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We thank him, order another bottle of wine, and eat quietly while music ebbs and flows from the men playing their violins.
“How long are you in town for?” I ask once I’m stuffed.
Rowan cuts a slice of soft Brie and smears it on a cracker. “Until this business with my grandfather’s will gets sorted out, I suppose.”
My fingers freeze around my water glass when I lift it for a drink. “What do you mean?”
He takes a bite, chewing it quietly before sitting back, and I grow nervous with his brooding.
“What if I told you I have a solution to both of our problems? Something temporary, if not a little unorthodox.”
My meal churns in the sea of unease rising in my stomach. “I-I don’t understand.”
“Thomas has willed me his estate, but in order to acquire it… I first have to get married.”
I nearly spew a sip of water at him. “Married?”
“That was my reaction, too,” he deadpans.
“Okay, but what does that have to do with me?” One brow rises, and with it, my voice. “Oh, no. Are you out of your mind?”
He shushes me with a finger to his lips. “Honestly, yes. I’m certifiably insane for even agreeing to this, but the marriage is simply a means to an end. I want nothing to do with the estate.” Exasperated, he sighs. “I’ve given Sam my word that I would hand it over to him, but in order to do that, I need to find a wife.”
That word ping-pongs around my skull a few times before the rest of what he said registers. “You’ve been willed a giant mansion, and you don’t want it?”
“Correct.”
I huff a laugh. “Wow. You’re even crazier than I thought.”
“Sam is a true Radley, not me. Besides, I’ve got a life and business to get back to in Seattle. I can’t afford to be stuck here any longer than necessary, and with your father’s delicate financial situation, I think this is an offer neither of us can refuse.”
I’m stuck on the fact that Rowan—a man I hardly know—is basically proposing to me right now. “What exactly are you offering?”
“I’m prepared to give you half the money you need to save his home now, and the other half to pay off whatever debts remain once the deal is done.”
There’s no way I’m considering this.
My bottom lip curls between my teeth.
I’m not actually considering this… am I?
“Dad’ll never go for it. He’s not the type to accept handouts, never has been, and certainly won’t for some suit from up north.” I scoot my plate forward and sit back. “You’re going to remind him of my ex, and he could barely stand to be in the same room as him.”
A wrinkle forms above his brows, hinting at a struck nerve. “I’ll hire him, then. You said he’s a repairman, and the manor needs some fixing up. I’ll run it by the estate manager and see what she thinks, but in the end, if I want it done, then that’s what will happen.”
A chill runs down my spine at his commanding voice. As I suspected, Rowan is accustomed to having things his way.
“Why would you do that if you don’t care what happens to it?”
Nonchalant, he pulls his phone out of his pocket and quickly types something on the glowing screen. “You presented me with a problem, and I’m providing you with a solution.”
Right. Cutting deals and finding solutions is what he does for a living.
When the waiter returns to collect our plates, his eyes dart between us, sensing the rising tension. “Will you be needing a dessert menu?”
Rowan and I both give a curt, “No, thank you,” and the man hurries off like his pants are on fire.
“You said you would tell me the truth if I asked you something,” I say.
