Page 31 of Grumpy Boss in Love

I put my mug down. “I’m sure there are.” The couple reminiscing about the past and sharing their plans was nice, but I was ready to get down to business. “Alfred, Eleanor, I’ve considered your price and I’m sure you’ve gotten great offers.” I bet Daniel Reid made a hefty one. “Your property is spectacular.” Perfect for what I intend to use it for. “What if I tell you that I’m willing to go ten percent above your asking price?”

I held the couple in an expectant stare. Come on, just tell me it’s mine, and let’s be done with it.How could they refuse such a generous offer? I was almost sure that my competitors hadn’t offered above three percent.

Eleanor’s eyes widened. “That’s mighty generous, Mr. Westwood.”

Sold!

“The thing is,” Alfred began. “It isn’t just about the money for us.”

What?I stared at him with mild shock. When wasn’t it about the money? “I see.”

“We have a stipulation,” he continued.

One? Well, that wasn’t so bad, I supposed. “And that is?”

Alfred glanced at Eleanor, and she smiled encouragingly. “Eleanor and I want to sell to a married couple. We strongly believe in marriage and partnership. Since we have no family to pass our beloved property on to, we at least want to give it to someone with similar views on love and family… no matter what it will be used for.”

The fuck?After years of practicing the art of not reacting, my face remained unreadable even as my mind raced. I knew for sure Daniel Reid wasn’t married. But what about my other competitors? And just how far was I willing to go to win? To the extreme apparently, because the words that came out of my mouth shocked even me.

“That’s commendable, Alfred, very sweet, and I happen to think it’s a lovely tradition to continue. I can’t wait to tell my fiancée that I’ve met a couple as sentimental as we are.”

Eleanor gasped. “You’re engaged? You know, the last potential buyer we met with balked at our single requirement.”

Satisfaction rolled through me. One competitor down at least. “That’s too bad. I’m a romantic at heart.” A lightning bolt might crash from the heavens at any moment to strike me for lying.A romantic at heart?I snorted inwardly. How I kept a straight face through that was beyond me.

“But I’m just engaged, not married…” I mean, I couldn’t take the lie that far. I had to make it believable. “My lady and I are actually going to tie the knot this weekend. I missed the mark by just a few days.” My disappointed sigh floated around the kitchen.

I waited for Eleanor to get mushy over my engagement and upcoming nuptials. After which, the couple would tell me I was close enough to being married, and they’d seal the deal with me today.

Eleanor clutched her chest and cooed, “This weekend? What a crazy coincidence.”

She had no idea how crazy… and howfalse.

“Oh, Alfred, surely we can work with him.”

I had to swallow my smug grin. I could just kiss Eleanor.

Alfred chuckled. “My Eleanor is a sucker for weddings. Mr. Westwood, I have a brilliant idea.”

Shit.

“You said you’re a romantic at heart. What do you think about getting married here? At a place that’s been around for ages. A place that you might own. Maybe your Mrs. To Be will see this as the greatest wedding gift.”

Eleanor gasped, and her eyes sparkled. “That’s a brilliant idea. And I’d love to meet her.”

I actually started to sweat, because I just got myself into deep shit. I said, “Well… we’d planned to get hitched at the courthouse. We’re both very low-key.”

“That’s why doing it here would be perfect,” Eleanor chirped. “Alfred just so happens to be an officiating minister.” She clapped her hands together. “You getting married here would be poetic since you might own it.” Her little wink told me that if I went along with their idea, the place was pretty much mine.

However, I didn’t have a real fiancée and there was no talking myself out of the lie I’d wrapped myself up in. “It would be poetic indeed, but I still have to discuss the idea with my fiancée…” Who didn’t exist…

“Of course,” Eleanor smiled. “If you get back to us before the weekend, we can make it happen.”

I forced out a smile, and she beamed.

* * *

Ben’s head was thrown back as he laughed uproariously. Other diners glanced our way, some with amusement and some with the same look of irritation as I probably wore.

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