Page 61 of For Love or Money
‘Ahappylife,’ she amended. ‘I’m not talking about money.’
‘You could have that with someone your own age.’
‘Maybe. But Peter’s the one I found. I didn’t go looking for this, you know – it just happened. And yes,’ she rushed on, ‘I know that maybe he wouldn’t be marrying me at all if he hadn’t had that health scare. I get that. But hedid, so ... here we are.’
Rafe was silent for a moment, staring into his drink. Then he looked up at her. ‘What if youweretalking about money?’
‘What?’ She frowned. ‘I’m not!’
Rafe heaved a sigh and leaned forward, running a hand through his thick, dark hair. ‘But say you were,’ he said, turning to Stella. She opened her mouth to speak, but he held up a hand to silence her. ‘Just humour me for a moment. If itwasa question of money—’
Surely he wasn’t calling her a gold-digger to her face? Stella couldn’t believe he’d be so upfront about it. She must be mistaken. ‘It’s nothing to do with money!’
‘Just hear me out. There’s no need to act all outraged. You must know it’s what everyone will think.’
She felt herself turning red. No wonder he’d wanted to get her alone. So much for being friends! ‘They can think what they like. It’s not true. Peter and I want to be together, and I don’t care what anyone else thinks. It’s none of their business.’
‘What about his family? Don’t you care what we think?’
‘Well, you can sleep easy if that’s what you’re worried about.’
Rafe picked up his glass, looking down at it as he swirled the whiskey around thoughtfully. ‘So if I were to offer you money and you could walk away right now a rich woman … a richsinglewoman …’ He left the question hanging as he drained his drink with a rattle of ice cubes.
‘You can’t be serious! You’re actually saying you’d pay me off? Give me money to ditch Peter and disappear?’
‘I wouldn’t think badly of you for taking it,’ he said. ‘We’re all very grateful to you for everything you’ve done for Dad. Why shouldn’t you get something out of it?’
She frowned. ‘I didn’t do it in the hope of some cash reward.’
‘Nevertheless, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be compensated. I’m talking about a substantial sum of money. Granted, not as much as you’d stand to get if you were married. But enough that you wouldn’t need to work again. And you’d be free to do as you please. No ties, no obligations.’
Stella was stunned. He was actually completely serious – and just for a second she was tempted. But only for a second. Because it was the ties and obligations that she wanted. She wasn’t marrying Peter for his money, no matter what anyone thought. Of course, there was no denying it would be nice to be rich. But that was just the icing on the cake. There were things she wanted from this marriage that couldn’t be bought – family, roots, a sense of belonging; someone she could depend on to be there for her.
‘So what would you say to me if I were to make you an offer like that? Not that I am, mind. Just hypothetically …’
‘Hypothetically, I’d tell you to shove it,’ Stella said with a little smile, suddenly feeling very calm. There was really nothing Rafe could say to shake her because she wasn’t in the wrong here – he was, and he knew it.
‘Don’t you even want to know how much?’ he asked.
Stella couldn’t help being curious, but she couldn’t admit to Rafe that she had the slightest interest in his offer, not even academically.
‘I’m not bluffing,’ he said, ‘in case you think this is some kind of perverse test of your integrity.’
Stella shrugged. ‘Same answer,’ she said, and took a sip of her drink, burying her face in the glass to hide her smile. She was enjoying thwarting Rafe. She got the feeling it didn’t happen often.
‘Oh well, can’t blame a guy for trying,’ he said, smiling ruefully. ‘No hard feelings?’
19
Aweek later, Rafe’s outlandish offer didn’t seem so easy to dismiss. It was a balmy July evening as Stella sat after dinner with Peter, his brother Michael, his sister-in-law Joy, and his ex-wife Jane in the garden of the Villa Aurore. Cicadas chirped gently in the trees, and the scent of thyme and wild lavender perfumed the night air. The conversation flowed as they passed a bottle of wine around the table and idly nibbled on cheese and fruit from a large platter at its centre.
Peter’s family were entertaining company, and Stella enjoyed listening to them as their stories fed into each other, weaving together seamlessly into the tapestry of their shared history. They were charming and witty, and their obvious affection and happiness at being together was endearing. But she couldn’t help feeling left out, and if Rafe were to repeat his proposition to her right now, she might actually be tempted to take the money and run.
It wasn’t their fault, and she knew they didn’t mean to exclude her. Michael and Joy had been warm and welcoming, and even Jane, whose arrival this morning she had dreaded, had been surprisingly friendly and pleasant – albeit with a hint of effort. Joy had been especially kind, and had gone out of her way to put Stella at ease and make her feel like one of the family. But sometimes it was almost as if they’d forgotten she was there as they talked around her, swapping memories she didn’t share, and drawing on a frame of reference she couldn’t access. She did wonder at times if Jane was doing it on purpose, harping on their shared history to highlight her outsider status. But she told herself she was being paranoid. Jane and Peter were friends now, nothing more. It was only natural that they’d talk about old times when they got together.
Peter wasn’t much help, seeming oblivious to her discomfort. Happy to have an audience, he went into performance mode at every opportunity, hogging the limelight and falling into what was clearly a well-worn double act with Jane as soon as she arrived, the two of them in perfect harmony, as if singing from a hymn sheet only they could see.
So she was looking forward to Al and Lesley arriving in the next couple of days. It would be nice not to be the only new girl in town.
