Page 85 of First Bride to Fall
Or maybe they had?
What if neither Charlotte nor Misty hadmeantto mention the Aidan bet, but it came out inadvertently somehow? Misty did have a tendency to blab, even though she didn’t do it on purpose. Maybe she’d sent Grant some weird signals or slipped in a subtle congrats about how well things were going between them? Gah. Maybe she’d even mentioned her selfie in his boxers! Nell face-palmed, really hoping that Misty hadn’t. Charlotte, either, for that matter. With her folks around, it was doubtful her sisters would have said that much. Or shown him pics.
She hoped.
But whatever they’d said—because at this point, them blabbing was the only reason any of this made sense—they’d somehow tipped off Grant that she’d intended to win him over quickly. Thereby irking himhugely.
So hugely that all of a sudden he was determined to get rid of her.
She waved the toilet brush like a wand, getting it.
He’s trying to shove me away by making himself impossible.
She gestured toward the cleaning bucket with the toilet brush, then toward the bathroom, sweeping her arm across the hardwood floors.
Reallyimpossible.
Her cheeks steamed.
She couldn’t remember ever being this worked up.
Okay, fine! So. Grant didn’t want her and was going to make that perfectly clear—in his twisted, underhanded way. Only, now that she was on to him, she wasn’t going to make things so easy. She got what this was. A vain attempt to punish her for what he probably saw ashertrickinghiminto falling in love. He was going to show her just how unpleasant being married to him could be. Not at all a bed of roses. More like a thicket of thorns.
Her jaw clenched.
Of course. That sneaky man.
This was all a wicked scheme.
That’s what all that compatibility talk had been about. It was no small coincidence that he’d started gently insinuating how ill-suited they might be for each other immediately afterward. Were all those dietary restrictions he’d claimed real, or was he just trying to invent more trouble for her?
He’d been inconsiderate about not helping to put the groceries away and about his expectations for her making lunch, too. Then he’d gone off to relax and go fishing while leaving her to do the grunt work here.
Partnership. Pull your weight. Compatibility.
Grrr. If he’d planned all this, that had taken some time. No wonder he’d been gone so long this morning. He’d been putting his whole dastardly plan together.
Who knew he had it in him?
She eyed the toilet brush. Seems she had quite a bit more to learn about Grant Williams.
Starting with how best to make him pay for this little game of his.
He was trying to push her away? Great. Let him! Why would she even want a relationship with a schemer like him anyway? He didn’t even give her a chance to explain! But first, she planned to cause him quite a bit of grief by giving him a taste of his own medicine. She wouldnotlet Grant get away with making her feel foolish.
No. He was going to be the one feeling foolish by the time this was all over.
Nell didn’t have a lot of experience in the love department, but she did have the love of her family, and she also had her pride. Grant wasn’t going to strip her of either of those. She was ready for this. He wasn’t going to get away with makingherout to be the quitter. She had a lot more backbone than he knew, and she was feeling more empowered every day.
Two could play at his little game. Let him be the one to call this whole thing off. Not her. She wasn’t going to break him with spite; she was going to kill him with kindness. And if he possessed any decency at all, his guilt would eat him alive. He’d feel guilty over putting demands on her and twice as bad about being the one to break things off. Because she would be unfailingly perfect. For the first time ever, maybe.
Nell’s confidence surged. Hey, it was only one toilet, and the rooms were small, so there weren’t a ton of hardwood floors. Grant probably guessed that she’d be mad and refuse to clean his cabin, which she was within her full rights to do.
It was also her prerogative to be the sweetest domestic goddess he could have ever envisioned. She was not going to cave. She was going to make this grungy little cabin gleam like a palace. She giggled at what Grant’s expression might look like when he got back and found the place spotless. What would he say or do then?
Operation First Bride was now Operation Ditch Me.
The only question was, how long would it take for Grant to crack?
