“Doesn’t give you the right to be rude,” Shelly finished.
“You’re right. I do it just to piss you off. I’d recommend you remember I own every piece of furniture, every rug, every picture, every plate, cup, spoon, fork, everything. It’s all mine. Move one thing without my permission and you’ll regret it. I’m sure you’ve already spent half the morning cataloguing how much everything in your room costs. Just remember, it’s all mine,” she said with a touch of sarcastic whimsy.
“How can you afford to pay the staff and the taxes and the upkeep of this house? You can’t possibly expect Cameron and I to pay for everything.”
“Cameron and I will work it out, since I know you aren’t bringing fifty million dollars to the wedding. You know, when he divorces you after he discovers you’re nothing but a lying bitch, you aren’t entitled to anything he has before the wedding. Not the money, not the house, nothing,” she smiled and started for the door.
“Marti.”
“Cameron,” she shot back, knowing he didn’t want her calling his fiancé a liar to her face, but she didn’t care and kept walking.
Cameron didn’t want to get in the middle of Shelly and Marti, but she’d given him the perfect opening to talk about the expenses for the house. “Wait, we do need to talk about this situation with the house. I’ll pay the expenses for the house and staff, but we need to talk about the living arrangements.”
“You know, it’s amazing how little you know about me. I guess now you’ll never know. I will pay half the expenses for the staff and everything else required for the house. As for the living situation, the west wing is mine. I expect whether I’m here or not, you’ll respect the boundary. As for the contents of the house, I’m serious, not a single candlestick gets moved without my permission.”
“You can’t possibly afford to pay the expenses on the house and property. A place this size costs a fortune to upkeep.”
“How do you know I can’t afford it? Tell me what you know about me. Am I rich? Poor? Middle class? What do I do for a living? How much money do I make? Here’s an easier one: what’s my last name? If you know the answer to even one of those questions, you have the answer you need.”
Those questions were just a few of the things he didn’t know about her.
“Well, Cameron? Who is she?” Shelly asked.
The woman I love. The woman I don’t know nearly enough about because I’ve been too selfish to ask and taking everything I could from her. I know she’s kind and doesn’t give her word unless she means it. I know she loves me. I don’t know who she is, and yet I know everything I need to know about her to fall head over heels in love with her.
I know she loves Emma like a mother should love her daughter.
“Cameron?” Shelly asked.
“She’s right. I don’t know any of those things about her. Not even her last name.”
“You won’t get any of those answers either. At least not from me.”
Surprised, Shelly knew they were attracted to each other and had been dancing around the situation since that night at the restaurant. Still, the hurt and pain in Cameron’s eyes at not knowing the answers to Marti’s questions surprised her. Did he feel that deeply for Marti? If so, that could be a real problem, especially this close to the wedding.
“I don’t know how we’ll live in this house together. What was George thinking when he gave half the house to each of you?” she asked.
Both Cameron and Marti knew what he was thinking: they’d work things out and be together.
“I’ll call you a taxi anytime you’re ready to leave,” Marti said sweetly.
“I’m pregnant and engaged to Cameron.”
“Sure you are, sweetie. Cameron’s the only one who believes that crap.”
“Marti, what’s gotten into you?” he asked, noticing she still looked pale and a little green this morning.
“You, the other night.”
He winced at her words.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Shelly darted glances from her to Cameron.
“Figure it out,” Marti said and walked out the door.
“What did she mean, Cameron?”
“We had an argument the other night. Leave it alone, Shelly.”
Shelly didn’t want to leave it alone. Marti had sunk her claws into Cameron and refused to let him go. Well, she knew