The Guest List (27 page)

Shane stroked her hair, wondering if he should mention the conversation he’d had earlier that day. A conversation that he would rather not think about, truth be told. Still, he knew he had to talk about it with her. He just didn’t know what their next course of action should be.

No
, he thought as he watched his fiancée’s contented face,
she’s had a good day, she is happy, no need to add all this to it now.

Cara looked to be drifting off to sleep. He studied her face and relished the peace that he found there; there were no lines, her forehead was smooth and unfettered by worry. He wondered how much longer that would last.

A pang entered his heart. His parents were important to him too, and if he was being honest, he wasn’t altogether comfortable with the terms they were presenting. He couldn’t deny that, but at the same time, how could he negotiate the problem he was faced with without either cutting his parents out of his life and drastically affecting his future or, worse, possibly losing Cara?

Unlike his fiancée, sleep wasn’t going to come easily for Shane that night.

‘It’s all so exciting. I’ve found an incredible dress, as well as the bridesmaid dresses, and they are just
awesome
. It looks like it all might just come together,’ Cara told Conor happily on Monday morning.

After the wedding dress shopping, she had been in a great mood all weekend. She had slept fantastically every night and felt buoyed by her mother and Heidi’s new-found positivity. The only snag was that now
Shane
seemed slightly on edge, and when Cara queried why, he’d shrugged and told her that he just had a lot on his mind with regard to work.

‘And all your sisters have agreed to be bridesmaids?’ asked Conor, who was sitting across from her sipping his coffee.

‘Yep. Of course Kim said yes immediately, Heidi agreed to it the other day and Danielle’s on board too, which is fantastic. Maybe all of my worries were over nothing.’ She looked at her boss. ‘Now all we need is for Shane’s parents to come round and we’ll be good to go.’

‘Delighted it’s all working out for you,’ Conor said, before adding mischievously, ‘Now is there any chance we could get some work done today?’

‘I know, I’m sorry, I’ll shut up.’ Cara smiled guiltily. Conor was right; she’d been completely distracted lately, and she was hugely appreciative of him putting up with her. ‘About that – look I know I’ve been a bit preoccupied lately, and I appreciate you not taking it out on me – or firing me even.’

Conor snorted. ‘Fire my best employee?’

‘Ah, don’t you mean your only employee?’ Cara laughed. ‘Seriously though, I do appreciate it.’

‘Hey, don’t mention it. Besides, I understand that these things take up a lot of mental energy – for girls at least,’ he added with a wink, and Cara made a face at him. ‘Honestly it’s no big deal. I’m just glad everything’s working out for you guys, and that you’re in a better mood these days. You don’t deserve to have people on your back, harassing you like that. Although, if it kept up for much longer, I was thinking I was going to have to take matters into my own hands.’

‘Er . . . how?’ she asked playing along.

‘Well, I’d have to give that spoilt sister of yours a good kick up the arse for one. And have a word in your dad’s ear for turning his nose up at a trip to a fancy Caribbean island for another. Failing that, I was planning to challenge Shane to a duel for your honour, pistols at dawn, that kind of thing.’

Cara felt touched at the prospect of Conor standing up for her. He really was a great guy. It was a shame he wouldn’t settle down; he would make some lucky girl very happy.

Then she was reminded of something. ‘Conor, with all that was going on I can’t believe I forgot to mention it before, but Shane and I would both love it if you would consider coming to along to the wedding. I mean, I know there would be a travel expense and everything, but if you’d like to come along, it would be great to have you there . . .’

In truth, Shane wasn’t actually as keen about this as Cara was, but Conor had been so good to her all these years that she couldn’t imagine
not
having him there.

‘Actually, I had already assumed I was on the guest list,’ he said, guffawing. ‘And hey who cares about the expense – with all the nutters in your family, I couldn’t pass up the chance of missing all the entertainment!’

Cara grimaced. ‘Oh stop it. My new mantra from now on is “keep it drama-free”. Whatever happens, it’s all laid-back wedding planning from now on.’

‘Well, I think that’s a good theory,’ Conor replied, but the conversation was interrupted by the bell at the front office door signalling that someone had entered.

