Page 13 of Must Love Lavender and Little Lies
“Then you don’t need a match?” Larrik asked, confused. “Why didn’t you tell anyone?”
Juniper stepped toward me and took my arm. She beamed a smile up at me. “It just happened. You see, Granik and I have been close for years. It took us a while to realize we were actually in love. We’re both a bit dense like that.”
“Hmm,” Larrik considered. “This is surprising news.”
“I hope Miss Grapplefist won’t be terribly upset,” Juniper said, a note of real concern in her voice.
“Tigga had many suitors. I suspect she’ll recover,” Larrik said, then looked from me to Juniper again. “Granik, you should send word to your family immediately. They’re very busy making plans for a wedding. This will come as a shock to them.”
“To them? What about me?” I replied with a laugh. “They were the ones who were planning to surprise me with a bride three days hence. I’ll send them a message at once,” I replied, trying to keep the sound of nerves from my voice. “I’m sorry, Larrik. Your arrival was so unexpected that I forgot my manners. Will you come inside? We have tea…and tea…and t?—”
“And ale or lemonade,” Juniper said. “And I’d be happy to make you something to eat.”
Larrik shook his head. “Thank you both for the courteous offer, but I must make sure I get to Moonshine Hollow on time to catch the ferry. Well, we have surprised one another. But your news is far happier… A real love match. What more can a man ask for? Your mother will be so excited,” he said, then turned to Juniper once more. “Miss Merrifrost. I’m so glad to meet you. I wish you and Granik many years of wedded bliss.”
“And you, Larrik,” Juniper said kindly.
“She’ll make a beautiful bride, Granik,” he said with a smile, then walked back to his horse. “Far prettier than you.”
I laughed. “Of that, there is no doubt.”
“Merry met again,” Larrik called.
“Merry met again,” I answered, then watched as the man spurred his horse and headed off.
The moment he was out of eyesight, I turned to Juniper.
“I…” I began, unsure what to say. “Thank you.”
She set her hand on my arm. “I spoke before I thought…to protect you. But I hope I didn’t intrude. Maybe…Maybe your parents made you a good match. I know you don’t want to bepressured into a traditional marriage, but if I did the wrong thing, I’m sorry.”
“No. You saved me. Thank you, it’s just…”
“Just what?”
“Juniper, youdidsave me, but now…”
She stared at me, completely unknowing.
“My family is coming for the Greening, and they will expect to see us engaged and planning a wedding.”
“I…well… We’ll come up with a plan. We can just fake our way through the Greening, and afterward, a long time afterward, we can break up.”
“That’s… That may work. I’ve never heard of anyone breaking off an engagement, but I was hardly ever paying attention to that kind of thing. It could work.”
“At least, it will buy you some time until you find a real love match, as Larrik said.”
“Right. A real love match.”
“Until then,” she said, then looked at the letter in my hand. “I think you’d better attend to that. You don’t want Miss Grapplefist showing up on your doorstep, suitcase in hand.”
“Yeah, let’s not have that happen.”
“Let’s go inside and get something to drink. I hear you have tea.”
“Don’t tease.”
“Who, me? Your fiancée? Never. So, I was wondering, do you have any tea or?—”
