Just Say Yes (Just Press Send Book 3)

Chapter 4

Welcome To Murphy Creek

I came up behind Ty. "Are you sure it's not too heavy? I can take it?"

Ty squinted at me, eyes lit with an inner glow. "I can carry your duffel bag down some stairs, Nat." He hefted it up over his shoulder and shot me a look. "Jeez, I think you packed for a month, not a week."

"I'm prepared." I shrugged with a little smirk on my lips. "And perfect, thanks for taking it. I offered to carry it, but I really didn't want to."

A wry smile twisted his lips. Ty managed with his bag and mine down the dorm stairs. Too bad we didn't have an elevator. I'm still not sure how he managed to carry my mini fridge up all these stairs.

I followed behind Ty, hand holding the smoothing railing. My tongue darted out to wet my lips, my heart pounding. This was gonna be a fun week. We'd all have fun together over reading week at Will's cottage, and I'd mend my relationship with Ty. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

We walked out of the dorm lobby, cool March air hitting my face. Layla honked the horn and climbed out of the driver's side of Beckett's Jeep. A smile lit up her face. Ty went to the trunk and popped it open.

"We're taking Beckett's Jeep?" I pursed my lips, brows raised. "Doesn't he need it?"

Layla shook her head, no. "Nah, he's halfway back home to Seattle by now. Won't be needing it until after reading week."

Will came out the double doors of the dorm, stifling a yawn. He gave Layla a weird chin nod as the doors swung shut behind him.

"Hey, Layla." He stretched, back cracking. That sounded so satisfying. "Where's Emily? Are we picking her up on the way?" Will asked, his bag slung over his shoulder.

"Uh, no." Layla's face reddened as she took a long pause.

Oof, she hadn't told them yet that she broke up with Emily? Awkward. Well, might as well rip the bandaid off, right? I waited for her to tell them.

Layla's gaze darted from place to place, avoiding eye contact. "Emily had to cancel at the last minute, 'cause of bhlahbfjsusldu," Layla mumbled the ending.

Will shrugged, eyes still looking a little sleepy and glazed. "Kay."

He went around back and put his bag in the trunk.

My brow furrowed. What? Why didn't Layla tell them? I moved closer to her. "You haven't told them?" I whispered out of the corner of my mouth in a steady, lower-pitched voice. "About the breakup?" My lips pressed together in a slight grimace.

Layla flinched and sucked in her cheeks. "No, not yet. I–"

Ty came out from around the corner of the car, shutting Layla up. My chest tightened. I forced my grimace into a wavering smile. If Layla hadn't told Will or Ty, that meant that I couldn't tell Ty about it. It wasn't my thing to tell anyways, but I didn't like that. Ugh. Hopefully, she'd tell them sooner rather than later.

"Who's driving?" Ty said as he rounded the corner, brushing off his hands.

"Me!" Will called out with no hesitation to volunteer himself. That sure woke him up. He shut the trunk with a resounding slam and went to the driver's side. "I want to drive. And the driver gets aux. That's the rules."

"Fine by me." Ty shoved his hands in the pocket of his hoodie. "I'm gonna take a nap, then."

I scuffed the ground with my shoe, ready to get going. "Same, nap for me too. I'd probably get us lost, anyways."

"Yeah, I don't want to drive for that long. Have at it." Layla tossed Will the keys.

We all climbed in the car, Layla taking shotgun.