Page 21 of First Bride to Fall
He glanced at his small kitchen, getting an idea. It was after one o’clock, and Nell was bound to be starving. He knew that he was. While he wasn’t any kind of gourmet cook, he was pretty skilled at opening cans. He’d make them something to eat, maybe something hot to warm them both up. But first, he’d light a fire and change out of these sopping wet clothes of his. Oh yeah—and clean up that muddy mess on the floor. He could wait to shower later.
…
Nell giggled and snapped her pic.
This really is so embarrassing. But those fishing lures are awfully cute.
She took care to not place her wrapped ankle in the frame. Or the top of her body, which was decently clothed in her long-sleeve T. She’d already stripped away the plastic covering on her leg, and it had managed to do its trick by keeping her ankle dry. She’d toweled off her hair and run her brush through it, too, and applied a touch of lip gloss for good measure.
The boxers sagged a little, settling on her hips, and her photo revealed a flash of her super pale belly. The text that accompanied it read:
Spending the night at Grant’s cabin.
There. That was that. She’d let Misty and Charlotte draw their own conclusions.
She giggled again, feeling more than a little duplicitous, which wasn’t her usual jam. But honestly, she was so tired of being good all the time. Besides that, she’d had a bad time with twisting her ankle. Might as well make the best of it.
And there was every indication the day would get better.
Her stomach rumbled. Hopefully the better part of the day began with something to eat. She was famished.
Nell tugged on the sweatpants, taking care with her right ankle, and then slipped the sweatshirt over her head. Both items of clothing swallowed her up, with the legs of the sweatpants bunching up by the floor. She cuffed the legs and the arms of her sweatshirt, too, then took a quick look in the mirror. It was fogged, so she wiped it clean with a towel.
Her eyebrows arched at the pretty picture.
For no makeup and injured, she looked pretty good.
She stared down at her baggy clothing, understanding she’d have to make do.
She grabbed her cell phone from where she’d set it on the sink and dropped it back into her purse. The phone wedged deep in a hollow of her extra-large corduroy shoulder bag, nesting between her knitting needles. She took her current projects with her everywhere. Who knew when she’d be stuck waiting during a doctor’s appointment, or get held up at the pharmacy while picking up her dad’s heart meds?
She still did that on a routine basis, since the small cottage where she lived was on the other end of town from Bearberry Brews but not far from the pharmacy. Her parents lived closer to the coffee shop, so it made perfect sense for Nell to pick up her dad’s prescriptions. Her mom’s dry cleaning, too. She’d never minded doing those things anyway, just like she didn’t mind packing her sisters’ lunches. By now, taking care of everyone else had become second nature to Nell.
Which made her pursuit of Grant slightly unnerving, because she was finally looking out for herself. Her current project was, awkwardly, something for him. His birthday was September seventh, but he didn’t know that she knew it. It might actually seem kind of stalkerish if he did.
But Nell had known about his birthday since high school. Grant’s girlfriend had decorated his locker with all sorts of streamers and balloons and a big heart-shaped, homemade birthday card, which had made Nell extremely jealous at the time.
She’d had her braces then and had not been nearly as eye-catching as Grant’s cute cheerleader girlfriend. Nell was actually surprised at Grant’s comment today about remembering her from high school. He’d been great at sports and all things popular, and she’d been the mousy sophomore. Until today, she hadn’t known that he’d known she was alive back then.
She’d decided on the spot, on Grant’s eighteenth birthday, that she was going to let him in on her existence someday. And she was going to make him the best birthday gift ever. Something much better than a homemade card. So, she began knitting with love.
She’d made scarves, not-so-great mittens, a throw blanket once, and even a few ties.
Some sweaters were better than others, but the cardigan was a major fail.
This year’s endeavor was a hat, and she liked it! It was in fall colors: golds, browns, and oranges, which reminded her of Grant. Since he was outdoorsy. And intelligent. And born in almost-autumn. And about the best-looking, sweetest guy she’d ever met. He even started a club in support of animal rescue in high school, and members volunteered at the local animal shelter.
Nell had joined, too. Unfortunately, her volunteer days had almost never matched up with Grant’s.
She sighed.
Basically, he was perfect.
And now, he was probably growing impatient, wondering how long it took one woman to wash her hair. She laid her hand on the doorknob, and her cell phone dinged.
She bit her lip, thinking it might be one of her sisters.
But no.
