The Pre-Nup (3 page)

“Tonight? Really?”

He didn’t have to sound
so
startled. “Why not? Surely they don’t expect you to work all weekend?”

“Well, no, but I figured since it’s such a long flight back and I have so much left to do out here, I’d just stay at the hotel until—”

“Perfect timing, then,” she said. “We’re always saying we should go somewhere together, take a real vacation.”

Eric cleared his throat.

“Oh, forget it,” she said. “That’s stupid, right? I know. You’re reading reports and overseeing things and, uh…auditing. You don’t have time for—”

“No, no,” he stammered. “Come on out. It’ll be great. We’ll go see a show or something. Be total tourists. Take a carriage ride in Central Park.”

“Never mind. I don’t know what got into me.” Jen gnawed the inside of her cheek. “I have a lot going on out here. And besides, someone has to feed the cat.”

“Right, the cat.” Another long pause. “Well. I know you’re working.”

“I am, indeed,” she said brightly. “And so are you. We’ll do it some other time. Plan something really special.”

“Absolutely. Go someplace exotic.”

“Tahiti, maybe. Or the Canary Islands.”

“Whatever you want.” His voice was flat.

“I’ll look up resorts online,” she promised, but she knew—and so did Eric—that this mythical vacation was never going to materialize.

Another agonizing silence ensued. Jen squirmed in her cushy leather desk chair.

“Okay. Well, you’re busy,” he said. “I’ll let you go.”

“Stay warm!” She flinched at her own forced joviality. “Have a fresh bagel with lox for me.”

“Will do. Love you.”

“Love you, too.”

And that, she told herself sternly as she hung up the phone, would have to be enough. Eric was a good husband, and Jen tried hard to be a good wife, but the truth loomed between them, unspoken but undeniable: They loved each other, but they weren’t in love.

She clicked back to her data files, but couldn’t process the information splashed across the computer screen. The burn of shame and failure spread through her body. No way could she sit still. She snatched the phone back up and paced back and forth across the study. First she dialed Ellie’s number, but her call went straight to voice mail. Presumably, Ellie was too embroiled in an epic marital showdown to answer right now.

Then she tried Mara, who picked up on the second ring.

“Hey, babe, shouldn’t you be working?”

Jen stopped in her tracks. “Hey! I don’t work
all
the time, you know.”

“Just when you’re awake,” Mara amended. “My mistake.”

“How can you say that? I just saw you a few hours ago. And did I say one word about Noda? No, I did not. I have a life, okay? I have—”

“All right, all right, simmer down there. You don’t have to justify yourself to me. Nothing wrong with getting out there and making a little cheddar.”

“That’s right,” Jen huffed. “Damn straight.”

“I’m so glad you’re not defensive. Jeez.”

“I’m not defensive; I’m merely pointing out—”

“Oh, let’s not argue, little worker bee. What’s up? How may I help you on this fine, sunny afternoon?”

“Well, actually, I’m a little…” Jen stopped before she had to spit out the word
lonely.
“Do you want to get together later? Catch a movie or something?”

“Sounds great, but I’ll have to take a rain check. Josh and I are picking out wedding bands as we speak.”

Jen automatically glanced down at the diamond sparkling away on her left hand, a reminder of the promise she and Eric had made to always stay hopeful and happy. “Aw. Are you having fun?”

“Jewelry shopping is my personal definition of fun. And, hey, while we’re on the subject of fun, want me to schedule an appointment with the bridal salon to finalize the bridesmaids’ dress selection next weekend?”

“Ooh, be still my heart. I’ll be counting the minutes.”

“You just earned yourself an extra-poufy butt bow, missy.” Mara suddenly sounded louder, as if she’d cupped her hand over the phone’s mouthpiece. “Oh, and I didn’t want to say anything in front of Ellie this morning, but rumor has it that a certain tall, dark, and handsome doctor without borders has been spotted back in town.”

