Page 5 of The Fiance Dilemma

“One with two million weekly listeners,” she said. “If you count all platforms, including video.” My mouth fell open and she shot me a glance I didn’t understand. “Would you move to Miami?” I swayed on my feet, starting to feel dizzy. “Seeing how tonight is going, I really think you should. You need me more than I thought you would. I won’t help you pack, though. Unless that gets us on the first flight out of this place. It’d be temporary, and the old mancould come, although I’d prefer he doesn’t. We’ll put you in a nice condo and have you attend events and public outings with Andrew. Weather the storm. Show a united front.”

Bobbi’s voice turned into a high-pitched buzz drilling my ears. I brought my hands to my head. My temples. I patted my cheeks, trying to feel whether my skin burned. But I felt nothing. Was I burning? Was this a fever dream? I felt so… overwhelmed. So… on the verge of doing something extremely stupid. Like… pulling at my robe with a scream and darting in the direction of the woods. Away from this conversation. Even if that would mean I’d be trail-running butt naked in the middle of the night. I—

“What’s that?”Bobbi gasped, snapping back with a near shriek. “Why did no one tell me about that?”

I blinked the PR strategist back into focus, following the direction of her gaze straight to my hands.Christ.“It’s just jam. Maybe some blood from a cut, but—”

“No,” Bobbi huffed. “Not that.” She pointed at my ring finger.“That.”

“Oh,” I whispered. “That’s just my engagement ring. It’s not—”

“Why did no one tell me you’re engaged again?”

Again?“Because—”

“Hold on,” she interjected. “Shut up. Wait.” Her eyes closed and then she did something I wasn’t prepared for. Bobbi cackled. She laughed. It wasn’t a nice sound. It sounded rusty, and slightly… evil. “This changes everything.”

I was so tired. So done. So… “What does?”

“This,” she said, lifting my hand. “Sucks for him, but this is excellent news. For us. You, me, Andrew, my job. This mess.”

My mind searched for a way to explain to this woman that this was nothing but a misunderstanding. That this was one of my old engagement rings that was stuck on my finger. Not a new one. That sometimes I did silly things like trying them on again out of…nostalgia? Loneliness? Stupidity? And that when I was stressed, my fingers and ankles swelled and, well, rings got accidentally stuck. But I was overwhelmed past my limit. I’d already been before she got here, if the jam was any indication of how bad my problem-solving was when I panicked.

And now this woman thought I was engaged? Again. For a fifth time. And that it somehow changed everything.

I… Oh God. I was going to be sick. I needed time to think. I—

My attention caught on something behind her.

Not something. Someone. A man. Standing at the end of the driveway.

We must have caught his attention too, because his head turned. His hair was a disarray of shades of dirty blond, and I could make out a pair of glasses resting on the bridge of his nose. He stepped forward, his face coming under the light from the street.

“Matthew?” I heard myself say.

Bobbi glanced over.

“Who’s that? Your fiancé? Great. He should be here for this conversation anyway. How do you feel about a big wedding?” she continued, bending her mouth into a big smile. “We’ll make a splashy announcement. No expense spared. Out of Andrew’s pocket. Daddy to the rescue. There’s nothing people love more than a wedding. A reformed villain walking the bride down the aisle straight to her happily ever after. And boom, PR bomb deactivated. Father-daughter bond strengthened. Reputations saved. Crisis averted. Irritating podcasters silenced. No relocation of anyone anywhere. Bobbi wins and returns to civilization undefeated.”

Time seemed to stop for a second.

PR bomb deactivated. Father-daughter bond strengthened. Reputations saved. Crisis averted.

Then something in me clicked into place.

My hand rose in the air, and to everyone’s surprise—mine,Bobbi’s, and definitely Matthew’s—I yelled at the top of my lungs, “Hi, baby!”

Matthew’s head reared back, and I prayed he’d just go along with it. He knew me. Who I was.

“Love of my life!” I called even louder. “You’re finally back!”

As I said, I wasn’t exactly great at problem-solving when under stress.

CHAPTER TWO

Matthew’s eyes widened.

Crap.

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