Page 33 of My Queendom for a Horse

I’m almost to the point that I want Aleks to just kill me. “Nothing,” I say. “Nothing that matters, anyway.”

“Call me crazy, but I think our waitress might actually like him,” Sean says, eyeing Aleks like he’d inspect an orangutan at the zoo.

“Oh, she does,” I say. “But Aleks wasn’t very nice. I was scolding him for it.”

“He doesn’t like her?” Sean snorts. “That’s ridiculous. A poor trainer who emigrated here for work and is living in your old barn quarters thinks he’s too good for a gainfully-employed waitress?”

Put that way, he does seem insane. But he thinks he’s important and that he has magic. I mean, he can shift into a horse. Or at least, with my help he can.

“Listen,” I say. “It was really nice of you to ask me to lunch, but I’m a little confused to be honest.”

“What’s confusing?” Sean asks.

“Well, you dumped me, remember? And now, suddenly, out of the blue, you just turn up again?”

He presses his palms flat against the table, and swallows. “It’s not out of the blue.” He sighs. “I was never happy with Clara. She was a terrible match, and I never should have married her, but I wanted to make my parents happy.” He meets my eyes. “I’ve missed you every day since we broke up.”

“Could have fooled me,” I mutter, looking down at the menu.

“Kris, I divorced Clara a few years ago, but it never occurred to me that I might have a chance with you. That’s the only reason I didn’t reach out sooner. My dad had a heart attack a year ago, and it made me think about how little time we all have, and how little control we have over that.”

This is getting really intense, and I’m very aware that Aleks is listening to every word. “Sean, I’m so happy you’re willing to help us out, and I think it’s really serendipitous you’re opening an office here, but—”

“Oh, it’s not luck that I’m expanding here. After your dad told me about his gambling debt, I decided I should have a reason to be here. That way my dad can’t argue with me about how often I come out.”

“Really?” That makes me even more uncomfortable. He’s expanding to Latvia as an excuse. . .to see me?

“Kris, I can see you’re uncomfortable, but listen. I didn’t get as far as I have by giving people things for free,” he says.

“Didn’t you get where you are because your family was rich?”

Sean shrugs. “That’s not wrong, but I’ve grown the net worth of the business by nearly fifty percent in the last five years.”

His words sink in. He doesn’t give people things for free. “What do you want, then?” A feeling of doom steals over me.

He doesn’t hesitate to tell me. “A second chance,” he says. “I want you to spend time with me.”

Something about the way he phrased it makes me uncomfortable. “You’re buying my time?” Doesn’t that kind of make me a hooker?

He smirks. “It’s not like that. I’m saying that if you want me to hand over all this money double quick, under advantageous terms, I want you to agree to give me another chance, a chance I know that I don’t deserve.”

“Like, four dates?”

“Four?” He grins. “Do you think I can win you back in just four dates?”

I shake my head. “Not a chance.”

“Then I need more. Let’s say twenty.”

“Twenty?” I ask. “You’re kidding, right?”

“How many do you think saving your family farm is worth?” he asks.

“I’m only accepting that first loan,” I say. “And I’ll definitely pay you back, so it’s not like I’m saying you should give me a million euros for a few dates. I’m just saying you should loan me a quarter million for them.”

“Twelve,” he says. “Twelve dates between now and when the next balloon note would have been due.”

That’s three months. One date a week for three months. It’s not unreasonable. “Fine.”

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