Page 66 of It Could Happen
Why is he hanging out with me? I continue driving, growing more comfortable.
“Are you sure you don’t want to go to the beach?” he asks. “We could drive down there, take a walk, and then come right back.”
A walk on the beach with Tyler sounds pretty fantastic. I just don’t know if I’m ready to make things more complicated or if I’ll be able to resist his charm in such a romantic setting.
“Not tonight,” I say.
“Rain check?” he asks.
I shrug as I focus on the road in front of me.
“Possibly,” I say. “If you let me drive.”
He laughs. “I’ll think about it. I don’t let just anyone drive Axel. I’m feeling very generous tonight.”
I continue driving while he adjusts the volume on the radio.
“How about some dessert?” he asks. “Let’s get ice cream.”
I will never say no to dessert. “That sounds good to me.”
“I know a great place.” He puts an address into the navigation.
I follow the directions to a cute, old-fashioned ice cream shop. There’s a window where you order your dessert and tiny, black iron tables lining the sidewalk. I carefully pull into one of the several open parking places.
I put the truck in park and make sure everything is turned off properly.
“Very good,” he says.
“Thank you. Are you happy now?”
“That you drove Axel, yes,” he says. “Wait here a second.”
He jumps out of the truck and comes around to the driver side, opening the door. He holds out his hand to assist me. One thing is for sure, he definitely has manners.
We walk up to the window and place our order. Tyler orders a chocolate shake, and I get a scoop of mint chocolate chip ice cream in a waffle cone.
We sit down at a table to eat our treats.
“So, does this count as our first date?” Tyler asks, taking a sip of his shake.
My stomach flips, and I nearly choke on my ice cream. Is he joking? Sometimes I wonder if he just says things to see my reaction.
I wipe the corners of my mouth with a napkin. “I’m not sure. Was that your intention when you asked me to join you tonight?”
He gives a thoughtful look. “Maybe. I’m still trying to figure out the best way to impress you.”
“Why does it matter?” I ask. I’m totally putting him on the spot, but he’s the one who brought it up.
He doesn’t say anything for a few seconds.
“Honestly, I find you very interesting,” he says. “You’re unapologetic in who you are, and that’s a really cool quality to have. And you stand your ground. A lot of women just say whatever they think people want to hear.”
I feel heat rise in my cheeks. “Well, thanks.”
“And you’re fun to tease.”
I scowl.
