Love and Chaos by Elizabeth Powers Read Free Book Online Page A

Emma had been compared to all her
life. Emma was always the dependable one, and the dependable one was who Mason
was now stuck with. Trying to soften her words, she added gently, “I'm sorry,
but I’m not my sister, Mason. If you want her, please try to find her. You may
be able to talk her into changing her mind. And if you do, I’m more than
willing to step aside. Now I really need to get back to work. I’ll see you
tonight for dinner.”
    She
moved by him and was in the elevator heading down to the street before Mason
remembered that he had driven them both. By the time he had said a quick
goodbye to his attorney and followed her out, she had already hailed a cab, and
was climbing into the back seat, her shapely legs disappearing behind her as
she closed the door. He watched as the taxi moved away, but she didn't look
back.
    Mason
leaned against one of the pillars outside of the building. He wasn’t sure where
Emma’s comments had come from - any comparison he would make of her and Jen
would hardly be critical of Emma. Jen would have wanted a diamond, he was certain.
Maybe not the largest one in the shop, but a tasteful setting with an
eye-catching stone. He would have been willing to buy her that, just as he was
willing to do the same for Emma. That was part of the deal. But Emma seemed to
want no part of the arrangement he had struck with her sister.
    For
one thing, she had refused the rest of the money he had offered to Jen. She had
named a few charities that she would be happy to have the money go to if he
insisted, but she made enough money to be comfortable on, and had no desire to
be gaining financially from this marriage. In fact, she seemed downright
uncomfortable with the idea.
    Pushing
away from the pillar, he headed for his car, glancing down at his ring finger
as he did so. He was almost surprised to see the wedding ring there, doubly so
since he had been the one to purchase the ring himself. If he hadn’t done so,
he probably wouldn’t even have needed to wear a band since Emma hadn’t thought
about it at all. But when he had been choosing Emma’s ring, he had made a quick
decision to purchase one for himself as well - if he was marrying for show,
then he might as well make sure that the world knew that he’d taken the plunge.
And now, looking down at the band encircling his finger, he felt like he’d made
the right decision. He was married. And before long, his circle of friends and
colleagues would notice. He’d need a plan to introduce Emma to them, he
thought. And to his mother. That, he thought, would be interesting.
     
     
    Back
at work and behind the closed door of her office, Emma shifted her ring to her
right hand. It fit well there, and she was not ready for the questions that a
ring on her left hand would bring. She knew that news of their marriage would
eventually leak out, but she had no desire at all to have that happen today.
Not while she was still reeling with the consequences of her actions. Or
rather, the actions of her sister.
    Emma
was under no delusions. Jen had disappeared. Her cell phone was off. There was
no way to trace her. This was no accident. Had Jen really met someone, or had
she just decided that she didn’t want to be tied down to a man for three years?
Mason was handsome, rich, sexy, and cold as an Antarctic winter. Did Jen decide
that the money was great, but the marriage was a losing proposition?
    She
was sure that Mason was disappointed, though he was coping with the change
fairly well. Jen was Miss America compared to Emma's girl next door. What man
would prefer the latter when he had held the former in his grasp? Mason was
definitely settling, though he probably had little choice given his time
constraints. It appeared that he would be a gentleman about it, but it was also
clear that there would be no real interaction between them. Had it been the
same with Jen?
    Briefly,
Emma wondered if Jen had slept with him. Her guess was no, simply because she
didn’t