A TEMPORARY MARRIAGE: PART ONE (AVALON BAY ROMANCE SERIES Book 1) by Vicky Dean Read Free Book Online

and a small kitchen opening onto a decent sized living room with an exposed brick wall and a gas fireplace. For one person, it was perfect.
    “Can I offer you a drink? I have a bottle of Cabernet open.”
    “Only if you’re going to join me.”
    “Of course, I’m ready for one.” Cassie shot him a smile, and after retrieving the wine from the fridge poured them both a generous glass and set them down on the breakfast bar that separated the kitchen and living room. There were two bar stools there and the two sat down.
    “I’m sorry I didn’t warn you I was coming. Hopefully I’m not interrupting anything.”
    “Not at all. All I was planning on doing was collapsing in front of the television. It’s been quite an exhausting day at work.”
    “Well, I’m only in town one night. I wondered if you’d have dinner with me, that is, if you’re not too tired?”
    “I am very tired, but I’m happy to have dinner with you as long as it’s somewhere close by.”
    “Okay great,” he said looking relieved.
    “There’s a really nice Italian Trattoria on the next block up. Nothing fancy, but good food.”
    “Sounds perfect,” he said and smiled at her.
    “Just give me a few minutes to get ready,” Cassie said.
    She ran into her bathroom, instantly sparked by Richard’s presence and wide awake again. He was going to be her husband and she didn’t love him, but he was really amazing to look at. Things were getting better by the minute. All considered, it would be an interesting upcoming year.
     
    Once they sat down and placed their orders, Richard began to talk.
    “Cassie, I know that if you take me up on this crazy proposal you are giving up a lot, especially with your promotion coming up. But it got me to thinking that you must be wonderful at what you do, or they wouldn’t even consider you for such a big job. I was thinking, maybe taking a year off from your job wouldn’t slow you down as much as you thought it might.”
    Cassie raised her eyebrows at this. How could he believe that taking a year off could possibly not slow her down? He had no way of knowing what had happened earlier.
    “You know Primrose House?” he asked.
    “Yes,” Cassie said softly, feeling confused.
    “Well, it’s big, really big; it was too big for my grandfather, which was the real reason he moved in with me. But it’s a large house, with six bedrooms and a few extra rooms that could be converted into bedrooms, plus some out houses that could also be converted into guest rooms. It could make a wonderful small boutique hotel. There isn’t a hotel in Avalon Bay and it needs one. And it would be yours, Cassie. Your own hotel.”
    Cassie thought back to her last conversation with Mr. Gallagher when he’d asked her what her perfect dream would be and she had laughed and said to own her own hotel. Is this why he had thrown Primrose House into the equation? If she married his grandson she would get to realize her dream.
    Richard removed from his suit pocket, his tablet. “Look Cassie, I have some photos of the house to show you, it needs work but I think you’ll see the potential.”
    Cassie took the tablet from him and looked at the photos of Primrose House. She couldn’t help but light up at its beauty, seeing its potential, and she didn’t even mind that Richard was watching her contently, seeing her positive reaction. It would have been impossible to hide.
    “And, I’ve made some rough plans for the remodeling of the house, if you’re interested.”
    He took from his pocket some folded up pieces of paper with rough plans of the interior of the house drawn on and slid his chair closer to hers, their knees brushing as he did that. He began to explain his ideas, Cassie was mesmerized by what he said, but also intoxicated by his musky scent.
    “But how could I fund a renovation of this size, Richard? It would be expensive.”
    “Well, if you enter into this unconventional marriage arrangement with me, the banks will release