Read Online Nerd Gone Wild by Vicki Lewis Thompson - Free Book Online
Authors: Vicki Lewis Thompson
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there?”
“Doesn’t matter,” Betsy said. “There’s still stuff to take pictures of. Wolves in the snow would make a dandy picture. Once the storm’s over, you’ll find plenty to do.”
“Wolves are on the top of my list.”
“Not mine,” Mitchell muttered under his breath.
She couldn’t blame him for feeling grouchy. He hadn’t had the best of circumstances so far on this trip. First the blizzard, and then she’d embarrassed him in public, and now his only hot meal was something that smelled okay but probably tasted disgusting. On top of that, Mitchell had more disappointment coming in the form of rejection, once Betsy left the kitchen.
Betsy pulled up her hood. “I’m off, then. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” She laughed. “And that means your options are wide open. Don’t wait up for me, either. When Clyde and me get to fighting, it can go on a long time. He’s one stubborn idiot.” Betsy started out of the kitchen, her boots landing heavily on the wooden floorboards.
Mitchell leaned toward Ally. “Listen, before this charade goes any further, I want you to know that this business about me being interested in you has been—”
“I forgot something!” Betsy clomped back into the kitchen. “If you should need ‘em, I keep condoms in my bathroom medicine cabinet.”
Ally’s jaw dropped. She didn’t dare look at Mitchell, who was making a choking sound, as if he’d just swallowed his tongue. From the corner of her eye she saw him reach for his beer.
With her hood up, Betsy was probably oblivious to their reaction. “My bathroom’s through there.” She pointed to a door beside the stove. “It’s open, so help yourselves. I have plenty. Now I’m
really
leaving.”
Ally held her breath until she heard the front door open and close. Then she let it out in a rush. “Whew.” She sneaked a glance at Mitchell. “You okay?”
“Um, sure.” He cleared his throat and shifted in his chair. He was gripping his fork so tightly that his knuckles were white. “Ally, things are getting way out of control, here. I want you to know—”
“No, let me go first.” She looked into his eyes. “I’m afraid you’ve wasted your trip. I’m so sorry that you came all the way up here. I wish you’d mentioned this before I left, and we could have cleared it up then.”
“Ally, let me say something. I—”
“Don’t say it, Mitchell. It will make no difference. Although I appreciate everything you’ve done for Grammy and for me, I don’t think you and I are destined to be… I mean, you have wonderful qualities, and I’m sure that someone else would be honored if you—”
He put down his fork. “I’m not interested in you, Ally.”
She blinked, taken aback. To her surprise, she felt a little disappointed. Having him charge up here out of lovesickness had given her a bigger ego boost than she’d thought. But now he’d claimed he wasn’t interested, so that was the end of that. She couldn’t call him a liar.
Then she figured out what was going on. He was rejecting her before she could reject him, to save his pride. Fine with her. Let him take whatever way out suited him.
“I must have misunderstood,” she said. “Jet lag messes everyone up, doesn’t it?” She gave him a big smile to show that they could move on and forget all about this awkward situation. At least now that he realized there was no hope, he would leave once the blizzard was over.
“I told Betsy I was interested in you in order to sidetrack her. She seemed determined to get me into that Murphy bed.”
“She sure did!” Ally managed a hearty laugh, although she felt sort of depressed that he could so easily come up with a cover story to explain away his obvious infatuation. “That Betsy’s hot to trot, isn’t she? Okay, time for one of us to test this moose-meat pie!” She stuck her fork into the mixture on her plate, which looked a lot like beef pot pie.
“You don’t believe me.”
“Of
“Doesn’t matter,” Betsy said. “There’s still stuff to take pictures of. Wolves in the snow would make a dandy picture. Once the storm’s over, you’ll find plenty to do.”
“Wolves are on the top of my list.”
“Not mine,” Mitchell muttered under his breath.
She couldn’t blame him for feeling grouchy. He hadn’t had the best of circumstances so far on this trip. First the blizzard, and then she’d embarrassed him in public, and now his only hot meal was something that smelled okay but probably tasted disgusting. On top of that, Mitchell had more disappointment coming in the form of rejection, once Betsy left the kitchen.
Betsy pulled up her hood. “I’m off, then. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” She laughed. “And that means your options are wide open. Don’t wait up for me, either. When Clyde and me get to fighting, it can go on a long time. He’s one stubborn idiot.” Betsy started out of the kitchen, her boots landing heavily on the wooden floorboards.
Mitchell leaned toward Ally. “Listen, before this charade goes any further, I want you to know that this business about me being interested in you has been—”
“I forgot something!” Betsy clomped back into the kitchen. “If you should need ‘em, I keep condoms in my bathroom medicine cabinet.”
Ally’s jaw dropped. She didn’t dare look at Mitchell, who was making a choking sound, as if he’d just swallowed his tongue. From the corner of her eye she saw him reach for his beer.
With her hood up, Betsy was probably oblivious to their reaction. “My bathroom’s through there.” She pointed to a door beside the stove. “It’s open, so help yourselves. I have plenty. Now I’m
really
leaving.”
Ally held her breath until she heard the front door open and close. Then she let it out in a rush. “Whew.” She sneaked a glance at Mitchell. “You okay?”
“Um, sure.” He cleared his throat and shifted in his chair. He was gripping his fork so tightly that his knuckles were white. “Ally, things are getting way out of control, here. I want you to know—”
“No, let me go first.” She looked into his eyes. “I’m afraid you’ve wasted your trip. I’m so sorry that you came all the way up here. I wish you’d mentioned this before I left, and we could have cleared it up then.”
“Ally, let me say something. I—”
“Don’t say it, Mitchell. It will make no difference. Although I appreciate everything you’ve done for Grammy and for me, I don’t think you and I are destined to be… I mean, you have wonderful qualities, and I’m sure that someone else would be honored if you—”
He put down his fork. “I’m not interested in you, Ally.”
She blinked, taken aback. To her surprise, she felt a little disappointed. Having him charge up here out of lovesickness had given her a bigger ego boost than she’d thought. But now he’d claimed he wasn’t interested, so that was the end of that. She couldn’t call him a liar.
Then she figured out what was going on. He was rejecting her before she could reject him, to save his pride. Fine with her. Let him take whatever way out suited him.
“I must have misunderstood,” she said. “Jet lag messes everyone up, doesn’t it?” She gave him a big smile to show that they could move on and forget all about this awkward situation. At least now that he realized there was no hope, he would leave once the blizzard was over.
“I told Betsy I was interested in you in order to sidetrack her. She seemed determined to get me into that Murphy bed.”
“She sure did!” Ally managed a hearty laugh, although she felt sort of depressed that he could so easily come up with a cover story to explain away his obvious infatuation. “That Betsy’s hot to trot, isn’t she? Okay, time for one of us to test this moose-meat pie!” She stuck her fork into the mixture on her plate, which looked a lot like beef pot pie.
“You don’t believe me.”
“Of
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