Just Good Friends

by Ruth Ann Nordin

  After saying good-bye again, Tiffany and Tyler left the airport, and Tyler drove up to the building where she worked.

  “I’ll pick you up for lunch,” he promised then kissed her.

  “I’m looking forward to it,” she replied.

  She got out of the car, and as soon as she entered the travel agency, Danielle ran over to her. “Did I just see you kissing Tyler?” Danielle asked, rubbing her hands in a way that indicated she was about to hear a nice morsel of gossip.

  “Yes, you did,” Tiffany admitted as she hung up her coat.

  Danielle followed her as she went to her desk. “And does this mean what I think it does?”

  “That depends.” She put her purse under the desk. “What do you think it means?”

  “That you two are dating.”

  “Then, no. It’s not what you think.”

  Danielle’s shoulders slumped in disappointment.

  Unable to hide her grin any longer, she showed Danielle the ring Tyler had bought her three days ago. “This is what it means.”

  Gasping, she took Tiffany’s hand and studied the diamond. “You’re married?”

  “Yep.”

  “But when? How?”

  “A very quick trip to Vegas while my parents were too busy to care that I was missing.”

  “No way.”

  “Way.”

  The door opened again, and this time Amy came in, followed by Nathan who was holding their daughter.

  “Did you know Tiffany got married for real?” Danielle asked them.

  Amy offered an apologetic smile. “Nathan told me she and Tyler flew out to Las Vegas.”

  “And you didn’t tell me?” Danielle demanded.

  “I couldn’t. Nathan swore me to secrecy.”

  “It’s true,” Nathan told Danielle. “I thought it best to keep everything hush-hush until Tiffany’s parents left and Tiffany was here to tell you herself.”

  Danielle sighed but didn’t protest, though Tiffany could tell she hated being the last person to find out.

  Nathan walked over to Danielle. He pulled an envelope out of the breast pocket of his coat. “I can’t put a spa in the back room, but Amy said this would help soften the blow.”

  Danielle took it and pulled out a piece of paper. She read it then shrieked and jumped up and down. Tiffany looked over at Amy, wondering what in the world could make Danielle so excited.

  “All is forgiven,” she told Amy then turned to Nathan. “Thank you!”

  Amy chuckled then kissed her daughter. “I’ll see you after work, sweetie.”

  Amy went to hang up her coat, and Nathan asked, “Aren’t you going to kiss me and tell me you’ll see me after work?”

  After a moment, Amy shrugged. “Sure. Why not?” When Nathan sighed, she laughed and kissed him. “I didn’t think you’d want me to be so familiar with my boss when others are around.”

  “If there were customers here, I’d say it’d be best if you showed some restraint, but we’re with friends so it’s okay. Fortunately,” his gaze went to his daughter, “I don’t have customers coming to my office all day, so I can have you with me all day.” He headed for the door, stopped and turned to Tiffany. “By the way, congratulations on fooling your parents.”

  He left, and Amy snickered.

  “What’s so funny?” Tiffany asked.

  Amy sat at her desk and turned her computer on. “He thinks he has everyone figured out all the time and that no one can surprise him.”

  “But?” Danielle asked, putting the paper back in her envelope.

  “But I know something he doesn’t,” Amy began with a smug smile, “and I have no qualms telling you two what it is.” She leaned toward them. “I’m pregnant.”

  “Since when?” Danielle asked.

  “I found out last night when I took a pregnancy test. But I’m not telling him until Christmas day. I thought it’d make a good present.”

  “It will make a nice surprise,” Tiffany said. She hesitated to ask Danielle what was in the envelope but curiosity got the best of her. “What did he give you?”

  Danielle’s smile grew wide. “Unlimited free visits to my favorite spa for an entire year starting January 1st.”

  “Wow,” Tiffany replied, giggling. “I’d say that was worth being in the dark about me and Tyler.”

  “Yep, which is why I forgive him and Amy. Does anyone want a frappuccino?”

  Both Tiffany and Amy said they would, and Danielle hurried to make them each a cup.

  Epilogue

  One year later

  Christmas Evening

  Tiffany finished changing the diaper on her one-month-old son and swaddled him in his favorite blanket. She picked him up and carried him down the stairs of the home she and Tyler had bought earlier that year. She picked up the bottle she’d prepared in the kitchen and went to the living room where her parents and Tyler’s parents were gathered around the Christmas tree, drinking eggnog after opening their gifts.