Jen stopped breathing.

“Hello? Jennifer? Is this thing on?”

Jen clenched her fingers around the smooth alder planks of her desktop. “I’m here.”

“No confirmed sightings, but I figured I should warn you before you ran into him in a restaurant or something and had an aneurysm and died before your time.”

“I appreciate that,” Jen said stiffly, “but I couldn’t care less. That whole fiasco is ancient history, and we will never speak of it again.”

“Okay, but if you do happen to cross paths with him—”

“I won’t.”

“Right, but if you ever want to talk—”

“What part of ‘we will never speak of it again’ is not clear?” Jen flinched at the sharp serration in her tone. “And don’t mention any of this to Eric. We’re working through some stuff right now, and if he hears Patrick’s back…”

“Have no fear,” Mara assured her. “My lips are sealed.”

Mara
Chapter
3

W
e’d like to see something with diamonds. Lots of diamonds,” Josh told the bespectacled salesman at Paradise Valley Fine Jewelry. “Think P. Diddy.”

Mara choked on the breath mint she’d popped in her mouth just before entering the store. “But tasteful.”

“Taste, schmaste. Bring on the bling. Only the best for my bride.” Josh beamed. So did the sharp-featured salesman with the terrible brown toupee.

“Please, have a seat.” He introduced himself as Roger and ushered them over to the matching beige settees in the back corner of the shop. “May I get you something to drink? Water? Coffee? Champagne?”

“Booze and diamonds,” Mara mused. “Could be a dangerous combination.”

“I like the way you think,” Josh said. “Two glasses of champagne, please.” Roger rushed off, all but rubbing his hands together in anticipation of the drunken shopping spree about to ensue.

Mara collapsed on the love seat and pressed Josh’s hand between both of hers. “I appreciate the sentiment, I do, but you already bought me the world’s most gorgeous engagement ring. We don’t have to go crazy with the wedding rings. I’m fine with a simple gold band.”

Josh sat down next to her. “Let me ask you a question: How many of the lawyers at your firm have plain gold bands?”

“Well.” She shrugged. “All the men do.”

“And the women?”

Mara couldn’t deny that the ladies at Johnson, Lavin & Hein, LLP, liked their luxe. Everyone from the office assistants to the equity partners was relegated to subdued dark suits, and engagement rings were one of the few acceptable vestiges of conspicuous consumption. So skating rinks in six-prong settings had become de rigueur around the conference table.

“Uh…”

He extricated his fingers from her grasp and squeezed her knee. “Don’t you deserve the best?”

NO
was Mara’s immediate response to this question. But she knew better than to dredge up the past, so she simply smiled and cooed, “I already have the best: you.”

They were midway through a leisurely kiss when Roger
ahem
ed behind them. Mara pulled away from Josh and accepted the plastic flute of sparkling wine the salesman proffered. She and Josh touched their glasses together with a dull thunk.

Roger allotted them half a second to savor the romance of the moment, then whipped out a tray full of rings and got right down to business. “These are our eternity bands; diamonds all the way around. We just got this one in last week. The stones are Asscher-cut. Excellent color and clarity. It would complement your engagement ring perfectly.”

It would also cost a fortune. Mara didn’t know exactly how much Josh had spent on her engagement ring, but she recognized quality when she saw it. His salary as a nonprofit advisor only stretched so far. And when she thought about all their financial goals for the future: travel, having children and putting them through college, retirement…

“Very nice.” She glanced at the ring, but didn’t pick it up. “But do you have anything a little less, uh, flashy?”

Roger’s ingratiating simper wilted. “What did you have in mind?”

She stood up and started scanning the display cases. “I want something understated but chic.” She paused and tapped the polished glass. “Something like that.”

Roger sighed. “The tiny sapphires?”

“I like the blue.” Mara nodded. “Gives the whole thing a little kick.”

“Matches your eyes,” Josh said.

