Total pages in book: 154
Estimated words: 142664 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 713(@200wpm)___ 571(@250wpm)___ 476(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 142664 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 713(@200wpm)___ 571(@250wpm)___ 476(@300wpm)
“And yet, the man you knew so well did what he did.”
How the hell does he have a point? What the hell? I tried to concentrate on my juvenile meal for a bit while he ate his fancy salmon and risotto or whatever it was. “Why aren’t we eating the same thing?”
“Because that’s what you like. Why would I force you to eat what I like or vice versa?” He thinks like me, I think, but there’s something different about his way. “It’s only Thursday; you’ve got one more day to decide; no rush.” Yep, I’m convinced. He's nuttier than a fruitcake.
Okay, I’ll play along. “A marriage between us wouldn’t work. My job is on the other side of the country from yours, and I have no intentions of quitting.”
“I own my company, remember? I can work from anywhere.”
Out of the night, someone approached the table and handed him a folder, which he handed over to me. “What’s this?”
“Open it!” I flipped it open, and there were sheets of embossed paper inside, along with a Mont Blanc pen. “I’ll give you some time alone.”
As soon as he stood from the table, the outdoor sconces came on and lit up the balcony. I flipped through the papers and scanned most of them before going back to read them. “Are you insane?” I looked around, expecting him to be somewhere close by, but there was no one out there other than me.
There was a prenup included in the papers he’d given me, but not the usual kind you would expect. His consisted of, if after one year of marriage, I wasn’t satisfied, we could have the marriage annulled, and I would walk away with five million dollars free and clear.
That was it. There was nothing about him protecting his assets or anything else about money at all. There were also listings of homes, if you can call them that, in my local area or close to it. I looked up and around again. Some of those places I had looked at before.
I’m one of those people who like to drive around at holiday time to see other people’s decorations. It gives me joy. How the hell does he know? There was one house in there that I had salivated over since I was a kid, but it’s been owned by the same family since before Sherman went through the South on a tear.
I’ve toured that place I don’t know how many times since it’s been on an antebellum tour since I was about six or seven. There is no freaking way, this bastard. “I’d marry you for the house alone.”
“It’s a deal.” I almost jumped out of my seat when his voice came out of the dark before he walked back to the table.
“I was kidding.”
“I was not.” I looked around for help from this lunatic, but his staff was nowhere to be found.
“Your brothers are here.”
“What? Where?” I looked around but saw no one. “You don’t seem upset.”
“Why would I be? They’re just being protective of their little sister. I just have to prove to them that I can take over from here.”
No sooner had he said it than there was a door clanging open somewhere, and I looked up to see not only the boys but Mom, even Dad, was here. Seeing him reminded me of what I had done to his wife and her banshee crotch goblin. That seems like a whole other lifetime.
Shit, because of this one, I’d missed out on all the fireworks. I figured I should keep my wits about me now, though, because he was slippery. “Gentlemen!” He greeted my brothers and Dad, then led them back inside, leaving Mom and me alone.
“Mom, what’s going on?”
“I wish I knew. All I know is we all received a dossier on your beaux, from school records to his holdings and SEC rating.”
“You’re not serious.”
“Yup, your brothers had to explain some of it to me, but that’s it in a nutshell.”
“I didn’t even know you were seeing someone else. I just found out about Denny because your brothers had to explain to me what this was all about.”
“We’re not seeing each other; I met him once at a business meeting out of town. In fact, that was the day I came home early and found Denny in bed with Lacey.”
“Divine providence.”
“What?” She was nodding her head like that made sense.
“I’m not going to tell you what to do, but when your stars align, you should pay attention.”
“Mom, what the hell?” How could she still be such a hopeless romantic after what Dad had done to her?
“Some things are just meant to be. Like your father and I.”
“Come again? You mean the man you divorced?”
“That’s just one part of our story, love. He was and still is the love of my life. And I have you kids as a daily reminder.”