Cecily met his eyes. “I guess we should have discussed this ahead of time.”

He let go of her hand, pulling his back across the table with an exhale. “So much for a carefree wedding night.”

Cecily watched him toy with his food. This was one of hundreds of hurdles they’d face. Her dad taught her compromise was king when it came to business, but only when it came to details you didn’t mind ceding. Did it matter where she worked? Not much. She owned the fucking company.

“I suppose I could move into your apartment, but only if you let me redecorate.” She glanced down for a moment but kept an eye on him through her lashes.

“Redecorate?” he repeated.

She nodded, looking up. “Your place is an exaggerated man cave and you know it. It needs a woman’s touch, but I promise no pink.”

“Just promise no Yankees crap.” He smirked.

“Yankees crap?” She shook her head. “No way, José. You have enough Red Sox junk to fill a souvenir shop. The place needs a little Bronx Bomber blue to even the score.”

He exhaled. “How about one item each?” he countered.

“Two.”

Chase grinned. “Deal.” His quick smile took on a different feel, and he took her hand again. “I hope you know I’m only kidding about the Yankees. I don’t want you to give up what you love, Cecily, but when it comes to where we work and where we live, we need to figure this out, unless you planned for us to live apart. If that was your intention,” he shrugged, “I guess I can live with that. I know you only need a husband for a year, and I signed the prenuptial agreement with no preconceived notions. I guess what I’m saying is, I hoped we’d give this marriage our best shot. You know. For real. Marriage is a gamble, regardless, so why not throw the dice together?”

That he voiced her thoughts almost exactly floored her. How weird was that? Maybe they were on the same page after all.

Except for your little lie of omission.

She squashed the chiding thought once more, as Chase continued.

“Unless I’m reading the situation wrong, your work is more transferable than mine. I can’t pick up the bar and move it to New York City, and even if that were possible, I wouldn’t want to. Villarreal’s is a Bean Town icon.”

“I know, Chase, and you’re right. I can work out of the State Street location, and fly back and forth as needed, but as for the baseball stuff, you may have been kidding, but I’m not. I need my Yankees.”

“Wow.” He chuckled. “I guess you play dirty, just like your team.”

“Hey!” she shot back with a wink. “You like it when I play dirty.”

Chase picked up his wine glass and tilted the glass rim toward her. “That, I do, and dirty is how I plan to play with you later. All kinds of dirty, all over you.” He clicked the inside of his cheek.

If they were talking sex, they were fine, but another awkward silence fell between them, and Cecily inhaled, giving his hand a squeeze. “Okay, so finish what you were saying. What did you have in mind after we pack up at the Bellagio?”

“How long can you be away from the office?” He held up his hand before she answered. “I mean, provided you had cell service and a laptop with a Wi-Fi hotspot.”

“I don’t know.” She shrugged, pursing her lips. “My dad went to Europe for a month every August and still managed to keep up with work. Why? Are you planning on taking us somewhere?”

He nodded. “Yes. Camping.”

“As in living in a tent with bugs and smoke and digging holes for a bathroom?” Her skeptical snort said it all.

“It’s camping, Cecily. Not an expedition to parts unknown.”

She shook her head. “Not a chance, Chase. I have no intention of living in an episode of Naked and Afraid.”

He lifted her hand to his mouth and nibbled on her fingers. “The naked part you can count on, but you’ll never have reason to be afraid with me around.”

Her stomach tightened, and she was glad they were sitting because her knees went weak. His simple touch sent her body into overdrive every time. God, would she ever get over him if this marriage didn’t work?

“C’mon, Cecily. It’ll be fun. I’m not a big fan of sleeping on the ground either, so I’ve scoped out a cabin for us. It’s still rustic, but it has electricity and running water, if not much else.”

She chuckled. “By running water, I hope you mean indoor plumbing.”

He nodded with a grin. “Of course. Ever see the classic movie The Great Outdoors?”

“Yeah, and?”

“It’s like that, but on a much cozier scale. Just two rooms and a bathroom. It’ll be awesome.”

“Awesome? I’m not exactly the domestic type, Chase. I can barely boil water.”

He laughed. “Thanks to my Dominican mother, I’m a terrific cook. You just have to help.” He kissed her knuckles. “What do you say?”

She looked at the excited glint in his eyes. “Okay, but I’m not promising anything.”

“You’ll be fine.” He grinned. You take care of packing what you need. I’ll take care of everything else.”

“So, where are you taking us, or is that a surprise?”

He grinned. “Colorado. This is going to be good.”