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I lowered the glass and looked at him. “I don’t know what I’m doing. I don’t know how to renovate a theater. It’s all too much. What am I going to do?” The panicked words poured out of my mouth without hesitation, the same way the water had poured from the faucet I’d cracked earlier.
He frowned for a moment and tilted his head slightly to the side as if he was thinking of something. “Okay, I have an idea.”
I raised my eyebrows. “If you’re going to suggest I hire your company to do all of the restoration, I can’t afford that.”
“Not hire. Sort of a barter.”
“A barter? What do I have that you need?”
A grin spread over his face, slow and wide. “Remember when I said my grandpa died not that long ago?” When I nodded, he continued. “He left me some money. A lot of money.”
“Okay, well that doesn’t explain—”
He held up his hand to cut me off. “Here’s the hiccup. The money’s in a trust. I can’t access most of it until certain conditions have been met. Namely, until I hit my one-year wedding anniversary.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Well congratulations to you and your wife, I guess.”
“No wife. I’m gay. And I’m not married, either. I’m not even in a relationship with anyone. I’m not exactly the relationship type. But you could change that.”
Exasperated, I let out a sharp breath. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying we should get married. It’ll only be for a year. I’ll have my friend draw up a contract that includes divorce papers to be signed one year from the wedding. I’ll give you a cut of my inheritance, and in the meantime, I’ll help you renovate the theater.”
I burst out laughing the moment he stopped talking, shaking my head as tears formed in the corners of my eyes. When I composed myself, I looked back at Levi, who had his gaze trained on me.
“You can’t be serious,” I said, shaking my head again.
“I am serious. Deadly serious.”
“I can’t believe I’m asking this, but… how much money are we talking?”
“He left me a million for now and six once the trust pays out. Plus interest.”
My heart stopped beating for a fraction of a second, and all the air rushed out of my lungs. “That’s…”
“It’s enough to renovate your theater.”
I swallowed the lump forming in my throat. A wave of nausea swept over me. I leaped up from the table. “I’ll be right back.”
I rushed to the restroom of the bar and once inside, I pressed my hands to the cool ceramic of the sink, fighting the urge to vomit. I splashed some water on my face and looked at myself in the mirror. Was I really going to do it? Could I do it? How would I be able to make all of it work? I felt like I was losing my mind even considering his proposal. With a shaky breath, I dried off my hands and face and headed back to the booth.
Chapter Five
Levi
Iknew it was an unhinged proposal but I hoped I hadn’t scared him off completely. I waited for him to return, mind racing. Had I really just proposed to a stranger? I’d also offered to help him restore the theater and give him a portion of my inheritance. I took a deep, slow breath and tried to settle my racing heart and jangling nerves. While I waited, I finished off my beer and tried to look interested in what was happening on my phone.
“Okay.” Soren threw himself into the booth and fixed his gaze on me.
“Okay?”
“I’ll marry you,” he said. “But only if we set up a contract with terms and divorce papers, just like you said. This is strictly a business deal, nothing romantic. I walk away free and clear in a year, right?”
I nodded, my hair falling across my eyes. I brushed it aside and grinned. “One hundred percent. I help you renovate the theater and cut you in. All you have to do is put up with me and the terms of my grandpa’s will for the whole year and then you’re free to go.”
“We’ll get an attorney to draw it all up?”
“I have a friend who I’m sure will be happy to help.”
