Her Unexpected Affair (The Robinsons) (11 page)

His next question brought her back to the subject of being a wife. His wife. “Isn’t that what you were raised to do? Didn’t your mother give up her work to be a wife and mother? Mine did.”

Meilin laughed. It didn’t contain any mirth. “Yeah, because that is how all good Chinese girls are raised. To be wives and mothers. Not independent business women.”

“Not mutually exclusive. Many a good Chinese woman has raised children and run the family business, many hoping their own daughters would never have to do the same. My great-grandmother did it because she had no other choice. You have choices, Meilin. You don’t have to work yourself into an early grave like my great-grandmother did. She lived just long enough to see her daughter marry a successful businessman. If you want to work”—he shrugged as if it didn’t matter—“then keep your business. But our marriage will compete for your time. I have business functions my wife is expected to attend. And before the children come along, I’d very much like to travel. We can see China, Australia, Europe, and Scandinavia all in the next year. A prolonged honeymoon if you will.”

“All those places sound exciting and provide many opportunities for my business as well.” They were all places she longed to visit on shopping trips. She just hadn’t planned on taking months off to make them.

“Very true. While I’m in meetings, you can tour the shops and factories for your treasures.”

She chose to ignore the hint of condescension in his tone. “Okay, it’s possible I’ll have to delegate more. Hire a designer to pick up my slack.” If she had another designer on board, she could reduce the wait time for her services.

“Very wise.”

“You’re being very reasonable.” It took effort, but she kept the sarcasm from her tone. Did he not think she’d fight to keep her business? Wouldn’t he?

“I’m doing my best to see your side of this. I’m fairly set in my ways. Marriage is a big change for both of us. I’ve left it rather late, as my parents keep telling me.” His lips tilted in a wry smile.

“Which leads us to the topic of children, I suppose.” No, she really didn’t want to go there, but it was the logical next step.

“A natural consequence of marriage, if all goes well. Why do we work if not to make a better life for our future family?”

“Neither of us had difficult childhoods. Mine was about as perfect as one could be.” Although she had to admit, her mother didn’t work outside the home. Rather she’d participated in charities, volunteered at school and the food pantry. But she’d usually been nearby, especially when Meilin didn’t want her around.

“To be fair, so was mine. Good schools, supportive family, even if they did make it clear what path I was to follow. Not all was rosy, of course.”

“Is that why you’ve put off marriage so long?”

He shot her a sideways glance and navigated the junction of one freeway to the next. “When I joined the family business, all was not well. My father did the best he could, but the economy and technology were changing and business had to change with it. The last twenty years have involved long hours, hundreds of thousands of miles of travel, more e-mails and phone conferences than I can ever hope to count, and as little sleep as I ever got in college. Things have turned around now and business has grown. I can make time for the important things in life.”

Shan reached for her hand and she let him take it. He rested her hand on his knee, his over hers, keeping his options for grabbing the steering wheel open if needed. His thumb stroked the ring he’d placed on her hand a week ago. The two carat diamond was hefty without being garish. Elegant. A classic solitaire set in platinum.

“I hope you’re not disappointed with the plain setting.”

“It’s classy without being ostentatious. I’m not a high maintenance woman.”

Shan smiled. “I’m a man who likes simple things.”

She gave him a look of disbelief. The Aston Martin, the Breitling watch on his wrist, the suit and shoes custom made in Hong Kong were not the simple possessions of a simple man.

“Sure you do.”

Shan picked up on her slightly sarcastic tone with a brief smile. “Quality has everything to do with simplicity. The higher the quality, the easier life is.” His hand tightened over hers. “Which is why when I see you working too hard, I’ll step in. Your first job is our marriage. My business will fund our life together. If your business draws too much of your energy, I will put my foot down. However, until we have children you should be able to handle your new duties easily enough.”

Meilin swallowed deeply. “I see.” A hint of ice shimmered in the air, not that Shan seemed to notice.

