AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Always good. Can’t have too much money, am I right?” Richard said and smiled. “Of course, you know all about that.”
My spine stiffened, but I bit my tongue. He thought way too much about my family’s money. He didn’t appear to notice his faux pax and continued to speak.
“You lived in Highland Park growing up, right? I’ve been thinking about getting a place there. I feel like I need to live in an area more reflective of my station in Dallas, you know? Of course, you know. I’m surprised you didn’t get a house there yourself. I mean, I’m sure Carmichael Gardens holds a special place in your family’s history, but the houses are all so, I don’t know, dilapidated, right? Yours is great, though. You did a fabulous job with all the renovations, but with the market the way it is now, you should sell. You could probably double your investment,” he smiled, “smart lady that you are.”
Zack returned with our drinks, serving my vodka martini first, followed by setting Richard’s bourbon, and then a glass of ice, in front of him.
“Can I answer any questions about the menu?” Zack asked, his tone neutral.
Richard waved him off. “Give us a few minutes. We’ll order later.”
Zack dipped his head and sneaked a wink at me. I hid my smile behind the rim of my glass.
After he stepped away, Richard lifted his glass toward me. “To us.”
I gave him a tilt of my head and took a sip of my ice-cold drink. The vodka in my drink was made from distilled French grapes. The drink was refreshing on a warm, Dallas evening. Unlike his bourbon, I would know the difference if the wrong vodka was used.
“Now,” Richard said, setting his glass on the table. “As I was saying, today is the perfect time to unload that monstrosity of a house. The real estate market has never been hotter. My agent told me I should act quickly as soon as I found a house in the right area.”
I nodded. Had he always been so insufferable? So self-absorbed? Had I simply ignored it?
“I was talking with Barney the other day—you know, Barney, right? Barney Rothsman? Anyway, he was telling me that he’d picked up a new ski lodge in Vale for a song. But knowing Barney, it was an expensive song, am I right?” He laughed at his own joke.
“How’s your family?” I asked, trying to direct the conversation away from money.
“They’re fine. My folks are talking about retirement and traveling around the country in a motorhome. Is that not the most ridiculous thing you’ve ever heard? Why, I told them it sounded crazy. Driving everywhere? Why not fly?” He shook his head. “They told me the drive was the fun part. I swear, sometimes, I wonder if they’re really my parents or if I’m adopted.” He chuckled again. “Now, did you get a chance to mention the investment I told you about to your father?”
“Richard, as I’ve told you numerous times, I don’t talk finances and investments with my folks. Dad has his own people he works with, people he’s worked with for years. He’d not keen on changing horses in the middle of the stream.”
Richard’s face grew a little flushed. “But we’re dating. Surely, he’d be interested in giving a slice of his investments to his daughter’s significant other.”
Significant other? Holy cow. I really had let this go on for too long.
He reached across the table and took my hand. “I was going to do this later during dessert, but this feels like the right time.”
I eyed him warily as fire alarm bells clanged in my head. I could almost see the flashing red light blinking, Danger, danger.
“I know your family will warm up to me once they realize how much we mean to one another.”
“Richard, we don’t have anything to prove… to my family, or anyone else, for that matter. They’ve only met you the one time, and besides, I have something I want to talk about.”
“Me, first,” he said. “Please. I want to get this out.” He chuckled nervously.
I sighed. I hated losing control of a conversation when I had something important to say. I knew what he was going to say. He was going to suggest a vacation with him, me, and all my family. It wasn’t the first time he’d made that suggestion.
Now that I gave it some serious thought, a joint family vacation, including him, was such a bad idea. Dee would probably kill Richard while he slept…with Brooke’s help. With Brooke being a doctor, I was sure they could make it look like an accident and never spend a day behind bars. Neither of my sisters liked Richard and they’d only met him once. With time, I was sure they would grow to really loathe him.
I took a long draw of courage from my martini glass.
“I think we should get engaged,” Richard said.
“What?” I sputtered, choking on the liquid in my mouth. My heart stopped at his question. I dabbed at the droplets of martini I’d spewed on the table. I lowered my voice. “What? Are you insane? We’ve barely known each other for six months. Goodness, Richard, I haven’t even seen you in three weeks.”
He gave my hand a squeeze. “I know, but with a ring on your finger, and us house-hunting in Highland Park near your parents, I know your dad would want his soon-to-be son-in-law involved with the family investments. Think of how we could grow the family fortune and build it into a healthy nest egg for our children and grandchildren. We would have such a wonderful life. No more sitting in some figurehead of a job. You’d be the queen of Dallas society and all that that means. The parties. The social gatherings. The charitable organization fundraiser. And think of our children. We would have the most beautiful children, who would attend only the most prestigious schools. And?—”
“Stop,” I ordered, jerking my hand away. This daydream of his was so far from reality that I worried about his sanity. “I’m not going to marry you.”
His face, which had been glowing with excitement, dimmed. His head tilted with a confused expression. “You’re not?”
