Page 14 of Love is a Roller Coaster

A slow smile spreads across my face as I remember the actual art walk. And not because of the art…but because of Tyler. “It was awesome.”

“Feeling inspired?” she asks, a hint of suggestion in her voice.

I sigh. I know what she means. Ava has been hoping I’d get back into painting for years, but I haven’t touched a brush since I started my master’s program. It was almost impossible to be creative when so much brain power was spent on school. “Maybe.”

“And…how are you feeling? You know, about…”

“The wedding? Cheating Landon? The guy you warned me about from the beginning?” I pause. “Unfortunately, I feel indifferent.”

“Not heartbroken?”

“Not really.” I pick at imaginary lint on my dress. “I almost wish I did, because that would mean the last few years of my life wouldn’t have been wasted with him.”

“They weren’t wasted,” she insists. “You learned a lot.”

“I guess.” I stand and pace around my room. “But you warned me about him. All the Sunny Girls did. And I was too stubborn to see the whole picture.”

“But at least you came to your senses before you got married.”

“True.”

There’s a pause for a moment. I take a look at myself in the mirror, remembering how I felt in my wedding dress and veil for that last fitting. The dress was perfect, but in my gut, I knew the groom wasn’t. I’m embarrassed I let it get that far.

“What about you?” I ask. “Any guys in Utah catching your attention?”

“No,” she says quickly. A littletooquickly.

“Sure,” I say, dragging out the word. “Come on, out with it.”

“It’s nothing, I swear. There’s this guy who just moved here with his mom and niece, and I can’t…figure him out. I don’t know. It’s nothing.” She pauses a moment. “You know, you should totally go to Disneyland while you’re there.”

If that wasn’t such an alarming change in subject, I wouldn’t let her off the hook so easily about this new guy. Instead, panic rises in me. How does she know? “What? Why? Who did you talk to?”

She chuckles. “What’s with the overreaction? I remember you always wanted to go, and you were so upset that your parents refused to let you go when you were in Canyon Cove a few years ago.” She pauses. “Didn’t you have some fling with that guy? What was his name again?”

My heart is racing in my chest. “Tyler,” I whisper.

“Tyler! That’s right! Oh, man. You couldn’t stop talking about him formonths. I thought for sure something would happen from that, but then you found Landon, and, well…”

“I have to tell you something,” I blurt. It’s only been two days of this trip, but already I feel the absolute necessity to confide in someone. “The inn I’m staying at…Tyler owns it.”

There’s silence on the other end.

“Are you there?”

“That. Is. Amazing. Please tell me you’ve rekindled the flames of passion.”

“Ava! I was supposed to be here on myhoneymoon. There are zero flames of passion happening with anyone.”

She blows out a loud breath, and I have to pull the phone away from my ear so she doesn’t blast my eardrum. “Brooke Westfield. Youjusttold me you are ‘indifferent’ to your cheating ex. It’s obvious that flames of passion are waiting around the corner to be ignited.”

Ugh. I wish she wasn’t right. There’s already a spark between me and Tyler, and a little bit of fuel would turn it into a raging inferno.

“He went on the art walk with me,” I confess. “And he invited me to Disneyland, too.”

Ava squeals. “Yes! Youhaveto go!”

“Oh, do I?”

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