  Once again, her parents were doing most of the talking while his parents listened, but both couples seemed perfectly content with the way things were so she was happy for them. Since her mom was uploading more pictures to Facebook, Tiffany decided to go up to Tyler’s mom.

  “Would you like to hold Eddie?” she asked.

  His mom nodded and held her arms out. “I’d love to, Tiffany.”

  She gave Eddie to her and handed her the bottle. “He’ll probably fall asleep shortly after you feed him.”

  “I certainly don’t mind holding a sleeping baby. They look so peaceful.”

  “It’s better than when they cry.”

  His mom chuckled, and Tiffany went over to the couch and sat with Tyler. He put his arm around her waist and drew her close to his side. She settled against him. Having been married to him just a little over a year now, she could honestly say marrying him was the best decision she’d ever made. He had been an awesome friend, but he was much better as a husband.

  “I heard Amy Rudolph had another girl,” Tiffany’s mom said after she took a picture of Tyler’s mom and Eddie.

  “Yep,” Tyler replied. “She was born in August. Nathan couldn’t be happier. He set up a daycare for his children next to his office, so he can go in and see them from time to time.”

  “There are benefits to being the boss,” Tiffany commented.

  Though she decided to be at home with Eddie, it had been nice when Nathan offered to let her son be in the daycare if she wanted to return to work.

  “He likes having them close by,” Tyler said. “Considering how long he wanted children, I can’t blame him.”

  “He’s a good dad,” Tiffany agreed. “And you are, too, Tyler.”

  The phone in the kitchen rang, and Tiffany excused herself so they could keep talking. When she saw the call was coming from Montana, she hesitated to answer it but decided she might as well.

  “Hi, Tiffany,” her sister said. “I hope it’s okay that I called.”

  “Sure.” Tiffany brushed her hair over her shoulder and cleared her throat. “You can call here. Did you want to talk to Mom or Dad?”

  “No, I wanted to talk to you.”

  “Oh?”

  “Yeah. Um, I didn’t send you a card last month, but I’m glad you had a healthy baby boy.”

  Picking up on the uncertainty in her sister’s tone, Tiffany realized her sister was nervous. That was a first. She couldn’t recall her sister ever being nervous around her. “Zoe, are you okay?”

  “I’m fine. I’m doing good actually. I just found out I’m expecting.”

  “You are? That’s great.”

  “Please don’t tell Mom or Dad. I want to surprise them when they get back.”

  “I won’t,” Tiffany promised, twirling her hair around her fingers. Okay, so she was just as nervous as Zoe. But that was to be expected since she hadn’t said much of anything to her sister since the wedding. “They’ll be thrilled.”

  Zoe chuckled. “I bet. They were ex
cited when Eddie was born.” After a moment, she continued, “Look, I know I haven’t been the best sister in the world, and I let my jealousy get the best of me in the past. But when I found out I was pregnant, I… I don’t know. I guess I thought it’d be nice if our children could see each other. Maybe be friends, you know?”

  “That would be nice.” And then Tiffany wouldn’t have to feel awkward when she visited her family.

  “I’m sorry for everything. I’d say what but the list is pretty long.”

  Relaxing, Tiffany laughed. “It’s okay. I don’t want to rehash the past. I’d rather move forward.”

  “Really?”

  “Really.”

  Zoe released her breath. “I’m so glad to hear that. I wouldn’t have blamed you for saying no and hanging up on me.”

  “Well, it’s Christmas. Today is the perfect day for starting over.”

  “Yeah, I suppose it is.” She paused then added, “Mind if I email you sometime?”

  “No, I wouldn’t mind.”

  Tiffany told Zoe her email address, and Tyler came into the kitchen just as she said good-bye and hung up. “Is something wrong?” he asked.

  “No, everything’s alright.” She stared at the phone for a couple seconds, still not believing what happened. “Tyler, do you believe in miracles?”

  “I hadn’t thought about it. Why?”

  “That was Zoe, and she called to apologize.”

  “She did?”

  “Yeah. She was being nice.”

  With a smile, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer to him. “Then I would say miracles can definitely happen.”