They both turned to look, and Conor immediately moved from his perch on the end of Cara’s desk to greet the woman who had just entered their office.

‘Hello there; is there something I can help you with?’ he asked pleasantly, and Cara could tell by his tone that he was immediately taken by the well-dressed, attractive older lady.

Unfortunately, this particular member of the female species was
way
out of his league.

‘Lauren. What are you doing here?’ she asked, slightly taken aback to see her future mother-in-law here. ‘How are you?’

Conor took a step back as Cara came forward to greet Lauren. ‘This is Shane’s mum Lauren. Lauren, meet my boss, Conor Dempsey,’ Cara said, making the introductions.

‘Hello my dear,’ Lauren replied, hesitantly accepting Cara’s hug. Then she turned her cool gaze on Conor. ‘Nice to make your acquaintance, Mr Dempsey.’ She held her hand out formally without making any effort to close the space between herself and Conor, and he seemed to take this as his cue to move forward and participate in the formality, obviously unsure if she expected a handshake or for him to kiss her hand.

‘Mrs Richardson, nice to meet you in person. I have heard all about you,’ Conor said, all manners. Cara was impressed at his poker face. Yep, he’d heard plenty about Lauren recently, very little of it good.

‘So Lauren, what brings you to this neck of the woods?’ asked Cara evenly, wondering about the purpose of the surprise visit.

Could it be that Shane’s parents had also come to their senses about the wedding, and she was here to offer an olive branch? ‘Did Shane tell you I found my dress at the weekend? And the bridesmaid dresses, too.’ Cara was aware she was babbling, something she typically did when she was nervous. ‘All very exciting. I’d love to show you if you’d like to see it before the wedding. Of course, you can’t breathe a word about it to Shane,’ she added, smiling, ‘as it all still needs to be a surprise. Really, wait till you see it; it’s going to be just perfect . . .’

Lauren smiled tightly and looked around the office, which was one big open space. Her glance rested on a door towards the back of the room.

‘Yes, about that. Is there somewhere private we can talk?’

Cara’s smile faded slightly and she looked at Conor, who cleared his throat.

‘Why don’t you take the back office, Cara? I’ll hold the fort here. Just call if you need anything, OK?’

‘Thanks.’ Cara nodded and looked back at Shane’s mother. ‘Of course, Lauren, why don’t you follow me?’

A tinge of worry entered her voice; she sensed that something else was up, and that this wasn’t a conciliatory visit. Notwithstanding the fact that conciliatory was a dirty word when it came to Lauren Richardson. Leading her through to the small office in the back, she held open the door as Lauren regally entered the small space, making a full assessment.

Cara tried to see the office through the other woman’s eyes. As she and Conor both usually worked side by side out front, this office was only used for client meetings. Truth be told, her boss wasn’t the most organised person, and piles of paper and office files covered the majority of the desk space, the chairs and the floor. Lauren looked around, clearly wondering where she should sit amidst the mess.

Cara closed the door and realised that her future mother-in-law seemed to be expecting her to clear some space for her to sit. She duly grabbed a bunch of files and magazines off one of the two chairs, moving the pile from one place to another. She thought to herself that she would have to move it back after Lauren left. Somehow, Conor operated very well in his organised chaos and no doubt he knew exactly what that pile contained.

‘There you go, sorry about that. Conor’s sort of an artsy type,’ she offered with a weak smile, but Lauren looked more repulsed than amused.

Cara’s smile faded as she went about moving more paper and clearing a space so she could sit too. She could feel Lauren’s eyes boring a hole in her back.

She had definitely gotten the vibe that this visit wasn’t to be used as an exchange of pleasantries. Lauren’s manner was all business.

As it was, her future mother-in-law wasted no time in getting down to the purpose of her visit.

‘I came here today to discuss the wedding with you,’ she said.

Cara’s eyebrows rose and she smiled hopefully. OK. Maybe she had been right; maybe Lauren and Gene were indeed coming round and wanted to get involved in the details?

Lauren reached into her large Chanel bag and pulled out some papers. They looked formal, like something a solicitor’s office would draw up.

‘Cara,’ she said, holding them out, ‘I have with me today some papers that require your signature, and I believe that what I’m presenting will once and for all dismiss this ridiculous and crass notion of yours for a beach wedding.’

