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die for it?”
    “I think you’re over-dramatizing this situation,” I said. “You’re not that scary. I’d say two million, tops, would get you a perfectly good wife.”
    He folded his empty sandwich wrapper into a neat square. “Would you do it for two million dollars?” He sounded doubtful about the amount of money.
    “Sure. Money like that would solve all my problems.” A second later I realized I’d walked into a trap.
    “Okay. It’s a deal. Vegas would be the quickest way—you think it needs to be a church wedding?”
    “Wait, Drew, I didn’t mean to volunteer for the job.”
    “Why not? You said you weren’t afraid of me. You said the money would solve all your problems.”
    “I can’t. I’m your lawyer. It’s unethical. I could lose my license.”
    “With two million you wouldn’t have to worry about your license, and you would instantly solve most of my legal problems. I have a great guest bedroom, thanks to Meridith—I don’t know who she was expecting to stay in it—plus I have a room that would be a perfect office for you. It’s a big apartment. You wouldn’t be in my way.”
    “In your way? What do you do that I could get in the way of?” I was buying time to figure my own way out of this, but he was distracting me with what felt like boyish enthusiasm.
    The doorbell rang, and, a few seconds later, Meridith breezed in.
    “Guess what, Sis, Medina and I are getting married,” Drew said. “Cool, huh?”
    I wondered how he was able to sound both enthusiastic and sarcastic, simultaneously. I expected Meridith to step in as the voice of reason at this point, but I was dead wrong.
    “Oh, Mia, how wonderful! I know you’ll make Drew very happy.” Meridith was acting like this was for real, as though Drew and I had been dating for months and it was expected .
    She sat down at the table and cheerfully asked, “So, do you want a big church wedding, or something smaller?”
    “Why don’t you ask him?” I said dryly. This was ridiculous…wasn’t it?
    “Well, Sis, Mia doesn’t have any family here, and I’m, you know, Satan—”
    “I wish you would quit saying that,” Meridith interrupted.
    “What I meant was, I think a church wedding is out,” Drew finished logically.
    I was annoyed that these two kooks thought they could swoop in and take control of my life, which had been completely self-managed up until this point.
    I wadded up my wrapper and shoved it into the brown bag it came in. “I don’t want to burst anyone’s bubble, but I didn’t consent to any kind of wedding.”
    He waved his hand dismissively. “That’s just a technicality.”
    Panic suddenly overwhelmed me. Why had I agreed to come back here in the first place? Why did I still not want to leave? But I needed to get away and think.
    “I’ve gotta go,” I said. “This whole conversation is ridiculous.” For a second there, I’d actually wanted to go along with this scheme, and the scary part was it might not have been because of the money.
    Drew followed me outside into the hall, and said, in a hushed voice, “Three million and all expenses paid while you’re living here.” I opened my mouth to speak, but he beat me to the punch, “and anything else you want.”
    I was stunned by those last words. Never in my life had someone told me I could have anythingI wanted. That was for people who were lucky, privileged, protected.
    Drew was only inches away as he waited for my answer. His hypnotic gaze was dragging me inside him. I had the urge to reach out and touch him.
    No, he didn’t really offer that.
    But his chest was rising and falling as if he’d been running, and he looked so hopeful. Could he look at me like this if it was only about the money?
    It hit me that I’d been lying to myself and everyone else, my entire life. I was always spouting off about how I wanted to be self-sufficient and didn’t need anyone. Yet, this man I hardly knew had looked into my eyes and offered to take care of