She didn’t like that idea.
Mason admitted that the entire episode soured him; it made him angry and bitter to be treated like the enemy when he did what was right. His only real regret was lying to Amanda. He never loved her, but later he learned that she only wanted to marry him to please her father, who saw dollar signs with the marriage-merger and was putting a lot of pressure on her. Together, the families would have been able to sell their companies for a lot more given the expanded global footprint. Her sister, Jules, was more like Mason, always trying to save her family from their own greed.
After the lake incident, Jules separated herself from everyone and decided to dedicate herself to the sister she lost long before death. Rose’s Garden Thrift Store gives all of their money to empowerment bootcamps for teens and girls. Life is about getting along with others as much as it is standing up for one’s self. Empowerment is doing both.
Mason said that Rebecca gave her money, too, in an effort to gain Jules’s trust. (Jules knew about Mason’s amnesia, but nothing about what Rebecca did to him.) But Rebecca knew Mason and Jules had become good friends, and used her to keep tabs on him. That’s how Rebecca knew about me to begin with and that Mason’s memory was returning. Rebecca played the part of worried protective sister, when in fact she hated him. Jules, on the other hand, forgave everything and watched out for him. Like a real sister. They’re still close.
Either way, Mason blames himself for Amanda’s death and never wants to forget. “It’s a reminder,” he said, “of who I never want to become again.”
What do I think? Amanda’s death was a tragedy, but it was also a twist of fate. An ugly, difficult, but necessary twist. Had that marriage happened, who knows where Mason would be. Scrooge-land, for sure. And I don’t believe that being a cold, bitter, hateful man was his destiny.
Sure, maybe he isn’t a genie either, but this version is so much more. He’s real. He’s made mistakes. He’s beautiful. And most of all, he apparently has zero problems banging me senseless when he feels like being a little greedy.
“Yoohoo! Mason, sweetie!” I see an older woman in a pink muumuu come from the barn, waving us down.
“Who’s that?” I ask.
Mason stifles a smile. “The nanny.”
“Nanny?” My jaw drops. “I thought we agreed no nannies. And you didn’t even give me the chance to screen her?”
“Ginnie,” Mason says in that deep voice that tells me I’m just going to have to trust him. Funny how well I know him. “I couldn’t let her live out her last years alone.”
I look at the woman with a huge smile waving frantically. “Wait. Is that handsy granny, the woman you used to bring groceries to?”
“She raised five kids, Ginnie. And I’ve checked them all out. Diplomats, military, and humanitarian aid doctors. She’s only alone because she’s raised an army of exceptional children.”
Wow. Really? “Does she promise not to grab your ass?”
He stares for a moment.
Welp. That’s a no. “Fine. But only because I trust you’ll keep your hands off her.”
He chuckles. “I only have eyes for you, woman.”
“Woman? You’re lucky I like you, Mason.” Also, I can’t imagine giving Russ a better dad. While Mason no longer stays up all night trading stocks, he still finds the time to invest enough to fund Mr. Wish, Inc.
But now, it’ll be Mr. and Mrs. Wish, Inc. That was the last thing we discussed. He wants me to keep doing my art, but asked me to be his partner in every sense. Love, child, horses, and wishes.
Who could say no to that or to having everything you’ve ever wished for finally come true?
Not me.
Still, he and I have so much more work to do. Now more than ever the world needs genies.
So what’s your wish?
Think long and hard, because you never know when you’ll be strolling along the cluttered aisles of a flea market or thrift store and find a colorful bottle.
THE BEGINNING