Page 16 of My Vampire Plus-One

AMELIA:I was careful coming home tonight. Okay?

SAM:Liar

AMELIA:Probably

AMELIA:But you don’t need to worry about me, okay? I’ve lived in Chicago all my life. It’s not like I’m wandering aroundwith my purse unzipped on the El or anything.

AMELIA:Anyway I need to think of what to say to mom about the boyfriend I made up so I better go

AMELIA:Love you

There. That was the easier of the two conversations over with.

I pulled up Mom’s texts again and chewed on my lower lip, thinking.

Was I really going to pretend I was seeing someone and bringing them to this wedding? Could I evenpull offa lie of this caliber?

If I knew that my family’s little comments about my nonexistent love life would be limited to the day of the wedding, I could probably shrug it all off and not let it get to me. But Mom in particular became especially nudgy in the weeks leading up to a family wedding. Before Sam’s, Mom had dropped names of her friends’ single sons just about every time I saw her. At my cousin Sarah’s, Mom had gone so far as to introduce me to three different men at the event itself.

To say nothing about the awkward comments about showing up to a series of family wedding events alone, again, that I’d get from Aunt Sue.

I didn’t need this in my life right now.

Especially since all of it came with the strong implication that my life was incomplete the way it was. Which offended me more than I could say. I had a cat I adored like a daughter, good friends, and a career I enjoyed. Even if my family didn’t understand what I saw in it.

So what if my Herculean workload left me with zero time to date? I was okay with it. I didn’t begrudge people like my brothers—or Gretchen—their right to get married if they wanted to. Why was it such a big deal that I didn’t want any of that for myself?

Maybe finding some random guy to pose as my fake boyfriend at these events would buy me a few more months of peace.

I stared at the lettering on the inner envelope again, and read the way it was addressed toAmelia Collins, Plus One, over and over again.

Fuck it.

I decided I had nothing to lose.

This might have been the most bananapants idea I’d ever had in my life. It was definitely more than a bit childish. But who knew? Maybe it would turn out to be one of the best ideas I’d ever had, too.

I supposed time would tell.

I replied to my mother.

AMELIA:Looking forward to you all meeting him too, Mom!

I set my phone down on the couch beside me so that I wouldn’t see what, if anything, Mom wrote in response.

I counted slowly to ten, then got up and walked into my kitchen. I found the bottle of wine from when Sam and Scott came over for dinner a couple weeks ago. It was still half full, which was convenient.

I took a swig directly from the bottle. Because why not? There was no one there to judge me for it other than Gracie, and she was fast asleep.

Thus bolstered by liquid courage, I texted Sophie.

AMELIA:Hi Soph

AMELIA:I did something that was either a genius move or else really stupid

AMELIA:Not sure which

AMELIA:Can we talk? I need your help.

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