And there wasn't a damn thing he could do to stop it.
NINE
Riley
Riley woke up Sunday morning determined to be productive.
Family dinner wasn't until tonight, which meant she had the entire day to help her mom prep, run errands, and absolutely not think about how Grant was going to sit at her family's table and pretend to be her boyfriend.
It's fine. You've got this under control.
She did not, in fact, have this under control.
By mid-morning, Riley had been enlisted into full kitchen duty—chopping vegetables, peeling potatoes, and enduring her mother's endless stream of questions about Grant.
"So things are going well with you two?"
"Yeah, Mom. They're good."
"He seems happy."
"He is."
"So are you."
Riley kept her eyes on the carrots. "I'm always happy when I'm home."
"That's not what I mean." Carol handed her another cutting board. "You're lighter. Like you're not carrying around all that city stress."
"You mentioned that, Mom. It's just a vacation though."
"Mm-hmm." Her mom's smile was entirely too knowing, but she didn't push.
Around noon, Carol shooed Riley out of the kitchen. "Go run to the store for me. I need cream for the potatoes and I forgot to grab it yesterday."
Riley grabbed her coat, grateful for the escape.
The Pine Valley Market was busier than usual—apparently everyone had last-minute dinner emergencies. Riley navigated through the crowd, grabbed the cream, and was heading toward checkout when someone called her name.
"Riley Monroe! Oh my goodness!"
Riley turned to find Mrs. Ames beaming at her from the dairy section, wearing a holiday sweater covered in sequined reindeer.
"Hi, Mrs. Ames."
"I saw the pictures from your reunion! You and Grant look absolutely wonderful together."
"Oh. Thank you."
"We're all so thrilled you two found your way back to each other." Mrs. Ames clasped her hands together. "True love always finds a way, doesn't it?"
Riley's smile felt plastic. "I guess so."
"Have you set a date yet?"
Riley blinked. "A date?"
"For the wedding, dear!"
