Coco picked him up at the airport when he arrived, as she had before. They hugged each other so hard, she was afraid they would break something. He looked thinner, tired, and pale, but he was thrilled to see her. She had had her last day at Time the day before, so she was free to be with him the whole time, and didn’t have to go to work.
She drove him to the city house they had bought on the way to her place. The contractor and his men were working at full speed when they got there. They had a large crew working on it to meet the deadline. Sam was amazed when he saw it.
“This place is huge. Why do you need this much space? Are you having quadruplets?”
“Apparently Nigel thinks we are.” She didn’t look happy about it. She was still uneasy about how much they had taken on, and how many people it would take to maintain it. By her calculation, at least three, and Nigel thought one of them should be a butler, which made her even more uncomfortable.
There was no question, the house was beautiful, but they didn’t need it, and it had been expensive, especially with the remodel. She hardly saw Nigel now that he wasn’t working. He was going to the pub a lot at night to meet up with friends.
“I’ll drive you out to see the country house in Sussex tomorrow.” She’d only been to see it once herself. It was beautiful and peaceful, but she feared that Nigel’s remodel to modernize it would be extensive, and provide another excuse for him not to work.
“Why all these houses?” Sam looked baffled. He knew she had inherited a large fortune from her parents, but she wasn’t given to showing off like this. It was obviously all Nigel. He took their social life very seriously, although it had slowed down recently after he was fired, and she quit her job.
“I think he wants to impress his friends. He wants us to entertain, and give house parties in the country. That’s a little grand for me, and a huge amount of work to entertain fifteen or twenty or thirty people for a weekend. And it costs a fortune. He just lost his job, by the way. He wants to take the summer off, and start looking in September.”
“How do you feel about that?” Sam asked, concerned.
“I don’t like it,” she said honestly. “He pressured me into buying this house, and made a commitment to a friend to buy the place in Sussex without even telling me till after he did it. Things are a little rocky. I told him that if he makes another purchase like that without consulting me, I’d leave him. He spends a hell of a lot of money.” She looked worried and Sam wasn’t surprised.
“It sounds like he’s gotten very grand since you two got married. He wasn’t like that before, was he?”
“He likes the good life, and we certainly went to some very fancy homes on our weekends away together, but now he wants to give parties like that, not just go to them. He likes to live a glamorous life, and he has a very good idea of what I’ve inherited from my parents from the declaration of assets in our prenup, and he did some research before.”
Sam was disturbed to hear it, but not surprised. “And you didn’t,” he reminded her. “He sounds very entitled. He didn’t strike me that way last year.” He had been respectful of Coco then, but his ideas had been somewhat grandiose even before they married.
“He promised me he wouldn’t do it again. I hope he means it. I want him to get a job. It’s embarrassing to have to push him about it. He said something about how pointless it is for him to work, given what I have. But I’m working. I think he should too.” He had some savings, but he would be totally dependent on her when that ran out, which would be soon.
They both knew she had married him too quickly and didn’t know him well enough. It had been obvious even then that Nigel liked living in the fast lane, and wanted a Great Gatsby kind of life, which Coco didn’t. She’d let him pull her into it, but she didn’t want to buy houses left and right to keep him happy. That kind of spending frightened her, no matter how much money she had. With her parents’ example, she wasn’t irresponsible about her money.
“Ed says I’m okay, but I won’t be forever if Nigel keeps spending this way.”
Sam was worried for her as they drove back to her mews house, which was a far cry from the mansion she had just bought.
“When are you moving in?”
“Supposedly in August. The country house will be finished in September, and I’ll have to hire people to run it.” It was a very luxurious lifestyle for a twenty-three-year-old girl with a brand-new husband without a penny to his name, or a job. But he had always told her that he had no money. She just didn’t know that he was going to spend hers like a drunken sailor, and then get fired on top of it.
Nigel was out when they got home, which didn’t surprise her. Sam had a glass of wine, and they sat on the couch and talked with his arm around her. They talked about his family, working with his father, and Tamar, who was devoted and loyal, and even willing to help with his father’s business on the weekends. She was helping them with the billing. It made Sam feel even guiltier that he didn’t want to marry her.
“I’m twenty-four. I’m not ready to settle down yet. She’s a year younger than you are, and she wants to get married and have babies. I can hear my youth flying out the window every time she says it, along with my freedom.”
“Why don’t you date someone else for a while? Give yourself a breather?” He liked the idea but felt guilty about that too.
“It would probably kill her. And my mother would kill me.” He smiled ruefully at Coco and she laughed. His mother was fierce when she wanted to be, and she ruled her family with an iron fist. “My mother is crazy about her. She’s more like my mother than either of my sisters. Sabra is marrying Liam. Rebecca told my father she wants to convert and become a Catholic. And not even for a guy, she said it’s more in keeping with her personal beliefs. Last year she was considering becoming a Buddhist. And Jacob still wants to be a rabbi. They’re all driving me crazy. I miss you, Coco. It’s not the same without you. I have no one sane to talk to except when I call you.”
