Page 13 of Marrying Off My Husband

Louise bit into her celery stalk with a chuckle. “Are you saying you don’t?”

“No, but…I could stay home more often.”

“Spence, you stay home enough. You can’t sit in your house alone all the time.”

“Well, I can,” I answered. “And I know I don’t go out enough for your taste, that’s why your new partner should love outings.”

She poked the leafy end of the celery at me. “Astute observation, Spence. What else?”

“Uhh, he should enjoy trying new things. You always like trying new things.”

“And you always hate it,” she answered, playfully.

“Well, I don’t hate it, but…I don’t want to bungee jump or…run with the bulls.”

“Hey, I don’t want to run with the bulls. But I do like a man who loves a grand adventure. I mean, isn’t that the point of this?”

I shrugged, taking another sip of my drink. “The point is tolivethrough all of it, though.”

She clicked her tongue at me. “Oh, Spencer. Okay, well, it seems like you’re doing well so far. Did you come up with anything else?”

I stirred my drink with my celery. “Maybe I should keep some things secret.”

She grinned at me, her nose wrinkling. “Planning on surprising me, are you?”

I refused to look at her, afraid she’d see the uncertainty in my eyes. “Maybe.”

“Well, I certainly look forward to all those surprises.”

I scrunched my brow, snapping my gaze to her. “Wait a minute, I thought you told menotto do this? This morning, you raced out of here yelling at me with all that Southern sass that I was not authorized to do this.”

“I know what I said. But you know I’m a grump in the morning, darlin’. You shouldn’t think anything of it.”

“Oh, right,” I said playfully, letting my head fall back against the chair’s mesh. “Another thing to add to my list about you.”

“Not a morning person,” Louise said with a giggle. “That’s an important one.”

“Indeed.”

I sipped my drink again as a light breeze swept past us, ruffling Louise’s fiery hair and rippling the water in the pool.

“Well, sounds like you’ve got your end all figured out.”

I reminded myself that I wasn’t going to back down. I lifted my chin and nodded. “Pretty much.”

“Well, that’s excellent.”

I started to worry I’d lost my mind. Why was Louise suddenly agreeing with me?

I slid my eyes sideways, trying to figure out if she was mocking me or not.

She twisted toward me, a coy expression on her face. “So, when can I expect to start dating?”

“Oh, uh–” I stared down into the red concoction in my glass. “Shouldn’t be long. I’ve pretty much got things figured out.”

“Well, you just let me know, sugar.”

My insides twisted into a knot. Was she trying to use reverse psychology on me? Was she agreeing just so I’d back off?

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