So, I was little wary of this book because I was not a huge fan of Erik, Carter Kelso’s brother. I had some issues with his lack of maturity and how he treated his now girlfriend, Cari.
Fast forward to Carter and Ashley’s story. Finally. We’ve known Ashley for a while and she is quite a controversial character. In Confessions of a Reformed Tom Cat, Ashley and Tom’s off and on, friends with benefits relationship hits the bricks because Tom meets Hailey, ground beef is thrown in a grocery store and the rest is Wingmen history.
Carter is Erik’s older brother and former high school boyfriend of Ashley. To say that she is jaded and cynical is a giant understatement but Carter has decided that he is going to get through the hard outer shell. Carter is single-minded in his goal and he is so very patient with Ashley. It’s refreshing to read a book where the relationship is taken very slowly. Ashley has to be handled with care and Carter is constantly mindful of that, no matter how much he wants her on a physical level. he has loved her for…well forever. Even through his own dalliance and relationships, he has always carried a torch for her. Carter really is a sweet guy and I LOVED him…and his goats.
Let’s talk about Ashley. To be honest, this was Ashley’s book more than Carter’s (for me, at least.) I enjoy a redemption story and normally we get the anti-hero or the bad boy gone good or whatever. Rarely, do we get a story with a hard to like/understand woman who owns her actions unapologetically. Ashley has been labeled the town slut, a label that in a way, she gave into. She grew up with a strict mother and grandmother and was preached to about remaining a virgin and finally rebelled against all of it. Ashley does not apologize for any of her relationships like I said, she owns all of her decisions and does not really care what anyone thinks of her.
What she doesn’t seem to realize is that she is hardly the only person in their small town that scandal revolves around and Carter helps her to see that. It’s lovely to see how she softens with him, lets him in…lets him care for her like only he can.
I guess that redemption isn’t quite the word for what happens with Ashley, it’s not like she did anything terrible…she lived her life on her terms with no apologies. Carter doesn’t want to change her, he loves her for exactly who she is, the woman she has become.
Small Town Scandal is a sweet and funny story of reunited lovers with a bit of redemption thrown in for good measure. Don’t miss it!
“Worried about history repeating itself?” Ashley meets my eyes.
“With you?” Yes, please.
She gives a slight nod in response.
“Never. I’m not some dumb eighteen-year-old kid with his head up his ass. I’m not my father. You’re not your parents. We’re adults now.”
She gazes out over the water for a moment. “I don’t see any, do you?”
“Any what?” I scan the sky.
“Flying pigs.” Her smile is shy and more vulnerable than I’ve seen in years.
I bump her shoulder again with mine. “Stranger things have happened.”
“Says you.” She returns the pressure with her arm against mine with a brief nudge.
“You mentioned dinner? Were you serious?” I circle back to her comment before my random business idea.
“We both gotta eat. Plus, the baristas can close up for me. It’s good responsibility for them to have.”
“You trust them?”
“I do. If they mess up, then it’s a learning lesson for all of us.”
“When did you get to be so wise?” I almost say smart, but she’s always been smart. Definitely has the brains along with the body and the looks. She’s the trifecta. With a cherry on top.
I pick up the stem and then toss it over to the other bench.
“Hey! I thought that was my present,” she protests.
“You want a cherry stem that I’ve tongued into a knot?”
“Your tongue’s been in my mouth, so it’s kind of the same thing.”
We both stare at the stem laying on the concrete in who knows what combination of fluids and dirt.
“I’ll make you another one.”
“I have a better use for your tongue.” She surprises me with a small hop to peck my lips.
We’re going to need some rules of engagement. A SWOT of our own.
First, we need to stick to well lit, public places.
Second, we shouldn’t be alone.
Ten minutes of sitting on a bench together and certain parts of my body are coiled and ready to spring into action, not caring it’s daylight and a few hundred bored people are sitting in their cars with nothing better to do than watch us.
Nah, they’re all on their phones. She could probably straddle me on this bench and no one would pay any attention.
Damn, if I’m not tempted to test this theory.
“Are you coming?” She’s halfway back to the coffee hut.
“I wish,” I mumble, dipping my head and mentally cursing myself for setting limits.
Ashley’s smile says she probably heard me and agrees.
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