The Temporary Wife - By Jeannie Moon Page 0,13
her,” he said. “She’d just be in the house.”
“So why do this? I mean, what’s the benefit . . .”
Then it hit her. It hit so hard, Meg had to hold the back of the chair to keep herself from falling. “Oh, my God. It’s about the money. They don’t want me to have the money.”
He hesitated, obviously disgusted at his parents. “Probably. I don’t know what’s going on. It could be more complicated than that.”
“Complicated? How?” The fact that his parents’ objection to her had to do with money made perfect sense. It always had to do with money.
“Something my brother said the other day got me wondering if my parents are as wealthy as they appear.”
“I don’t understand. How could they not have money? There’s so much of it.”
Jason held the door as they stepped into the hallway and walked toward the elevator. “My parents don’t have any money of their own. My mother hasn’t worked a day in her life, and my father is the CEO of the firm, but he doesn’t really work. He golfs. My brother runs the business, and I’ve gotten some hints that there are problems. Problems caused by my father.”
“Okay, so all the trust funds you guys have? I’m confused.”
“My grandfather started an investment firm and became a millionaire multiple times over. Then he branched out into private equity. The company is worth billions. He started setting up the trusts when my dad was born and then when we were born. He set up Molly’s when Grace was six months pregnant because he was dying. All he wanted was for us to be secure, but he still expected us to put in an honest day’s work. Josh, Grace, and I made our own money. I haven’t touched my trust since I left school.”
“I remember your grandfather. He was a nice man.”
“I don’t know where the hell my father came from. He’s not happy unless someone else is miserable.”
Without knowing what made her do it, she reached for his hand, and Jason held on as they stepped into the elevator. The words were just words, but the tone, the sentiment behind them, made her sad for him. Jason was close to his siblings, Grace especially. He must have been feeling her loss in ways Meg couldn’t understand.
“Meggie.” God, he hadn’t called her that since she was sixteen. Her insides went all soft just hearing it carried in his deep baritone. “I’m not cut out for marriage, not a real one. I work too much, and the way I live my life isn’t conducive to raising a family. I know that. But I will do my best so this isn’t hard for you.”
She dropped his hand and turned toward him, but the warmth lingered. “That’s such bullshit.”
“Excuse me?”
“I’m going to talk to you like an old friend, Jason, so take this the way it’s intended. You decide the kind of life you’re going to lead. No one else. If you want a family, you’ll have one. You’re the smartest person I know. You’d make it work.”
“Do you think I’m making up my crazy hours?” He wasn’t angry, but once again she’d challenged him, and Jason didn’t like to be challenged. Meg was glad. He needed his buttons pushed.
“No, I don’t think you’re making anything up, but I think you’re hiding behind work to avoid having a life.”
Chapter 5
The house in Cold Spring Harbor was set on three acres of mostly treed land, and Meg was amazed how much she loved it. It was large, built in the 1930s, and Jason called it a farmhouse. Well, Meg had never seen a farmhouse like this. It had six bedrooms and seven bathrooms, and a gourmet kitchen that was bigger than the whole main level of her little Cape. But the best part of the house was the sunroom. It was bright and airy and had two sets of French doors, one leading to the rear patio and garden and the other leading to the side porch. To say the house had charm was not enough.
Gwyneth, the interior designer Jason had hired, was fantastic. She was larger than life, with flaming orange hair and a British accent. There was nothing pretentious or snotty about her. For her, good design meant making a house a home, and Meg appreciated the way she helped her through the process of choosing colors and fabrics.
Meg was excited, in some way, to see the house come together, and Gwyneth promised to have