If he’d said the same thing a few months ago, the night of the birthday party, she might have listened. She might have handed over her heart, again and again, because that’s what “for better, for worse” meant. Matt had always been good with words—pitch perfect and so sincere that you felt them in your stomach. But he wasn’t safe. He was a fairy tale she’d repeated to herself enough times to forget it wasn’t real. She’d never make that mistake again.
Rachel stood, dumped out her food, and walked out of the kitchen. He didn’t follow her. She went upstairs and called Julia, who was equally skeptical about Matt’s sudden change of heart. “Herman Abbott responded to my request for financial records instead of Matt. They’re closing ranks, so watch your back.”
She was right. An hour later, Rachel’s father-in-law was on her doorstep. Herman’s smile faltered when she skipped her usual polite greeting.
“Matt isn’t here.”
“I’m actually here to see you.”
She paused. “I was about to head out.”
His eyes went from her face to her bare feet. The last time he saw her without makeup was probably the family beach trip when she was twenty-five. “I don’t think that’s true.”
“I also don’t want to talk to you.”
“That I believe.” He placed a hand against the door. “Please, Rachel. A few minutes of your time.”
His voice was even and polite in a way some people found seductive. Rachel wasn’t fooled. He was pretending to ask permission while his hand blocked the door. She didn’t have the strength to argue.
“Are you going to stand there?” he asked as he sat on the sofa.
“You’re wasting minutes.”
“Okay.” He laced his fingers. “You’re angry. It’s understandable.”
“What are you talking about?”
“My son’s stupidity.”
“You know he cheated on me?”
“Yes, I do. I also know that you agreed to stay until the election.” He studied her face. “How much did you ask for?”
She sighed. He was sitting there, calm as a frog on a lily pad, asking how much hush money his son paid his wife to keep his secrets. This family made her sick. “Not enough.”
He smirked. “When it’s for your dignity, it never is.” He scanned the room, eyes resting on a framed wedding photo. “I’m impressed you kept things together this long. I never would have known it was so bad if he hadn’t told me. My son can be very shortsighted about his own best interests. He only thinks about what he wants in the moment. At one point that was you.”
“Which you never approved of.”
“Not at first, no.” He paused. “But I was wrong about you, Rachel. I know I should have said something before now, but sentiment doesn’t come naturally to me. You’ve been a good influence on him. Calming. Rational, when he lost focus.” He leaned forward. “When we poll Matt as an unmarried candidate, he’s unelectable. No one trusts him. Not without you there. Beautiful. Respectable. You convince voters he’s more than just another trust fund, Ivy League kid.”
The revelation turned her stomach. She should have known Matt’s change of heart was prompted by the numbers on some spreadsheet. “Why are you here?”
“To fix his mistake.” Herman leaned back and crossed his legs. “Neither of you has any idea how to negotiate. He should have made the initial offer. And you should have demanded enough to make following through worth it. You have no incentive to keep your word.”
“I won’t tell anyone about his affair.”
“But you won’t stay either.” He tilted his head. “Will you?”
It was like being pinned beneath a microscope. She needed to get rid of him before he started plucking away her defenses like the wings on a dead fly. “I can’t do this anymore.”
“Because you’ve decided money doesn’t matter,” he said. “But what about Faith? Matt told me how well she’s doing at that expensive culinary school. And that apartment in New York? It’d be a shame to lose all that so suddenly.”
His nonchalance was terrifying. She eyed a nearby vase. It was light enough to throw but heavy enough to do damage. “Are you threatening her?”
Herman looked insulted. “Faith is family. I don’t threaten my family. I help them.” He pulled out a white envelope from his suit jacket. “This is an agreement, already signed.”