Series: Seven Brides for Seven Mothers #5
Publication date: April 23rd, 2022
Synopsis:
*All books in this series read as standalones.
Princess Aubrey of Malquar has loved Grady Basset since they were kids. She followed him and her brother around wherever they went; she wrote his name in her diary repeatedly; and she even practiced saying her name with his last name--for years.
Only once has Grady shown any romantic interest, and things did not turn out well.
As the son of the king's secretary, Grady grew up playing with the royal children. He's known them his whole life, and while he's drawn to Princess Bree, he knows that there's no way they can be together. The princess's station is too far above his.
As the captain of the royal yacht, Grady sees Bree often, but in recent months the princess has been rude, belligerent, and an all-around pain in the butt. When unforeseen circumstances have Grady and Bree spending time together on her family's island, things really start to heat up.
Will Grady finally give Bree a chance? Will it be too late?
Find out in the deliciously fun fifth installment of the Seven Brides for Seven Mothers Series.
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Excerpt
As Lu gets up to welcome another guest--one I didn't know was coming--I pull the window sheer to the side and watch as none other than Grady Basset strolls up the front path. He's carrying a bouquet of yellow tulips. What in the world is he doing here?
I'm torn between running out the back door and confronting the man who's been a thorn in my side since, well, forever. Leaving would be the nicest thing I could do for everyone, but suddenly I'm not feeling very generous.
I stride toward the entryway like a general marching onto a battlefield. My shoulders are squared, and my jaw is sticking out so far it leaves the living room well ahead of the rest of me. Lu yanks the front door open. "Grady! We're so glad you could make it."
He's about to hand her the flowers when he sees me. "What are you doing here?" His tone suggests that he's as happy to see me as I am to see him.
"Why am I here?" I put my hands on my hips in fury. "What are you doing here?"
"I was invited." He dismisses me and turns to Lu, offering her the bouquet.
"I was invited, too." Then I tell my soon-to-be sister-in-law, "You didn't mention that Grady would be here. Why is that?"
Before she can answer, Alistair comes out of the back room. He immediately takes in the scene but doesn't seem eager to explain himself. I should have known this was his doing. "Grady, Bree, we're so glad you could join us."
"Yes, well, I'm thinking about leaving, I blurt out.
"Please, let me do the honors."
Grady turns and is nearly out the door when my brother says, "Children, is there any chance you two can act like adults long enough to enjoy lunch? There is a perfectly sound reason we asked you both here. It has to do with this petty feud you have going on."
"Petty feud?" I sputter. "The man picked me up and threw me off a boat. Off a boat! That's not petty, that's... that's..." Words escape me. Barbaric? Contemptuous? Illegal? Apparently, words don't escape me, after all.
"It's the only sensible thing to do when you're being harassed by an annoying child who refuses to grow up." He has no right to be mad at me. I'm the injured party here.
I square off and face him, my hands firmly on my hips. "I'm sorry, Grady." I'm not and nothing in my tone suggests I am. "Are you, or are you not, the ship's captain?" Before he can answer, I tell him, "You shouldn't be entertaining women on my family's boat while you're on duty."
"I had your brother's permission. I did not need yours." His face turns an unnatural shade of red.
Instead of commenting, I abruptly turn toward my brother. "Let's get this over with. I have a million things I'd rather be doing than wasting my time here." Like tending to a den of vipers. I was not raised to be so rude, but Grady Basset brings it out in me.
Lu leads the way into the dining room. I follow begrudgingly, wishing custom and courtesy didn't dictate that I walk in front of Grady. I can't stick my tongue out at him when I'm in front of him.
Once we're all seated and the champagne is poured, Lu raises her glass. "Alistair and I were hoping the two of you would..."
"Aubrey." Grady says my name like he's speaking to the devil himself. "If you act like an obnoxious, spoiled brat, I will treat you like one. But if you can grow up and behave with some decorum, I assure you, you will have no further trouble from me."
"Obnoxious... spoiled..." I'm full-on sputtering. "I'm not the one who threw the daughter of his employer into the ocean. If anyone is being taken to task here, it's you."
"It's both of you," Lu interjects firmly. She looks at Grady. "You cannot toss Bree overboard until after our wedding."
