“I’ll take it,” I said.

Lisa, my real estate agent, looked at me like I was crazy.

“But I haven’t even shown you the guesthouse yet,” she said.

“Doesn’t matter. I like what I’m seeing,” I said.

I leaned against the white quartz kitchen counter, looking around at the newly built mansion in Forest Hill. This place was going to be mine as soon as I made an offer on it.

“Okay then, Mr. Everett, if you say so. I will talk to the other agent that you’re interested, and we can negotiate a price to close.”

“No need to negotiate,” I said, as I scrolled through my phone to see all the emails I received within the past hour. “Time is money. Just give them whatever they’re asking for it and tell my accountant to write a cheque. If they’re interested, I’d like to move in today.”

“Okay.” She smiled. “I’ll do that for you.”

The real estate agent wore a black blazer that matched her skirt. She had blonde hair. She was in her late twenties, so closing a sale this quickly must’ve been a new experience for her. But I needed a place to call home now that I returned to Toronto after living in Hong Kong for the past decade. Since returning to this city, I’d been staying at a hotel for the past week, and I was quickly getting tired of it.

My brother, Blue, was getting married soon, and I figured that it was a good time in my life to come back to my hometown and set down some roots. I wasn’t young anymore. I was turning forty-five, and I needed a change in my life.

I walked around the empty house that was going to be mine. It was much bigger than anything I needed. It had seven bedrooms, an indoor sauna, and a guest house in the back I hadn’t seen yet. I’d always been a pretty impulsive person. This particular house was listed as ready to move in, so it appealed to me. There was no furniture in it. It was simple, and I needed simplicity in my life. Since coming back from Asia, I’ve started adopting a minimal lifestyle.

The real estate agent got off her phone with a smile on her face. “The place is yours, Mr. Everett.”

“Great,” I said.

She pulled a bottle of wine out of her bag. “Let’s celebrate!”

“Did you...just pull that out of your bag?” I asked, tilted my head to the side.

“Considering the fact that we just closed a twenty-million-dollar house in”—Lisa looked at her watch—“less than an hour, I’m drinking whether you’re in or not.”

This woman was crazier than me.

“I like your attitude,” I said.

Lisa went to the kitchen cupboard and tried to find wine glasses. But all the cupboards were empty except for two small bowls. She poured the wine into them.

“Cheers,” I said, holding the bowl of wine.

“You should make a toast,” she said.

“I’m not very good at making toasts,” I said. “Here’s to...new beginnings?”

“It’s a bit cheesy, I’m not going to lie,” Lisa said. “But sure, here’s to new beginnings.”

We clinked our bowls together, and I drank the wine like it was a shot. Lisa made a few more calls to finalize everything, and then, left me the keys to my new house.

“Thank you,” I said to her. “It was a pleasure working with you.”

“No problem at all. If you need me again, don’t hesitate to call. I need more clients like you.”

I smiled and walked her out to her car.

When I got back inside, there was a peaceful and serene silence that I could get used to. The blank walls made the house look like an empty art gallery. I walked to the back, running my hands along the perfectly manicured trees that lined the path to the guesthouse. I went inside to check it out for the first time. The guesthouse was complete with its own kitchen, a bedroom, and a small living area. It was big enough for me to live in. Would it be crazy for me to just live in my guesthouse and leave the house empty?

It was my house. I could do whatever I wanted with it. But maybe it’d be a better idea to turn the guest house into a small office.

I’d made a name for myself by starting and running a successful law firm in Asia. Exactly one month ago, I sold my firm for one-and-a-half billion dollars. But as I approached my late forties, I started wondering if I really wanted to work so far from where my family was.

As I was standing there contemplating what to do with the guesthouse, I got a call from Blue.

“What’s up, my favorite brother?” I said.

Blue chuckled. “Favorite brother? You better not tell Harry that, or else he’ll get upset.”

“I think he has more important things on his plate now that he has a baby,” I said.

“You’re right,” Blue said. “Are you free? I’m just getting off work. Wanted to see if you wanted to get dinner or something.”

“Sure,” I said. “You have a place in mind?”

“Let’s go to SAVERA. It’s the Indian fusion restaurant that we went to when you met my boyfriend—I mean my fiancé—for the first time. Are you in the area?”

“Yeah, I’ll get an Uber. I’ll meet you there in thirty minutes?” I said.

“Thirty minutes is perfect. I’m across the street from the restaurant. Give me some time to wrap everything up,” he said.

“Sounds good.”

I ended the call and went into the washroom of the guesthouse to freshen up before I called an Uber to take me to the restaurant.

When I arrived, Blue was already seated next to the window. I hadn’t seen my brother in almost a year.

