Page 103 of First Bride to Fall
He’d adapted amazingly as she recalled, being super popular and snagging a pretty cheerleader as his girlfriend. “What made you decide to stay in Majestic?”
He set down his fork. “I guess I decided I’d found my fit. I liked the small-town vibe and being on the ocean. So close to the mountains, too.”
“It’s a nice town.” He stared at her plate. Okay. She couldn’t put this off forever.
She took a tentative bite of fish along with a heaping forkful of grits. The smoky flavor had a bite and went a long way in disguising that fishy taste, especially when paired with strong coffee. She took another bite. “Mmm. Tasty!”
He grinned to beat the band. “Glad you like it.”
She stabbed into her fish again.There! Two bites! Good.Ew. Wait.Not so good. All right. She was done. The rest of it she’d push around her plate and conceal under the grits. Maybe she could ask for more of those in a sec.
He’d stopped paying attention to her meal to focus on his own. Thank goodness.
“Yeah. So. Anyway,” he said, already scraping his plate. How had he packed in so much food so quickly? “I’ve made some great plans for us today.” He motioned toward the living room. “I thought as a part of our compatibility efforts, we’d work on camping.”
That didn’t sound too daunting. “Oh!” she said brightly. “Sounds fun.” It was certainly better than being handed a toilet brush. She was trying to keep her cool here, but if he handed her another one of those, she couldn’t 100 percent guarantee she wouldn’t scream.
“I brought up everything we’ll need to practice: a tent, a bedroll, a sleeping bag. Hey. Even a camp stove. If things go well…” He leaned toward her, his eyes twinkling. “Maybe we can even arrange our first camping trip together?”
“Oh,nice,” she said, all the while knowing he didn’t mean it. He was likely laying a trap by setting her up for failure with another ridiculously big ask. At least “practice camping” didn’t seem nearly as bad as real-time cleaning.
“Yeah. It will be.” He frowned. “That is, if you honestly decide you like it, because I’d hate for you to be pretending.”
She set down her fork. “What? Me? Pretend with you?” She pouted, underscoring her hurt tones. “Honey-bunchy,” she said, needling him on purpose, “why would I do that?”
A muscle in his jaw tensed. Apparently being called honey-bunchy wasn’t half as much fun as him saying it to her. “Because you—” He shook his head. “I mean, youdidpretend, Nell. You admitted as much. About the tent thing and the hiking.”
She lifted her chin. “That wasn’t so much pretending as exaggerating, Grant.”
He huffed. “Then you ‘exaggerated’ a lot.”
“O-kay.” She leaned toward him. “But that doesn’t mean I’m not eager to learn. I am!”
“Excellent.” He grinned. “I was hoping you’d say that.”
She sat back in her chair, waiting for him to lay this on her. Whatever it was, she was ready. “When do we get started?”
He folded his arms in front of him. “Not we, Nell. You.”
She tried not to fume internally, but she still did. Of course it was only going to be her. She should have guessed that. “I don’t understand,” she said, feigning innocence. “You want me to set everything up?”
He nodded toward the back door. “There’s a big clearing in the backyard that’s the perfect spot for pitching a tent.”
She gripped the table white-knuckled, like she was terrified, when she really wanted to roll her eyes. He thought he was sooooo smart. “You’re planning to help me, right?” she asked, knowing full well he wasn’t.
He took her hand. “I’d really love it if you could try this on your own. I need to believe your heart is in it. Besides, aren’t you the kind who learns best by doing?”
She grinned so big her cheeks pinched. “I am.”
Surprise flickered in his eyes. If he’d expected to throw her that easily, he had another thing coming. “But if you’re really not into it…”
She squeezed his hand extra hard, and he jumped in his seat. “Oh no. I’mtotallyinto it.” She scanned the mounds of camping equipment, and her stomach fluttered nervously. Then she told herself not to give up. If she could wield a log splitter, she could do just about anything she put her mind to. “I can’t wait to surprise you. Just like I did yesterday.”
His dark eyes danced. “You sure did.” He leaned toward her and spoke huskily. “You domestic goddess, you.” He squeezed her hand, and heat pooled in her belly. She blushed, wishing he still didn’t have the ability to have this effect on her. But he did, darn it.
Nell retrieved her hand, using it to tuck a lock of her hair behind one ear. Still, her pulse stuttered unevenly. He was so maddening. So impossible!
“Now.” He thumbed toward the back door. “Go on out there and break camp like a pro.”
