Second Chance Lane (Brockenridge #2) - Nicola Marsh Page 0,83
her heart.
It had nearly killed her to walk away from him thirteen years ago. Letting him in this time around would be a sure-fire way to ensure he shattered her heart once and for all.
Intuitive as ever, Alisha gave her a gentle nudge. ‘You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to, but it might help to get our impartial take on it?’
‘You’re not impartial, you’re on my side,’ Tash said. ‘I hope.’
‘Of course we are, sweetie.’ Ruby squeezed her hand. ‘But you look kind of shell-shocked so it might help to talk about it.’
Where to start? ‘Kody was furious I hadn’t told him about Isla all those years ago and I don’t blame him—I robbed him of her entire childhood. But he seems to have made his peace with it and we’ve been getting along better, like friends. Then a few nights ago he’d been looking after Isla and they invited me over for dinner too, and after Isla went home to do homework …’ She shrugged, like that momentous kiss meant little. ‘He kissed me.’
‘How romantic.’ Ruby sighed, while Alisha simply tilted her head to one side, studying Tash.
‘That’s a complication waiting to happen.’
‘Don’t listen to her.’ Ruby whacked Alisha on the arm. ‘She’s the least romantic bride I know.’
‘That’s because I’m a realist,’ Alisha said. ‘How do you feel about it, Tash?’
‘Honestly? The kiss was amazing, better than I remembered. And it made me fall for him a little all over again. But you’re right, it’s complicated.’
Ruby snapped her fingers. ‘Because you’ll have to sort out custody issues, yeah?’
Tash nodded. ‘And the whole thing terrifies me.’
‘Is he fair?’ Alisha asked, worry clouding her eyes. ‘Or do you think he’s cosying up to you to screw you over?’
‘I didn’t before but I do now,’ Tash said drily, as Ruby glared daggers at Alisha.
‘Don’t listen to her,’ Ruby said. ‘She’s just bitter because we didn’t get her those penis cookies she secretly craved.’
‘Again with the dicks.’ Alisha rolled her eyes. ‘Seriously, Tash, what are you going to do?’
‘Well, I’m not going to kiss him again for starters.’ Then again, she shouldn’t make any promises she couldn’t keep. Because she wanted to kiss him again, desperately. Maybe more. The moment he’d pressed his lips to hers, he’d rekindled embers she’d thought long doused. She still felt something for him.
So yeah, whatever happened between them was one giant complication waiting to happen.
‘How’s Isla handling all this?’ Alisha asked, as Ruby frowned at her for steering the conversation away from the juicy stuff. ‘I take it she doesn’t know about the kiss?’
Tash choked on a sip of champagne at the thought. ‘Hell, no. I don’t want her getting her hopes up that her parents would ever reunite when that’s not going to happen.’ She sighed. ‘She’s head over heels for Kody, understandably. He’s a pretty good guy and he’s a rock star, so stands to reason she’d be gaga over him.’
‘And he’s good with her?’ Alisha sipped at her drink, her expression thoughtful. ‘Then again, that’s a dumb question, because she wouldn’t be with him now if he wasn’t.’
Tash nodded. ‘I love seeing the two of them bond and the relationship they’re developing, but it hurts here too.’ She pressed a hand over her heart. ‘I did the wrong thing keeping them apart and I can never take it back.’
‘Oh, sweetie, no use looking back and wishing things were different,’ Ruby said, leaning in for a quick hug. ‘I regret not coming back to Brockenridge before Mum died, but I try to focus on the roadhouse and keeping her legacy alive. Maybe you should focus on the future too?’
A sound plan, but how did Tash do that when all she could see in her future was too many empty days while Isla was swanning around the world with her dad?
Catching sight of Alisha’s worried expression, Tash knew she had to lighten the mood. It wasn’t fair, hijacking Alisha’s special day, when she wanted her friend to have fun.
‘I think we’ve had enough Kody talk and it’s time to do those honey facials now.’
Their conversation turned to Alisha’s wedding plans as they slathered masks on their faces, painted each other’s nails and teased Alisha endlessly about the wedding night, which the couple had chosen to spend on a luxury houseboat on the Murray. There was lots of banter along the lines of ‘if this boat is a rockin’, don’t come a knockin”, which kept Tash suitably distracted.