“It isn’t the same for me either,” she admitted, and they both knew she had made a mistake with Nigel. His lavish spending terrified her. He wanted all of London society to be impressed by them, but that was a costly venture, and Coco was footing the bill.
Nigel was different with Sam when he came home that night. He was quieter and less engaging, and seemed slightly annoyed that Sam was there, as though Sam was spying on him. It wasn’t entirely inaccurate, but he was really there to see Coco and offer her whatever support she needed, and help her figure out what was going on. Things had changed since she and Nigel got married.
“That’s quite a house you two are working on,” Sam commented with a smile when they sat down to dinner at a pub nearby.
“Coco thinks it’s too big for us,” he answered glumly. “But it won’t be when we start having children. And we can give some spectacular parties there. We’ll be the talk of the town,” he said, lighting up as he said it. It was all there in what he said and his facial expressions. He wanted to make a big splash, a very big splash, at her expense. It didn’t embarrass him that she was paying for everything. He wanted to show off at any price. It was his way of making up for his brother inheriting everything. Now he had more.
Sam commented the next day when they drove to Sussex that he could see that Nigel was different. He blamed the magazine for firing him, and was bitter about it. But he liked not working. And he was annoyed that Coco was making a fuss about buying two houses at once, and thought he should get a job. He was well aware that she could afford what she’d spent, and had no remorse at all over pushing her to do so. He felt entitled to all of it, and was no longer funny and charming, and he was drinking way too much, with an edge to him when he did. And he made constant references to how rich Coco was, which embarrassed her and made Sam angry on her behalf.
The property in Sussex was beautiful and had a sense of history to it, but needed a lot
of work due to deferred maintenance. The bones were there, though. When they got it fixed up, it would be an impressive estate, which it once had been, a long time ago.
“He got a great deal on it,” Coco said, trying to make her peace with it. They owned it now, so there was no point complaining. They had to either fix it up and use it, or sell it, maybe even at a profit. Sam was impressed when he saw it. Coco had agreed to keep it and do the work, so they could give the weekend parties that Nigel was dreaming of, like those his wealthy friends gave. He had found a rich American wife to help him achieve his dreams. Sam suspected that had always been his intention, but he didn’t say it to Coco. It was too late for that now, and it would only upset her. She was married to him, and said she loved him, although things had been a lot less pleasant lately.
Over dinner that night, Sam suggested that they come to New York that summer and spend some time in the Hamptons, but Nigel said he didn’t want to go anywhere until the houses were finished. They would be staying in London for the summer. Coco had told Sam he could use the house in Southampton if he wanted, but he said it would feel too odd, and sad, to be there without her. She was what mattered to him, not the house.
Their four days together flew by, and she got plenty of time alone with Sam. Now that he wasn’t working, Nigel disappeared a lot, and said he was working on the house. She wasn’t always sure it was true, but didn’t question him about it. It was easier not to. He got nasty now when she pressed him about anything, like what he spent.
When she took Sam to the airport, he looked at her with all the love he had always felt for her. “Call me if you need me, Coco.” He didn’t like the atmosphere between her and Nigel. It was tense most of the time now, and occasionally the looks he gave her were ugly. He was angry, not grateful for what she was doing for him. He felt entitled to it all.
“You too.”
“Don’t do anything stupid or buy him any more houses.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t. And don’t you do anything stupid either, or let your mother boss you around.” He laughed at that.
“I’ll try to come back in the fall to see how the houses look.” She hugged him tight then, and they almost cried when they left each other, but didn’t this time.
She was sad after Sam left, and went home thinking about him. Nigel could see it, and a few days later, he came home and said he had a surprise for her.
“We still haven’t taken our honeymoon, and I thought it would be more fun with friends. We need a vacation. So I chartered a boat for us, with a fabulous owner’s cabin, and five guest cabins.” He looked triumphant as he said it.
“What kind of boat?” She liked boats, but this one sounded like a big deal to her. Her father had chartered one for them in the South of France once years ago, and they’d loved it. But she knew it had been incredibly expensive.
“It’s a motorboat,” Nigel said, smiling at her. “Two hundred and forty feet with a crew of nineteen. We can go wherever we want in the Mediterranean. Italy, France, Croatia. I think Saint Tropez would be fun. We have it for two weeks at the end of August, and when we come back, the house in town will be finished and we can move right in. We should start thinking about a housewarming party.” Using various parts of the house, they could seat a hundred for dinner and dancing.
“Nigel, that’s an enormous yacht. Chartering it for two weeks must have cost a fortune.”
“It did, but it’s our honeymoon. We deserve it, and we can take five couples with us. I’ve already made a list. It’s mostly the people who entertained us all winter.” He pulled a brochure out of a drawer and showed it to her. It was spectacular. She could imagine what it cost, and he expected her to pay for it. He had done it again, but not with a house this time. He hadn’t bought it, he had only chartered it, thank God.
“Nigel, how much did the charter cost?” Her voice was low and tight.
“Do we have to talk about that now? Are you trying to spoil it? You always do these days,” he said nastily, as though she’d refused him anything, which she certainly hadn’t. He had pressured and intimidated her into everything she’d spent.
