I throw a quick glance at my brother who’s still waiting for my answer to his challenge. “No, Rachel, clear my schedule for today. I have some urgent business to attend to.”
“Oh?” Rachel swallows back her exclamation of surprise. “Yes, of course, sir. I’ll get to that right away.”
“Good.”
I cut the line.
“A please wouldn’t have hurt anyone,” Murphy murmurs.
I ignore his criticism. My secretary has been with me for years and knows how I work. She won’t suddenly become more efficient if I start to praise her for the brilliant job she does.
I press my fingertips together, leveling Murphy’s gaze. “Just to be clear, I’m not doubting my charm. But it seems utterly childish to decide the future of our company on such an easy bet.”
Murphy purses his lips. “That’s because you’ve never been in love, Nate. If you had been, you’d know how difficult it is to trust someone with your heart. Anyway, if you think it’s easy, I don’t mind. The only question is—do you accept my terms?”
I study his face and notice a muscle tic beneath his left eye.
“Why do I get the feeling you have another agenda?” I ask.
Murphy’s eyes widen. “Me? Oh, no. I don’t. It’s all fun and games. As long as you’re ready to play. Or are you afraid to lose? Unsure of your grit?”
Murphy’s comment hits me in my pride. If there’s one thing I believe strongly in, it’s my willpower. I know I can achieve anything I set my mind to. Even making a woman fall in love with me. I can be a charmer if I need to be.
“No, I’m not. But how can I be sure you’ll keep your end of the bargain?”
“Oh, I’ll keep it. Don’t worry. But I have one more condition. Do we have a deal?”
I narrow my eyes.
Here it comes. His hidden agenda.
“Let’s hear your other condition first,” I say.
“You must make the chosen woman fall in love with you, without you falling in love with her. That way you can prove that your principle of not mixing emotions into your projects is the right way to handle life and your future position as the CEO.”
“Isn’t this kind of cruel? I make a woman fall in love and then what…I dump her?” I snap at him.
I’d have never assumed my morals are more sensitive than my brother’s. Which only makes me more suspicious that he has another angle to this bet he’s offering. I just don’t know what it is.
Murphy shifts on his chair, and a muscle on his neck contracts. He gives me a reassuring smile. “Well, isn’t somebody cocky enough to think the victory is in his pocket already? Anyway, I don’t envision you leaving the girl I choose high-and-dry…if you win the bet.”
The mocking accent he puts on the “if” bugs me more than it should. “Ah, no? Then what did you have in mind?”
“If—theoretically speaking only—you win the bet, we’ll find the best way to gently let her down, and we’ll compensate her for any potential pain she suffers in the process.”
“Compensate how?”
“Oh, Nate.” Murphy waves, a hint of irritation creeping into his tone. “We’ll just cross that bridge when we get to it. I won’t stand for shattering anyone’s heart…don’t worry. So with this doubt out of the way, what do you say? Do you accept?”
“If I win this bet, do you promise you’ll back my claim against Larry with Mother?”
“Yes, I will. If you win the bet.”
Again that sniffy “if”…
Murphy reaches across my desk and holds out his hand to me.
I gawk at his palm, the wheels turning in my head.
His extra condition isn’t really a deal-breaker. I don’t want to get involved emotionally with anyone, anyway. The last thing I need is any distraction from my responsibilities. Rather, it’s the whole idea that leaves me puzzled. It’s so foolish. A woman’s love as the prize for my promotion? But, if this is the way to convince Murphy—and thus Mother—then I’m ready to do it.
I clasp onto Murphy’s hand. “Okay, brother. I’m game.”
Murphy’s smile widens, moving his prominent nose closer to his foxy little eyes. He looks so much like our father when he grins. “Very well, Nathan. Now the only thing left is to pick the girl for our bet. And, as it so happens, I know where we can find the best candidate.”
“Where?”
Murphy stands up, and I straighten too.
“Come with me,” he says. “The place is only a short drive away.”
Chapter 2
(Eva - Day 1 )
In life, you should never say never. Or so says my grandmother. Because as soon as you do, the thing that you swore would never happen will come knocking on your door.
I didn’t quite believe her. Younger people always doubt the wisdom of their elders. So when I left San Sebastian, I was impetuous enough to state that, one, I would never ever move back home and, two, I would never ever return to work for Alfonso.
As I steer my grandmother’s old sedan to the Desert Rose, I can’t avoid feeling the habitual squeeze in my belly. The parking lot is filled with muddy pickup trucks, black motorcycles, and countless choppers, just like always.
Here we go again. One more night in the same bar, performing for the same people.
It took four years for karma to eventually catch up with me. But, boy, how thoroughly it went about it once it did. It didn’t leave me a choice. Not even the teensy-tiniest escape route to trick my way out of its claws. With one desperate call from Abuelita to tell me that my brother Alejandro had been arrested, my fate was sealed.
We need you here, hijita. You’re our anchor in this rocky storm.
I snort as my grandmother’s phrase comes to mind.
Abuelita has a talent for vivid metaphors. Words that get under your skin. My cousin Laia inherited her gift. Me?
