My Not So Wicked Boss by Jennifer Peel

Author:Jennifer Peel [Peel, Jennifer]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-07-30T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nineteen

The last stop on the tour was the amphitheater. It had special meaning to me because of the pergola that sat front and center. I had watched the three best friends I ever had get married under it. It looked a little sad this time of year with dying leaves clinging to the vines. In the summer, it was covered in pink crawling roses, Mrs. Carrington’s favorite.

“Mr. Carrington and Mrs. Carrington were married under the pergola,” I told Miles while he took pictures of it. I stood close by, but far enough away to not be in any of his shots. “It used to be at the country club where they got married, but for their first anniversary, he brought it here.”

Miles lowered his phone. “He’s a romantic.”

“He is.”

“I will have to use that bit of knowledge for my story.” He waved me toward the pergola. “You and Henry get under the pergola, so I can take a picture of you.”

I froze in place. “I can’t stand under it.” And why did he need a picture of me?

Miles rubbed his lips together, confused. “Why not?”

“Because the pergola is kind of like a town legend. Anyone who has ever married under it has never gotten divorced. I don’t want to ruin that kind of mojo.”

Miles walked closer to me and Henry, who had been zipping all over the open space, crawling over and under all the wooden benches that lined the rows of the amphitheater. His fancy clothes had attracted a lot of dirt and his shoes were muddy because, yep, he had to check out the lake. Boy could that kid run fast. Miles barely caught him before it wasn’t only his shoes that had gotten wet.

Miles lightly touched the pergola. “Truly no one has ever been divorced that has married here?”

“It’s true. I know several personally, including Emma, Jenna, and Shelby.”

“But you don’t think you’re as worthy as them to stand under it.” He said it as a statement, not a question, and, wow, it felt like punch to the gut.

I placed my hand on my stomach. “Maybe. They each did it the right way. They got their education and grew up before they decided to raise a baby. And they picked good men.” I absent-mindedly picked one of the dying leaves off the vine. “I could have gotten married here. Mrs. Carrington offered it to me, but I instinctively knew even then it wasn’t going to last. Yet I did it anyway,” my voice cracked. I blew out a heavy breath to stave off unwanted emotion. “Anyway, do you want to head up to the main house and get some cookies?” I needed to eat my feelings.

“Aspen, wait.” Miles grabbed the lapels of his jacket I was still wearing and pulled me closer to him.

Whoa. I knew I needed to quit running away from men and emotional intimacy—more like discover what emotional intimacy even was. It would probably be best, though, to do that with someone who I hadn’t signed a contract with agreeing not to get entangled.

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