pauses. His throat works as he swallows. “I told her that I was married. Which is true…”
That gives me pause. On one hand, my heart immediately goes out to Luca. He’s admitting to being upset by Madisyn’s treatment of him, which I think was poor. But on the other hand, he’s proposing lying to her.
To what end exactly, I can’t say.
“I mean… technically we are married,” I say, looking at him skeptically. “I’m guessing you didn’t fill her in on the fact that you got drunk and wed someone you don’t even like, huh?”
Luca looks at me as if I was actually torturing him. “No, I didn’t. But you have to know that I wouldn’t ask you if there was any other way.” He hesitates. “I could make it worth your while, though. I could give you a job at my bar. And… I don’t know… a cash bonus when you finally sign the annulment paperwork, maybe?”
My eyebrows go up. “A bonus?”
He rolls his eyes at my response. “Yeah. If that’s what needs to happen, sure.”
I bite my lower lip, thinking for a second. “Let me just be sure that I’ve got this right. You’re offering me a job and a cash bonus for just… not pursuing the annulment for a month?”
His head bobs. “You would probably be legally bound up for two months total. But yeah, that’s about the breadth of it. I’d be willing to pay you five thousand dollars.”
Puffing out my cheeks, I exhale slowly. That’s a lot of money to me. And I can’t think of any downsides offhand, honestly. I’ve already made the mistake of marrying Luca. I might as well get something out of it in the meantime.
“Two months. Five grand. Sounds like a good deal.” Thrusting out my hand, I give him an uncertain look.
His lips curl up at the corners as he takes my hand. He steps closer, his expression intense, making me feel small next to him. His palm feels warm and a little rough where it presses against mine. “All right. We’re agreed, then.”
He grips my hand for a second too long, looking down into my eyes. And me being me, I blush. Then he releases my hand, turning and pacing away from me. I stand still, unsure how to proceed.
Luca is on the ball, though. “Do you need to make arrangements with your current job?”
My cheeks turn pink and I look down. “Nope.”
A hint of a smirk appears on his face. “Right. Well… can you come into the bar tomorrow, then?”
I nod, drowning in my embarrassment. “Yep.”
“Great.” He looks like he means the opposite. “See you then, Cate.”
He turns and heads to a sleek black motorcycle parked in front of the next yard. I roll my eyes; of course that would be his bike. The fact that Luca drives a two-wheeled death trap should surprise exactly no one.
As I watch, he mounts it, puts on his helmet, and revs the engine. I’ll admit it to myself: right this second he is tall, dark, and oh so very handsome. Enough to make some girls swoon, I should think.
Then he pulls off, quickly disappearing. I stare after him for half a minute, then shake my head.
Staying married to Luca won’t be that bad.
It will only be two months at the most.
And at the end, I’ll get a little more cash to bundle into my nest egg. I’ll be that much closer to buying my house.
I would consider that a win-win.
Shivering against the cold, I turn and head back inside.
Chapter Eight
Luca
At one forty five the next day, I glance at my watch. For some reason I’ve been keyed up all morning. Drumming my fingers, tapping my foot, staring at the front door of The Attic.
I guess I’m searching for a sign of whether hiring Cate was a terrible idea or not.
Will she flout the rules? Will she drop every bottle of liquor handed to her?
Will her big brown eyes and elfin features distract me from my work?
More importantly, will she even show up in the first place?
“Hey!” Bradford says, snapping his fingers. “Earth to Luca. We’re having an ownership meeting here, buddy.”
“Sorry,” I mumble. “I’m just distracted,”
I look at Bradford and Owen, both of them sitting with their papers spread out on the little table before us. Owen looks up from his calendar notebook, his brow creasing.
“I was asking whether the twelfth of February will be too early for a staff appreciation party,” he sighs. “I want to close the whole place