“I’ve been over your financials. You do all right, but you’re not raking in a large profit. Barely enough to cover your expenses and make your payroll. The apartment you live in is barely acceptable. It’s small and middle class, sliding downward in value every year. The building needs many improvements, and with the seniors populating it, the owner is hampered. He can’t charge enough rent to keep up the maintenance, much less take on renovations.”

Meilin stiffened and tried to withdraw her hand, but he tightened his grip. Not painfully so, but enough she couldn’t pull away without violently protesting. “You’ve been investigating me?” she asked, the disbelief quite clear in her voice, her heart jolting in an unpleasant way before the rushing of blood partially dimmed her hearing.

“It’s how business works. I always know who I’m brokering a deal with.”

Employing great self control, she forced her breathing to remain calm. Serene. Her mind raced, seeking to process his words. True, their marriage was arranged. They hadn’t even dated. This counted as their first official date. But still. Didn’t leave much room for the heart to have a say.

Surprised to find her voice calm, she said, “Marriage shouldn’t be all about business, Shan. Is your heart engaged at all?”

He squeezed her hand. “Is yours? There hasn’t been time, so I expect not. I hope today will change that. I like you. You’re a beautiful woman with a kind heart. Over the past few years I’ve watched how you interact with family. I’ve watched you as your client. Some of my clients are the same as yours. Everyone has kind things to say about you, your character, the integrity with which you run your business. You’re known for your good works with the Museum of Modern Art, as well as the Make A Wish Foundation. All things I’ve personally observed. These are good qualities in a wife.”

“What about good qualities for a husband? What do you see as your best features to bring to marriage?” This ought to be good.

“I’m considerate. I have an excellent income, an expansive portfolio, so I’m a top notch provider. The household budget will be generous, and I’ll leave you to sort out the household issues as you wish. I ask for clean laundry in the closet, a tidy, tranquil home, dinner on the table when we’re not eating out. The children will require much more of your management than I will.”

Obviously he’d thought things over far more than she had. “And you have a housekeeper and assistant at work to do these things for you now.”

“Mrs. Chan, as you know, comes in everyday and sees to the laundry, gets the dry cleaning sent out, the groceries purchased, and dinner is usually made and in the oven or fridge waiting for me when I get home. My secretary, Julie Wong, you also know, keeps her apprised of my schedule.”

She got along well with both women. “Will Mrs. Chan stay on after our marriage?”

“Yes, but it will be up to you to coordinate with her, which will take some of the burden off Julie. She will keep you notified of social events I’m obligated to attend for business. It will be up to you to handle our personal social scheduling, so you’ll need to talk with her often.”

“I should send her a gift then. Something to make her continue to think kindly of me.”

Shan grinned and squeezed her hand again. “Great idea. She loves chocolate and trips to the spa. In fact, I will be grateful to turn such gifts of gratitude over to your care. I never know what to give her when the occasion calls for recognition of a job well done.”

Not that she had much experience. Her own assistant received much verbal praise, but few gifts outside of holidays or her birthday. And those gifts tended to be small items, a jade figurine, a crystal vase, a small bunch of flowers. Nothing ostentatious. As for client gifts, her assistant usually handled those.

“By the end of the coming week I’ll have a credit card for you for just such expenses. Business gifts as appropriate, family gifts such as Jack’s graduation. Something for both of our parents to show our appreciation. Gifts for the wedding party.”

“All right.” At least he didn’t expect her to pay out of her pocket, as thin as he knew it to be.

“You may also use the card for your current household expenses.”

Tempted to mutter, “Big of you,” she stuck to a simple thank you. At least she was seeing some of the arrogance she’d expected. The question was, could she live with it and his plans to change her?

Drew looked out the front door to check for any last minute arrivals. He straightened the pale pink silk tie that matched his sister’s bridesmaid dress. At least the linen suit that matched his father’s was cooler than the wool tails they’d worn at the first wedding. The jacket and tie would disappear the moment the wedding photographer was done. Or when Randi said he could dump them.

He took one last look around, although he didn’t expect anyone else. Jack had texted about his own plans falling through, but he wasn’t expected to arrive for another hour at least because he was having lunch with his parents first.

