Page 39 of It Could Happen
“Then we have the wedding, and then it’s over. I can slowly pull away after that.”
I hold up my hands to stop her. “Rachel, does this have to do with Christian?”
Her eyes grow wide. “What? Is it obvious?”
I press my lips together tightly.
“Well, Caroline is very worried about you, but I don’t know if anyone has figured out that you’re attracted to him.”
She frowns. “Attracted to him? It goes deeper than that.”
Uh-oh. “Okay.”
She closes her eyes and lets out a sigh. “You can’t say anything. I’m planning on telling Caroline after the wedding is over.”
Do I really want to know any of this? All of a sudden, I kind of wish I were back at the table between Matt and Tyler.
“Christian and I—” She pauses. “Caroline threw Andy a birthday party a few months ago. Erica spent the entire night focused on being the center of attention, as usual. Christian and I were chatting a lot because our favorite college team was in the finals. Anyway, Erica asked him to go to the garage to restock drinks, so I offered to help him.”
“Holy crap. Did something happen?”
She nods. “We ended up in Andy’s car.”
“In the garage?”
“Yes.”
“While everyone was inside?”
She nods.
“He kept telling me I was kind and beautiful and how he’d been drawn to me since we met.”
Holy crap. I could tell that she was interested in him, but I definitely wasn’t expecting a story like this. I thought Rachel had a crush.
“Has anything happened since then?”
She nods. “At the kickoff party.”
Ah-ha, I knew it. That was the first night I met everyone.
“You probably think I’m a horrible person,” she mumbles. “That’s why I’ve been trying to keep my distance from everyone. I didn’t want to come on this cruise.”
“Rachel, we barely know each other. I’m not going to judge or lecture you,” I tell her.
She continues to stare at the ground. “Thanks. I’m such a mess because I know it’s wrong, and at the same time I can’t stop thinking about him.”
So many thoughts are swirling around in my head. This information would absolutely destroy so many friendships, not to mention devastate the wedding. Or at least the wedding party.
“Anyway, you should probably get back to the table before they come looking for us,” she says. “I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
She nods. “Yes. I’m used to it. Unfortunately, I’m stuck right next to Christian because of this stupid seating arrangement.”
“Okay, I’ll tell Caroline you ran back to the cabin to get something.”
“Thanks.”