“I’d like to know. You’re going to have to tell me eventually.” He told her and she nearly fell out of her chair. “And you didn’t think you needed to ask me first?”
“I thought you’d be excited.” She was, about the price of the charter more than the boat. She didn’t give a damn about taking five couples with them to impress them. Saying it was for their honeymoon was a thin excuse, and she saw right through it. He wanted to show off again. Those five couples would talk about the trip for years, and invite them for weekends again and again.
“Nigel, the boat is gorgeous, but it’s insanely expensive.” It was twice the price of the work they were doing on the house, which was bad enough. “Are we committed to it?”
“I signed the contract this morning. I wanted to surprise you.” And since they were married, technically, she was responsible for any debt or expense he incurred. So she was on the hook. She was no match for him. He outsmarted her at every turn.
“I’m going upstairs to lie down,” she said quietly. She didn’t want to fight with him. But he had crossed the line again, in a major way. She wondered how many times he would do it. The boat sounded like a fabulous idea. It even had a grand staircase, a swimming pool, and a helicopter landing pad, but she would never have chartered a boat that size, and certainly not for two weeks.
“Please don’t be mad at me,” he said softly, as she walked away to go upstairs. She turned to look at him. It was hard to believe that he didn’t understand what he was doing, and the kind of money he was spending. It was astronomical. “I just wanted you to be happy. You should have some fun with your money.”
“That should be up to me to decide when we’re talking about houses and amounts like this. I’m sure the boat is beautiful. I just don’t want to blow my inheritance like this. It’s supposed to last for my lifetime, and our children’s lifetimes. It won’t, if you keep spending it like this, and you can’t do it without talking to me about it. I don’t want a honeymoon with ten of your friends along for the ride.” She was growing up fast dealing with him.
“Why not? You go to their homes. Why can’t we take them with us?”
“I’m going to have a hard time explaining this to my trustee. He may put me on an allowance if you keep blowing money like this.” She could see Ed doing it, and she wouldn’t blame him. She had been extremely careful and reasonable before. Nigel was becoming a major money drain, and she was scared of where it could lead.
“Just tell him it’s our honeymoon. He’ll understand.”
“No, Nigel, he won’t. And neither do I.” But she was beginning to. Nigel had had a plan when he married her, and she was it. The question was what to do about it now. She had to figure it out. He hadn’t asked her to give him the houses, he was content to spend as much money as he could on a lavish lifestyle, which only he cared about. Coco didn’t. Nigel had seen an opportunity with her and seized it, and now he was running with it, as fast as he could.
Chapter 9
The trip on the boat Nigel had chartered was nothing less than fabulous. He organized it perfectly, with a night for them alone before the others joined them. They picked the boat up in Monaco, where it was docked next to several even bigger yachts, which dwarfed it. All of them belonged to famous yacht owners, but the Moonbeam was a spectacular boat, and only a year old. It had been built by a famous shipyard, and had every comfort imaginable. Marble bathrooms, a spa, a hair salon, a movie theater, exquisite furnishings, priceless contemporary art, two Cordon Bleu chefs, and an impeccable British crew. The cabins were enormous and supremely comfortable with beautiful sheets and cashmere blankets and exquisite décor. They were waited on hand and foot. The champagne flowed from the moment they set foot on the boat, and Nigel had ordered caviar for their guests every nigh
t. There was nothing Coco could do about any of it, so once she accepted that the expense was inevitable, she tried to enjoy it as best she could. They had Jet Skis, water toys, a small sailboat and a submarine on board, and a helipad for the owner’s helicopter. It had indoor and outdoor swimming pools, and a fleet of masseuses, hairdressers, and manicurists in addition to the nineteen-person crew. It was the most luxurious experience Coco had ever had.
The meals were extraordinary, like a three-star restaurant every night. They made a detour to Saint Tropez to do some shopping, and after that they headed to Italy, with a night in Portofino, Corsica after that, and then on to Sardinia, where they met up with friends on other yachts. Nigel knew people everywhere, and whenever they were in port, they gave lunch parties every day, with heavily laden buffets and the finest French wines.
All their guests talked constantly about how perfect everything was, and Nigel relaxed with Coco again. She tried to do the same. They made love for the first time in a month. And in spite of what it was costing her, Coco had a fantastic time too. It would have been impossible not to. They all felt like Cinderella after the ball when they got deposited back on the dock in Monaco, after two of the most perfect weeks most of them had ever spent.
They were driven to the airport in a van after the crew said goodbye to them. The captain had been extremely efficient and very pleasant. They had work to do when the charter guests left. The owner and his family were coming on board the following day, and sailing to Greece, to spend a month there.
The group was silent on the way to the airport, as reality hit them after two weeks of sheer heaven.
“You have to admit, it was incredible, wasn’t it?” Nigel whispered to Coco in the van, looking pleased with himself. He had thoroughly enjoyed it, and told the captain they’d be back next year. Coco couldn’t believe how cavalier he was about what they had spent. It didn’t bother him at all. He hadn’t even thanked her, and acted like their benefactor for organizing it. The guests barely thanked Coco.
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