But as the words left my mouth, another thought hit me. Had she initially thought those flowers might be for her?
A small pit formed in my stomach as my mind jumped back to the store.
The way she’d been standing there.
How she’d been smiling when I walked back with the bouquet…
And then, how her expression had shifted afterward.
Was that why she’d seemed off?
Because if that was the case… I scrubbed a hand over the back of my neck.I probably should have gotten her flowers, too.
Or better yet… just gotten them for her.
Especially after the morning we’d had.
But then again… that might’ve been too much since I still didn’t really know where she stood with me.
Sure, Lucy had said Nora used to have a crush on me. And yeah, Nora had made a few comments here and there about thinking I was attractive. But that didn’t necessarily mean anything now.
Hadn’t we talked just a couple of weeks ago about her possibly liking Miles?
For all I knew, Lucy was working off outdated information, and Nora had any number of guys in her world.
My gaze dropped to the shopping bag in her hands. Knowing I should probably shift gears instead of overthinking everything, I asked, “Have you figured out how you’re getting to Ky’s place next weekend?”
“Lucy said I could ride with her and Owen,” she said. “So I might do that. What about you?”
“I’ll probably just drive,” I said. “I’m planning to drop Charlotte off with the Vanderbilts for the holiday weekend on the way.”
“Oh,” she said. “That’s good you’ve got that all lined up.”
“Yeah.” I nodded, then hesitated. My eyes flicked past her for a second before coming back, like I was making sure I actually had the nerve to offer what I was about to offer.
I took a breath.
“And… I mean, I know stopping in Manhattan will add some time to the drive,” I said, trying to keep my tone casual, “but if riding with Lucy and Owen doesn’t end up working out, you’re more than welcome to come with me.”
Then I waited. My heart thudding harder than it should’ve for something that simple.
It was just a drive.
Just an offer.
But for some reason, it felt like I’d just put a lot more out there than that.
When I saw the flicker of surprise on her face—followed by a slight hesitation—I braced myself. Because realistically, why would she want to add an extra couple of hours to her trip when she could ride with her best friend?
But then she smiled. “That would actually be really nice. I wasn’t super thrilled about being a third wheel.”
“Really?” I asked, relief hitting me fast.
“Yeah,” she said, smiling back.
And just like that, the anxiety in my chest eased.
“Okay, awesome” I said, nodding once. “It’s settled then.”