Page 85 of It Could Happen
“Listen, your personal life is your business. But don’t you think the news will be better coming from you?”
Her initial carefree expression fades.
“Yes, but it’s too late. I can’t tell them now,” she insists.
I rub my forehead. “Sometimes it’s better to rip off the Band-Aid.”
Truthfully, I don’t know what the best thing is as this point. Maybe Caroline is better off being blissfully unaware of her friend’s actions until after she walks down the aisle with Andy. And poor Erica doesn’t need any more bad news.
“What do you think?” she asks. “Would you want to hear bad news less than forty-eight hours before your wedding? It’s bad enough that Christian had to back out of the wedding party.
Hmm … that’s not how it went down, but there’s no point in reminding her that Andy relieved him of his duties.
I think for a few seconds. “If it were me, I’d want to know the truth. It will be upsetting either way, but the more time that passes makes it even worse.”
She grows silent. “I’ll think about it.”
I give her a nod. There’s nothing else I can say or do—this isn’t my problem.
“Caroline wants to meet before the welcome party.”
“I know,” she replies quietly.
I exhale. “Okay, I’ll see you there.”
“I’m sure you think I’m a terrible person,” she says as I’m about to walk away.
“Rachel, I have no right to judge you.”
“Thanks, but what you don’t understand is that I’m in love with Christian. And I believe he’s my soul mate.”
Ugh. This is TMI. I don’t want to know anything else.
I give her a small wave before turning to walk away. There are so many thoughts swirling through my mind as I head back to the bar to see if Tyler’s still there.
I stop in my tracks when I see Leslie standing behind him. She has her arms around his neck, and he’s patting her arm with his hand. I’m not surprised that she’s hanging on him, but why hasn’t he removed her arms? I grit my teeth as I feel the frustration course through me.
Maybe my initial thoughts about Tyler are true. Is he just a flirt and a player? He certainly knows all the right things to say, and for all I know, he’s saying the exact same things to her that he just said to me. I consider interrupting their moment, but I move back and observe them from around the corner.
A few seconds later, Leslie removes her arms and sits down in the chair next to him. She laughs loudly as she seductively pushes her red hair behind her shoulder. He continues to sip his drink while turning to face her. Their conversation appears casual for the most part, until she starts to brush her fingers up and down his arm.
I turn away from the bar. I refuse to continue to sneak around corners and spy on Tyler. He’s free to do what he wants, but I’m not going to be another woman who falls at his feet. It’s almost time to get ready for the welcome reception, and from here on out my focus is back on being a good friend to Caroline. Nothing else matters.
ChapterTwenty-One
One thing my mother has always taught me is to go with my gut. All afternoon leading up to the events of the evening, I have a nervous feeling that I can’t seem to shake. It could be the fact that one of Caroline’s bridesmaids had an affair and has now fallen in love with the maid of honor’s man. Or it could be that I’m falling for Tyler and another woman can’t keep her hands off him. Either way, I have a knot in the pit of my stomach that won’t go away.
As Caroline requested, we’re all gathered in her suite, which is triple the size of my room. You can cut the tension with a knife, mostly since Rachel arrived and Leslie made a big production about her actually showing up for a bridesmaid meeting. Rachel ignores her comments and continues to avoid making eye contact with Erica. Truthfully, it raises a lot of red flags and makes her look guilty.
“I wanted to take a few minutes alone with you all before the festivities begin. It’s going to be a whirlwind from here on out, and I need to tell each of you how much you mean to me,” Caroline says, tears in her eyes. “I know things have been difficult with all the changes and personal trials over the last few weeks, but the fact that you all made it here for me means more than you’ll ever know.”
I take a swift glance around the room. Erica is sitting up straight with a plastered smile on her face. Honestly, she’s a total rock star and true friend. She’s really proven to be the better person in this whole situation.
Leslie is next to her, twisting a strand of her red hair between her fingers. All of a sudden, I’m reminded of seeing her arms around Tyler’s neck, which makes my blood boil.
Jeannie is stretched out on the couch with her feet up, looking blissfully unfazed by the others. She’s lovingly massaging her baby bump and has the pregnancy glow that people always talk about. And Rachel is staring off into space. I can only imagine what’s going through her mind right now.
“We’re here for you, babe,” Leslie says before shooting a side glance at Rachel. “Well, most of us, anyway.”
