Page 31 of Love You Truly

“Sorry. Won’t happen again.”

I expect her to say something about how it won’t happen because this is the first and last time we’ll ever eat ice cream together. I’m well aware of her assertion that this is a one-and-done situation, even if every fiber of my being resents that idea.

“Good. Better not.”

“So tell me about the ‘ugh.’ What was that about.”

“Oh, just that my ex convinced my parents to put us both in charge of the business. Like I need a babysitter. They’ve always liked him, and they want me to get married and have babies. They think I can do both if he’s here to share the burden of the business.”

“They’re your parents. Just convince them otherwise.”

“You don’t know my parents. They’re…unconventional. And Felix figured out how to work them. He’s an asshole, but he’s smarter than I realized.”

“There has to be a legal loophole that would keep him out. He’s not a blood relative, and you’re the rightful heir.”

“My mother said the only thing that would keep him out of my life and out of my business is if I have some other husband to help me run the place. Which isn’t going to happen because I’m done with marriage. Felix saw to that by being the delightful human he is. I’m done with a capital D.”

I don’t know why it disappoints me to hear her say it. It's not like I’m looking for a wife. But there’s something resigned and sad about the way she rules out love. Someone like her—feisty, gorgeous, smart—she should have everything.

“Families can be tough,” I agree.

She tilts her head. “Speaking from experience? I always thought you Corbetts were damn near perfect.”

“Hardly. What makes you think that?”

Mallory shrugs. “I remember back when I was friends with Beatrix, you all seemed so close—there was always commotion and friendly bickering at your house. I envied it, being an only child.”

“You got the bickering part right. We’re still like that today, only the barbs are more real. Mostly them telling me I fucked something up.”

I swallow hard, unsure why I’m admitting this to her, but I’ve watched her drop her facade tonight and it makes me want to show her who I am beneath the shell of what people see.

“Are they hard on you, or are you hard on yourself?” She asks the question quietly, innocently, like it doesn’t pierce through nearly thirty years of truth.

When I meet her gaze, I see a look of understanding that can only be based on experience.

“Both. I guess. I don’t know.” I inhale a full breath of air and let it out. “I just feel like the pretty face who isn’t smart enough to do anything but network and hire people, the job no one else wants.”

“That’s not how I see you, for what it’s worth.” She shrugs, but I want to tell her it’s worth a hell of a lot. Instead, I just nod.

The night sky is dark all around us—not just overhead. That’s the beauty of the vast area of open land where we’re lucky enough to live. It means I don’t even have to look up to see a shooting star drop right out of the night sky in front of us.

“Did you see that?” Mallory gasps. There’s no denying the magic of something bigger and brighter charting a path through the sky. I’m grateful for the change of subject.

“I did. It’s good luck.”

She lets out a long exhale. “I’m gonna take your word for it. I need a little luck right now if I’m going to get things straightened out so I can do what I know is right for Autumn Lake.”

She brings her fingers to her temples as though the conversation gives her a headache. Reaching for her, I grasp her fingers and lower them so I can see her face. I don’t let go of her hands. Looking down, Mallory studies our connected fingers, but she doesn’t pull away.

“Maybe you shouldn’t be so quick to dismiss the marriage idea.” I say it before I can talk myself out of it. And I should have talked myself out of it.

“What?”

I don’t explain my thoughts about her being deserving of love because we barely know each other. Instead, I offer brevity. “Don’t let Felix spoil the ideal of what marriage could be, is all.”

She nods slowly. “Yeah. Maybe.” Her expression is wary, and she withdraws her hands. “Anyhow, Mary—you met her at the pub—thinks I should play hardball and marry someone else so Felix will have no choice but to buzz off.”

She rolls her eyes. Maybe it’s petty jealousy, but the idea of her marrying someone else grates at me. And getting rid of her ex feels like the Holy Grail.

---