Page 39
Sam nods, swallowing his food. “That’s fair. Just try to make it after the workday is done whenever possible. I’ve had to let so many people go to make payroll that I’m up before the roosters.”
Wow. I’m glad to see he’s keeping the same kind of hours I am. It’s comforting to know he’s willing to put in the work if I’m going through with this.
“Third, there will be no sleeping with other women. The very last thing I have time to deal with is a scandal.”
“Agreed.”
I’m shocked he agrees so quickly. My brows jump to my hairline. “You think you can make it a year without sex?”
“No one said we—”
“Don’t even bother finishing that sentence.”
He shrugs. “I’m just saying. I’m happy to offer my services if—”
“I think I’ll pass. Next.”
He shakes his head, muttering under his breath. “Okay. Whatever you say, Queen P.”
“And that!” I snap. “Please stop with that awful nickname. For a guy begging me to help him, that’s not the way to make it happen.”
He drops his fork into his salad container and lifts his hands above his head. “Okay, you’re right. I’m sorry.”
“Publicly, we play the part. We attend whatever community events, estate dinners, or legal depositions required to make this look entirely genuine to your mother and the trust executors. But privately? That’s a whole different matter.”
“And this remains between us. The fewer people who know, the better. I can’t risk losing the vineyard, Alexis. It’s all I have left of him. I can’t keep letting him down.” His eyes implore me with such earnestness that it makes my chest ache.
“I understand, Sam. Just us.”
A beat of silence stretches between us. With our gazes locked on one another, we sit in a silent standoff. As I take the last bite of my food, I dab the corner of my mouth and push everything to the side. “I’ll reach out to my attorney today and have him draft something. Once it’s ready to sign, I’ll call you, and we can meet.”
“Good. Thank you. For everything,” Sam murmurs. “And for doing this so quickly. I swear I’ve been expecting the creditors to force us into bankruptcy any day now. If we can make this marriage happen quickly, I actually have a chance at saving Sutter Creek.”
Standing from my chair, I head toward the door. “One year, Sam.”
“One year,” he repeats. “So, you’re saying yes?”
I close my eyes, feeling a flutter in the pit of my stomach. It’s just business. To save the vineyard. Nothing more. “Yes,” I answer quietly.
As we step out into the hallway, I turn to escort him out of the office when suddenly he leans in, pressing his body against mine. Sam buries his face in my neck, causing my breath to catch in my throat. What the—
“Don’t move.” He lifts his face, placing a tender kiss on my temple just as someone walks by us. My heart starts to do that familiar race within my chest again.
“Chad,” he practically growls.
Chad comes to a stop, his facial features rigid. “Sam?”
Sam doesn’t acknowledge him further beyond a bone-chilling glare as he walks down the hall and out the front door.
Sam’s shadow falls over my front porch before I can even get my key in the lock. I’m shocked he could get to my home so quickly. I’d only contacted him about an hour ago to let him know the contracts were delivered by my attorney for review.
He’s leaning against the railing of my modest three-bedroom home, running the pads of his fingers over his stubble. Normally, I feel serene as I ascend my porch. The white brick home with dark shingles and shutters is surrounded by a backdrop of overgrown hydrangeas along the front walk of my small yard. From the moment I saw it, I fell in love. But the sight of Sam standing here is making my stomach do somersaults.
“Nice place,” he says dryly, though I can tell his mind is calculating something.
“Thanks. But…”
“But when we get married, we’ll have to live at the Sutter Creek estate. I want to be as accommodating as I can with your conditions, but this is a bit far from the vineyard.”
