Arranged •{ONC 2020}•

《 Chapter Two 》

"So, that leaves me with," Ashlynn put her roll down and counted on her fingers, "twenty-six days to get married?" The lawyer nodded and she continued, "Excellent! I'll see you at the courthouse in twenty-six days!"

"Ashlynn," Aunt Leah scolded. "Even you know better than to put something of this significance off until the last possible minute. Mr. Deer and I agree that the sooner we get this started, the better."

"Mr. Deer? Your name is Mr. Deer?"

"Of course. I'm one of the founders of Deer & Deer*. Lawyers you trust, lawyers you know." Mr. Deer stared at Ashlynn. "You didn't know?"

"I don't exactly keep up with what's going on in the lawyer world, Mr. Deer."

"Too busy partying," Aunt Leah mumbled under her breath, earning a dirty look from her niece. "Anyways, we need to finalize the funeral and marriage plans. You're welcome to stay—"

"No, thanks. I've got to go figure out who I will be able to tolerate for the next six months. I bet Hana would marry me if I asked." Ashlynn shoved the last bite of her roll in her mouth and quickly made her escape. This time she left the house altogether, deciding to get some quiet time to herself in the garden.

Rays of sunlight cast were starting to warm the air, though they were occasionally hidden behind white clouds that dotted the cerulean sky. The ground was soft beneath her feet from yesterday's rain, but the grass had taken on a brilliant green hue. Probably the last time it did so this year, as September was drawing to a close and taking with it the liveliness of summer.

Ashlynn followed the winding paths farther and farther away from the house, no real destination in mind. Her brain was still too busy trying to make sense of the past week. Wandering aimlessly gave her time to think—and scheme on how she was going to get herself out of this mess. She'd been in some real doozies before, but this most definitely took the cake. She'd never had to get married before.

Marriage. Just the thought of it left a foul taste in her mouth. Growing up, she'd never really seen anyone around her have a happy marriage. Her parents were gone too much for her to see them interact, but whenever they were around, they would be arguing over marketing plans and whatnot. Her great aunt probably had had a happy marriage, but her husband had died shortly after Ashlynn was born, so she never saw them interact. María was single—a wise choice—and Hana had only ever had boyfriends. Maybe if she saw her cousin Jamison with his wife more often, she would feel differently about marriage, but as it was now, Ashlynn didn't think anything good could possibly come from it.

A flash of light drew Ashlynn out of her thoughts, and she found herself standing at the base of a ginormous tree, staring up into its boughs. Squinting, she tried to locate where the flash had come from. A metal bucket was suspended from the branches and had reflected a beam of sunlight. She blinked as it flashed her again, and this time her eyes landed on the crudely built ladder that lead up into the old oak's branches.

Ashlynn remembered this tree. She had spent many an hour playing in the treehouse—more of a treecastle, really—that was hidden in its boughs. After begging her father for months, he finally decided to build a treehouse for her eighth birthday. She'd invited her second-grade class to her house for the party, and they'd spent the majority of the day in the treehouse and woods. Until...

She frowned. Remembering him wasn't going to help her mood get better. In fact, he made her feel even more irritable and confused than before. With one last lingering glance up into the treehouse, Ashlynn turned on her heel and made her way back to the house. She could really go for a drink right about now.

《♡》

It took her a few days, but Ashlynn finally got her drink. Hana Lu and Cassidy Summers sat next to her on barstools at their usual club. The music was loud, the air was hot and humid, and the drinks were ice cold. The perfect recipe for a hangover.