An Unexpected Bride

by Shadonna Richards

[Cocktails and Books]

Emma Wiggins has been focused on two things: her grandfather's failing health and her job at Fletcher Advertising Corporation. But when the doctor's tell her her grandfather only has days to live, she breaks down and tells one little lie hoping to ease his mind into his next life. See, her grandfather doesn't want Emma to be alone and he fears that when he passes, she'll only live for her job. So, on his deathbed he tells her of his wish for her to be married, just like Mr. H's (his next door neighbor) daughter had done. So Emma told her little white lie and said she was engaged. When pressed for a name, she said the first name that popped into her head: Evan Fletcher, her boss and the man she has a huge crush on.

Evan Fletcher has grown his little company into a large competitor. With the help of his junior account exec, Emma, he's landed a huge account with Weddings R Us. So what if he doesn't believe in the institution of marriage or commitment for that matter. When Emma tells him that she told a small fib and said that they were getting married, in a week, he at first thought Emma was crazy. But he agrees to go along with the fact marriage. Evan would do just about anything for his junior account exec, because he can't stop thinking about her and thinks he may even be in love with her, although he has no plans to act on those feelings. He wasn't going to fall victim to the Fletcher curse.

The story was cute. You immediately like both Emma and Evan and hope they can get out of their own way to find the happiness they each want with the other. Emma was stuck on the lie that she told and how she was going to confess to everyone involved that it was all a hoax, especially to Evan who thought they were pretending to get married rather than actually marrying. Evan was stuck on the Fletcher curse and denying the feelings he had for Emma, because he didn't want to end up like the mend in his family.

The story did seemed rushed at times, but that didn't detract too much from the story.