  “I think things will actually work out between us,” she said.

  “Good. I’m glad.” He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her. “Your dad wants to know if you’d like to check out some Christmas lights around town.”

  “That’d be nice.” It’d be a perfect way to end the day, especially after getting the pleasant call from her sister. “I love you, Tyler.”

  “I love you, too.”

  He gave her another kiss, and they returned to the living room.

  The End

  Just Good Friends is Book 3 in the

  Omaha Contemporary Romances Series

  Here are the first two books:

  With This Ring I Thee Dread: Ryan Jackson and Elizabeth Valentine can’t stand each other. And in order to keep their jobs, they will have to get married and spend four months in a remote Alaskan cabin. They accept the terms but are determined that their parents’ ruse will never work...until Ryan changes his mind.

  What Nathan Wants: Nathan Rudolph interviews all the single women in his company. They think they might get a job promotion, but he comes with a marriage license instead.

  Across the Stars Series by Ruth Ann Nordin

  (Contemporary Romances with a Hint of Science Fiction or Fantasy)

  Suddenly a Bride: Rilo An grew up on a world with no women. One day, he makes the decision to go to another planet to find a wife. He’ll have to change his name and give up everything he’s ever known, but for the sake of finding true love, he takes the risk. And his quest sends him to Earth, specifically to Caitlyn Davis who will be married before the night is done.

  Runaway Bride: Mark Tanner also comes from a world without women on it, but he’s determined he’ll find his future bride on his own. The problem? Once he meets Lexie (Caitlyn’s sister in Book 1), he realizes she’s already engaged. But Lexie isn’t married yet, and Mark will do whatever he can to convince her that he’s the better choice.

  His Abducted Bride: Sandy Davis is just about to write the scene where she finally kills the villain in her fantasy novel. But the villain will do whatever it takes to stay alive...even if he has to trap her into the story and marry her.

  Chronological Order of All Romances by Ruth Ann Nordin

  Regencies

  Marriage by Scandal Series

  The Earl’s Inconvenient Wife

  A Most Unsuitable Earl

  His Reluctant Lady

  The Earl’s Scandalous Wife

  Marriage by Deceit Series

  The Earl’s Secret Bargain

  Love Lessons With the Duke (coming January 3, 2015)

  Regency Standalones

  Her Counterfeit Husband

  Historical Westerns

  Nebraska Historical Romances

  Her Heart’s Desire

  A Bride for Tom

  A Husband for Margaret

  Eye of the Beholder

  The Wrong Husband

  Shotgun Groom

  To Have and To Hold

  His Redeeming Bride

  Isaac’s Decision

  South Dakota Historical Romances

  Loving Eliza

  Bid for a Bride

  Bride of Second Chances

  Montana Collection

  Mitch’s Win

  Boaz’s Wager

  Patty’s Gamble

  Native American Romance Series

  Restoring Hope

  Brave Beginnings

  Bound by Honor, Bound by Love

  A Chance In Time (novella) – main characters show up in Restoring Hope and Bound by Honor, Bound by Love)

  Virginia Brides Series

  An Unlikely Place for Love

  The Cold Wife

  An Inconvenient Marriage

  Romancing Adrienne

  Other Historical Western Romances

  Falling In Love With Her Husband

  Kent Ashton’s Backstory (Prequel to Catching Kent)

  Catching Kent

  His Convenient Wife (coming November 16, 2014)

  Meant To Be

  Co-Written Books

  The Stagecoach Bride (with Stephannie Beman)

  Bride By Arrangement (with Janet Syas Nitsick)

  Contemporaries

  Omaha Contemporary Romances

  With This Ring, I Thee Dread

  What Nathan Wants

  Just Good Friends

  Florida Contemporary Romances

  Substitute Bride

  Across the Stars

  Suddenly a Bride

  Runaway Bride

  His Abducted Bride

  Enchanted Galaxy Series

  A Royal Engagement

  Royal Hearts (coming March 21, 2015)

  To find out more about Ruth Ann Nordin’s available books and her works in progress, you can go to the following sites:

  Her Author Blog:

  http://ruthannnordinauthorblog.wordpress.com

  Her Website:

  www.ruthannnordin.com

  You can also find her on Facebook:

  https://www.facebook.com/ruth.a.nordin