The Boyfriend Arrangement

After her father ran into financial troubles with his gold-digging second wife, her grandfather had added a new provision to the grandchildren’s trusts—if it was discovered that they had been financially irresponsible with their first payments, there would be no second payment. Ever-responsible Oliver had had no problem managing his money and had made his own fortune many times over. He hardly needed the second payment by the time his thirtieth birthday came around. But not Harper. By the time the provision was added, her frivolous lifestyle had already helped her blow through most of the first two million.

When she found out about the addendum, she’d realized she had to keep her situation a secret. Her grandfather couldn’t find out or she’d risk the money she desperately needed. That second payment would put an end to her charade. She wouldn’t have to eat ramen noodles for weeks to pay her massive building fee at the beginning of the year. She wouldn’t have to return everything she bought and scour the thrift stores for designer finds to keep up her facade of a spoiled heiress. Harper wouldn’t blow this new money—she wasn’t a naive child any longer—but it would be nice not to have to pretend she had more than two grand in her savings account.

Thankfully that two thousand dollars she’d earmarked for Sebastian could stay put. It was all she had aside from her FlynnSoft 401K with its stiff withdrawal penalties. Where was she going to come up with a hundred thousand dollars by tomorrow? In a month, easy. But now...it was an impossible task.

“Are you okay?”

Harper quickly folded the letter closed and shoved it back into the envelope. She looked over at Sebastian, who had settled into his seat and buckled up. “I’m fine,” she said. “Just reading over something.”

“You look like the plane is about to crash,” he noted. “You’re white as a sheet. Since they haven’t even closed the cabin door yet, I was concerned.”

“Flying isn’t my favorite thing,” she lied, and slipped the note into her purse. “Even on a fancy jet like this. My doctor gave me some pills and I hope to wake up in Ireland before I know it.”

“Sleep? And miss a minute of this luxurious travel?” Sebastian picked up his crystal champagne flute. “Shall we toast before you slip into a drug-induced coma?”

Harper picked up her drink and fought to keep her hand from trembling with nerves. “What should we drink to?”