Once again, I’m left thinking that I need money. And there’s only one way to get it. Candice and I have joked about it, but maybe it’s high time I considered it as a real option. And what’s the harm in trying, anyway?
I bag up the rest of the pastries and promise myself I’ll eat them both later, and then I walk back up to the counter.
“Aimee, could you do me a favor?”
“Sure, of course,” she says easily.
“Do you happen to know where Jonah the farrier lives? I need to pay him a visit about a horse at the rescue.”
I pullCandice’s old truck into the driveway of the address Aimee gave me, and jiggle the key to get it to turn off. I may not miss my old life, but I do miss my Mercedes. Jonah’s house is a ranch house with pine siding and a dark green door. It’s adorable, and I can immediately picture how cozy it will look around the holidays, with a wreath on the door and a Christmas tree in the window. Jonah’s truck is in the driveway, which means that I’m in luck.
I knock on the door and then take deep breaths while I wait for him to answer it. On the drive here, I sort of lost some of my nerve, which makes sense given the massive, life-altering thing I’m about to ask him to do. But I’m running out of options, andyesterday he gave me reason to believe we could help each other. There’s no harm in asking, anyways.
Jonah answers the door, wearing a navy blue sweater and a well-worn pair of jeans that cling to his thighs. He’s got a mug of coffee in one hand, and he looks surprised to see me.
“Winnie, was I expecting you? Is it something to do with Fuzz? Is he alright?”
“No, he’s fine. All of the horses at the barn were good when I saw them earlier,” I reassure him. He motions for me to follow him inside.
His living room is warm and inviting, with a soft leather couch and a tartan covered arm chair. There’s a fireplace in the corner and pictures of his family on the mantel, along with several wooden figurines. Book cases line one wall, and they’re stocked. Jonah must be a reader.
It’s neat and tidy, though there are some strewn musical scores on the coffee table and a pile of guitar picks. It’s clear that Jonah cares for this space and that it matters to him that his home is well kept. It’s far more inviting than your average bachelor pad.
“What’s up then?” Jonah asks, sitting down and sipping his coffee.
I sit on the couch next to him, and try not to notice that there are only inches of space between our knees. “It’s me. I wanted to take you up on your offer to help.”
“Okay,” he says slowly. “What is it you need?”
I inhale slowly and then exhale through my mouth, trying to bring down my hammering heart rate. I just need to get this over with. If he says no, fine. I’ll find someone else. I choose a spot to focus on in the room, instead of his face. I end up staring at the acoustic guitar propped in the corner.
“Marry me,” I say simply.
Jonah chokes on his coffee and then splutters. “I’m sorry,what?”
“I said, marry me. So I can access my trust fund. And obviously you’ll get a cut too, to pay your mom’s medical bills and for whatever else you want. It’s simple, really. A business arrangement.”
“Marriage isn’t a business arrangement. People should get married because they love one another,” he says automatically.
I turn to him, place my hand on his knee, lean in, and dramatically flutter my lashes. “What, sugar,” I drawl. “You don’t think I’m lovable?”
Jonah reaches up and tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. “You’re plenty lovable, Winnie. But I barely know you.”
Shocked by the contact of his warm fingers against my skin, I reel back, pushing away from him. “It’s not like it will be a marriage that lasts. We’ll get divorced as soon as we can. I’ve been tied down for too much of my life already, and have no desire to give up any more freedom. The last thing I actually want right now is a husband, or long term commitment.”
Jonah looks like he’s considering it, or at least thinking deeply, and then he says, “Sorry, but I don’t need the money that badly.”
“Ten percent of a million,” I say.
“What’s that?”
“The amount I’ll give you if you help me with this.”
“Christ,” Jonah says, rubbing his face. “How is it that you have a trust fund that large but your parents needed to rely on you for money?”
I grimace. “It’s from my grandparents on my mom’s side. They made their money running a fancy chain of hotels in New York, and set up trusts for my mom and her sister, as well as me and my cousins. My mom married my dad in her early twenties and they blew through it in a few years. ” I don’t mention that ifI hadn’t started to make money as an influencer, they probably would have tried to marry me off and then drain my trust fund as well.
Jonah snorts. “They sound like pieces of work.”
