I Fell for My Daughter-in-Law’s Grumpy Neighbor, but Thanksgiving Exposed the Awful Truth About Our Relationship – Story of the Day
Living with my son Andrew and his resentful wife Kate was tense. I’d moved in after a slightly exaggerated leg injury, but Kate, seven months pregnant, made it clear I was unwelcome.
I couldn’t help offering advice—correcting her raking technique, pointing out dust, critiquing her cooking. She snapped back, questioning my “injury.” Even the grumpy neighbor, Mr. Davis, seemed miserable.
One evening, Kate suggested I bake a pie for Mr. Davis, claiming he wasn’t so bad and had noticed me. I scoffed, but the next day, he stiffly invited me to dinner.
At his house, conversation was awkward until we bonded over jazz. He hummed a tune as we danced without music. Something shifted; I felt alive. He walked me home, and we shared a gentle kiss. I left smiling.
Soon, Peter (as he insisted I call him) became my world. We cooked, read, laughed—Kate’s barbs no longer stung.
On Thanksgiving, I invited him over. Overhearing him thank Kate for a promised record player in exchange for “putting up with me,” I exploded. It was a setup! Andrew admitted they’d bribed Peter to date me, giving Kate a break from my interference.
Furious, I stormed out. Peter chased me, confessing he’d refused the bribe—he’d fallen for the real me, bossy yet caring. Touched, I forgave him.
From then on, we were inseparable, celebrating every Thanksgiving with that record player spinning our favorite songs, our love deeper than any scheme.
