The Pre-Nup Read Online Free Page A

rumor has it that a certain tall, dark, and handsome doctor without borders has been spotted back in town.”
    Jen stopped breathing.
    “Hello? Jennifer? Is this thing on?”
    Jen clenched her fingers around the smooth alder planks of her desktop. “I’m here.”
    “No confirmed sightings, but I figured I should warn you before you ran into him in a restaurant or something and had an aneurysm and died before your time.”
    “I appreciate that,” Jen said stiffly, “but I couldn’t care less. That whole fiasco is ancient history, and we will never speak of it again.”
    “Okay, but if you do happen to cross paths with him—”
    “I won’t.”
    “Right, but if you ever want to talk—”
    “What part of ‘we will never speak of it again’ is not clear?” Jen flinched at the sharp serration in her tone. “And don’t mention any of this to Eric. We’re working through some stuff right now, and if he hears Patrick’s back…”
    “Have no fear,” Mara assured her. “My lips are sealed.”

    Mara Chapter
3
     
    W e’d like to see something with diamonds. Lots of diamonds,” Josh told the bespectacled salesman at Paradise Valley Fine Jewelry. “Think P. Diddy.”
    Mara choked on the breath mint she’d popped in her mouth just before entering the store. “But tasteful.”
    “Taste, schmaste. Bring on the bling. Only the best for my bride.” Josh beamed. So did the sharp-featured salesman with the terrible brown toupee.
    “Please, have a seat.” He introduced himself as Roger and ushered them over to the matching beige settees in the back corner of the shop. “May I get you something to drink? Water? Coffee? Champagne?”
    “Booze and diamonds,” Mara mused. “Could be a dangerous combination.”
    “I like the way you think,” Josh said. “Two glasses of champagne, please.” Roger rushed off, all but rubbing his hands together in anticipation of the drunken shopping spree about to ensue.
    Mara collapsed on the love seat and pressed Josh’s hand between both of hers. “I appreciate the sentiment, I do, but you already bought me the world’s most gorgeous engagement ring. We don’t have to go crazy with the wedding rings. I’m fine with a simple gold band.”
    Josh sat down next to her. “Let me ask you a question: How many of the lawyers at your firm have plain gold bands?”
    “Well.” She shrugged. “All the men do.”
    “And the women?”
    Mara couldn’t deny that the ladies at Johnson, Lavin & Hein, LLP, liked their luxe. Everyone from the office assistants to the equity partners was relegated to subdued dark suits, and engagement rings were one of the few acceptable vestiges of conspicuous consumption. So skating rinks in six-prong settings had become de rigueur around the conference table.
    “Uh…”
    He extricated his fingers from her grasp and squeezed her knee. “Don’t you deserve the best?”
    NO
was Mara’s immediate response to this question. But she knew better than to dredge up the past, so she simply smiled and cooed, “I already have the best: you.”
    They were midway through a leisurely kiss when Roger
ahem
ed behind them. Mara pulled away from Josh and accepted the plastic flute of sparkling wine the salesman proffered. She and Josh touched their glasses together with a dull thunk.
    Roger allotted them half a second to savor the romance of the moment, then whipped out a tray full of rings and got right down to business. “These are our eternity bands; diamonds all the way around. We just got this one in last week. The stones are Asscher-cut. Excellent color and clarity. It would complement your engagement ring perfectly.”
    It would also cost a fortune. Mara didn’t know exactly how much Josh had spent on her engagement ring, but she recognized quality when she saw it. His salary as a nonprofit advisor only stretched so far. And when she thought about all their financial goals for the future: travel, having children and putting them through college,