Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 100277 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 501(@200wpm)___ 401(@250wpm)___ 334(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100277 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 501(@200wpm)___ 401(@250wpm)___ 334(@300wpm)
That was good to know. “Your mom?”
“Grew up in Connecticut, upper-middle-class family, graduated from Brown, met my father in her senior year of college, and got married instead of pursuing the teaching career she’d had in mind. Neither of them expected my father’s business to take off the way it did, but she’d grown up in a world that made her the perfect partner in navigating New York society. My father credits her with creating connections that launched Mercurious.”
“That’s awesome.”
He shrugged. “She seems satisfied with her life.”
His tepid response confused me. “Do you have a good relationship with your parents? I mean, beyond the fact that your mother has driven you to hire someone to pretend to be your girlfriend.”
Rafe’s lips pursed. “I’m not sure that is information even someone I’m dating would have at this point.”
“Are all rich people as guarded as you?”
“Yes.”
I bit back a smile. “Okay then. Anything else I should know? Grandparents?”
“My dad was raised by a single mom. Nana. She passed away ten years ago.”
Seeing the flash of pain in his eyes, I had to stop myself from reaching out to touch him. “I’m so sorry.”
“Thank you.” He shifted uncomfortably. “My mom’s parents, my gran and grandpa, retired to Key Largo. We see them once a year at Christmas. We’re not as close to them as we were to my nana, so they won’t factor in this ruse.”
“Oh. Okay. Anything else?”
“Pippa. Phillipa.”
“Your sister-in-law and mom’s partner in crime?”
“The very one. Hugo met Pippa at Harvard. She’d graduated from Harvard Law School and worked a year at a fancy law firm in the city when my brother proposed and asked her to give it up to be his partner. But what he really meant was to be his society wife and mother to his children. And she gave up everything to do it. They’ve been together for seventeen years.”
Hearing the obvious disbelief in his voice, I suggested, “She must have wanted that life or she wouldn’t have given up practicing law for it.”
“She’s obviously so bored that she now dedicates her time to trying to find me a wife. This was a woman who wanted to work her way up to being a criminal court judge and now spends her days managing their social calendar and sending eligible women to my clinic. Pippa wanted to be a hands-on mother, but she had to hire a nanny because she’s constantly involved in some charitable event or another that rich people host to make themselves feel better for having more than their fair share of the world’s wealth. Pippa is bright, kind, and capable. Don’t you, as a woman, think she should pursue a career, do something productive with her talents?”
Wow. His words stung. In insulting his sister-in-law, he was also insulting me because I knew he didn’t think my jobs counted as something worthwhile. “Why is striving to be an excellent mother and running charitable events not ambitious? Why can’t giving her intelligence and kindness and capability to her children and others count as something useful?”
“I’m surprised. You strike me as a feminist, but this isn’t very feminist of you.”
I stiffened. “Of course it is. True feminism is supporting each other in whatever endeavors we pursue. So being a stay-at-home mom isn’t any less important than someone who goes to work every day in an office. If someone wants to turn their nose up at Pippa for choosing that path in life, then they’re not a true feminist.
“Equality for all is something I will always fight for, and a woman should never feel guilted or forced into or out of a career or the life she wants. But I also won’t tear someone down for choosing to live their life the way they want to live it. The problem with our society is that we’re so fixed on either outdated ideals or pushing for progress that we forget to just allow people to be who they want to be. Why the hell, as long as it isn’t hurting anyone, can we not just allow people to live their lives the way they want to and stop pressuring them to live the way anyone else dictates they should? Isn’t that why we’re here, right now? Because in your world ‘being thirty-three and a bachelor is concerning’? Which is bullshit, and we both know it.” I drew in a sharp breath, needing it after my rambling tirade.
He was silent so long I didn’t think he’d respond. I studied him, the way the muscle in his jaw flexed as he stared at me as if he’d never seen me before.
“You’re right,” he agreed quietly, shocking me. “You’re absolutely right. I . . . I’m focusing my frustration with Pippa on the wrong things. Of course I’m proud of how well she’s raising Charmaine. I shouldn’t have said what I said.”