Page 71 of Marry Me, Right Now

I glanced over to where Jacob was dozing. He had let his scruff grow in a little, and it was approaching a real beard. My hand darted out to stroke his cheek without thinking. He smiled, still asleep.

I didn’t want our physical closeness to end, but our whole arrangement had been based on us staying professional. That was impossible, I could see now, as this particular situation was all so personal there was no way to separate things.

Neither of us wanted to talk about it. I didn’t know if we were both scared of our own feelings, or that the others didn’t match ours. It was all so confusing that it was likely best swept under the rug for at least a little longer.

Curling my hands under my cheek, I turned back to the w

indow, watching the clouds. I saw a movement out of the corner of my eye, and Marie was giving me a silent wave, gesturing to ask if I needed anything. I shook my head, mouthing, “No, thank you.” She nodded and disappeared.

Being waited on was weird, but I could see how people would become accustomed to it quickly. I no longer had to clean my own washroom. I didn’t have to worry about groceries, or picking up milk for my coffee. All of those tiny details that usually swirled around my head were now someone else’s stress to deal with.

I had no idea I would feel this calm about it. Perhaps I could compartmentalize it since it was temporary. You could hardly blame a person for enjoying the easy, comfortable route if it was available.

I knew I shouldn’t judge Jacob for what he had been born into. It wasn’t his fault, as much as his height. The fact that he was a different person than I am shouldn’t be that much of an issue, should it?

Many so-called “experts” say that if you want to find your true love, you should sit down and make a list of their traits, so you know what you’re looking for and will recognize it when you find it. There are several articles I had read six months ago when I considered trying to date again about being clear on your needs and desires before you started looking.

Although it sounded a little airy-fairy, I did have a friend in university who decided it was time for him to find his dream girl. He wrote out a complete description of who she was, down to details like dirty blonde hair, only five feet tall, and French-Canadian.

He met his dream girl at a party the next night. They were engaged within a few months, and I saw online a few weeks ago that their wedding date was set.

But that doesn’t leave things to chance. I’ve never known what I was looking for. Jacob was an accident, a random occurrence. And he was the most thoughtful, caring, sweet, funny, gorgeous man I’d ever known. The fact that my entire body screamed for me to touch him was almost beside the point.

We both grew quiet as we returned to the condo, unpacking, sorting laundry, preparing for the week ahead. I ordered a bunch of stationary to begin sending thank you notes to the guests and the vendors, and especially Zachary. I began drafting a letter to Jacob’s mother to thank her for the wonderful honeymoon.

Everything seemed weird. Sort of hollow. As if we had to return to reality, but we didn’t quite know what that meant.

Jacob seemed tense, and I didn’t know how to ask him about that without feeling clingy. I could see where the glorious beaches of Bermuda would be more refreshing than the early fall weather of Toronto, even though it’s my favorite season.

But he did seem eager to get back to the office, interested in how a couple of projects had developed in his absence. It was inspiring how involved he was with his work, and how he truly seemed to enjoy it.

So I went to bed early with a book just to stay out of his way. My head was spinning trying to think of my next steps. I wasn’t the type to attend fancy lunches every day, or spend hours shopping. Perhaps it was time for me to figure out my career path.

When I woke up, I was actually disappointed that I missed saying good morning to Jacob. He must have left quite early. Quickly making myself a cup of tea before Carol came in, I sat out on the breezy balcony with my new notebook, brainstorming what I should do with my new life of freedom.

Once I had a million dollars, if I invested it well, I could be making somewhere in the neighborhood of two and a half thousand per month in interest. By rolling five percent back into the main investment, my cut every month would rise. That was almost enough to live on, provided I found a decent apartment.

A strange thought flew through my head. Although I wouldn’t have endless money, I’d still have the connections that I’d made so far, and would continue to build over the year.

Jacob’s friend Simon was a condo flipper and investor, and was going on at length at our party about finding the perfect tenants for his overseas investors. Basically, super cheap rent for being a quiet, respectful, trustworthy tenant. Certainly he could vouch for me, and find me something.

We hadn’t yet gone over the terms of our split, but I’m sure that we’d make it amicable. Perhaps something about how he wants five children and I want zero, so we can’t resolve that. I’m sure we’ll think of something where neither of us is the bad guy.

But there would be no reason for his friends to hate me, so I now had a connection for a great apartment. Being wealthy and well connected had more advantages than I’d ever dreamed of.

Sipping my tea and staring off across the lake, the sailboats were zipping by, fueled by gusts of brisk autumn wind. I wondered if Jacob owned a boat.

Scribbling down a note, I realized that I should look into everything he had and did. There was still so much I didn’t know about him. For all I knew, he might have connections at an art gallery where I could volunteer, or own a business where I could assist. If we were keeping up the facade of me being the perfect little wife, I’d need some activities, and supporting his interests would certainly help.

Two sailboats were headed nearly straight for each other, then both leaned to their starboard side, gracefully dancing around each other. Although I couldn’t see it, I knew that they would be waving wildly to each other, in the manner of boating people everywhere.

Wouldn’t it be charming if everyone did that, I pondered. If rich and poor meant nothing, and we realized we were all floating along together. Our friends came from very different circles, but I had found connections between nearly everyone there. If only I could use that somehow.

By the time I finished my tea, I had made a list of all of the things I needed to accomplish this week in my new position as rich man’s wife, such as updating my driver’s license and health card with my new name, making sure I was added to his insurance, finding out all of his connections to see if there were places where I could help, and visiting his office.

As a newly married couple, his coworkers might find it odd that I’ve never been by to see where he worked, so that should be a priority.

Maybe I should practice being the high society wife, and dash by his office to see if I could take him to lunch. Even if he were busy, it would introduce me to a few of his colleagues, and would likely amuse him.

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