Cara furrowed her brow, taking the papers hesitantly. ‘Excuse me?’

Lauren stared at her icily. ‘It’s quite simple really. Consider it a prenuptial agreement, one that has some extended terms to assist in your compliance.’

What the hell was this? And more to the point, did Shane know about it?

‘Lauren . . . what? I don’t understand. A prenup?’

Lauren motioned to the documents, which Cara was holding with trembling hands. ‘It’s all there. I believe the terms are quite simply laid out in language that is easy to understand. Why don’t you go ahead and read it.’

Cara continued to stare at her as if she made no sense.
A prenup? Was this some kind of joke?

‘Go ahead, read it,’ commanded Lauren.

Cara did as she was told and moved her gaze to the document at the top of the pile. She started to read, her brain trying to make sense of the many legal terms. As she continued to read, she felt her vision gradually begin to blur and her breathing become ragged and uneven.

The agreement was twofold, addressing both Cara and Shane.

If she and Shane went ahead with the wedding in St Lucia and refused to sign the agreement, Cara would be cut off from all Richardson money in the event that a divorce occurred in the future.

She would not be entitled to maintenance or any form of child support for any children that the marriage produced. This document would also trump any agreements previously set forth or considered in the future between Cara and Shane. Furthermore, if Cara decided that the beach wedding was the route she would take, she would not only be dictating her own future, but she would also be affecting Shane, as he would be cut off from the estate and written out of his parents’ will entirely.

However, on the other hand, should Cara see ‘reason’ and go along with what Lauren and Gene wanted for their wedding, the couple would receive a substantial lump sum contribution towards their marriage, and an additional lump sum for every year married thereafter.

If a divorce should occur in the future, Cara would be taken care of, any children would be provided for, and Shane’s inheritance would remain unaffected.

She came to the end of the document and saw that there was only room for one signature: hers. She rustled the stiff papers, going back to the beginning and reading through the document again, trying to digest just what was happening.

Surely this document didn’t mean what she thought it meant?

Cara raised her eyes and met Lauren’s. She willed herself to stay strong, but it was hard, especially when she considered the decidedly unfriendly face before her.

‘Lauren, I don’t understand. What is all this?’

Lauren’s expression resembled that of a jackal that had just successfully cornered its prey. She smiled tightly, feeling triumph in Cara’s obvious undoing.

‘Oh I think it is quite simple really, even to someone like yourself. This is the way things are done in our family. Marriage, and all that it entails, is a contract, not only between two people, but between their families, in this case namely the Richardsons. Please be aware that our family name has much to lose if this marriage should go south, so to speak. However, we also believe that we have much to lose if it starts off on the wrong footing, namely with this absurd notion of a beach wedding. It is simply not going to happen, Cara. Surely you understand that now.’

Cara looked back at the document. Yes, she understood. She understood that her future in-laws were making an attempt to purchase her, and more deviously, any decision she made would also directly impact Shane’s future, whether he was with her or not. She felt tears prick at the corners of her eyes.

She would not cry
, not in front of Lauren, she thought to herself, steeling her posture as she returned her attention to the older woman.

‘I’m sorry but this is complete and utter rubbish,’ she said tersely. She wanted to be strong, she wanted to be brave and call Lauren out on her attempt to intimidate her, but the fact was she
was
intimidated. Still, she wasn’t going to just sit there and say nothing. ‘There is no way Shane is ever going to go along with this. Wait until I tell him what you are trying to do—’

‘He already knows,’ said Lauren, idly studying her manicure. ‘We explained everything to him at the weekend. I’m surprised that he hasn’t already discussed this with you actually; I would have thought it would have been foremost on his mind.’

At the weekend . . . Cara thought back. On Saturday evening, she had been so happy, so buzzed when she walked in the door after shopping for her wedding dress that she hadn’t noticed anything off about Shane’s mood or behaviour then. But she recalled his somewhat tense demeanour throughout the remainder of the weekend. Had he been telling the truth? she wondered as she thought about the excuses he’d made.
Had
he been stressed about work? Or was it about this? What did he think about it? And more to the point, Cara realised worriedly, why hadn’t he told her?