"Would you object if I walk you home?" he asked.
"It's not like it's a date," she said, a little too quickly.
"Of course not," he said. He knew he should ask more probing questions, but he didn't want to scare her away. Maybe his own feelings were clouding his judgment, but he sensed that she was attracted to him. Something was clearly holding her back, though.
"Anyway, I drove my mom's cart," she said, "so you don't need to walk me."
"So you'll come to another show?" he asked, trying not to sound too eager. "I tend to play more this time of year and in the summer. Mangrove Island is becoming quite the hot holiday destination."
"Good to know I'm on trend," Alexis said with a wry smile. "You can text me with details of your Mangrove Island holiday tour." She gave him her number and he deftly programmed it into his phone. She guessed hers wasn't the first number to be typed into his phone at a bar since he seemed to have no shortage of admirers.
He walked her outside to her lone cart. Everyone else had left or intended to walk home. It was a clear night and the stars shone brightly, drawing Alexis's eyes skyward.
"God, I forgot how pretty it could be," she breathed.
"I haven't," Tyler said. When she glanced at him, she saw the flicker of desire in his deep, blue eyes.
"Thanks for tonight," she said and slid into the cart.
"My pleasure," he said and Alexis could hear in his voice that it truly was. As Tyler watched her drive off, he wanted to kick himself. Way to play it cool, he chastised himself. On the other hand, he'd been waiting more than seventeen years to get her attention, so playing it cool didn't really seem like the right approach anyway.
His mind went back to her comment about London. Lived. Past tense. But she said she was only here to see family for the holidays. He knew something was up, but he needed to be patient. There was a skittishness to her now that he didn't remember from high school. Tyler knew there was a story there; he simply would wait until she was
ready to tell it.
Alexis didn't ride straight back to Rumrunner Road. Instead, she drove to a nearby beach and sat in the cart, gazing up at the stars. The way she felt tonight upset her and she didn't want to go back to her parents' house brimming with emotions. She wanted to work through some of her feelings. Her therapist had recommended that Alexis allow herself to 'feel her feelings,' but Alexis hadn't been ready at the time. As she listened to the sound of the waves crashing against the shoreline, Alexis decided that she was ready to try.