“My grandma will pay you to marry him,” Ainsley states.
Lucy’s jaw drops open. She snaps it shut and then closes it again. “You…wait.”
She turns to face me. And she’s not glaring at me. Instead, she reaches over and pats my hand—pats it—and says, “Don’t worry. You’ll find somebody someday. You don’t have to pay someone to marry you.”
I’m stunned. She’s pitying me, and she’s worried about my feelings.
I flip my hand over and grasp hers. “It’s not that no one will have me; it’s that I haven’t found someone yet. And my grandma is determined to have great grandkids. She’s put a bounty on the first marriage.”
“You’re kidding.” She glances back and forth between Ainsley and me.
“Nope.” Ainsley and I say at the same time.
We have synchronized headshaking as she looks at us. Her hand is still on mine, and I do nothing to remove it.
“Normally, we wouldn’t be talking about getting married without a first date, but a super-annoying cousin of oursis threatening to marry his equally awful girlfriend.” Ainsley shudders. “I just want someone, anyone, except Preston to win the prize.”
“Why not you?”
Ainsley throws back her head and laughs. “I’m even further from getting married than Miles. I don’t even have a nice roommate to call.”
“Wait, I thought you had another sister. What about her?”
“She wants to finish college first. Besides, she’s only nineteen,” Ainsley says morosely.
“I know people who get married at that age,” Lucy offers helpfully.
I shake my head rapidly. “No, she has a boyfriend, but I would never put that pressure on her.”
“Just me.” Lucy says as she pulls her hand away, and I miss her touch.
“I’m not pressuring you to marry me. Ainsley is.”
Lucy turns to Ainsley. “Thanks for the offer, but Miles will have to find his wife the old-fashioned way.”
Ainsley’s eyes widen. “You mean a mail-order bride? That’s a great idea.”
“No!” Lucy exclaims with a laugh. “I mean by dating!”
I press a hand against my face as I fight a laugh. This night is getting increasingly awkward as we go. I don’t know if I should be embarrassed that I sound incapable of getting a wife, or angry with Ainsley and her uninvited intrusion, or if I should feel guilty about Lucy’s confusion.
“Besides, Grandma is paying the winning couple fifty thousand dollars. Imagine what you could do with that!”
“Yeah, I could finally buy the nice paper towels. Not the cheap, thin things we have in the kitchen.” Lucy mutters the last part, but I still hear her loud and clear.
I reach over and poke her arm. “I like those paper towels.”
She pokes me back. “Nobody likes those. It just means you’re either broke or a cheapskate.”
I clutch my chest. “You’re wounding me!”
“If you find someone to marry and you win that bet, you’re buying the thick paper towels for the house,” Lucy chimes in. Ididbuy the cheap paper towels last time I went to the store.
“It’s not happening,” I say as I glance at Ainsley, who’s looking disappointed.
“You guys won’t even think about it?” she asks forlornly.
“No,” Lucy and I say at the same time. We grin at each other and fist-bump.
