Page 7 of Marry Me, Right Now

“What do you like to eat?”

“Um, I like everything,” I said, my voice quieter in this grand space.

“How about pasta with tomato sauce and sausage? There’s a fresh batch in the freezer, I could heat it up quickly.”

“That sounds great. Can I help?”

“You could pick us out some wine. It’s the narrow cupboard at the end if you want red, the fridge beside it for white.”

This was unreal. I dropped my purse on a stool at the breakfast bar counter, and skimmed the reds. “Is it going to be spicy? Maybe a Shiraz?”

“Sounds good.”

“Any particular kind?” There were at least seven bottles of that varietal that looked good.

“Whatever grabs your eye.”

“I guess Italian, to go with the pasta,” I said, pulling out a bottle with a serious looking label.

“Corkscrew is in the second drawer. Could you please open it so it can breathe? Glasses are in the cupboard at your end.”

“Sure.” It seemed a little odd that he’d just let me help myself to any kind of wine, and let me putter in his kitchen. I poured us each a glass, giving it a swirl, and letting them sit out.

The sauce was starting to smell amazing, but I needed answers even more than a solid meal. “So, would you like to start telling me more about your amazing idea?”

He nodded. “Well, I don’t know if it’s amazing. It’s definitely weird. But it would fix both of our issues at once. I don’t believe in signs, but if I did, I’d say that running into you was a sign. That’s what triggered my idea.”

Setting the lid on the pot, he sat down on the stool beside mine. “Here’s the thing. I just found out that my older brother George has been hiding the fact that the inheritance I get from my Uncle Geoffrey is more complicated than I realized. I was told that I will be given eight million dollars on my thirtieth birthday, which is in two years. But I get it immediately if I’m married.”

Eight million dollars? my brain squeaked. “Oh. And you need the money now?”

He smiled slightly. “No, not really. But I know that I could invest it better than where it’s currently being held. So I don’t want to waste two years of access to that cash. But there’s more.” He reached out to swirl the wineglasses, handing me one. “To open-mindedness and new friends.”

I clinked glasses, then took a big sip. I had a feeling there was a lot more.

“Uncle Geoffrey owned a huge house on the Bridle Path. Have you ever been there?”

I nodded. “My friend drove us through there once. The houses are insane.”

“Yeah. His house goes to my older brother.”

“Because he’s the oldest?”

He nodded, obviously exasperated. “My uncle was the epitome of the rich eccentric, but he stuck with that tradition.”

“How long ago did he pass?”

“Almost two years ago. There was so much red tape because of his weird rules and requests on every detail that they’re only getting finalized now.”

“So, you wanted this house for yourself? Is it fancy, or special?”

He took another sip of wine before answering. “It’s extremely valuable, but that’s not the point. George is the type of person to randomly tear things apart and build them back half-assed, with no regard for the proper way to do things. I’ve seen him do this with a few businesses. He didn’t bother finishing university because he’s lazy. He just has no follow through. This is a grand, old house. It needs to be cared for properly. I can’t trust him with it.”

“Would he really ruin it?”

There was a long, low sigh. “I wouldn’t put it past him to actually throw a frat house type of party there. He’s really irresponsible.”

“So, what does this have to do with me?”

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