“I’ll be able to see it in her eyes.” He spoke the words with more confidence than he felt, praying they were true. “And I’m hoping it’ll happen before we get married. But don’t worry—I’ll know.”
“HOW WAS WORK TODAY?” asked Grace.
Brad groaned. “It was awful, and I really want to tell you about it, but I can’t, because I promised I wouldn’t. And for once, I actually wish I could help you meddle a little.”
“Really?” Grace asked, her voice rising with her eyebrows. “But you can’t tell me anything?”
“No, I’m sworn to secrecy.”
“We can get around that.” She waved off his words with her hand. “Why don’t you tell me a hypothetical story, using hypothetical names?”
“That seems a bit dishonest.”
“But if you want my help...”
“Okay, but if you figure it out from my hypothetical story, you still can’t repeat it to anyone. I don’t want it getting back to them.”
“Getting back to who?”
“To uhmm... our hypothetical friends, Cherry and Jess.”
Grace grinned. “Go on...”
Chapter Sixteen
“I FEEL LIKE THIS IS getting way too complicated,” Brad complained. “You were supposed to keep it to yourself. Remember? Now everyone knows, and everyone is involved somehow.”
“Not everyone,” Grace soothed. “We didn’t tell my parents or Spencer or Mr. Gherring, even though they could have been helpful. We were afraid they would put the brakes on the whole thing.”
“Did it occur to you they might have been wise in putting the brakes on? Why does it have to be so complex? Why couldn’t one of you girls talk to Charlie? Couldn’t Emily have made her listen to reason?”
“You mean the way she listened to you? Or for that matter, the way Josh listened to you?”
“Okay, fine. We’ll do it your way, but this had better work.”
“It was working fine on the ski trip until Charlie had her accident. We’ve decided the main problem is with Josh.”
“Of course six women would decide it was the man’s fault.”
“Actually, seven women. Gram is helping, too.”
“Arghhh!! I’ve created a monster.”
“Gram’s actually had the most experience. She’s been very helpful, and she’s so creative.”
Brad screamed dramatically, “It’s alive! It’s alive! I’ve created a monster!”
“Shut up!” laughed Grace, shoving him so hard he almost lost his balance. “You only have one job.”
“What’s that?”
“You have to make sure he buys the right ring for Charlie. Emily has some ideas of what Charlie would like. She’s even going to send you pictures.”
“How am I supposed to play this? Do I tell him I asked Emily for suggestions?”
“Sure. That’s fine. I’ll leave it up to you. It’s not like it’s a surprise he’s getting her a ring.”
“And what are you going to do?”