Page 85 of Summer Kisses

"I think we need a plan," Kinsley said, exchanging a look with Ivy.

Ivy gave her a nod before turning her attention to me. "Have you spoken to your grandmother yet?"

Dread formed in my stomach. "Not yet. But I need to."

"She's probably already heard about all of this. You need to talk to her first. And I think she can help us."

"You don't think she's going to be mad that I put on a ring and pretended to be engaged?" I asked them.

Ivy gave me a look. "I wouldn't be surprised if Mabel planted that ring."

The girls all looked at each other and burst out laughing.

When everyone sobered, Elena asked, "Did you ever find out whose it was?"

I shook my head. "But we didn't look that hard for the owner. I was all too eager to pretend it was mine."

Ivy put her arm around me. "A couple of us will go with you to talk to Mabel, and then we'll come up with a plan."

"How can you be so sure that Grandma will want to help me?"

"Because she's a romantic at heart and wanted you and Brady to get together ages ago. She won't want to see you two apart."

I sighed. "If you're sure this is the right move."

"I think it's our only play at the moment.”

For a short time, I thought Brady's family would be mine too, but his dad didn't seem keen on including me. And with everything that had happened, that reality was more out of reach than ever. "I don't have a better idea."

I said bye to my friends. Elena and Ivy volunteered to take me to Grandma's place.

We knocked on the door, and Mabel opened it. "What a nice surprise. Come inside."

"I thought you'd be expecting us," Ivy said dryly.

Mabel nodded as we followed her into the kitchen. "Well, I have heard some things. I hope you've come here to tell me they aren't true."

My stomach twisted. "I wish I could. But unfortunately they are."

"You aren't engaged?" Grandma asked as she moved around the kitchen, filling the tea kettle with water.

"I found that ring on the floor, and then you assumed I was engaged. Brady stepped in before I could correct you."

Grandma's gaze was shrewd. "Why would Brady volunteer to be your fiancé?"

"He has a video-game show, and having a fiancée would help him get the family-friendly designation he needed to gain more credibility and followers. That part of our plan worked."

"And what were you getting out of this arrangement?" Grandma asked.

I shrugged. "You were so happy that I was engaged. We thought you'd enjoy planning a party."

"That's not it," Grandma said.

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

"You wanted to try on that ring to see how it would look and feel. You wanted to be engaged to Brady so you could finally know once and for all if he was the one for you."

My cheeks flushed. "I thought it would be a good opportunity to explore my feelings for him. But it doesn't matter because he doesn't feel the same way I do. He's talking to his dad right now, telling him our relationship isn't real."

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