Page 82 of First Bride to Fall
Once lunch was ready on the table, she hobbled out the back door to find Grant. He stood on the stoop, going through his tackle box. A couple of fishing rods leaned against the house, and the storage closet door was open.
“Lunch is served!”
He looked up at her and grinned. “Great.”
He joined her at the table, perusing his plate. “All looks good, thanks.” He took a bite of sandwich and grimaced. He made a chewing motion, then paused and chewed again. “This bacon isn’t cooked.” He spit something out in his hand, and Nell gawked at him, horrified.
“What? Oh no.”
“That’s okay. I’ll just pick it out.” He took the tops off his sandwich halves and began to pick out the limp bacon. He dangled one piece by its end and made a face.
“I’m sorry.” Nell winced. She took a bite of her sandwich and nearly gagged. He was right. It was nasty. She must have done something wrong.
“That’s okay,” he announced. “We still have fish.”
“What?”
He walked to the refrigerator and pulled out a foil packet of leftovers from last night’s dinner. “Want some of this?”
“Um, no thanks.” She straightened her spine. “You know what? I actually kind of ruined my appetite with that croissant you brought me.”
“Well, that’s a shame.” He slapped a cold slab of fish onto his sandwich and put it back together. He sank his teeth into it. “Now that’s a sandwich.”
Her eyes burned hot. It was the first meal she’d made him, and she’d failed at lunch. She’d also failed at that apple bread. Who knew he was allergic to tree nuts?
“Hey,” he said. Then he spoke more gently. “Hey, Nell. It’s okay. Not your fault, really.”
“I’m sorry about the bacon.”
He shook his head. “It’s crap bacon anyway. You want a peanut butter sandwich? I bought crunchy.”
Her heart warmed. “I saw that. That was thoughtful of you.”
“See?” His mouth twitched. “I’m not such a bad guy.”
“Are you kidding? You’re a great guy.”
“Thanks. I think you’re pretty great, too.”
She took a sip from her water, feeling better. Okay, so they’d hit a few minor speed bumps when he’d surprised her with the groceries and his boatload of dietary restrictions. She’d had a few revelations for him, too, about the hiking and camping. So now they were even and could start fresh. Working on their compatibility. “So! We’re going fishing?”
“We?” His brow furrowed. “You want to fish?”
She chuckled at his response. “Well, no. Not me personally.”
He shook his head and kept eating. “Didn’t think so.”
“But I was thinking I’d tag along.”
“What for?”
“To, uh. Keep you company?”
“Aren’t you sweet?” He sighed. “But no. I’m afraid you won’t have time for that.”
Nell was thrown. “What do you mean?”
He pointed to the cleaning bucket in the corner of the kitchen. It was loaded with cleaning supplies. A mop stood beside it, along with a broom that had a dustpan clipped to its handle.