He looked handsome in a white button-up and blue tie.

“Is that him?” I asked jokingly.

Blue looked up at me with a smile and stood up to give me a hug.

“You’re back, bro,” he said.

I hugged him back and sat down across from him.

“Since when were you able to wear a white shirt and keep it clean for the whole day?” I asked.

Blue rolled his eyes. “What are you talking about? You and Harry always think I’m still a baby.”

“You’re always my baby bro,” I said, wanting to reach across the table to pinch his cheeks but decided not to embarrass him.

The server came by, and we ordered our drinks.

“How do you like being home?” Blue asked.

“It’s only been a few days, so I’m still getting used to it. It’s definitely going to be a bit of a change after living in Hong Kong for so long. But I’m excited about it.”

I noticed the wedding band Blue was wearing. The diamond on it was blinding me. “Can you turn down the brightness on that thing?” I asked.

He put his hand in front of me, proudly showing off his wedding band. “Isn’t it beautiful?” he asked.

“It is. Suits you too. I bet you’re excited to finally get married.”

“You have no idea. I haven’t been able to sleep well since he proposed to me, and I’m getting all nervous around Hunter again like when I first met him.”

“Nervous?” I asked. “How come?”

“I don’t know. It’s scary. What if he changes his mind?”

I laughed. “He’s not going to change his mind. I saw the way he was looking at you when I first met him. He looked so sure, even before he proposed to you.”

“I hope so,” he said, as he spun the ring on his finger.

The server came back with the bottle of wine and poured it into the wine glasses.

“Are you going to bring anyone to the wedding?” Blue asked.

I took a sip of wine. “Who do you want me to bring?”

“Well, you don’t have to bring anyone. I’m just wondering since you never talk about who you’re dating.”

Blue was right. I was a very private person. I’ve also been a bit of a lone wolf my whole life, even before moving to Asia. I wouldn’t have become this successful if I didn’t spend all my time working on my firm.

“You know I’m single,” I said.

“I find that so hard to believe,” Blue said. “Hell, even Harry is in a relationship.”

“Who said I wanted a relationship?” I asked. “No offense to you, but I just find relationships a bit of a hassle. They’re not for me. I don’t do commitment. I don’t do dating. I’m more than happy spending time alone, working on a case.”

“But you can’t be alone forever,” Blue said. “Plus, all our judgy relatives are going to ask about it and wonder what’s wrong with you for still being single.”

“I didn’t think about that,” I said. “How many people are you inviting again?”

“Currently, around five hundred people. I’m telling Hunter we need to reduce the guest list, but he won’t listen. If anything, I think he wants to invite more people. He wants to have a really big wedding.”

I didn’t realize that it was going to be such a big wedding. Hearing Blue tell me that he invited that many people made me think about how awkward it’d be if I walked in alone with my entire family judging me. The Everetts were very competitive. Even when we were younger, my parents would always compare us to our cousins during family gatherings. There was nothing I would love more than to show off how successful I’d become.

Maybe Blue was right, though. It might get a bit lonely being at such a big wedding by myself. I knew Blue would be busy since it was his wedding day, and Harry would be with Carter and his baby. I remembered all the times that I went to corporate gatherings alone, and there was always that annoying question of who did you come with. The answer was always no one.

“You can do whatever you want. I just don’t want to see you sad at my wedding,” Blue said.

“Thanks.” I laughed. “I’m not going to be sad going to your wedding solo. In fact, I’d prefer that. But if you want me to bring someone, I’ll do that for you.”

“Don’t do it because of me, do it because of you,” Blue said.

I swirled the wine in my glass, trying to think of who I could bring. I hadn’t kept in touch with many people in Toronto since I’d left.

“What if I hired an escort?” I asked Blue. “I’ve always wanted to try it out.”

“An escort?” Blue palmed his face. “I didn’t mean that when I said to bring someone.”

“I know. I know. But it will be perfect. Why spend the time to meet someone when I can just pay for it?”

“That is so romantic,” Blue said.

“Hear me out. It will be perfect. I’ll be able to find the perfect person who’s used to doing things like this. Obviously, I’m going to pay for the best one. That way, I’ll have company at your wedding. Problem solved.”

“How you became one of the best lawyers in the world is a mystery to me,” Blue said. “It’s the best idea I’ve come up with all day,” I said.

Blue didn’t look too pleased, but I figured that would solve all my problems. There was no way I’d have time to actually meet someone in the next few weeks and like them enough to bring them to my brother’s wedding.

“How are you even going to find an escort?” he asked.

“I’m sure there are websites for it. I don’t know. I’ll do some research.”

It was going to be a new experience to hire an escort for my brother’s wedding. But who knows? Maybe I’d have a good time.