Page 135 of Just Another Silly Love Song

“Of course, you do. It’s Grandpa Wayne. Who do you think you’re fooling?”

“Ah, shucks,” Grandpa Wayne said. “You’re on to me.”

“I’ve known your voice for forty years. Plus, there aren’t many eighty-year-olds getting married.”

“Well, there should be. They’re missing out.”

“Are you really going to propose to my grandmother?” Lori asked.

“What can I say? The woman is a thief, and she stole my heart.” He chuckled.

Lori smiled. “Well, if you wanted your proposal to be a surprise, you just ruined it since she listens to this show every morning. What were you thinking?”

“I disguised my voice and changed my name,” Grandpa Wayne said. “I didn’t think you would know it was me. I learned the trick from her.”

I cocked my head to the side. “You disguised your voice? But you sound exactly like you.”

“Hmm. That’s odd. What about now? Do I sound different?”

I chuckled. “Still the same, Grandpa.”

“I guess Hollywood won’t be calling me anytime soon.”

“Let’s talk about the proposal,” Lori said. “My grandma likes big gestures, so why wait until next month to propose? You can do it right now on the radio since she’s listening, and you’ve basically said you’re going to do it.”

No!Bad idea!

“Great idea!” Grandpa Wayne said. “How do we get her on the radio with me?”

“We can take care of that for you right now!” Lori said, smiling at me.

I cleared my throat, thinking of a way to stop this from happening. “Now? There’s no reason to rush into this.”

Grandpa Wayne chuckled. “I’m not getting any younger, you know. Let’s do it.”

“Wonderful!” Lori jumped up and down in her seat. “I’ll get my grandma on the phone. Hang on.” She grabbed the extension in the studio next to her and dialed her grandma’s number.

“Yeah,” I said. “Wonderful.”

I’m sure my enthusiasm ranked right around zero on the enthusiasm meter, but I had my proposal all planned out. The ring was right next to me inside my headphone case. I had flowers in the cupboard below. Debbie, the receptionist, was hiding in Jim’s studio across from us, ready to take a video of the moment.

How could I do it now when Grandpa Wayne was going to?

I didn’t want to steal his thunder.

“Hey,” Lori said. “You’ve got dead air.”

I looked up and grinned. “I was hypnotized by your beauty.”

She shook her head. “Nice try. You’re trying to get another free mocha.” She held up her finger and stepped away from her microphone with the phone. It looked like she may have gotten ahold of Joyce, but I would find out soon enough.

“While Lori gets Joyce on the line, do you know what you want to say to her?” I asked.

“I don’t need to think too much about that,” Grandpa Wayne said. “I’ve watched plenty of Hallmark movies and know I need to speak from the heart.”

I chuckled. “Good to know.”

Lori waved to me and pointed to the control board. “Okay, we have my grandma Joyce on line six.”