Love and Chaos by Elizabeth Powers

Were. Oh, you
know what I mean.”
    His
expression didn’t change. “I do know what you mean. Good. We’re fine then. Good
night, Emma.”
    “Night,”
she said softly.
     
     
     

 
     
     
     
     
    Seven
     
    Life
continued, Emma thought as the days turned into weeks. And hers wasn’t much
different from what it was before, apart from the fact that she lived in a
different neighborhood, and never dated. It wasn’t like she was with a
different guy every week, but she had a fairly active social life that seemed
to have largely ground to a halt, now that she was married to Mason. She missed
going to happy hours after work, then out to dinner with a few good friends,
but it just wouldn’t do for her to never be seen with her husband. She spent a
lot of nights alone, or with Chaos. Even her relationship with her family
remained strained these days. So she just threw herself into her work during
the days, and even found herself bringing work home with her - something she’d
been loath to do for the past several years.
    One
evening, Emma was working in her office when Mason knocked at the door.
    “Hi,”
she said, looking up. Mason was in his work clothes, his dark suit and matching
tie making him look especially handsome this evening. “What’s up?”
    “Can
you be free on Saturday night, Emma?” he asked.
    “I
think so,” she said, pulling her calendar toward her and checking to be sure
she was free. She was. “What’s happening on Saturday?”
    “There's
a charity benefit at the country club that night. My mother and my sister will
be there. We should take advantage of that and introduce you in public.”
    She
hesitated before asking quietly, “You’re sure that public is better than
inviting them over here?”
    “Yes.”
    Nodding
slightly, she sighed, then penciled the information into her calendar. Looking
up again, she asked, “Mason, do they know anything about the will or about the
circumstances of our marriage?”
    “They
do not.”
    “So
they think….”
    “That
we fell in love and I proposed. Or that you managed to entice me into your bed,
and trick me into marriage,” he said half-seriously.
    Emma
rolled her eyes. “You have to tell them, Mason.”
    “No.”
    “They
will wonder what happened to Jen. And they will wonder what the hell kind of a
woman I am who would marry you after knowing you for such a short time.”
    “How
good of an actress are you, Emma?”
    “Not
that good.”
    “And
if I make it worth your while?”
    “With
what?” she asked incredulously, leaning back in her seat. “Money? Jewelry? I’m
not going to be bought, Mason. You’ve got to know that by now.” She closed her
eyes and counted to ten. “OK. What do you want me to do?”
    “Pretend
that you’re madly in love with me,” he said, only half kidding.
    “I
barely know you,” Emma pointed out. “Even after all this time.”
    “Then
you don’t know me enough to hate me,” he stated.
    “Mason…”
    He
walked over to the chair in front of her desk and leaned on it, his arms
crossed in front of him and his expression once again serious. “Look. I don’t
think my sister or my mother expect any woman to fall madly in love with me.
They both think that the only reason anyone would be with me is for my money.
So if you play it up too much, they’ll just roll their eyes and assume that
you’re worse than the rest of the women I normally date.”
    Some
of Emma’s surprise must have shown in her eyes. “Good Lord, Mason. No wonder…”
    “No
wonder what?”
    “No
wonder you’re such a hard man. The two women who are supposed to be 100%
squarely in your court, think that no one can love you for you? That any woman
who chooses to be with you is only doing so because you’re rich?”
    “I’m
not exactly lovable,” he said dryly.
    “Well,
maybe not at first glance,” Emma agreed. “But you have good qualities.”
    He
lifted an eyebrow. “Name one.”
    “You’re
smart.”
    “Is
that the