Page 7 of A Very Grumpy Firefighter

“Yeah, for more than one reason. Now, how do I stop it? What do I do here?”

“You’re asking me? Dude, I have less experience with women than you do, which is to say, none. I have no idea how to win one over.”

“Well, what would you do if you were in my shoes?”

“Talk to her. Tell her how I feel and offer to marry her myself.”

That could work. I like the part about marrying her…

“Except I can’t even get her to agree to go out for coffee with me,” I point out.

“Right,” Luca says and we’re both silent as we think.

“Well,” he says finally. “You could always buy her yourself.”

“That’s not how I want to marry her.”

“I know, but it looks like that’s your only option right now. You’re about to lose her, bro.”

I know that he’s right, but buying Lilou just feels wrong.

Why would she do this? Why would she sign up for an arranged marriage?

“Maybe this will all work out great,” I say.

“For sure,” Luca agrees, and I sigh.

“Alright, thanks.”

“Uh-huh.”

We’re silent for a moment, and then I sigh.

“Do you think this is going to work?” I ask him, and he laughs.

“No, probably not, but what do you have to lose at this point?”

He’s right. It’s time for me to stop waiting and hoping that she notices me and make a move.

“I’ll let you know how it goes,” I tell him.

“Good luck.”

A moment later, he hangs up, and I glance at the clock. My shift is only half over, so it’s not like I can leave and track her down to talk her out of this.

With a groan, I grab my laptop, pull up the auction house’s website, and start to fill out the forms.

Most people don’t know this, mainly because we didn’t want them to know and treat us differently, but Luca and I are pretty well off. Our grandparents were rich, and when they passed, the money went to our parents and, with their passing, to us. It’s not how Luca and I wanted to make our money, and I know that we’d give it all up for some more time with our family.

Now that money is coming in handy.

I enter all of my information and place my bid on Lilou. I grind my teeth as I stare at her picture on the website. She looks so shy, so innocent, and I increase my bid right away. I’m going to make damn sure that no one outbids me.

The auction ends at midnight, and I already know that I’m going to be up until then, refreshing the screen and making sure that I win Lilou.

The hours pass by slowly, but when the clock strikes midnight, I’ve won her.

I’m going to marry Lilou. Sure, it might not be how I envisioned this whole thing going, but that’s okay. She’ll bemine, and I swear I’m going to make her happy. Soon, she’ll be just as in love with me as I am with her.

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