Page 75 of I Heart Mason Cartwright
Mason
I dragAshLynn through the restaurant and out the side door to the patio. Luckily there aren’t many people out here, so our conversation won’t be overheard.
“You want to tell me why you are continuing with all of this fake wedding bullshit? And in a few weeks?”
“Look, first Daddy got you a job and you totally snubbed him. Now you can’t even be excited for the wedding?”
“AshLynn, we aren’t really engaged! This isn’t real!”
“I know.” She crosses her arms over her chest and pouts.
“Spill it. What is the real reason behind all this?”
“Fine. I’ll tell you. I get my inheritance when I get married.”
“And you can’t find some poor sucker to actually marry you?”
“Not that they will be happy with. You’re older and you have your shit together. They love that.”
“You do see the flaw in your plan, right?”
“What?” she asks.
“We aren’t really together, AshLynn. We aren’t actually engaged, we aren’t in a relationship, and we are definitely not getting married.”
“I know all that.” She rolls her eyes like an annoyed teenager. “I figured we would pretend, I would get my inheritance, and then we could break up.”
“This ends today, AshLynn. I’m not continuing on with this façade any longer.”
“Then I will report you to the police for being a Peeping Tom.”
“Fine, go ahead. I’ll deal with it.”
“Why are you being so stubborn?”
“Why are you being so unrealistic?” I wait for her to say something. Anything really. But she remains quiet. “You aren’t even keeping a foot in reality with this, AshLynn. There is no relationship here.”
“I know that.”
“So, what’s your endgame?”
“What do you mean?”
“How are you getting us out of this? How is this playing out?”
“I just need a few more days,” she says.
“You have until tonight. I don’t care if you do call the police, it’s your word against mine. And I need my life back. I’ve done you more than enough favors. I’ve been patient and done everything you asked of me. We aren’t even friends, AshLynn. We don’t know one another. I’ve done all this as a stranger. Just to be nice. But I’m done.”
“Fine. I’ll figure it out.”
“Tonight.”
“Yes, tonight. Jeez. Can we go eat now?”
I nod.
All four sets of eyes bore into us as we approach the table.
