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23 Miranda
A DETOXIFYING FACIAL and pedicure were sheer bliss. The four of us were comfortably seated in reclining chairs while getting our feet massaged and toenails painted. I couldn’t remember the last time I had indulged inme time,so I soaked up every bit of this rare occasion along with the calming music. Then I’d go home to Will, totally rejuvenated.
I appreciated his concerns about my crazy work schedule. There was no hiding my exhaustion from Will. But I was just adjusting to all the changes in my life. Increased business and Will were new to me. Still, he deserved a girlfriend who didn’t fall asleep after her first orgasm.
“So if he doesn’t get an attitude adjustment and quick, I may spend the summer in Europe. Think you’d like to join me if I go?” Claire asked, a tinge of irritation in her voice.
I blinked my eyes open but refrained from looking at Claire. What had I missed during my musings?
“The whole summer? Not sure I can be gone that long, but I’d love to go,” Simone replied. “What do you think has Dad on edge?”
“Your drink, miss.” One of the spa attendants handed Simone what looked like cucumber water.
On edge?I dialed into their conversations with interest. I’d noticed some tension in Will the last few weeks and wasn’t sure what to make of it. When I’d ask if everything was okay at work, he’d recover quickly. But last night, he’d had a restless sleep thrashing in bed and waking in a cold sweat kind. He blew it off as a nightmare. Naturally, I believed him. Now I wondered if there was more going on at work… or in his family.
Claire continued. “I don’t know. He never talks to me when he’s stressed. That’s why it’s better when I go on holiday for a while. You know,out of sight, out of mindand all that. It’s better for both of us. It’s also why our marriage has survived as long as it has.”
“If I could pick up and go for a whole summer, I wouldn’t think twice about it,” Lily blurted. “Sadly, I have to work for a living.”
I gaped. “I thought you loved your job?”
“I do. But don’t you ever get tired of working?”
Stunned, I didn’t reply, chewing on my lower lip. Guilt crept into my veins. I relished planning events, but I imagined the business side of it was less than thrilling. Lily handled the money, contracts, schedules, and vendors. I did what Lily called “the fun stuff,” while she sat in an office doing the not-so-fun stuff.
“Well, if Miranda and Will get married, she won’t have to work,” Simone noted aloud, her voice faint at the end of our row. Still, I heard her loud and clear, and the quiet grumble from Lily told me she’d also heard. “You guys are going to have kids, right?”
“Miranda loves kids. I’m sure they’ll have several,” Lily answered.
Several?I didn’t care for the direction this conversation was heading in.
“Let’s not overwhelm Miranda with talk of marriage and babies,” Claire interjected.
I breathed a sigh of relief, then she continued.
“Besides, raising the next St. James heir will keep her plenty busy. Working will be nearly impossible.”
Impossible?My heart hiccupped to a stop.Heir?What did Claire mean?
“Heir?” Lily leaned forward, looking toward Claire. Her shocked tone reflected my feelings.
“Yes. In the St. James family, it’s been established that the firstborn son will inherit SJI. If Will has a son, his name will be William Howard St. James IV. The legacy will continue with him, and it will require raising the child in a just manner to prepare him for his obligation.”
Obligation?Will had thrown the word around like a cursed hex. My once-relaxed shoulders turned to steel.
“What if he only has daughters?” Lily asked the very question that popped into my head.
“Then it goes to the next male in line, my cousin, Henry. Girls aren’t important enough to have a controlling power in SJI,” Simone said, voice dripping with sarcasm.
Oh damn, we hit a nerve.
“Simone! That is not true. Girls are quite important in other meaningful ways to the family.”
“Oh please, even my inheritance is less than Will’s. Nothing is fair in this family. It’s a hierarchy.”
“Will has been groomed since he was in elementary school. He’s earned what’s rightfully his,” Claire countered.
“Like he had a choice.” Simone laughed mockingly, putting the glass to her lips.
