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Clearing my throat, I slip my arm around Kendall’s shoulders and say, “And we should probably start with introducing you to my bride.”
“Well, we already love Vanessa!” Mom declares.
“My name is actually Kendall,” my fiancée whispers. “Vanessa was Monty’s evil ex. Him and her parted ways the week before the resort tour. He didn’t want to break the news to you or go into details, so he asked me to come along and pretend to be his fiancée.”
My mother’s mouth gapes as she looks between us. “So, you two just met and you’re getting married?”
“No,” I answer. “Kendall has worked at the company for three years. She was my assistant for the past two.
My mom’s eyes widen. “I knew I had heard your sweet voice before!”
“Nancy, will you please forgive us for deceiving you?” Kendall asks. “Monty was hoping you wouldn’t like me so he could tell you we broke up after we got home from the resort. But instead, I quit, and then Monty really did propose to me.” She proudly holds up her left hand with the diamond ring I put on it.
“So…you’ve been working together for years and last weekend you were pretending to be engaged and now you’re actually engaged?” Mom asks.
“Yes. I’m sorry, Mom. I was embarrassed about how things ended with Vanessa, and that Kendall was my employee…”
“Well, anyone can see that you two are in love. I just wish I had known Kendall’s name the whole time instead of calling her by your evil ex’s name.”
“And you aren’t upset about the whole employee scandal issue?”
“It’s not a scandal. You two are meant to be together! If anyone has a problem with that, they can take it up with me. Besides, Kendall quit, right?”
“Right,” Kendall agrees. “And I’m going to find another job. I am not marrying Monty for his money, contrary to what everyone will think.”
“Oh honey, Monty hasn’t told you about his grandmother’s inheritance, has he?”
“Ah, no. Why?”
“Oh, good. Let me tell her!” my mom says with a smile. I wave my hand for her to go for it, surprised and relieved she didn’t run us out of the restaurant after finding out the truth.
“My mother was a sly old fox. When I told her I was going to marry Davis, she warned me he was bad news, but I was young and in love. I wouldn’t listen. She told me that if I married him, she would write me out of the will. I didn’t care. Davis was smart, stubborn, and hardworking. I knew we would be fine without my mother’s help.”
“And you don’t regret your decision, do you? Because you love your children,” Kendall guesses.
“That’s exactly right. I never thought about the money. I had everything I needed. My mother and I grew distant after that. When she died, I was shocked that she had put her estate into four trusts for our kids. Trusts with strings of course.”
“Ooh, what kind of strings?” Kendall asks while leaning in.
“Richard, do you mind giving us a moment?” my mother asks her husband. “You know I would tell you if I could.”
“I know, my love.” He gets up and kisses her forehead before wandering outside.
“He seems like a good guy. And he obviously makes you happy,” I tell her. “That makes me a little less angry at Dad.”
“Good,” she says with a smile before turning back to Kendall. “So, the strings. Each of my children have to marry before their thirty-fifth birthday…”
“Your birthday is in June! June seventh!” Kendall exclaims loud enough for the whole restaurant to hear. “Wait. Is that why you asked me to marry you?”
“No. Absolutely not,” I assure her as I take her hand and press my lips to her knuckles.
“Oh, sweetheart, Monty doesn’t get a dime of my mother’s family money,” Mom explains. “It’s all yours.”
Kendall points to her chest. “Mine? That doesn’t make any sense. I never even met your mother.”
“The money from her estate goes to the four people my children marry. She wanted them to marry for love, for the right reasons. Someone they could trust with her fortune. My mother loved her grandchildren, but she didn’t want a penny of it to go to anyone with the Crawford name.”
“Wow. That’s…diabolical,” Kendall says with a shake of her head.
