I laid on the hotel bed with my fingers interlaced behind my head and my legs crossed at the ankles. This far from home and with nothing to do, I was bored as fuck. My mind was on the session with the lawyer today. I had really pulled myself into a corner by saying I had a fiancée when I was as single as they came. I couldn’t believe I had said I was engaged. I ran through the conversation again and again, but I knew exactly why I had said it. One point two billion was a hell of a lot of money and the thought of letting it slip through my fingers was horrific.

But there was nothing to be done about it. If I wanted to find someone to be my wife as I had promised the lawyer, I wouldn’t even know where to start. The thought of forming some kind of attachment that could lead to marriage was terrifying. That the payoff would be that great was a moot point. It wasn’t like I was going to be able to pull it off, anyway. It wasn’t like I could hire someone to be my fiancée.

I climbed off the bed and walked toward the window. I couldn’t relax—this far away from home and the restaurant made me feel lost. Since I had opened the doors, I had been at the restaurant from seven in the morning until eleven at night, almost every day of the week. I hadn’t minded putting in all that time—the restaurant was my passion and I loved every second of it. Without it, I felt like I was nothing.

When I came out to California I booked the hotel for a week, even though the reading of the will only took one day. I thought a break would do me good, I deserved it. However, now that I was away from the restaurant and allowed to relax, I couldn’t. I didn’t like being away from the places and the people I knew. I should’ve been out on the town, looking for ass and making the most of my holiday. Instead I moped around my hotel room, homesick like a pussy.

All I wanted was to jump on a flight and head back home. It wasn’t freedom when I felt like I was leaving something behind. This was bullshit, I was sullen and irritated. I didn’t feel like getting out and seeing what Cali had to offer—I didn’t feel like getting wasted at a nightclub and falling into bed with someone I didn’t know. A week ago, I had thought that was exactly what I wanted, but now I just wanted to go home. Maybe it was the dead end I had created for myself that played a role. Maybe it was because my definition of freedom had changed.

Maybe I was just being full of shit. Whatever the reason, the week away seemed like forever, now.

When I woke up the next morning, I packed my bag and checked out of the hotel. I headed to the airport, boarded the plane and headed back to Seattle. There was no reason for me to hang around when everything I wanted was back home.

By the time I reached the restaurant it was almost closing time. The kitchen closed at ten but the diners stayed until whatever time they wanted after that. Usually, by eleven, we were locking up. I walked into the restaurant at half past ten and the schedule didn’t look any different. There were only a few diners left and two of my waiters tending to them.

I walked through the dining area and Harper came to me.

“What a surprise,” she said. “We weren’t expecting you back so soon.”

“I couldn’t stay away,” I said. “Who knows what you and Greyson might get up to without me?”

“When the cat’s away, the mice will play,” Harper said, and winked before she walked back to the hostess station to handle a customer bill. I shook my head and walked to the kitchen where Greyson was wiping down counters.

“Do you know how long a week is?” Greyson asked when he saw me.

“Yeah, yeah,” I said. “So, I’m back sooner than I thought.”

“You’re only five days short,” Greyson said, with a shrug. “Were you missing me too much?”

“Hole in my heart, Greyson,” I laughed.

I leaned against the counter with my hip and folded my arms over my chest. It was good to be back—I had missed the banter and the shitty jokes. I felt at home in the restaurant, surrounded by the people I knew. Who would have known I was such a pack animal?

“So, how was it?” Greyson asked.

“How exciting can the reading of the will be?” I didn’t want to tell Greyson about my fuck up, about all the money and the fact that I had lied about having a fiancée. Greyson would never stop giving me shit about it.

“Well, you haven’t been gone long enough to miss anything here,” Greyson said.

He filled me in on what had happened during the short while I had been gone. It was all the usual stuff—regular customers, regular orders, no fuck ups, no regrets. It was exactly what I want to hear.

“I knew I could leave you guys in charge,” I said, when Greyson was done with his report.

“It was all Harper,” Greyson said. “You could have stayed away the whole week, she did a great job. That woman is not just a pretty face.”

I nodded. “I’m glad to hear it,” I said. I had known Harper was the right person to leave in charge. I had watched her working for the last year and knew what I had. Not only was she good at multitasking and organizing, she was approachable and friendly, so all my diners loved her. From what I could tell, everyone loved her no matter where she went. It was a gift. I was good with women when I wanted to fuck, but other than that I could be quite blunt and difficult to please.

