Page 30 of It Could Happen
She pulls her suitcase behind her and walks toward the van without another word.
I sigh, although I’m not surprised by the lack of conversation.
All of a sudden, I see Tyler’s monster truck moving down the driveway. He continues to inch forward before stopping right behind my car. Lovely. I’m parked between Leslie and Tyler. I have no doubt Parker would have something to say about this.
He rolls down the window. “Am I too close to your car? Should I move back or maybe park on the street? I don’t want to break any parking rules.” He chuckles under his breath.
“Ha-ha,” I say, scowling.
“I’m kidding,” he teases. “I know better than to get on your bad side.”
“You finally figured that out,” I say. “It’s about time.”
“Nah. I’m actually intrigued by your bad side,” he says, giving me a wink.
My stomach does a bit of a flip and something stirs inside me. I pause as I try to come up with a response, but I’ve got nothing.
“Okay, you two, save the flirting for the trip,” Clint calls.
Crap.
I glance over to the van, but Leslie is nowhere in sight. Tyler must see the concerned look on my face.
“Don’t listen to him,” Tyler says, pointing at Clint. “I know you weren’t flirting with me.”
I shake my head. “Of course not. And you weren’t flirting with me.”
He leans his head to the side and locks his eyes on mine. “Are you sure about that?”
I inhale deeply as my heartbeat speeds up.
“Tori,” Caroline squeals, interrupting the strange moment between Tyler and me. She sets off running toward me and throws her arms around me. “Come on. Let’s put your stuff in the van.”
I glance back at Tyler who’s taking his suitcase out of the back of his truck. I’m trying not to read too much into his comment. Caroline is talking a mile a minute about the cruise and the itinerary she and Erica planned. Parker should be pleased because I probably won’t have as much time for bingo as I wanted. It sounds like a lot of girl time and spa treatments, which totally works for me. I’m always ready and willing to visit a spa.
Rachel is the last to arrive, and I’m actually surprised she followed through on riding in the van with the rest of us. Before I know it, we’re on our way to the port. I’m sitting next to Caroline and staring out the window while I listen to the different conversations going on in the van. The main topic of discussion is music genres. Everyone is talking at once except Rachel. I chime in a few times, but honestly it’s hard to get a word in with this group. All the guys except for Clint are super outgoing, and between Erica, Caroline, and Leslie, it’s no wonder Rachel doesn’t say much.
“What’s your favorite type of music, Tori?” Erica asks.
One thing I really like about Erica is that she genuinely tries to include everyone and make them feel like they are important.
“I can listen to almost anything except death metal,” I say.
She laughs. “Agree.”
“Honestly, I like everything from Motown, reggae, country, gangster rap—it just depends on my mood.”
“I agree with you,” Tyler says from behind me.
“Well, thank you,” I say, turning around.
Caroline shoots me a funny look while the conversation continues. I wonder if she is picking up on any connection between Tyler and me—good or bad.
I completely avoid looking at Leslie. It was a simple compliment from Tyler and nothing more.
The conversation continues with Caroline and Andy talking about their first dance. As of right now, they haven’t agreed on a song.
“Christian and I already have our song,” Erica says. “Right, honey?”
