“Soundsdrastic? Itisdrastic.”
“But worth it,” she says. “You could have your freedom, go live your life however you want, away from here.”
“I cannot believe you think I would be okay with this. With getting my freedom at the expense of yours.”
“Look, babe, I’ve had my freedom for years and I haven’t used it all that admirably.” He gives her a look that warns he’s not in the mood for her to be flippant. “Okay, fine. The truth is thatI’ve grown to really love...”—you—“this place. And the manual labor still may not be my strong suit, but the business side of it all is. The ideas I have... they’regood. This is an opportunity for me to do something I enjoy, something I have the skills to do well, and for once it’s all completely aboveboard. I want to do this for you, yes. You deserve it, Charlie, after everything you’ve done for your family. But it would also be forme. You get your freedom, and I get a boring, safe life full of honest work. It’s good for us both. And you won’t have to sell the farm.”
“But even if you can turn things around, it will take time. Gilded Creek won’t be immediately profitable, and my father still won’t pay for Grandpa Charles’s care.”
“I have the money,” she says. “I have the ten thousand from Mrs. Van Alst, plus the payments she’s sent this month. I’ll find the rest somewhere. We’ll turn a profit soon enough.”
“Gretchen.” Charlie runs his hands through his hair again. “I can’t let you do that.”
“Consider it an investment. That’s what we can tell your dad. That you found a business partner. He doesn’t need to know the details. Once you show him the farm isn’t in the negative, that we have a business improvement plan to ensure continued profits, he’ll have to pony up the cash for your grandfather.”
Charlie looks deep into Gretchen’s eyes, the way that makes her feel completely exposed. He frowns. “You know I think you’re brilliant, but what happens if you fail? What happens if you can’t keep Gilded Creek in the black and wehaveto sell after all? Your life isn’t less important than mine.”
“No, it’s not. But Charlie, you haven’t done anything to deserve any of this. I have,” she says. “I’ve done things that I shouldprobably pay for somehow. Hopefully not that way, but... if it happens, if I’m forced to leave and I die... well, at least I’m already acclimated to living with Everett.” She forces a small smile. “I understand if you’re worried this is a scam, that I’m trying to get something from you. We’ll get an ironclad prenup—”
“God, Acorn. How could you think, after everything, thatthat’smy issue with this plan?”
She shrugs, hiding her surprise at the emotion in his voice. His trust is still so new, such a fragile thing in her mind, it was only natural that she consider the best ways to protect him legally, to provide him some proof that she wasn’t up to any tricks. If that’s not the crux of his objection, then...
“We could see other people, of course. I wouldn’t expect— There would be zero obligations between us. We could stay in touch if you want. Or not. It doesn’t... it doesn’t really matter to me.”
He takes a step forward and brushes his fingertips over her jaw, making her shiver, then settles his palm against her cheek. “Is that what you want?”
“Yes.” She resists leaning into his touch, keeping her eyes locked on his instead. If she looks away, he’ll know she’s lying. “That’s what I want.”
“And if you regret it one day? If you want to leave?” he asks, his voice quiet. “What then?”
“I won’t.”
Charlie shakes his head. “What then?” he repeats.
Gretchen swallows. “No-fault divorce is a thing in Maryland. We can just agree to dissolve the marriage, you can come back here, and I can go. No harm, no foul. Same situation as now. Butthat’s not going to happen. I’ve thought this through, I promise. It’s... it’s the only way. The only way around it. And we both get what we want.”
“Do we?” His gaze drifts from her eyes to her lips, and he presses his thumb lightly right beneath the bottom one before stepping away and breaking contact. Charlie turns his back to her and braces his hands on the counter. His strong back heaves with the deep breath he takes. “When do I need to decide?” he asks at last.
“The name change could take anywhere from a day to closer to a month. So it would probably be best to get the wheels in motion sooner than later. Get your dad to pay for next month’s bill from Meadewood.”
“I’ll have an answer for you by tonight.”
Gretchen nods even though he can’t see her.“I’ll have an answer for you by tonight.” Surely, what everyone who proposes marriage hopes to hear.“Okay.” She grabs her abandoned cereal, which is already soggy from sitting in its milk through their conversation, and dumps it into the trash. In about two hours, she may regret not eating, but right now her stomach is roiling too much for her to care. “I better get out there and get started.”
Wiping her hands together, she heads for the kitchen doorway but freezes when Charlie says, “Acorn.”
“Hm?”
He turns his head to look over his shoulder at her. “Does it really not matter to you? If we stay in touch?”
“I’ve enjoyed our time together, Charlie. But if we do this... I truly don’t need anything in return. Not even your friendship.” The smile on Gretchen’s face feels more wistful than she intended, which she’s certain he’ll notice conflicts with her matter-of-fact tone. So she continues out of the kitchen, slips on her rain boots,and heads out into the crisp spring morning—into the life she hopes Charlie will cede to her.
—
It’s a long day of reminding herself that she’ll be okay, regardless of what Charlie chooses. If she has to go back to DC and pick up her spirit medium business where she left off, she certainly could. Her clients have been sending her emails and leaving messages inquiring when they might be able to book her services again since basically the day after she left. Mrs. Easterly, the woman who looks like the human embodiment of the luxury goods opportunity shop in Georgetown, has left three messages requesting Gretchen make another attempt at contacting her late husband. A few of her most ardent customers have even suggested they’d be happy to pay a premium in order to be the first on her schedule when she returns. So yes, she’ll manage if she needs to return to her previous life. She can scrape together enough of an income until she figures out how to transition into something less morally fraught. Because she’s no longer particularly interested in her previous line of work as a long-term plan.
But she’ll be okay.
