Yes, friends, my father bought my sister not only a condo in Manhattan but also a house in Harrogate.
I took another sip of the drink. “Needs more gin.”
“You may want to save your money,” Dottie said, smiling, as she freshened up my drink.
“Now you all know your grandfather, God rest his soul, loved the historic property in Harrogate. He always wanted it to stay in the family.” My grandmother hugged Cassie and me to her. “I also want to see the next generation enjoy it before I pass, and to be honest, I’m far too busy with my organizations to stay on top of the upkeep.”
I almost choked on my drink. “Is something wrong?” I asked in concern.
“No, no,” she said, patting me on the back. “I just want to start offloading some of my assets to you girls. I’m starting with the Broughton mansion.”
This was the mansion that I had always envisioned converting into a chic bed and breakfast and wedding event venue. After renovating the house to its original conditions, landscaping the overgrown acreage, and rebuilding the outbuildings, I could host weddings and banquets. There would be magazine spreads and celebrity weddings. We would be booked out years in advance. It would be a dream come true!
“I want it to go to one of you girls,” Dottie continued. “It’s a house for raising a family in. Unfortunately, it is a money pit. I was thinking about putting it on the market, but if one of you girls wants to buy it—”
“How much?” I said.
“You don’t have any money!” Cassie shrieked.
“And I’m certainly not giving it to you,” my father said.
“Buy it for me!” Cassie pleaded with Chad.
“It’s eight million dollars,” my grandmother said.
I sucked in a breath.Eight million?Who had that kind of money lying around? My father had money, but not that much.
“I’m sure we could take out a loan,” my stepmother said uncertainly.
“Or,” my grandmother said lightly, “you could get married! If neither of you want to buy it, then the first one to fall in love and marry will receive it as a wedding gift. You just aren’t allowed to sell it. It will be in the deed restriction. I want to see you all happy and building a life before I get too old to enjoy it!”
“I guess it’s my house then,” Cassie said with a smirk. She pulled Trevor in for a kiss. “I’m already engaged to the man of my dreams.” She glared at me. “Avery is never going to get a man; no one will want her.”
I set down my drink. “I have to go,” I said abruptly.
“So soon?” my stepmother said with phony sadness.
“You know me,” I said with a fake smile as I grabbed my coat and headed for door. “Have to work. Got to make a good impression on the boss.”
And I need to find a fake fiancé.
4
Avery
“Ineed a husband!” I announced when I walked into the room I shared with Shirley and Edward.
Edward yawned and scratched his bare chest. An ex-infantry Marine, he was tall, ripped, and blessed with a sexy five o’clock shadow. He was also gay. “Not it!” he called.
“She’s already used you for a fake boyfriend,” Shirley reminded him. “And you blew it when you were caught having sex with the bartender at the company party and it ended up all over the internet.”
Edward grinned. “Yeah, that was nice. He was just doing his patriotic duty.”
“You are such a creep,” Shirley said as she petted my rabbit. His name was Cesario, and he was half feral and loved lasagna.
“You cost me that job because you couldn’t keep it in your pants,” I complained.
“Yes, but now you have a better one,” Edward said. “Speaking of, how’s America’s favorite polygamist billionaire?”