Perhaps one day I would put Harper in charge of my restaurant for good. This place could do with a manager like her. I imagined what it would be like to take a step back, to let her take over and work her magic. The Spiced Cow could use something like that, but I wasn’t ready. I wasn’t going to take a step back, yet. I was still too attached, the restaurant was a novelty and damned if I had what it took to take my hands off the wheel.

If Harper was still here by the time I was ready to go, she could have the position. Until then, I liked being in charge. It was good to know I had people like Harper and Greyson at my side, people who treated the restaurant as their own project, and didn’t only put in the hard work because I paid them. If only I could find someone like that to share my life with me—someone who would take my personal life, my good and my bad sides, just as seriously.

If only I could find someone like that in the next week. No fucking way that was going to happen, of course. But hey, a man could dream.

“Everything okay, boss?” Greyson asked, pulling me out of the spiral of my thoughts.

“Yeah, perfect. You get a hold of Carl for the weekend or should I?” It was easier to talk about business than my personal life.

“I called Carl already,” Greyson said. “I put in the order for the fresh produce and I emailed the meat company about those new cuts you were talking about. I need to do a spice run tomorrow but I’ve got that covered.”

Greyson was as on top of everything as Harper was.

“Good. You can head on out, I’ll stay behind and finish up here.”

“Are you sure?” Greyson asked.

He looked at me like he didn’t quite believe my act. He knew me well enough to know something was on my mind, but I wasn’t going to discuss it with him tonight. Greyson was a friend but he was also an employee and sometimes it was good to draw a line between the two.

I nodded. Greyson abandoned the cloth he was using to wipe down the kitchen and walked toward the back door where he shrugged into his leather jacket.

“See you tomorrow,” Greyson said, and opened the door.

“Greyson,” I called and Greyson turned back to face me. “Don’t call me boss,” I said, and grinned.

Greyson laughed, shaking his head as he stepped out into the darkness.

I continued cleaning where Greyson had left off. Packing away the last of the containers, I rinsed out the cloth.

Harper walked in with the last of the plates and she started loading the dishwasher. We worked side by side, cleaning the kitchen together. It was good to be at the restaurant again and to work with Harper.

“So, why did you come back so soon?” Harper asked, when we moved to the dining room to strip off the tablecloths and tip the chairs onto the tables.

“I felt a little lost being away from the restaurant. I had nothing to do.”

“And you didn’t want to go out? I can’t imagine someone like you will be a loner for long.”

I chuckled. She was right. “I guess I wasn’t in the mood. I had a lot on my mind.”

“About the reading?”

“Yeah,” I said, carrying the stack of table cloths to the washing machine we had in the back. Harper opened the top for me and I threw them in while she measured out the detergent. “My grandmother left me a lot of money in her will. My cousin isn’t too happy about it. I don’t blame him, it’s a lot.”

“How much, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“One point two billion.”

Harper froze. “Are you shitting me?” she said.

I laughed. “No, I’m not. But I’ll have to give it to him, anyway. The will says I have to be married to get it and let’s face it, that’s not going to happen any time soon. I tried to lie my way through it but it won’t hold up.”

“Why?” Harper asked as we walked to the kitchen. “What did you say?”

“That I was engaged. I thought if I could just secure that cash it would be a little white lie and no one would care. I mean, my grandmother isn’t around to see me do it, right? For all she knows I could be divorced again in less than a year.”

“But?” Harper asked.

“But the lawyer wants me there next week with my beloved to sign a sworn statement. And that’s obviously not going to happen. I can’t pull a fiancée out of my ass.”

Harper chuckled when I said it. “You’re a piece of work, aren’t you?”

I shrugged. We worked together in silence for the last few minutes before it was finally time to lock up and leave.

“You know, maybe you can still figure something out,” Harper said, and she smiled at me.

“I don’t think that’s going to happen. But thanks.”

She pulled up her shoulders. “You never know,” she said and winked at me. “Have a good night.” She shrugged into her coat and waved at me before she left the restaurant. I scratched my head, wondering what she could have been thinking of. From where I was standing there was no way out of the mess I had created for myself. I would have to give it up and that was it.

The fantasy of being a billionaire had been great while it lasted, but it would never be more than just a dream.