She threw her hands up, exasperated, and her robe slipped even farther off her shoulder. Fuck me. This was getting harder by the second.
“I’m not going there,” she snapped. “I’m sorry Arthur died, I am, but I won’t step foot in that house. It’s nonnegotiable.”
“It’s my fucking life. I’m begging you. I need that money to pay off the rehab debt. Please.”
I fucking hated begging. It wasn’t in me. I liked being the one in control. I liked her on her knees for me—not the other way around. I was humiliated, and she knew it. She saw it with every damn crack in my voice.
“I... I can’t,” she whispered, arms crossed tightly over her chest.
I stepped toward her slowly, carefully, and reached up to tuck a loose strand of blonde hair behind her ear. She didn’t pull away.
“I’ve got a bit of time before I have to close the estate,” I said quietly. “Just... tell me you’ll think about it.”
“What exactly do you need from me?”
I exhaled. “The lawyer said there’s a clause in the lease—Arthur revised it last year, probably when he knew the clock was running out.”
Her brow furrowed. “Clause?”
“Yeah. If the property doesn’t transfer ownership within the year of his death, an ag company that leases the crops pulls their offer. The lease voids. You and I are stuck with it. Taxes, insurance, repairs... every-fucking-thing.”
She blinked at me.
“Can’t I just sign something? Transfer it to you?”
I shook my head. “No. The terms of the will requirebothbeneficiaries—you and me—to be physically present to list it. The ag company wants the land cleaned up and cleared before next planting season. They’re not playing games.”
She pressed her lips together. “Of course Arthur would leave a mess like this.”
I gave a bitter laugh. “One last power play from the grave.”
Luna finally looked at me then, something flickering in her eyes. “And if I say no?”
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “I guess the deal dies. I’m stuck with everything, and you’re still legally tied to a property you want nothing to do with.”
I dropped my hand, staring into her deep blue eyes. “I’m asking for this. I’m not asking for us back. I’m not asking for more than a few days of your time.”
Luna stared at me for a long moment, something softening in her posture. “I’ll think about it.”
I nodded and grabbed the paperwork from the table before I stepped toward the door.
“Thanks,” I muttered, trying not to sound as hollow as I felt.
I had my hand on the doorknob when her voice stopped me.
“You know, we’ve got what—nine months now? To close the estate?”
I turned slightly, meeting her gaze over my shoulder.
“Maybe we use it,” she offered with a small shrug. “To reconnect. Be friends again. You help me face that place, and I help you... with whatever this next version of your life is.” She laughed, shaking her head. “God, that’s such a bad idea.”
I cracked a smile. “Probably the worst.”
She leaned her hip against the table and crossed her arms, her pink robe still barely hanging on. “Maybe after Christmas at Austin’s, we can get over the worst of it.”
I turned fully now. “Wait—Austin Hart is around?”
Luna snorted. “Oh, yeah. That’s a whole circus.”
