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“My guess is her goal was for me to stay married even after the first year is up. I think this is her way of instituting bonding time. She and my grandfather took art classes together apparently.”
“What’s on the list?”
“Let’s see.” There’s the sound of shuffling papers over the line. “Art classes are number one. Cooking classes. Dancing lessons. Couples’ yoga. Tai chi...” Luna rattles off a few more leisurely activities. “We have until my birthday to decide.”
“I’m good with any of those.”
Once again a pause comes long and heavy. I realize then that Luna pauses like this in person too, but her gaze is so piercing that the conversation doesn’t seem to end when her mouth shuts.
“You’re making this too easy.”
“Was I supposed to make it hard?”
“I guess not. But I called fully expecting to have to give you the hard sell and still get turned down. I’m not sure what’s appealing about this deal to you.”
You are, I want to say.
And it’s true. Side perks are having someone finally push me to leave the job I’m not passionate about anymore while also giving me a living option closer to my parents.
But the true draw is Luna herself.
I know this entire thing—the engagement, the marriage, living together—is all a ruse to get the inheritance. But I can’t help hoping that maybe her grandmother was on to something. That this could be a real chance to figure out if Luna and I are compatible. Show her that I’m someone she could fall for.
“I like adventure. This is just one more wild life choice I get to make. And you’re not asking for eternity. Besides,” I let my voice sink a note deeper, “I’ve always been on the lookout for a sugar momma.”
That earns me a snort, and I can picture the cute way her nose wrinkles when she suppresses a laugh.
“Fine. It’s an adventure.” Luna’s voice gets serious then. “If I don’t claim this inheritance, then it goes to another benefactor. We could probably trick the executor on a few of these things, but I don’t want to risk it. I’d rather whoever I do this with stick to the guidelines.”
“Do you know who the other inheritor would be?”
“Yes. And let’s just say he’ll do anything he can to get this money. Luckily, he doesn’t know about it.”
I wonder who he could be. Not Dash. She already told me her younger brother gets the same payout when he’s thirty. I doubt it’s Leo, or else Luna would want the money to go directly to her twin.
I let the question go, not secure enough in my position to ask her. Which is strange because if we go through with this plan, Luna will be my wife. “Like I said, none of the rules you listed off seem hard to follow. If you’re down, then so am I.”
Again Luna hits me with a silence. Waiting for her to get her thoughts in order, I wander around my kitchen, making note of the items I’m particularly attached to. The mug Paige got me with a picture of us screaming on a roller-coaster drop. Always makes me laugh. I set it in the middle of the counter to be bubble-wrapped when I get off the phone.
“You mean it, don’t you?” Luna’s bafflement rings clear even an ocean away. “You’ll marry me?”
“I will. How soon can I start shipping boxes to your place? I’ll put in my two weeks’ notice tomorrow, but I’ll probably need three to get everything squared away here—”
“Charlie,” she cuts me off.
“Yeah.”
“You’re…thank you.”
I grin, staring out my window at the street below, starting my slow goodbye to my life in Europe. “We’re in this together now.”
“I guess we are.”
“Now we’ve just got one more question to answer.”
“What’s that?”
“Are you going to be Luna Keller? Or should I be Charlie Lamont?”
