“Not kidding you, man. I couldn’t make this shit up if I tried.”

Kemp went quiet, sipping his beer distractedly, not giving the flavor the attention he normally would. His mind was obviously churning over everything I’d said. With good reason. I knew it was fucked up on some level. But I also knew it could work.

“I don’t know what to say,” he finally said.

“You can be honest. We always have been, haven’t we?”

He spun his beer glass around on the counter, more than three-quarters of the second beer gone already. “You’re sure you have to marry her?

I shrugged. “Seems like a small price to pay. I like Chloe. I know you don’t know her very well, but I do, and I don’t think it’s that big of a deal.”

Kemp let out a disbelieving laugh. “Not that big of a deal. Getting married? She’s basically paying you to be her husband for a year. And you don’t have a problem with that?”

Now I laughed because it did sound questionable when he put it like that. “To me it’s worth it. She gets what she wants, and I get what I want. We get what we need. What we’ve been trying to secure for, what, two years? Three?”

He couldn’t debate that. It’d been a long road already, and who knew how long it might’ve taken us to find someone to fund us if Chloe hadn’t come along.

“We have to put up with each other for a year, sure,” I continued, “but if she gets that job, she’ll be traveling for a significant part of the time anyway.”

“Yeah, but you’ve basically thrown away your personal life for twelve months, man. Have you really thought about it?”

“Of course I’ve thought about it. I haven’t thought about anything else for the past week, and I still can’t find a reason not to do it. There’s a small sacrifice, sure, but to me it’s worth it because I like Chloe. I like spending time with her. I want to help her, and I’m stoked that she’s willing to help us. I thought you would be too.”

“I think it’s a bad idea.”

“Are you saying you don’t want me to take the two-hundred-fifty-thousand-dollar investment from her? If you’re morally opposed, I suppose I can go to her tonight and tell her the deal is off. Seems like that would be insane.”

“I think you’re fucking insane,” he said, “but you’re the one making the sacrifice. If you’re comfortable with it, then who am I to argue? I’m benefiting without having to live with some woman who likes books more than people.”