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“They’re all my favorite this morning. Bad news makes me hungry. Thanks.”

I watched as she chose a coconut-covered chocolate cake donut. The rich sting of the roasted coffee fumes was its own wake-up call. Melena didn’t screw around with a low-quality brew. I helped myself to a maple bar and took a sip of my coffee before trying again.

“How are you feeling? Any more dizziness or fainting spells?”

She shook her head. “No, nothing yet. I’ve been taking the meds, though I’m not sure how fast they work. It’s going to be a pain to remember.”

I nodded and took another gulp from my mug, stalling for time. Donuts were my duct tape. Surely, they could help me fix everything?

“I know my text came out of nowhere, but I was thinking, maybe we can help each other out.”

Both of her brows went up. “Help each other out? Are we back to your suggestion? How wouldIbe helpingyouout?” she asked.

“Companionship and pooling of resources,” I said. “I want to buy a house.”

My argument wasn’t quite as strong as her coffee, but I still had a chance. Her brown eyes met mine. “For you? Companionship for you? I find it hard to believe you need me for that.”

I grabbed the back of my neck to cover the flush I could feel creeping up to my hairline “Maybe not, but we get along well.”

She chose not to pursue that argument, instead pouncing on my other reason for proposing. “What do you mean by pooling of resources? If you need help with a down payment for a house, you should know I’m nearly broke. Soon to be totally broke once the ER bills roll in.”

“That’s what makes my plan so genius. You’d have my insurance. And we’d both have companionship. I don’t know about you, but sometimes I get lonely when I’m off duty. I can only put in so much time at the gym before the desk attendant looks at me with pity.” I rubbed my chest. Too much truth there. I needed more hobbies. How pathetic did Melena think I was? I searched her soft brown eyes. Probably more pitiful now than a few minutes ago. It was a good thing I’d seen her in a hospital gown, stripped down to her insecurities, because I was flying mine proudly. I rushed on, hoping to gloss over my admission. “And you’d have someone nearby in case of another emergency. I know you probably don’t have much financially, I’ve got the down payment together. You could help with the monthly mortgage payments if you want, it’s more you I need as a resource to buy a house.”

“Why would I matter?” she asked.

“Do you think it’s easy to get a house offer accepted when you’re competing against other couples and young families? The housing market here is brutal. It’s all personal letters and sob stories or above asking offers.”

She scoffed. “What do you mean? You’ve got a solid job; you should be able to get a house.”

“Yes. Ishouldbe able to. But so far, I haven’t even come close. Sellers hear I’m a single man and tend to look elsewhere for their buyers. I’m cursed,” I added with a self-deprecating smile.

“You think being married would change that?” she asked. Her lips twitched. “Remove the stigma?”

I shrugged. “It can’t hurt. Being a newlywed should have some cachet.”

“That’s a pretty thin reason to marry someone. What if we’re not compatible, or you meet someone else?”

“We’ll have time to figure out if we’re compatible. No rush. No expectations.”

She paced in front of me. “Well, I would definitely have some expectations. I want to keep working.” I nodded and she continued. “I have goals. Ones I want to achieve before I’m thirty-five, and the clock is ticking. They don’t include marriage.”

“I’m not asking you to change your goals. I’ll still be working so obviously I wouldn’t ask you to stop either. Maybe we agree to try marriage for a year, and if it doesn’t work out, your financial situation changes, or you meet someone else, we can dissolve it. No drama.”

I was worried her brows were going to be permanently stuck up at her hairline if her expression didn’t change soon. My efforts to reassure Melena didn’t seem to be gaining ground. I was pushing too hard.

“Just think about it. I have great insurance, low drug co-pays, and a deductible that’s less than the price of a couple’s spa day. I’ll email you the details on my benefits package from work. I reached out to my sister and she confirmed if we did it before the end of this month, your hospital bills from last night would go on my insurance.”

Melena’s eyes rounded, and a smudge of chocolate highlighted her mouth as it fell open. “You talked to your sister about this already?”

I rubbed my hand over the back of my neck. “Eh. I texted her. She’s in HR and knows medical insurance. I wanted to make sure I was right about how adding a spouse worked.”

I finished the last of my coffee and got up with a stretch, putting my mug in the dishwasher. Model husband material. That was me. I glanced at Melena to see if she noticed, but she was still staring at the spot I’d vacated. I’d have to figure out how to highlight my model husband qualities later. She shook herself and focused back on me. “Jimmy, I’m floored by your suggestion. It’s so sweet, and at the same time, I’m not sure it’d work.”

“Let me send you the information I promised and give you some time to think. We’ve got a few days before the end of the month. We don’t have to rush into this.”

She focused back on me, and I was glad to see her mouth form a small smile.

“Pretty sure a few days is still the definition of rushing into this,” she said. “I’d like to see what you’d call taking it slow.”