AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I half expect him to argue, to throw a tantrum, to hurl his coffee across the room.
Honestly, it wouldn’t be the worst thing when I’m used to dealing with angry, explosive assholes all the time.
He looked desperate enough to unleash some fury a minute ago, but now he’s eerily calm again, and he watches my sad attempts to undo the knot with deflated curiosity.
“A pity,” he says roughly. “I’m afraid the engagement is part of the deal.”
Oh, sure. Part of his deal in wacko world where people do crazy things for big money, maybe, but not mine.
I’m just scraping by, but I still have a shred of pride.
Sighing, I give up on the apron and let my hands drop.
“I’m sorry,” I tell him again. “Really. I’m glad you like our pastries, though. If you ever need another order—like, a normal one—you’re welcome to—”
I stop mid-sentence.
He pulls out another business card from his wallet—how many of those things does he carry around?—and a pen. A fancy one, obviously, because he wouldn’t just walk around with a basic clicky ballpoint pen from a value pack like the rest of us.
“That’s my personal number,” he tells me, scrawling something quickly across the back. “Just think about it, Miss Winkley. Then call me the instant you’ve made up your mind.”
“…but it already is,” I tell him.
The man is either selectively deaf or brutally stubborn. He just gives me a look of pure soul-drilling intensity and walks off, but not before stopping behind me, reaching down, and—
Holy shit, no.
He can’t be.
But he is.
I barely feel his fingers working, his hard knuckles scraping my back, before the knot comes loose.
I stare up at him in shock.
“You’re free. I hope you realize that won’t change when you reconsider.”
I’m like a fish out of water, straining for words that won’t come and staring at his back as he disappears out the door.
God.
After sucking down the rest of my coffee, I set my cup on the table and pinch my arm until it hurts.
Yep, still here, unfortunately.
I’m not dreaming.
This is a real-life nightmare wrapped up in a dark joke. A perfect deal and some serious money gonepoof!
And all because one big rich idiot couldn’t keep his mouth shut.
I sit back down, picking at my tattered cupcake and trying to muster up the energy to finish cleaning up before I head home to my cat.
“Engaged?” My lonely laughter spills through the store. “That would be the craziest shit ever…”
No fooling.
Even the thought of dating this guy makes my skin crawl, never mind acting like I’m planning onmarryinghim. But his hands felt electric on my back.
