A Carolina Valentine by Michelle Major

Author:Michelle Major
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HQN Books
Published: 2021-01-25T15:44:02+00:00

CHAPTER FIVE

AIMEE SIPPED HER champagne as she looked around the elegant ballroom later that night. Her stomach was in knots and her jaw hurt from smiling for so long.

Not that the wedding ceremony and reception hadn’t been everything she’d expected. Other than Paul’s snarky ex, everyone in the family was lovely, even his rather gruff father. As she’d imagined from Paul’s description, Grace, his new sister-in-law, welcomed her with enthusiasm, making Aimee feel as though their celebration wouldn’t have been complete without her presence at Paul’s side.

Gretchen, Paul’s older sister, was serious and intense but also wickedly funny with her running commentary about how each person in attendance was part of the dysfunctional family dynamic. She had a quiet husband, Max, who clearly adored her, and two well-behaved elementary-school-age children.

Aimee loved weddings, and the personal touches Grace and Peter had added to their vows had her dabbing at the corners of her eyes. For all her talk to Avery about not caring about Valentine’s Day, she couldn’t help but be touched by the obvious love between the bride and groom. Several times during the short ceremony, her gaze had snagged Paul’s, and the intensity in his hazel eyes made her breath catch.

Part of her wished they were still in the car, which had felt like their own private sanctuary. She’d loved getting to know him, his sense of humor and inherent kindness confirming her good taste in being intrigued by him from the start. She actually hadn’t seen much of him since they’d first gone to their room. It had been obvious that he didn’t like the thought of sharing a room with her for the night. She hadn’t even thought to ask about separate accommodations, but of course he had.

She told herself he was being a gentleman. This was a business arrangement of a sort, and she’d never been the kind of woman to indulge in meaningless intimacy anyway. Especially not with a coworker.

She sighed and smiled at the waiter, who handed her a fresh glass of champagne. Who was she kidding? She had no desire for a fling with Dr. Paul Thorpe because she liked him. More than the general crush that most of the female hospital staff had on him. Yes, he was good-looking but now that she’d seen behind the curtain of his formal physician facade, she liked him even more.

It was going to be horrible if Megan indeed won him in the bachelor auction. The last thing Aimee wanted to do was hear about her roommate going on a date with Paul. Even worse, what if he spent the night at their small house or he and Megan actually got serious? Would Aimee have to move out just to save herself the reminder of what she’d never have?

“Is it as awful as all that?”

She blinked as Paul lowered himself to the empty chair next to her. He’d been seated at the head table with the rest of the bridal party. Aimee had enjoyed the group she’d ended up with for dinner, consisting mostly of Peter and Grace’s college friends.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.