Page 87 of It Could Happen
“I understand.”
“The crazy part is that I was naïve enough to believe this weekend would go perfectly.” She continues, “I had my suspicions about Rachel and Christian, but I honestly never thought she would do anything more than harmless flirting. I knew when Rachel started to pull away that there were bigger issues.”
I exhale loudly. I need to be honest with her about what I know too.
“I noticed the night I met everyone,” I tell her. “I was so surprised when Erica introduced Christian as her boyfriend after witnessing something between Rachel and him.”
She leans her head back. “We all noticed, but no one wanted to talk about it because they didn’t want to hurt Erica.”
I fold my hands and put them on the railing.
“Rachel let something slip to me when we were on the cruise,” I admit. “She didn’t say anything about them being in love, so I thought it was a short-lived fling. I didn’t want to get involved because I had just met your friends. I should’ve been honest with you.”
She puts her hand on my shoulder. “It isn’t your fault. Why should you have to be the one to tell me something like this? I don’t blame you at all.”
A feeling of relief washes over me. “Thank you. You know I’m here to celebrate you and Andy, and that’s what matters. The other problems will work themselves out one way or another.”
Tears finally reappear in her eyes as she gives me a grateful smile.
“You’re so right,” she says with a gasp. “I’m about to marry my soul mate, and that’s what I need to focus on.”
We give each other a hug, and as we pull away she asks me another question I wasn’t expecting.
“Now are you going to tell me what’s going on with Tyler?”
I bite my lower lip and look back into the room. Leslie and Jeannie are now sitting on either side of Erica. Leslie is waving her hands as she talks. The image of her arms around Tyler’s neck pops into my mind, making me cringe.
“Did he say something?”
She shakes her head. “Not to me, but he told Andy that you two have been communicating a lot and that you drove Axel. He stayed pretty tight-lipped when Andy asked him for details.”
Wow. Even Caroline calls the truck by its name.
“We’ve been texting,” I say. “And we’ve shared some close moments, but I’m not sure those will continue.”
She leans her head to the side. “Why?”
I shrug. “Look, I don’t want to cause any more drama. Leslie hasn’t exactly made it a secret how she feels about him, and I’m not interested in feeding his ego by battling her for his affection.”
Caroline twists her mouth to the side. “Leslie has been interested in Tyler for a while, but nothing has ever happened between them. Admittedly, I’ve tried to play matchmaker because I want all my friends to find love and be happy. I thought my wedding would be the romantic event to stir up some magic for them—and then you came into the mix.”
I frown. “I know you wanted to try to set me up with Matt. And he’s a terrific guy.”
“But the spark isn’t there.”
I shake my head. “Sorry.”
“Is the spark there with Tyler?”
I sigh. “I thought so, but then I see him with Leslie … I wonder if he just likes the attention or if it’s the thrill of the chase. Either way, I don’t want to get wrapped up in something that might not happen.”
She reaches for my hands. “But it could happen.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Erica coming toward us.
“I’m sorry to interrupt, but it’s almost time for the welcome reception,” she says cautiously.
Caroline nods and waves Erica over to us. “Yes, it is. And we’re all going to have a lovely evening.”
