Page 61 of The Grump I Married
Sounds like the relationship was never all that stable in the first place, I couldn’t help thinking.
“That’s why I actually thought things would work with me and Narissa. I figured I was making the smart choice—a socialite who knew the score, who wouldn’t care whether I was head over heels for her as long as I gave her the life she wanted. The fact that Ididn’tlove her was supposed to make our relationship safe.”
“Probably best to keep that tidbit off social media,” I joked. “Lest you invite a whole new wave of falsehoods and verbal abuse.” Speaking of, I needed to add “check in with PR” to my list.
He sighed, stuffing a hand behind his head, staring past me to the ceiling. “I was so certain we made sense together. I thought we’d have a simple, uncomplicated partnership.”
“So what happened? What went wrong?” I’d been around for some of it, watching the aftermath blow his life apart, but I hadn’t beeninthe relationship. I’d cleaned up his messes, but I’d never questioned why there was a mess. Especially when it came to Narissa, I certainly hadn’t thought it my place.
“The problem,” Weston admitted, “was that, somewhere along the way, she fell in love with me. That’s when she started getting all possessive and irrational. All the drama I’d thought I was avoiding found me anyway.”
The way he talked about love made me uncomfortable, but when Weston turned toward me, running a hand down my back and giving me a soft smile, I pushed my discomfort aside. Neither one of us was looking for love, so what did his thoughts about it matter in the end?
We were enjoying ourselves now, and that was all I wanted. That would beenough.
Wouldn’t it?
18
WESTON
“Craft ales?Bleck!”
“What’s wrong with a proper pint of good Scottish ale, eh?” Tam said, getting to his feet, riling up half the committee.
I rubbed my eyes as the voices in the room started to converge into one grating drone. I considered myself somewhat of an expert in dealing with competing personalities. Put me in a boardroom, and I’d tame even the most stubborn of opponents. But leave it to the committee for this bloody summer festival to be my undoing. It’s a wonder Grandad ever got this thing off the ground. He truly was a special person, herding these feral cats single-handedly in the years after Gran passed.
“We don’t want any of that fruity shite at the festival!” Tam continued.
Cheers of agreement sounded.
“Sorry to interrupt, Tam! Highland’s Best Brews just confirmed,” Lena announced as she stared down at her phone, thankfully derailing the complaints about the quality of alcoholin the beer tent. “That brings our official vendor count to twenty-seven.”
“Go us!” Isla said, fist-pumping the air.
“We’ll need a booth for them,” Lena continued. “Aiden, can you add that to your list to set up?” He nodded. “And Isla, can you update our socials?”
“On it!” she chirped.
Tam cleared his throat loudly. “Back to what I was saying, I don’t know why we can’t just go with a classic Tennent’s Lager?”
“Because some of us don’t want to drink pish,” Mrs. Crawford said, getting to her feet.
Jo huffed, rolling her eyes. “Sit down, Miriam.”
“I will personally make sure you get your Tennent’s, Tam,” I called, heading off further arguments. The meeting wound down, but the grumbling disagreements continued as the group relocated to the side of the room for drinks and snacks.
“Thank God a quality coffee shop confirmed,” I muttered, releasing a sigh of relief as Lena pressed against my shoulder. I let her flowery scent distract me, calming my frustration. It was the same scent that lingered everywhere recently.
On my pillow.
On the sheets.
On my dress shirt after I’d snuck my arms around her. Every time I breathed it in, a knot of tension unwound, and I was reminded again how lucky I was to have her by my side, helping me keep not only my life on track but Braeburn as well. It wasall running to schedule thanks to Lena’s hard work, despite me doing my damnedest to distract her these past few days.
“Something tells me we’re gonna need the caffeine on festival day with this bunch,” she agreed. Her smile was soft, though. Easy. She was enjoying herself. The last of my frustration faded as I watched her catch her lip between her teeth, excitedly scanning her clipboard.
“How’re we doing with the rest of the vendor list?” I asked.
