be here tomorrow. I don’t want to tell them the truth when they have two weeks here, do you?”
He shook his head. “No. That’ll make for a very awkward visit.”
“If you want, I could say that you had to take a trip somewhere. Then they’d stay with me, and I’ll make sure to keep them away from the places you usually go.”
“That won’t work. Nathan offered them a tour of the whole place so they can see what we do.” When her jaw dropped, he said, “I told you he was making things worse. We’ll go with your plan. I’ll stop by my apartment and collect some things to take over to your place. Then I’ll set my things up as if I’ve been there for a week or so. Afterwards, we’ll go out to dinner and try to forget everything for a couple hours.”
“I’d like nothing more than to forget what’s going on for a while.” She pulled her car key out of her purse. “I’ll be at my place when you get there.”
“Give me about thirty minutes.”
She nodded, said good-bye, and went to her car. A little voice in the back of her mind suggested she send an email, but something stopped her. And she wasn’t sure what that something was.
Chapter Twelve
“Wait a minute,” Beth said on the phone as Tiffany unlocked the door to her apartment. “I thought you and Tyler weren’t married.”
“We’re not,” Tiffany said then entered her apartment and shut the door behind her. She threw her purse on the coffee table and plopped down on the couch. “But my parents are coming here tomorrow, and…and…” She didn’t even know how to explain it. “It’s a long story, but they’ll be here for two weeks, and Tyler and I are going to keep up the charade for a little bit longer.”
“So, you two both decided that it’d be easier to play along with the charade than to tell your parents the truth?”
“I tried telling them. I called them, but they didn’t pick up the phone.”
“And you didn’t leave a message telling them the truth?”
“They might not check their messages.”
“What about sending an email?”
Tiffany grimaced. “It seems so impersonal to send an email devastating them.”
“You were going to send them a letter. I don’t see how personal that is.”
“It’s written out by hand. It shows more thought and care went into it.”
“I thought it was to buy you a little more time before they freaked out.”
“Well, yeah, that was part of it. I guess,” Tiffany hedged.
“Hmm…”
“Hmm…what?”
“I think you kind of like pretending to be married to Tyler.”
“What? No way. That’s not it at all.”
“You did pick him to go up there for the wedding,” Beth pointed out, an annoyingly ‘you can’t fool me’ tone in her voice.
Tiffany rolled her eyes. “Because I don’t have a boyfriend and I don’t have any other guy friends to ask.”
“Ryan’s one of your friends.”
“He’s your husband. I’m not going to do something as tacky as ask a married man to pretend to date me.”
“Alright. Then what about Danielle’s brother?”
“He’s ten years younger than me. And he’s not a friend. I barely know him.”
“He doesn’t look like he’s that much younger than you,” Beth reminded her. “Plus, you only needed someone to pose as your boyfriend, not really be one.”
“Tyler was the logical choice.”
“I agree, but not for the reasons you’re giving me.”
Not sure she wanted to hear it, she felt she had no choice but to ask, “And why do you think I asked him?”
Beth chuckled. “You secretly wish he was your boyfriend.”
“That’s stupid. And you’re giggling like we’re in high school. This isn’t high school. We’re adults.”
“Oh come on, Tiffany. We don’t ever truly grow up. We just learn to hide our emotions better.”
“If I secretly wanted to be with him, why would I spend my time dating other men?”
“Because you’re in denial.”
“Denial?” Really? Did Beth honestly believe something so ridiculous?
“It’s an easy thing to do. I did it myself because I was afraid of being hurt when Ryan and I were first married. I know how hard it is to be vulnerable. And Tyler’s been your friend for over a decade. If something doesn’t work out, that friendship could be ruined.”
Tiffany shook her head. “Well, it’s not the case with me. We’re just friends, and we’re happy that way.”
“Alright, I can see you’re as stubborn as I used to be. But when you finally admit it, I’m going to tell you I told you so.”
“That day will never come. Look, I just wanted to call you so that Ryan knows what’s going on. I’m afraid my mom might say something on Facebook about visiting, and since he’s her friend on there, I don’t want him to get the wrong idea.”
“Got it. I’ll warn him.”
“Thanks.”
“Since they’re your parents, do you plan to introduce me to them?”
Tiffany cleared her throat and shifted on the couch. “Actually, I was planning on keeping them away from as many people that I know as possible.”
“Why?”
“Because the fewer people they meet, the less damage it’ll do.”
“But I already know what’s going on.”
“I don’t want you to lie for me. I’m tired of people lying for me.”
