Page 69 of For Love or Money
‘Because you always have a plan.’ He turned to Lesley. ‘We call him the Enforcer,’ he told her.
‘No, you don’t,’ Rafe said.
‘Not to your face.’
‘Who calls me that?’
‘Everyone.’ Scott grinned and took a sip of his drink.
‘No, they don’t,’ Rafe said crossly.
‘Not to his face,’ Scott hissed to Lesley in a stage whisper. Rafe glowered at his brother and she suppressed a giggle.
‘What have you got against her anyway?’ Scott asked.
‘What do you think?’ Rafe said. ‘It’s nothing personal. I just want to protect Dad.’
‘And our inheritance.’
‘What’s wrong with that?’
‘Well, I think she’s brilliant!’ Scott said. ‘So glam. I vote we keep her.’
Rafe gave him a quelling look. ‘Just like that?’
‘Why not? We could do with some sparkle.’ He sipped his Pernod. ‘I mean, granted we’ve got me. But we’re down a bit of feminine pizzazz now that you’ve been dumped again.’
‘I wasn’t dumped,’ Rafe said.
‘That was his news, did you hear?’ Scott said to Al. ‘He’s broken up with Francesca and he’s moving back to Dublin.’
Al nodded. ‘I heard.’
‘Rafe’s a tragic spinster, like Jennifer Aniston,’ Scott said to Lesley. ‘He just can’t seem to hold onto a relationship.’
‘You could say the same about yourself,’ Lesley said.
‘No, I’m more of a George Clooney. I’ll settle down eventually, in my own time. Until then, I feel it’s only right to play the field and give everyone a fair crack of the whip.’
Rafe rolled his eyes at his brother. ‘What does your father think about it all?’ he asked Al.
‘He doesn’t seem that worried. The background check didn’t turn up anything. But I don’t think he really expects the marriage to go ahead, to be honest. He thinks it’s just Peter being Peter and it’ll all fizzle out before anything comes of it.’
‘Right.’ Rafe sighed, leaning back in his chair. ‘Well, where does that leave us? If there’s nothing on her, and she won’t be paid off—’
‘What?’ Scott shrieked, his eyes widening. ‘What do you mean, “paid off”?’ A slow smile spread across his face. ‘Oh my God … you didn’t?’
‘What?’ Al looked between Scott and Rafe. ‘You offered her money?’
‘Yes,’ Rafe said defiantly. ‘I certainly did.’ He sipped his water grumpily. ‘I’d say it’s a sure-fire way to get rid of a gold-digger, wouldn’t you?’
‘I thought the whole idea was to stop her getting her hands on our money in the first place,’ Scott said.
‘It’d be a fraction of what she’d be worth once they’re married. Worth it, if you ask me. If she’d go for it,’ he added with a resigned twist of his mouth.
‘But she didn’t?’
‘No.’ He shook his head. ‘So that’s out.’
