The Billionaire's Temporary Bride (Scandal, Inc #3)(43)

"Oh, Jack and I haven't really gone into that level of detail with our plans," Charlotte said.

The Havens had set a date for them that would get Jack the most positive attention, but Charlotte hadn't ever really pictured it. The thought of standing up in front of both sides of the family on the beautiful grounds of the Coburn mansion and was too much. Charlotte tried to imagine how beautiful and perfect it would look, instead of how hollow she would feel as she and Jack lived out their lie.

"That's perfect then," Angela said. "Jack will be so busy on the campaign trail, and I've been trying to find a new hobby for Caroline since her divorce."

"I didn't know she had been married," Charlotte said.

"I don't think she did either. Aside from the wedding, we hardly saw her and her husband together before they split. You and Jack though, you'll last."

"I hope."

"I saw the way he was looking at you when I walked into the room. Jack's brought girlfriends back over the years. Some of the relationships were quite serious, but he never looked at any of them the way I saw him looking at you."

"This view is so beautiful," Charlotte said, hoping to change the subject. She hadn't liked misleading her own parents, and she found she didn't like hearing Angela fall for their ruse as well.

"Just wait until the summer," Angela said. "You'll love it here. I remember the first time I saw this beach. I was in my early twenties, just out of college, walking with my mother-in-law. I'm going to share a piece of advice she gave me before I married Jack's father. She told me John and I were about to do something important. She meant John would be powerful and a wife like me would help his growing prestige.

"It was summer then, with birds flying overhead and the grass in the dunes swaying in the wind, and I was so caught up in the romance of this place that I believed her. So I'm going to tell you this once, and I'm going to hope you have enough sense to listen. You have a chance to do something important, Charlotte. You have a chance at having love and a family. It's the only important thing there is. Don't waste that opportunity, because if you do, you'll regret it for the rest of your life."

Angela stared out at the waves.

Charlotte agreed that love and a family were important. They were one of the things she wanted most out of life. How was she supposed to respond, knowing that her engagement to Angela's son was born out of a contract instead of love?

"How much has Jack told you about the family?" Angela asked.

"Not much," Charlotte admitted.

"Jack's grandfather had this idea that the whole family would live here someday, generations of Coburns living close together, combining their efforts to make the world a better place. Two of my brothers-in-law have houses up the beach. One of them lives in Manhattan, and the other is out on the West Coast. Their sisters both live in Europe, one in London and the other in Nice. Anyway, you can see one of the rooflines over that dune in the distance. The other house is farther back inland. I'm the only one who lives here year-round anymore."


"It must be nice to have this whole stretch of beach with no one else to share it with," Charlotte said without thinking.

Angela smiled weakly. "It's nice when I can share it with guests," she said. "Just imagine how wonderful this place will be this summer when the two of you get married. Spring here can be hit or miss, but in summer, with that cool ocean breeze, it will be beautiful. A new member of our tribe, what a wonderful birthday present the two of you have given me."

"Of course," Charlotte said. Charlotte had been worried about what a fake marriage would do to her family, but now she wondered if it wouldn't have much more of an impact on Jack's family instead.

"Let's get back to my brood," Angela said. "If I leave them unsupervised too long, they start to turn on each other."

Charlotte wished Angela was joking, but she knew it was the truth. The wind howled up the cliffside, and Charlotte imagined how it must rattle against the windows of the great big house.

"A summer wedding, it will be just beautiful," Angela said.

Charlotte nodded silently and followed her back up the path. The house loomed, seeming larger than ever before them. Charlotte felt a growing dread that whatever conflict was brewing between Jack and his sister would be just as large.





Chapter 16





Jack saw the look in his sister's eye as soon as he and Charlotte had entered the house. He poured himself a glass of scotch and walked over to the window. His mother was leading his fiancée down the long path to the beach. He wanted to follow them out there and feel the cool ocean mist on his face. Anywhere in the world would have been better than the living room where Jack waited for his siblings to harass him for money.

Caroline and Whit stood next to each other in front of the large stone fireplace that anchored one end of the room. It wasn't long before they moved in, sweet and cheerful, slapping him on the back and pretending like they cared about his engagement. They were up to something, he knew. They were always up to something. For people who were too lazy work for a living, they seemed to have boundless energy when it came to asking for more money.





"What do you guys want?" Jack asked. "Let's get this over with before Charlotte and Mom get back from their walk."