Page 120 of First Bride to Fall
Charlotte huffed. “But Nell, what about your engagement to Grant?”
Nell pursed her lips. “There is no engagement, honestly.”
Misty set her glass on Nell’s coffee table. “What?”
Nell shook her head. “Never was.”
Charlotte blinked. “What?”
“You guys just kind of assumed that, but I never… I mean, Grant didn’t—”
Misty viewed her sadly. “No?”
Nell’s lower lip trembled. “No.”
Charlotte covered her mouth with her hand. “Oh, honey. What happened?”
“We had a big fight,” Nell told them. “We broke up last night.”
“Oh no.” Misty’s eyes went damp. “Is it final?”
Nell’s shoulders sank. “About as final as things can get. He was really mad about everything, and the fact that I hadn’t told him the truth about Aidan and the bet. He thinks that I used him.” Her voice warbled. “There’s no way to convince him that’s not true.”
Charlotte scooted over and patted the futon between her and Misty.
Nell dolefully stood and went and sat in the middle of her two sisters.
Charlotte sipped from her prosecco. “I don’t believe there was nothing going on between you and Grant. When he came into Bearberry Brews to buy you breakfast, there were stars in his eyes.”
“Yeah,” Misty said. “He was definitely smitten then.” She pulled a face. “That’s when we slipped up about your engagement. Sorry. We had no idea it wasn’t true.”
“I don’t believe Grant was faking being into you,” Charlotte said. “When Misty and I saw you at his cabin, you looked like a real couple to me.”
“All lovey-dovey-like.” Misty’s eyes glimmered. “And hey! What about that selfie by the rainbow? You can’t tell us that you staged that.”
“No. That was real.” Nell steeled her emotions so she wouldn’t crumble again. She’d done enough crying last night to last her a lifetime.
“So you see?” Charlotte said softly. “There’s hope.”
“No.” Nell’s tone grew weepy. “Not really.”
“Aww, sweetie.” Charlotte leaned in for a hug, and Misty hugged her, too, then Misty gasped.
“Uh-oh,” she said, pulling back. “What about the McIntyres?”
Charlotte handed Nell a tissue, and she wiped her damp cheeks. “What about them?”
“They’ve been telling everyone in town about your pending nuptials.”
“Oh yeah.” Nell sniffled. “Grant might have said something about that.”
“It’s not just them,” Charlotte said. “The people at the wineshop asked if we needed to order any cases for the wedding.”
“And, ugh.” Misty grimaced. “I kind of ran into Karl, and he’s offered to help cater.” She slunk down in her seat. “I’m so sorry, Nell. I honestly thought it was for real, you and Grant.”
“Yeah.” Charlotte frowned. “Me too.”
Nell’s heart hammered painfully. Yep, she’d blown that one, but now was not the time to cry over spilled milk. Now was the time for moving forward. She drew in a cleansing breath and picked up her champagne. None of this would be happening if she hadn’t let things get so out of control. While she hadn’t known how far out of hand things would get, she hadn’t helped matters, either, with her flirty hinting about Grant to her sisters. “Okay, well.” She licked her lips. “We’ll just have to squelch that rumor and put a new one in its place: the one about me marrying Aidan.”
