I returned the phone to my pocket and said, “Thanks for showing me.”
“Now that you know I’m a complete train wreck, you’re not going to take the job, are you?”
“I’m still trying to decide about the six-month commitment, but that has nothing to do with your past.” I chewed my lower lip for a few moments before asking, “What happens if we realize we’re incompatible and I decide to leave early?”
“Then you leave. I obviously can’t keep you here. Like I said, I’ll pay you weekly at whatever the amount I proposed breaks down to, so you’ll leave with that amount.”
“What if you’re the one who decides this was a mistake and ends it before January?”
“If I’m the one who ends it, I’ll still give you the hundred grand bonus, and hopefully we’ll part as friends.” He seemed completely unbothered by this. Was he so rich that that amount meant nothing to him?
“That gives me every incentive to act like a complete tool, so you’ll kick me out in a week. Then I’ll collect a huge paycheck for absolutely nothing, assuming you make good on your promise, and you’ll be back to square one.”
He shrugged and leaned back as he said, “I don’t think you’d do that.”
“What are you basing that on?”
“A gut feeling.”
“Maybe we should both take a day to think about this,” I said.
“You should definitely do that, but I already know it’s what I want. While you’re thinking about it though, will you please spend the night here? I’ll pay you whatever you want, and we don’t have to have sex. I just really don’t want to be alone tonight.”
“Is there something special about tonight, besides the fact that it’s the Fourth of July?”
He muttered, “If I tell you, it’ll sound like I’m trying to manipulate you into staying.”
“I’m already planning to stay, so go ahead and tell me.”
After a pause, he admitted, “Today’s my thirty-eighth birthday.”
“Happy birthday, Micah.”
“Thank you.” He turned his gaze to the brick patio. “You’re the first and only person who said that to me this year. No one called, even though it’s a pretty tough birthday to forget, what with the fireworks and all. And I know I sound pathetic right now, but I really wanted someone to reach out to me today.” This was making him emotional, and he seemed embarrassed by it.
I took off my suit jacket and draped it over the arm of the outdoor sofa. Micah glanced at me as I unbuttoned and rolled back my cuffs, and I said, “Since I’m spending the night, I might as well get comfortable.”
“Thank you again. This means a lot to me.”
“My pleasure.”
He gestured back toward the house. “I’ll get the envelope. How much do I owe you?”
“It’s on me. Let’s just call it a birthday present.” Actually, I was pretty sure I was going to accept his six-month offer, so asking for more on top of that seemed greedy. Plus, this would be a good chance to see if he and I really were compatible.
“That’s really nice of you.” After a moment, he asked, “Would it be okay if I came closer? I’m so touch starved that I’m kind of falling apart.”
When I said, “Sure,” I expected him to grope me. Instead, he slid over so he was right beside me, took my hand in both of his, and rested his head on my shoulder. I thought that was incredibly sweet.
He murmured, “This feels so good.”
I rested my head against his and said, “It must have been tough to be here all alone these last two months.”
“It’s been a lot longer than that since I’ve done anything like this. My last boyfriend wasn’t affectionate, and after he and I broke up during the now infamous bar fight, I was done with trying to date.”
“How long were you and he together?”
“Almost a year, and he cheated on me the entire time.”
“How did you find out?”
He was clearly embarrassed as he sat up and sighed. “I know it was a total dick move, but I looked through his text messages. It was obvious something was going on, and he kept lying to my face. Turned out I was right. He’d been fucking his last boyfriend the whole time we were together and only using me for my money.”
“That’s awful!”
“The whole thing was a disaster.”
“Now that I know what you’ve been through, it’s even more surprising that you’d trust a total stranger enough to invite me into your home.”
“I really only have two choices—trust you, or go stark raving mad after being subjected to my own company for another six months,” he said. “Somehow though, inviting you to stay with me doesn’t feel like much of a risk at all.”
“It isn’t. You got lucky and happened to message the right boy.”
“I knew that the moment I laid eyes on you.”