A dark gray Aston Martin pulled into the court and circled around to stop in front of the pair of valets hired for the afternoon. Many of the neighbors had offered their driveways for overflow parking, as they’d walk to the party, but all those spots were taken, and there were only a few left at the curb. Soon, the valets would be parking cars around the corner and down the street, then dashing back to take care of the next arrivals. He didn’t envy them or their job today. While rain would be the worst possible scenario, the intense sun combined with lack of breeze was probably the next worst.

He held up a hand for Martin, his father’s butler, who fussed at RJ standing nearby waiting for the moment to escort Randi from the house, past the pool, and onto the lawn where chairs held the guests. More would arrive starting in an hour for the next part of the party. “One more arrival and then we should be good,” he told the men.

Martin merely huffed and hustled over to mutter something to the DJ standing just outside the rear door ready to change the music for the procession. Birdie stood beside the chair where their grandmother waited for Drew to escort her to her seat.

Looking back to the street, he watched as the valet closest to the curb opened the passenger door and a female leg emerged. A slender, delicate leg in demure pumps, unlike some of the platforms he’d seen mincing across the grass out back.

Curious, he stood taller in the shadows of the doorway. The woman who stood from the car took his breath away when she faced the house. Meilin. Here. Arriving in a James Bond style car. The man from the driver’s seat was obviously Asian, dressed in a light colored linen suit. He glanced around the neighborhood as he came around the car to offer his arm to the woman Drew hadn’t been able to get out of his mind for the last week. And a day.

Meilin looked elegant in a sleeveless dress of golden lace that hugged her slim curves from neck to knee. The sun glanced off a spot on her hand. A huge diamond. That was new. As she took the arm of her date, the refraction of light was like a laser straight to his heart. This man must be the fiancé. Slightly older, a little stocky. They looked like a paired set. Which, in fact, they were. Both of them with pearl pale skin, black hair, and the features that indicated their Asian roots.

They came up the walk together, and the moment Meilin’s gaze found his, her step faltered a little, causing her date to look at her with concern. She smiled and kept coming.

Drew cleared his throat. “Welcome. You’re just in time. We have two seats left on the groom’s side.” He held out his hand to the man first. “Drew Robinson.”

“Shan Lin and my fiancée, Meilin Wu.”

“Mr. Lin. Please, come and be seated. As it is, we’re running a couple minutes late, and the father of the bride is getting anxious.” He turned to grin at RJ as he teased the older man.

“Lin,” RJ greeted the couple as they traversed the foyer. “Didn’t know you’d be here. Want to chat with you later about a new vineyard putting out some fine reds, but you’d better let the boy direct you to your seats. The wedding director is about to have kittens.”

“Hush you.” Randi spoke from the side hall leading to the master bedroom. Martin glared from his position near the back door. “The ceremony begins when I’m ready and not a moment before.” Randi turned to smile at the new arrivals. “Meilin! I’m so pleased to see you here. And this must be Shan.” She extended a hand and Lin bowed over it to press his lips to her knuckles. “Court has told me a little about you. What a small world we live in.”

Lin rose from slobbering over Randi’s hand. “So pleased to receive an invite. We were excited to be able to make it for the vows portion when a family event fell through at the last moment. An uncle was sent off to the hospital with heat stroke after the graduation this morning.”

Okay, so the man didn’t actually slobber, but Drew didn’t like seeing the man so close to Meilin, or his mother.

Randi placed a hand over her heart. “Oh! That was your family? We saw the ambulance but didn’t know the cause. I hope he’s not too ill.”

Meilin smiled. “Oh, he’ll be fine. He does this at least once a summer. The sun is too bright for him. Congratulations, Randi. I didn’t realize this was your event.”

Randi blushed. “I’m still giddy with the rush of love. It’s a long story and I’ll tell you over cake and champagne. For now…Drew?” She turned to him. “Be a doll, seat them, then escort your grandmother to her seat, and get up by your father. We’ll have this ceremony and then I’ll introduce you properly.”