She and Josh indulged in another totally shameless public display of affection while the salesman grudgingly unlocked the display case and pulled out the sapphire-studded band. “I’ll give you two a moment,” he said, then escaped to find more commission-worthy prey.

“You realize, of course, that we’re making people physically ill,” Mara murmured.

“Uh-huh.” Josh’s lips smiled against hers.

“We’re the couple that everyone hates.”

He started kissing his way down toward her neck. “They’re just jealous.”

“I told you booze and jewelry was a dangerous combo.” She slid her hand underneath his dark green wool jacket, where her fingers encountered a bulky lump in the lining’s inner pocket. “What’s this?”

“Oh.” He ran his hands through his hair as she extracted a thick sheaf of folded papers. “That’s just the new draft of the pre-nup. I was going to give it back to you earlier, but this didn’t really seem to be the right time. Kind of kills the mood, you know?”

“Don’t be like that.” Mara kept her smile flirty and her tone light. “There’s no need to feel weird about it. I know it’s annoying and uptight and all, but—”

“Yeah, yeah. You attorneys. Always with the worst-case scenarios.” Josh’s smile faded. “Doesn’t it seem a little defeatist to be talking about divorce before we’re even married?”

“No,” she said firmly. “It’s not defeatist at all. It’s just common sense. A mere formality.” Mara had always believed that couples like Josh and herself—couples who were going to make it to their golden anniversary and beyond—had nothing to fear from a fair and sensible contract protecting the assets they’d accumulated before they said “I do.”

“Yeah, well.” He scuffed at the carpet with the toe of his black leather Rockports. “I got a lawyer to look over the PDF file you sent, and he basically said the same thing you did: standard stuff, very straightforward.”

“So we’re all set? Then let’s move on to more pressing matters. Like our honeymoon.” She put her hand back on his chest.

“Well…” Josh still wouldn’t meet her eyes. “We’re almost all set. My guy reworded a few sentences for clarification, added a short clause or two, nothing major.”

“Nothing major?” Mara narrowed her eyes as her bullshit detector kicked into high gear. “Like what, exactly?”

“All his changes are in red ink. Look, let’s do this later. Right now, we’ll get back to picking out rings and—”

She skimmed through the dense legalese with practiced efficiency. “Okay…fine…okay…Hold up.” Her eyes widened as she spied a brand-new clause inserted at the end of the pre-nup’s third page. “What the
hell
is this?”

Mara had never had a panic attack—she always preferred fight over flight—but for a few paralyzing seconds, she honestly thought she might pass out right there on the plush green carpet. Her palms started to sweat, her heart raced, and the only thing that kept her on her feet was the thought of Roger’s big furry head looming over her to administer CPR.

Josh’s voice sounded distant. “Sweetie, are you okay?”

She staggered backward, swaying on her high-heeled boots.

“Don’t get upset, I can explain.”

“You don’t have to explain anything!” Her hip slammed into the glass counter and she knew she’d develop a bruise later, but right now, the pain didn’t even register. “I can read it for myself in black and white. Jesus. Josh, this is really what you think of me?”

“Wait, you’re missing the point here.” He reached out for her hands, but she balled her fingers into fists.

“No, I get the point. Right through the heart. I—” She swiped at her eyes, horrified to realize that she was about to tear up. She hadn’t cried in years, hadn’t even come close since her first semester of law school, when her voice had cracked at the end of a blistering Socratic cross-examination during Civil Procedure. “Why did you even propose to me? Honestly?”

“Mara, come on…”

She pivoted, stalked past the trays of glittering jewels, shoved her way out through the glass doors, and whipped out her cell phone as she hit the sidewalk.

“Hey,” she said when Jen answered. “Remember how I said I was booked solid this afternoon? Change of plans. I’m coming over right now, and I’m going to need about three bottles of wine when I get there. Brace yourself. You are not going to
believe
what just happened.”