I raise my sights until they’re set on Mira. She’s sitting upright, a pillow pulled onto her lap, and her bun leaning sideways from the top of her head. She seems as frazzled as I feel.
“So I have a proposition,” Lolly says again. “Again, you can take it or leave it.” She pastes on a smile as if she’s bracing herself for our reactions. “I had Joe draw up some paperwork for the land to go into a trust. If the terms of the trust are completed, the house and front fifty acres will be turned over to you, Mira, and you can do with it what you want. The rest of the property will be signed over to you, Hartley.”
What the fuck?
My jaw dusts the floor.
“What about Markie?” Mira asks.
“Your part would be appraised, and Markie would get cash for the equivalent. You two can split whatever is left. I’ve already spoken to her about it, and she gave me her full support.”
She has that much cash?
Lolly must read the surprise on my face because she smiles. “My husband was quite the businessman. With the way I live, I could probably make it another fifty years before I ran out of money.”
I lean forward, resting my elbows on my knees. “I don’t know what to say, Lolly.”
“Don’t say anything yet. I haven’t given you the terms.”
Mira casts me a worried look. “Which are …?”
“You two must be married for a full year,” Lolly says casually.
We have to get married?I flinch, certain I’ve misunderstood her.
“What?” Mira squeaks in disbelief.
“A full year,” Lolly says, doubling down. “You must act and live as a married couple. If you tell anyone that it’s for show, the deal is off, and I sell to Beardsley.”
I scratch the top of my head and get to my feet. This can’t be happening. No part of this is real.
I get the land, but I must marry Mira?
Marry her?
“Beardsley made me an offer, and I have a month to accept it,” Lolly says. “So if you want to do this, I need to know fairly quickly—within the next week—so I can have my attorney negotiate with Beardsley. He might think I’m an old woman, but I can drive a hard bargain.” She pauses to clear her throat. “And to be clear, I will live here until I pass away. I have no intention of moving out or changing my lifestyle. If you two clear the year requirement, the trusts will be turned over to you when I leave this world. That could be a year from now, could be twenty. That’s up to the good Lord.”
The thought is a rock in my stomach as I carry it with me pacing the room. Of course, I want to marry Mira. I’ve wanted to marry her since I was five years old. But marrying her now—like this?
Fuck.
I study her profile as she stares at her grandmother, hoping like hell that I see … something. Something to work from, to go off, because I’m drowning here in a sea of possibility and heartbreak.
“No offense, Lolly, but I think asking us to get married is a little overkill, don’t you think?” Mira asks, stumbling over the words. She stays focused on Lolly, never looking my way. Still, I spot the slight tremble of her bottom lip and the defiant slant of her shoulders.
She doesn’t have to say it out loud. I’ve spent most of my life learning how to recognize the moment Mira starts looking for an exit.
“No, I don’t.” Lolly looks at me. “I’m not asking you to fall in love. I’m not asking you to have a baby. I’m simply asking you to give this place that I love dearly a chance before you sell it or let it ruin you. That’s all. And marriage is the only way I can see it working.”
“This is ... um …” I blow out a breath.Take a second, Adler. Calm down and start from scratch.“Are you serious, Lolly?”
“I’ve never been more serious.” She gets to her feet and lifts her mug. “Now, I need you both to go because I’m meeting friends for book club in an hour and I have to get fixed up before I leave. Get back to me when you have an answer.”
“Get back to me when you have an answer.”I stare at her for a moment, dumbfounded. Give her an answer like I’m deciding whether I want chicken or beef for dinner. But she’s unflinching, her jaw set as she watches me for my reaction.
“Well, okay,” I say, shaking my head in disbelief. “Thanks for lunch and for … whatever this was.”
She laughs. “You’re very welcome. And I know this comes as a shock, but I think it’ll make more sense once you’ve had some time to think about it.”