“Come on. I want to meet them. I know Tyler’s your best male friend, but I’m your best female friend.”
Tiffany tried to think of a good reason to say no, but finally, she asked, “Will Ryan be tagging along?”
“He doesn’t have to.”
“Good. The fewer people, the better. Okay, we’ll find a way to meet up. Maybe I can take them to the zoo with you and the kids. I mean, Omaha does have one of the best zoos in the country. Even in the winter, it’s worth seeing.”
“That’ll be perfect. My kids love goi
ng there.”
“I’ll see if I can get a day off work.” That shouldn’t be a problem since Tyler was friends with Nathan and Nathan was partly responsible for this mess. “I’ll talk to Tyler about it and give you a call so we can arrange a day to do it.”
“Sounds good. I look forward to it.”
“And Beth,” Tiffany quickly added before her friend could hang up.
“Yeah?”
“Please don’t tell Ryan I’m harboring feelings for Tyler.”
“I won’t.”
Tiffany sighed in relief.
“I don’t have to,” Beth continued. “Ryan says it’s obvious you two care more about each other than either of you will admit.”
Before Tiffany could respond, Beth hung up.
Tiffany shook her head and shut her phone. Both Beth and Ryan were nuts. She put her phone in her purse and hung up her coat. She figured she had fifteen minutes before Tyler came over with his things. Her apartment only had one bedroom, and he had a spacious three-bedroom one. He was going to feel like a sardine trapped in a can.
What a silly thought. He wasn’t going to stay there. He was only putting some things here to make it look like they lived together. That was all. He wasn’t spending the night. Her parents would go to their hotel room and… She gasped and dialed Tyler’s number.
“I just got everything packed and am ready to head over,” Tyler greeted.
“It’s not that. I was just wondering, where are my parents staying?”
He paused. “I don’t know.”
“You don’t think they’ll want to stay here…with us, do you?” She grimaced at the thought. Not only was her apartment small to begin with, but if they stayed with her, there was no way he could go back to his apartment.
“I didn’t think that far. Let me call Nathan and see if he arranged their hotel stay. I’ll give you a call back, okay?”
“Okay.”
She hung up the phone and paced the living room. If Nathan didn’t arrange for their lodging, she would just have to tell them they had to stay in a hotel. There was not enough room for them here. Her couch would only fit one person, and the floor would mess up her dad’s back.
Yes, those were all good reasons why they couldn’t sleep here. They’d have to go somewhere else. Already, her blood pressure was returning to normal. She took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. She really hoped this visit wasn’t going to kill her. A person could have a heart attack with all these chaotic events popping up all over the place.
The phone rang, and she picked it up. “It’s okay, Tyler. I have a plan.”
“No need for one,” he said. “Nathan said he booked them a room at the best hotel in town.”
“Which one?”
He told her, and she almost dropped the phone. “But that’s way out of their budget.”
“He got them a discount. They’ll only be paying thirty dollars a night. And get this. He got them a suite.”
“Seriously?” She shook her head. “Why is he doing all of this for them? He doesn’t even know them.”
“True, but he knows me and says it’s the least he can do for my in-laws.”
“Does Nathan talk to your family?”
“No. At least not yet.”
“I hope he manages to show some restraint.”
“We need to be prepared for anything,” he said. “I’ll be there soon.”
“Alright.”
She hung up the phone and released her breath. At least she didn’t have to come up with a way to convince her parents to stay in a hotel. Things could be worse.
While she waited for Tyler to arrive, she cleaned up the place. Yes, he’d seen her apartment many times. He knew she wasn’t the cleanest person on the planet, but she still wanted the place to be presentable. The bed, for example, should be made, her makeup should be put away, and the stack of magazines and books on her coffee table should be organized.
These little things ended up occupying enough of her time so she didn’t grow restless while waiting for him. And when he arrived, she gestured to his two suitcases and backpack.
“You brought more than I expected,” she said.
“I figured your parents would want a tour of the place.”
She hadn’t thought of that, but he was right.
“It doesn’t hurt to be prepared.” He came in. “Can I put these in your bedroom?”
“Of course.” She led him to the room. “It’s a good thing I splurged on a queen-size bed when I moved in.”
“Yeah, I remember what a pain the mattress and box springs were to bring in here.”
“I appreciate the fact that you saved me on the delivery costs.”
He set the suitcases on the bed and lowered his backpack to the floor. “What are friends for?” he asked with a smile.
