Marriage By Contract

Chapter 29: Mystery Garden

SHOUT TO: 

She was the first to comment down CORRECTLY the name of the song I was referring to in the previous chapter. t was indeed Shawn Mendes- Stitches.

Congrats Anarissia:)

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"I think you should really eat something, nutrition plays a vital role in your recovery."

Susan gave me a look, the type of look my mom would give me. "But I'm doing just fine." And that was the truth. After Jason left, I managed to freshen up, brushing my teeth and taking a shower. I even pressed my hair. Believe it or not, I'm recovering just fine, physically that is. I'm just not hungry. Susan pushed the plate containing the grilled cheese sandwich back towards me. I wasn't going to lie, the sandwich did look tempting. The oozing cheese between the two pieces of grilled bread looked so good. 

"Eat," Susie urged. "Or you're not leaving this kitchen." She placed both hands on her hip and gave me a stern look. I almost believed she was my mom or something. There's no point in even arguing. It was either I eat the stupid sandwich or Susan would shove it down my throat. I took a little nibble and swallowed. Maybe my mind wasn't thinking right after being out for 3 days, but that small intake of the cheese made my stomach growl. I bit into the sandwich, this time taking a fairly large amount. It was so delicious. After clearing the plate, I asked for more. Susan was obviously pleased with herself. She grinned and gave a movement that almost resembled a bow.

I pushed the chair back and thanked her. She truly was a friend and she knows me well. It's still crazy though, how I've known Mary for all my life yet I feel like I've known Susan just as much. After exiting the kitchen, I walked around the house, hoping my mind wouldn't think too much. If I thought, I'll remember, and if I remember I'm most certainly will end up crying. A made a left turn down a hall I didn't seem to recognize. It seems to be I'm discovering new places in this house day by day. I came upon a landing that had a glass wall, almost like a sliding window. I've never seen anything like it before. From where I stood, I could see little flowers and huge trees grazing a pathway. I managed to open the glass wall- window which surprisingly was very easy to open. There were two little buttons on the wall, the size of a doorbell. One was green that had a picture of the window sliding open and the other was red, showing the window closed. I pushed the green button, and the glass opened with ease. Outside the path was stone steps, curving beyond my vision. Beautiful shrubs lined one another as I walked past. This must be the garden Susan told me about. It was truly beautiful. Eventually, the small path led out to a huge opened field of flowers. Trees that looked hand-made covered the place here and there, but nothing too much. It was all so beautiful. There was grass so green it made me distaste the front lawn. Everything looked so magical, like some kind of fantasy. A small pond stood in the center of it all, catering the small fishes inside it with water and a home to live. I almost expected singing birds and a deer to come out of nowhere. It was the kind of garden I read in books, a place a princess would walk alone or smell the roses. I sat on a wooden bench staring. There were different stones leading to different parts of the garden. Some were right, others were left. I even saw paths that were straight ahead. This must just be the center. Where this pond lays. It looked fake but in a good way. Like the place was too good to be true.

"I see you've discovered my hideout." I gasped and turned towards the voice.

Nick beamed with a smile as he folded the newspaper in his hand. Seriously, who reads the newspaper?

"'Your" hideout?" I questioned, emphasizing the your.

His smile never left his lips as he continued to talk. "I guess you're right, this place belongs to the Parkers- you and Jason." 

I stiffened. He just identified me as a Parker. I'm still Jones, no matter what anyone says and no matter what stupid contract states. I am Lola Jones. Period.

"Correction, Miss Jones," I stated loud and clear. He was clearly confused and I could see that. 

"Are you and Jason not married, I thought-"

I gave him a look that made him stop talking. I really missed Richard. Richard never pestered me with questions, or maybe I'm just on edge lately. I don't think Nick knows what happened to me a few days ago. It's just Jason and Susie and honestly, I'd like to keep it that way. Nick just isn't....I don't know.

"Well, I'm very sorry for the inconvenience. Perhaps you'll enjoy the garden more without my presence?"

I nodded almost too quickly. "Nothing to be sorry for, but some privacy would be nice." I tried to sound nice. He bowed, the same way he did when my family came over for dinner. 

"Nick I'm rich, not royal. Ease off with the curtsy."

He smiled before shifting the paper in his hands to the other arm. "Yes, but I used to serve a royal family- back in England. I guess bowing is a habit I've developed."

I took this in. "You mean like...the queen of England?"

Nick nodded. "Yes." He left soon enough leaving me thinking why exactly he stopped serving a royal family. Nick doesn't look like the type of person who's been around anything fancy. He looks like a plain ole' guy in a suit. I sighed and rested my head on the bench. If only I could stay here forever. Everything was so peaceful and quiet. Even the hard bench made out of wood was comforting in a unique way. I stayed on that bench for hours, sometimes picking flowers nearby and smelling them. Once it started getting dark, I headed back inside. I was genuinely happy that I got to spend the day in peace, not thinking too much or crying. Once I got back inside, Susan immediately began questioning me on where I was and why didn't I come eat lunch. I shrugged.

"I was in the garden."

Susan's face softened. "Really? You've seen it? It's truly beautiful isn't it?"

I nodded hoping the movement of my head going up and down would answer her questions. "I never saw it when I was touring the place, but I just stumbled upon it."

Susan was in awe. "It really is gorgeous."

I looked around. "Yeah, it's something," I mumbled. "Okay, I'm going upstairs."

"Wait, Jason was looking for you. After I told him I didn't know where you were, he told me to tell you he wants to talk to you."

"Talk to me?"

"Yeah, something about it being important."

I scoffed. "Okay whatever, good night." I turned to leave but stopped.

"Aren't you going to have dinner?"

"No thank you. I'm fine." 

Susan was hesitant so I quickly rushed up the stairs before she had a chance to say anything else. There's no way I'm talking to Jason. If he wanted to talk about whatever it was that's so important, he can go to Jessica. Afterall, she said she wanted to talk to him too and it was urgent. They both deserved each other. After her little text, Jason immediately left the house. Just shows how important she is to him. I entered my room and closed the door. I felt like crying. Maybe it was because I was thinking again and horrible thoughts were flooding my mind. Or maybe it was the fact that Jason and Jessica still had something going on between them. And as much as I hate to admit it, it was making my heart ache.

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Sorry, I know this was a bit of a short chapter, but I promise to make the next one longer.