bill. Sadly, none had. If only Roman hadn’t cheated on her! Or better yet, Magnolia wished to the depth of her soul that she would’ve realized earlier that Roman was a louse … before wasting an entire year dating him.
“It’ll be okay,” Lexi soothed.
“I hope so.” Magnolia pushed out a hard breath. “If my grandmother were still alive, I’d give the old bat a piece of my mind. This whole thing is so absurd! I still can’t believe I’m being forced to marry for money.”
Lexi gave her an astute look. “Technically, you don’t have to marry anyone.”
Magnolia’s eyes rounded. “I do if I want to get my ten-million-dollar inheritance!”
“I understand,” Lexi said calmly, holding out her hand. “Hopefully, tonight’s date will be the start of something great. The guy I’m fixing you up with is solid, a salt-of-the-earth type.”
“Good,” Magnolia said, squaring her jaw. “That’s what I want. I’m sick of the country club types.” She felt like she was two parts of a person—from her mom, she’d inherited the desire to be carefree and unencumbered by social expectations; from her dad, she learned just how rigid social pressure could be. She searched Lexi’s face. “How much does this guy know of my situation?”
“Zilch. I thought it would be best for you to tell him.”
Magnolia’s stomach tightened as she nodded. “That’s probably wise.” A dry laugh riddled her throat as her hand encircled her neck. “I guess I should at least make sure he’s decent looking … and that we somewhat get along.” Even as the words left her mouth, she cringed inwardly, not wanting to contemplate what she’d been reduced to. It was on the night of her twenty-first birthday that Magnolia’s father sat her down and explained the terms of her late grandmother’s trust. As the only child and grandchild, Magnolia was set to inherit ten million dollars on the express condition that she get married by her twenty-seventh birthday. Furthermore, she was to stay married at least five years and have a child. When Magnolia first heard the terms, she laughed until her insides were sore. The idea of being forced to marry to fulfill the terms of her controlling grandmother’s trust seemed ludicrous, not to mention archaic. Magnolia thought she could find a way out of it. She had many tearful conversations with her father about it. While he expressed sympathy for her situation, there was nothing he could do. Her grandfather was nearly as hard nosed as her late grandmother, so it wouldn’t do any good to talk to him about it. He was completely on board with his late wife’s wishes. As time went on, Magnolia came to the painful conclusion that her grandmother’s will was ironclad. Carol Bentley, heiress to one of the largest fortunes in the US, had paid an army of attorneys to make certain of it. It would seem that her cool and aloof grandmother had found a way to control Magnolia from the grave.
Magnolia’s only consolation was knowing that she had five years to find the right man. The years had flown by faster than she’d ever thought possible. She finished college and got a job as chief editor for Dress to Fit, a well-known fashion and lifestyle online magazine. Just when she thought life couldn’t get any better, she met Roman Abbott. Handsome and charming, Roman was everything that Magnolia thought she always wanted. Roman’s infidelity not only left her furious, but even worse, without a fiancé … right before the ominous deadline.
Roman hadn’t known about the trust. Magnolia had never found it necessary to tell him. She wanted him to love her for her, not the money. She’d planned to break the news to Roman after they were married. Now, it was a moot point.
At this point, Magnolia’s hand would be forced, and she’d have to tell whatever guy she got engaged to the full truth. With any luck, they could strike a bargain. She merely needed a body to fill the space. Well, not just a body, but someone classy enough to put up a good front. The trust dictated that her grandfather and Eric Stanford, the attorney over the estate, both approve of Magnolia’s choice for a husband.
Would this guy that Lexi was setting her up with be the solution to her dilemma? If he were as salt-of-the-earth as Lexi claimed, then he might balk at the idea of marrying for money. After all, not everyone could be bought. Magnolia was ashamed of having to