As she watched him open his suitcase, she couldn’t help but think he was currently going above and beyond the call of duty. She really shouldn’t have dragged him up to Montana. He didn’t deserve to be subjected to a weekend of her parents and sister. But that was in the past, and she was tired of rehashing all the things she should have done differently. It was time to move forward.
She saw him pull out a couple suits, and as he hung them up in her closet, she decided to help him hang up his slacks and nice shirts. She never thought about it, but he didn’t make it a habit of wearing jeans and a T-shirt.
“Are these clothes comfortable?” she asked.
He grinned at her question. “They are to me.”
“What’s so funny?” She didn’t think she’d asked a funny question, but maybe there was something in it she missed.
“A lot of people have a hard time believing I don’t want to wear jeans and T-shirts. I’m surprised you haven’t asked me about it sooner.”
“I guess I never realized how nicely you dress before.”
“I only dress up at the office or for special occasions. I don’t like wearing jeans because they’re too tight. Slacks are a much better fit.”
That made sense. And honestly, she wouldn’t have him any other way. “Well, I can’t picture you in jeans anyway.”
“Probably because you’ve never seen me in them.”
Probably.
“I did wear them when I was a teenager and a little bit in college. I wasn’t always a nerd.”
She went back to his suitcase and saw he’d even packed underwear and socks. “Wow, Tyler. You’re surprisingly thorough. I don’t think my parents will be looking in my underwear drawers.”
“You never know. If your mom was willing to decorate your room in a wedding theme, I can only imagine what else she’d do.”
She considered his words and realized he had a point, and there was that time she found her mother snooping in her diary when she was a junior in high school. Fortunately for her, the most exciting thing she had going on in her life at the time was watching a new episode of her favorite TV show.
“You’re right,” she told him. “And the only bathroom is through the bedroom. I hate to think what she might look for while she’s in there.”
“That’s why I’m trying to make it look like I actually live here.”
She nodded and helped him put the rest of his things away, including his toiletry items in the bathroom. It felt weird to have his intimate things with hers, but it wasn’t an uncomfortable weird. It was more of a weird as in ‘this was really happening’ kind of way.
“You ready to get something to eat?” he asked, popping his head in the bathroom.
She closed the cabinet door above the sink. “Yes, I’m ready.”
“I was thinking we might want to compare notes about the elopement,” he said as they headed out of the apartment. “I’m sure your parents want to know more about the wedding and hotel we stayed at. Lucky for us,” he pulled out some Las Vegas brochures from his coat pocket, “we work at a travel agency, so coming up with things won’t be hard.”
She blinked in surprise. He not only thought to bring h
is personal items, but he’d thought to bring brochures as well. “In college, you were the one people borrowed pens and notes from, weren’t you?”
“How’d you guess?”
“Because even today, you’re super organized and prepared for anything. Sometimes I wonder how we became such good friends. I do good to get ready for the day.”
Laughing, he slipped his arm around her shoulders and gave her an affectionate squeeze. “That’s because opposites attract.”
Her steps slowed as the silliest notion came to her. It was, of course, completely ridiculous.
He stopped and squeezed her again. “Did you forget something?”
She looked at him and saw the same person she always saw when she looked at him. He was Tyler. Her best friend. The person she’d known for years. He was palling around. He wasn’t implying that what they had was more than friendship. They were just friends, and that was all they’d ever be. Right?
“No, I didn’t forget anything,” she finally said. “Let’s get something to eat. I’m famished.”
Chapter Thirteen
“Tiffy, it’s so good to see you again,” her mother said as she gave Tiffany a long hug.
Tiffany patted her mom’s back while people passed them in the airport. Next to her, her dad and Tyler were shaking hands. For all appearances, this really looked like a happy family reunion. Except, it was all a fraud.
When her mom didn’t let go of her, Tiffany said, “It hasn’t been years since we’ve seen each other, you know. It’s only been a couple days.”
“Oh, I know, but we were so focused on Zoe and her special day that we didn’t spend enough attention on you.” Her mother finally released her and cupped her face in her hands. “I hope you didn’t think your dad and I were rude.”
“No, we didn’t think that at all.” And honestly, she would have preferred it if they’d focused even more on Zoe instead of being so curious about her love life.
“I couldn’t help but notice you two slept in separate rooms after Tyler made the announcement,” her dad spoke up. “You could have been in the same room after we found out. There was no need to keep up the pretense.”
On impulse, she reached out and wrapped her arm around Tyler’s waist, hoping he was fine with it. “We did sleep in the same room. We just didn’t move our things to the other room, that’s all.”
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