Millionaires' Destinies(71)
Destiny seemed to accept the explanation. “Once you and Richard are married, you could stop working,” she said carefully. “I know that’s not a very modern attitude, but you certainly could afford to quit.”
“I love what I do,” Melanie told her. And soon it was going to be the most important thing in her life.
“I know and you’re good at it, but sometimes life forces us to prioritize. At some point your family might need to come first.”
“The way it did for you?”
Destiny’s expression remained neutral. “Yes,” she said quietly. “The way it did for me.”
“Have you ever regretted it?”
Destiny looked shocked. “How could I? Richard, Mack and Ben are like sons to me. They needed me,” she said fiercely. “I could never have lived with any other choice.”
Melanie heard the total conviction in her voice, even though she also thought she heard a faint note of wistfulness, something Destiny would never voice aloud. If there were regrets, she would clearly take them to her grave. It was not a burden she would place on her nephews.
“How do you know when the choice is right?” Melanie asked, her own wistfulness far more evident.
Destiny smiled at her. “You ask your heart. It will never lie to you, not about anything important.” Then she added wryly, “Of course, sometimes you have to listen carefully to hear it through all the clatter going on around you.”
Melanie wondered about that. Her heart seemed to have quite a track record of getting it wrong. Before she could pursue that thought, Richard came into the very feminine office that Destiny maintained at Carlton Industries. It was a stark contrast to the clean, modern lines in the other offices.
He came over and gave Destiny an absentminded peck on the cheek, then dropped an equally impersonal kiss on Melanie’s lips to maintain the charade for the moment. Even knowing it meant nothing, Melanie still felt the touch curl her toes.
“What are you two up to?” he asked.
“Finalizing plans for the engagement party,” Destiny said. “The invitations are going out this afternoon.”
He met Melanie’s gaze, his expression guarded. “Has Destiny roped you into inviting a cast of thousands?”
“Only hundreds,” Melanie said. “I cut her off when we hit three hundred and fifty.”
“A nice round number,” he said wryly. “Any media?”
“Pete Forsythe,” Melanie told him. “And his photographer.”
Destiny shook her head. “Why you want to invite Forsythe is beyond me.”
Richard regarded her with amusement. “I thought you were rather fond of Mr. Forsythe.”
Destiny looked suitably appalled. Melanie was impressed by her ability to feign indignation.
“Why would you think such a thing?” Destiny inquired coolly.
“You did use him to get that item about my cozy little getaway with Melanie in the paper a few weeks back,” he reminded her. “Why not give him the inside scoop on the resulting engagement?”
“Whatever,” Destiny said airily.
“Indeed,” Richard replied. Then he asked, “Mind if I steal Melanie away? We need to firm up some plans of our own.”
“By all means,” Destiny said eagerly.
Melanie reluctantly followed Richard back to his office. “Is this about the campaign?”
He shook his head. “You quit, remember?”
“That doesn’t mean you can’t ask me something in an unofficial capacity,” she told him, regretting now that all their ties were about to be severed.
“Well, it’s not about the campaign. I needed to ask you about something else. I have a business dinner to attend tonight. Will you come along?”
Melanie stared at him. “Under the circumstances, don’t you think that’s a bad idea?”
“Probably, but these people will be offended if you’re not there. They’ve heard about you, and they’re anxious to meet you before the big party.”
Melanie hated this. How could she go out with Richard tonight and fake being deliriously happy in front of strangers when she was already plotting their breakup?
“Could we have a spat tonight and end things before dinner?” she inquired hopefully. “Then we wouldn’t have to go through with the rest of this, not dinner tonight, not the party, none of it.”
He regarded her curiously. “I thought you wanted the big scene. It was one of the conditions when we went into this phony engagement.”
“Honestly, I’m losing my taste for it.” She didn’t want to humiliate him, any more than she was looking forward to embarrassing herself or spoiling Destiny’s hope for the two of them. She just wanted it all over with.