"But he can then? What kind of friend are you?" I demand while picking up my chair and sitting back down in a huff.
"You had it coming, and you know it, Bree. Alistair gave Grady permission to bring a date onboard, so he was in the right, and you were in the wrong."
Instead of answering Lu, I glare at my brother. "As long as you don't let Grady get above himself and treat the yacht like his own, I'll agree." I sound like a petulant child, but I can't seem to help myself.
The room becomes so quiet you could hear a pin drop on a pile of freshly shorn Malquarian wool.
Grady clears his throat loudly. "Princess Aubrey, if it will tame the shrew in you, I promise to never bring another woman onto the boat unless you personally give me permission to do so."
Tame the shrew in me? As if. My life is no Shakespearean comedy. "I'm sorry, Petruchio, but I think you've mistaken me for another."
"Ah, Katherine," he drawls. "I can assure you, I'm not your Petruchio." Everything this man says makes my skin tingle with outrage.
Instead of arguing further, I turn to Alistair. "I'll do my part." I sound like I'm agreeing to a public execution.
"Good." He nods his head once. "But you're going to have to prove it to us before the wedding."
"Excuse me?" Grady and I say at the same time.
Lu exhales loudly. "Alistair and I have decided that before we confirm your status as wedding attendants, you will need to exhibit the fine manners you claim to possess."
"How?" I'd rather eat the rug.
My brother smiles smugly. "Starting tonight, we expect the two of you to accompany us on several outings, both public and private, to ensure that you can be trusted on our wedding day."
"I'm sorry, Alistair, but I have a life of my own which consists of an array of commitments. I'm not going to audition for the role of bridesmaid." How insulting.
Standing up, my annoying sibling approaches the sideboard and collects a small stack of papers. He shuffles them into two smaller piles before handing them to us. "If you have any commitments that aren't on this list, Lu and I would be happy to join you."
"You can't expect to monopolize my time for an entire year!"
"We won't need you for the entire year if you can prove yourselves to us before then. The amount of time it takes is entirely up to you." Lu raises one eyebrow like a stern nun contemplating corporeal punishment.
"How long will it take to do that?" Grady wants to know. His expression is hard to read, but if I had to guess, I'd say that he's as pleased as I am.
Which translates into not at all.
"We've decided ten consecutive pleasant outings should do the trick," Alistair tells him.
"And if we have a minor altercation on the tenth?" I demand.
Lu smiles smugly. "Then you start over."
I slam back my entire glass of champagne in one gulp. "I don't want to be in your wedding that badly."
"What will the king and queen say?" Al taunts. Damn him. He knows our parents would make my life a living hell if they discovered why I wouldn't agree to be in his wedding. There's no way to sell that to the press without making myself a laughingstock.
"What if I don't want to be in your wedding that badly?" Grady interjects.
"You don't think you can do it?" I taunt. Then I look at Al. "There you have it. Grady can't be a gentleman for that many outings in a row. As he's thrown in the towel, we can all go back to our regular lives without any fuss."
"I didn't concede, Aubrey. I was just asking."
"Then back out now so we don't have to jump through these stupid hoops," I tell him.
"I would, if I were the problem. But you're the one who can't stay in her own lane."
Oh, no, he didn't. "Grady Basset, I can accomplish this blindfolded with my hands tied behind my back."
"I think you might need a gag, too," he mumbles.
Alistair refills my glass before raising his into the air. "To both of you being in our wedding!"
While there was once a time that I would have loved to be around Grady that often, that ship sailed years ago. In fact, it didn't just sail, it sank.
Whitney loves to laugh, play with her kids, bake, and eat french fries--not always in that order.
Whitney is a multi-award-winning author of romcoms, non-fiction humor, and middle reader fiction. Basically, she writes whatever the voices in her head tell her to.
She lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with her husband, Jimmy, where they raise children, chickens, and organic vegetables.
Gold Medal winner at the International Readers' Favorite Awards, 2017.
Silver Medal winner at the International Readers' Favorite Awards, 2015, 2016.
Finalist RONE Awards, 2016.
Finalist at the IRFA 2016, 2017.
Finalist at the Book Excellence Awards, 2017.
Finalist Top Shelf Indie Book Awards, 2017.
