“Because you’re not husband material.”
“And like you are?”
They all laughed.
“So you want a wife?” Nick asked.
“A fake one.”
He cocked a brow. “A temporary wife? What? Why?”
“I have to get married to get my inheritance.”
“Wait. Your dad died?”
Tears welled up in his eyes. “Yes, and it’s heartbreaking.”
“I’m so sorry for your loss. Your dad was a great man. I know how much you loved him.”
We all offered our condolences. I could see how torn up he was about his father’s death.
“He didn’t want me globetrotting around the world,” Charlie said. “But I didn’t want to stay in that small town. I just needed to breathe, be free, and go explore. My life needs adventure and I needed to leave. It always killed my dad that I didn’t there and make a life for myself.”
“You have to follow your heart,” I said. “Or you’ll be miserable.”
He slowly nodded. “He didn’t want a funeral or anything. My uncle had him cremated and spread his ashes in the lake. I wish he would’ve waited for me, but he didn’t, so now, there’s no reason to rush home. But I have to go back if I hope to collect my inheritance.”
“So you have to marry someone? Because I know a girl who will do it,” Nick said. “She’s a nice girl. Just a bit of a gold digger. But if you need a wife for a while, she’ll do.”
Abby gently slugged him. “Don’t pimp out Melinda like that!”
“But you know she’d do it!”
She laughed. “Yeah, she would. But that’s not the point. Maybe he could go to Las Vegas and wake up accidentally married.”
“That won’t work. If there’s no agreement, she could take him to the cleaners and take every dime during the divorce proceedings.”
“I was joking, okay?”
“But he could possibly find a taker in Vegas.”
“That’s the problem,” Charlie said. “My dad said the wife has to live in my hometown.”
“Shit.”
“Yeah, tell me about it.” Charlie sipped his drink. “My grand plan is to sweep into town, pick up a fake bride, get my inheritance, and leave like the wind after a quickie divorce in Caribbean paradise, untying the knot fast enough to cause whiplash.”
“Ha ha,” James said.
“What about that Jaime girl you grew up with? The blonde in all your childhood pics. The one you always talked about.”
“She hates me. My dad cut me off and I borrowed money from her and a bunch of her friends. I never paid them back. Hell, she’ll probably lead the mob to lynch me from the nearest tree.”
“You have $10,000 from Granny. Pay Jaime back!”
“Then propose?”
“Make things right and pay them back,” Nick said. “It’s only right.”