Page 98 of First Bride to Fall
Misty did:Grant! We want Grant! In his boxers.
Nell’s cheeks burned hot.
Sorry girls. For my eyes only.
Then Misty did something super annoying. She sent back a pic ofherwearing someone else’s boxers! They had little lobsters on them.
Misty! Are those Sean’s?
Misty sent a kiss-y emoji.
Charlotte did, too.
That was so like her sisters to be competitive. And definitely like Misty to be a copycat. Really! Nell knew they loved her, but they obviously couldn’t stand the idea of her taking the lead in winning their bet. If they only knew.
Nell’s heart sank.
For an instant last night during their hose play, she’d found herself wishing that Operation First Bride with Grant had been back on. Then, afterward, he’d been so kind and caring in the kitchen. When she’d surprised him later eating her apple bread, he’d looked so adorably called out it was all she could do to keep from bursting out laughing. Those were the sides of Grant she found herself falling for again—darn it. But no. She needed to stay focused on her goal. She wasn’t trying to win him any longer. Not if he didn’t seriously want her. Her heart ached, and she felt so mixed up inside.
If she could only believe he cared, things would be different. But he didn’t. Otherwise, he wouldn’t still be playing this trying-to-get-rid-of-her game.
Nell sighed and stared at her phone.
The large clock on Nell’s screensaver stared her in the face.
What? Eeep!
It’s almost twelve o’clock.
How had she’d slept so late? She never slept in. Never, never, never. Oh no. She had to get up and get going to stay on top of her plan. Kill him with kindness. Right.
I can’t wait to get up and chop more wood, or whatever it takes.
Okay, except for cleaning the bathroom again.
She probably wasn’t up for that.
Doing the wood floors, either.
But that was fine. The cabin was already spotless. So.
If it came down to chopping wood, she was okay with that. She’d actually liked learning something new, and she’d been really, really great at it.
She pushed back the covers and sat up again, staring down at her ankle. Nice. It wasn’t throbbing or hurting at all. She bent up her knee and reached for the athletic tape, deciding to unwrap it and take a look. When she did, it appeared to be normal.
Well, that’s a good sign.
She placed her feet on the floor next and tried standing. Her right ankle had some residual pain, but it was very minor, so she could probably get by without her ankle being wrapped today. That was good, because she wanted to shower and put on the makeup her sisters had brought her. She couldn’t wait to feel like herself again and wear girly clothes instead of Grant’s sweats or those super-snug running pants.
She gathered her new outfit and bathroom stuff and started toward the door. Beyond it, she could hear Grant milling about in the kitchen.
She laid her hand on the doorknob, then halted, glancing around the room.
All the camping stuff was gone.
…
Grant looked up when Nell opened the bedroom door. “Morning, sunshine! How’d you sleep last night?” He stood at the stove, blackening some fish. Since he was lowering the boom today, Nell would be leaving shortly. No reason she couldn’t enjoy a nice brunch first. Besides that, she’d probably need the sustenance to deal with the tasks he had in store for her.
