Page 21 of It Could Happen
“Well, that’s going to change from here on out,” she insists. “You’re now part of our tribe.”
I force a smile. Leslie is going to be so pleased to hear this. I hope I can see her face when she receives the news.
“Team#sweetcarolinegetsmarried,” I cheer. Ugh. I sound so lame when I say it. Maybe my soul is too old to be using hashtags.
“That sounds good to me,” a deep voice behind us says. “I can’t wait to marry my sweet Caroline.”
Caroline and I turn around to see Andy and Matt standing in the doorway. Andy walks toward Caroline and engulfs her in his arms.
“Aww, you two are as cute as you were when you first met,” I coo.
“Yeah, it’s kind of gross, isn’t it?” Matt chimes in.
“You’re just jealous, brother,” Andy says, not taking his eyes off Caroline.
The hostess interrupts the lovebirds to let us know that they’re ready to seat us. She’s leading us to our table when Rachel arrives, with Leslie joining us a few minutes later.
Rachel sits down next to me, while Leslie chooses a chair on the opposite side of the table.
Seriously? Are we in middle school? I guess I’m going to have to put up with her attitude for the next few months.
“Hey, hey, the gang’s all here,” Tyler announces as he approaches the table a few minutes later. Of course I can’t help but notice how good he looks in his white button-down and dark denim jeans. Maybe he’s doing it on purpose. I wouldn’t put it past him.
“Hey, you, have a seat,” Leslie says, sitting up straight and patting the empty chair next to her, which as luck would have it happens to be directly across from me.
“Thanks,” he says, a warm smile spreading across his face.
I pretend to study the menu while Leslie puts on the charm and flirts with Tyler.
“So, how was the dress fitting?” Tyler asks after he orders a drink. “Do you ladies need a second opinion? I’d be happy to offer my services.”
Typical.
“Dude, that’s a good idea. We could be of great help with anything you need,” Matt chimes in.
“I think we have it under of control,” I say.
Leslie rolls her eyes. She doesn’t even try to pretend she likes me.
“Is something wrong, Leslie?” I ask innocently. I’m certainly not going to let her be rude to me without subtly calling attention to it.
She tightens her jaw. “Not at all.”
Tyler raises his eyebrows as he looks back and forth between Leslie and me.
The others seem to be completely oblivious to there being no love lost between us. Or they’re pretending not to notice.
The subject shifts, and Caroline and Andy start talking about their honeymoon in Bora Bora. Their changing the subject definitely helps to settle the tension that’s swirling around the table. Maybe it’s time Leslie and I had a conversation in private. I’m obviously going to have to be the one to take the first step. I need to remember that we’re both here for Caroline, despite the fact that we probably won’t ever be friends.
“Tori, do you remember when we cruised to the Bahamas?” Caroline asks, pulling me out of my thoughts.
I laugh. “You mean when you woke me up and told me we were getting on a boat the next day?” “Hey, you have to admit it was a memorable weekend,” she says with a wink.
“Oh, yes. One of the best ever.”
“We made some great friends on that cruise,” she reminds me.
“That was before me,” Andy says with a frown.
