Page 8 of The Playboy's Most Unexpected Baby

“Sure, but it depends on you finding a woman who’s willing to marry you.Shedoesn’t get a house in the bargain.”

“Well, unless she’s a realtor who's desperate to sell the estate, right?”

Olivia had known this was heading here. She laughed. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I’m notthatdesperate.”

“You said it would be the biggest move of your career.”

“I mean, it would be, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to do something likethis,” she said. “You can’t be genuinely suggesting that Imarryyou in order to sell the house.”

“You were right when you said that the family has a realtor they’ll use,” he said. “If my siblings have any say in the matter, you won’t have a shot at selling the place.”

“I don’t want it that badly!”

“Not even for the money you’d stand to make on the sale? I mean, wouldn’t it be pretty significant for you?”

“You’re saying that because I’m not rich like you, I ought to marry you in order to get a shot at selling your house?” He was lucky she was finding all this hilarious instead of offensive. That could easily have gone the other way. “I’m not doing this,” she said. “You’re just going to have to figure out something else, that’s all.”

“Just think about it,” he urged. “I mean, really. Think it through. You and I get married — I know it sounds sort of crazy, but it wouldn’t have to be forever. We’d only have to stay married for as long as it took to sell the house, get the money, and move it through the right channels so that my siblings couldn’t get it back later by claiming I’d done the whole thing as a ruse. Then we stage a breakup. Everyone will know it’s fake, probably, but how can they prove it? There’s no clause in the agreement that says I’m not allowed to end my marriage if it doesn’t work out.”

“Your aunt must have guessed that you’d try something like that,” Olivia objected.

“Well, I think she probably believed itwouldwork out. She was a big believer in true love and all that stuff,” Charlie said. “Personally, I think that’s pretty naive. I’ve seen how marriages go in my family. My parents hardly even liked one another, and as for my siblings — well, they’re all married for status and comfort. They all chose people they thought would reflect well on them, not people they actually cared for.”

“And you don’t think you’re proposing doing the exact same thing?” Olivia asked. “Marrying for convenience instead of for love?”

“Of course I am. That’s my point,” he said. “That’s the only reason to get married, in my opinion. It’s just that I have the courage to be honest about it, that’s all.”

“Right,” Olivia said.

“So what do you think?”

“I still think you’re crazy.”

“I’ll give you twenty percent of the money we get for selling the house.”

She stared at him. “Did you saytwentypercent?” That was a huge commission, more than three times what she would ordinarily have expected to get. And on a sale as big as this one…

Well, that was life-changing money.

“I want to keep it out of my siblings’ hands, like I said,” he told her. “And besides, if I get eighty percent, that’s still a hell of a lot more than I’d end up with after we had to split it four ways. I don’t mind sharing with you. You’d be helping me out. And that’s a good rate for you, isn’t it? I know that’s more than our realtor gets, and he’s on retainer.”

“It’s a good rate.” It occurred to Olivia that she could have negotiated for more. He had said she was desperate to sell the house, but it seemed to her that he was the desperate one. She probably could have asked for anything, and he would have given it to her.

But she couldn’t bring herself to do it. She couldn’t ask for more than he was already giving. She didn't know how much she would be able to get for the house, but she had an idea, and twenty percent was going to be enough that she would never have to worry about money again.

She couldn’t say no to this. Even though what he was asking her to do seemed crazy, turning it down would have been even crazier. She couldn’t do it.

“Say I agree to this,” she said. “How long do you see us staying married for?”

“Well, it depends how long it takes you to sell the house. You did say that you weren’t going to rush things, that you would take as long as you needed to in order to get the best deal.”

“Yeah, well, I said that before I knew I was locking myself into a marriage until I got the job done.” But Olivia couldn’t keep the smile off her face. Her heart was beating a mile a minute. It was insane to think that this was actually happening — that she was going to be entrusted with the sale of the Coldwell estate. She would never have dreamed that such a thing could be possible.

Or rather, she would never have dared to hope that that dream could be a reality.

The marriage seemed like a small price to pay, considering everything she stood to gain. And after all, it was only temporary. The moment the house sold, she would be out of it, and her life would be completely different. Her mother would be able to stop working two jobs. They would have all the money they needed to put Izzy through school and set her up for her future. And Olivia’s name would be made as the realtor who had done the Coldwell estate deal. She would never have trouble finding work again as long as she lived.

“All right, she told Charlie. “I’ll do it.”

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