This had all happened during the time Maggie was living back east with her rich husband.
Now Maggie was back home and the only family she had left in Point Cairn was her grandpa Angus.
Connor made a decision. “I’ll pay for that medication.”
“We don’t need charity, Connor.”
Her words annoyed him at the same time as he admired her for saying them. “I’m not talking about charity, Maggie. Call it payback. Angus was always good to us.”
“I know,” she said softly. “But he’s almost eighty years old. There’ll be lots more medication in the future, along with a hundred other unexpected expenses. I need cash going forward to get my brewery up and running. That way, I’ll be able to generate enough funds of my own to pay for Grandpa’s health care needs.” She started walking, pacing the confines of his office as if she couldn’t bear to stand still any longer. “I’ll also be able to hire some workers for both me and Grandpa and maybe make a few improvements to the farm. I’m looking to arrange a business deal, Connor. A fair trade, not a handout. And I need to do it right away.”
“What happened at the bank?”
“I expected them to come through, but they turned me down. They explained that with the economy and all...” She gave a dispirited shrug.
Connor had been watching her carefully. He had a feeling there was something she wasn’t telling him. Why wouldn’t the bank loan her the money? Even though she was divorced, she must have received a hefty settlement. Her beers and ales were kicking ass all over the state, so she had to be considered a good risk. Was she hoarding the settlement money away for some reason?
And another thing. She and her grandfather owned at least a hundred acres of prime Marin farmland that would make excellent collateral for any bank loan.
She might not be lying to him at the moment, but she was holding back some information. Connor would pry it out of her eventually, but in the meantime, a plan had been forming in his mind as they talked. If he wasn’t mistaken, and he rarely was, it would be the answer to all their problems. She would get her money and he would get something he wanted.
Call it restitution.
“I’ll give you the money,” he said.
She blinked. “You will?”
“Yeah.” He hadn’t realized until Maggie showed up today that he still harbored so many ambivalent feelings for her. Part of him wanted to kick her to the curb, while another more rowdy part of him wanted to shove everything off his desk and have his way with her right then and there.
He thought she had a lot of nerve showing up here asking for money. And yet he also thought she showed guts. It was driving him nuts just listening to her breathe, so why shouldn’t he pull her chain a little? Just to settle the score.
“What’s the catch?” she said warily.
He chuckled. Once again, she’d thrown him off base. She should’ve been doing cartwheels, knowing she’d get the money, but instead she continued to peer suspiciously at him.
“The catch,” he explained, “is that it won’t be a loan. I want something in return.”
“Of course,” she said, brightening. “I’ve already promised you the Taylor James formulas.”
“Yeah, I’ll take those formulas,” he said, “but there’s something else I want from you.”
Her eyes wide, she took a small step backward. “I don’t think so.”
“Take it or leave it, Maggie,” Connor snapped.
“Take or leave what?” she said in a huff. “I don’t even know what you’re talking about.”
He shoved his hands in his pockets. “It seems I need a date.”
“A date?” she scoffed. “You must know a hundred women who would—”
“Let me put it this way. I need a woman who knows a little something about beer. You more than meet that requirement, so I intend to use your services for a week.”
“My...services? What are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about taking you up on your deal. I’ll pay you the entire amount of money you asked for in exchange for your formulas, plus this one other condition.”
“That I’m at your service for a week? This is ridiculous.” Agitated, she began to pace the floor of his office even faster.
“It’s only for a week,” he said reasonably. “Seven days and nights.”
“Nights?” she repeated, her eyes narrowing.
He shrugged lightly, knowing exactly what she was thinking. Sex. “That’s entirely up to you.”
“This is blackmail,” she muttered.
“No, it’s not. I’m about to give you a lot of money and I want something in return.”
“My services,” she said sarcastically.
“That’s right. Look, the Autumn Brew Festival is next week.”
“I know that,” she grumbled.
“I need a date, and you’re the perfect choice. So you will agree to be my date the entire week and go to all the competition events with me. I’ll also want you to attend a number of meetings and social events with me, including the Friday night gala dinner dance.”
That suspicious look was back. “Are you kidding?”
“What? You don’t like to dance?”
She looked stricken by his words but quickly recovered. “No, I don’t, as a matter of fact.”
That was weird. Maggie had always loved dancing. “Doesn’t matter,” he said. “You’re going to the gala.”
“We’ll see about that.” Her eyes focused in on him. “And that’s it? We pal around for a week at the festival and I get the money?”
“That’s it. And I’ll expect you to stay with me in my hotel suite.”
She stopped and stared at him. “Oh, please.”
“You want the money or not?”
“You know I do, but I can drive in and meet you each morning.”
“That won’t work. I expect us to keep late hours and I have a number of early morning breakfast meetings scheduled. I don’t want to take any chances on you missing something important.”
“But—”
“Look, Maggie. Let me make it clear so there’s no misunderstanding. I don’t expect you to sleep with me. I just expect you to stay at the hotel with me. It’ll be more convenient.”
She frowned. “But I can’t leave Grandpa for that long a time.”
“My mother will look in on him,” he said, silently patting himself on the back for his split-second problem-solving abilities. Deidre MacLaren had known Angus for years, so Connor knew she wouldn’t mind doing it.
“And at the end of the week,” he continued calmly, “I’ll give you the money you asked for in full.”
“And all I have to do is stay with you for a week?”
“And be my date.”
“In your hotel room.”
“It’s a suite.”
“I’ll sleep on the couch.”
“You’ll be more comfortable in a bed.”
“And you’ll sleep on the couch?”
“No.”
Her