Page 74 of The Fiance Dilemma

“If you don’t stop giggling at that screen, I’m going to regurgitate my A.B. and I’m not in the mood to wait for you to make a new one. It takes you the longest time.”

I blinked at Bobbi. Specifically, the dark sunglasses she was wearing indoors. “What in the world is anA.B.?”

She raised the cup in front of her and gave it a quick shake, at which I frowned. “Christ, Josephine. Do you spend any time on the internet? Like at all?”

I rolled my eyes. “If you were referring to your coffee, I was calling that aSharkie.”

“Aw,” Bobbi deadpanned. “You named a drink after me. I’d be moved if this was some Hallmark movie where the coffee shop owner teaches the badass boss bitch city lady—with amazing fashion sense—how to open her heart so she can start to live, laugh, love her life. But luckily, this is real life. And that’s not on our meeting minutes.”

It was easy to let that slide and not take offense, frankly. I felt like I’d lived exactly through that with Adalyn. “I’m not the Hallmark coffee shop owner you paint me to be.” I smiled at her. “You knowthe mayor of town has power, right? I could make your job much harder if you cross me.”

Bobbi studied me. “Wow, Blondie must have banged the shit out of you this week.”

My jaw fell to the floor. Then I scoffed. “He did not.” Bobbi’s brows arched. “He just banged me the appropriate, normal amount engaged couples bang.”

Her face turned into a grimace. And I… well, I laughed, even if still flushed a little. If Matthew had heard me saying that he would—

“Yikes,” she said, feigning to shiver. “Noted. I won’t bring that up again if you’re going to get all starry-eyed. I really can’t stomach more of that. Can we move on with our meeting?”

I tipped my chin up. “This is not a meeting. You ambushed me at work and demanded I tick boxes on some checklist.”

“I’ll write that in the minutes,” she deadpanned.

“I have more suggestions if you’re interested.” I snatched the rag from my apron’s pocket and folded it meticulously. “Like…Annoying wedding planner had father of the bride invite county to wedding. Without telling her.Orannoying wedding planner demands coffee is prepared in under two minutes, claiming life-or-death situation.Orannoying wedding planner drives bride insane while wearing sunglasses indoors.”

Bobbi gasped. “I’m not just awedding planner.”

“If you say so.”

She brought her sunglasses down her nose. Dark eyes narrowed at me. “I don’t like this newfound surge of… defiance.”

Defiance.The word now reminded me of Matthew too.

“God,” Bobbi groaned. “People in love are too self-centered. I’m trying to have breakfast here, besides a meeting. Can you stop looking like that and focus?”

“Coffee is not a meal.” I rolled my eyes at her, but a part of my brain lingered on a few specific words. “And I don’t know if I canfocus, honestly. I’m not happy about how things were handled. This is… my wedding. Not yours to announce on a whim.”

“Listen,” she said. And I couldn’t tell exactly what it was about Bobbi, but I could tell something had just changed. “I’m sorry. I—” Her lips pursed. “Don’t look so shocked. I really am sorry. But I had to act fast because I knew they were dropping somethingbadthat night, all right. I have contacts at Page Nine. I was tipped off about that editor’s submission. I knew it’d be a video, so it wasn’t hard to put two and two together. Every wedding has a videographer. And you had four of those, so that makes four potential threats hanging over our heads.”

“So you assumed the video had to be of me?”

“It couldn’t be of Andrew. I have all of that under lock and key. You’re my wild card, Josephine. You’ve always been. But you know that, and the reason why, so don’t make me explain again why those two internet drama queens are so hyperfixated on you.”

I did know why. Clout. Gossip. Drama. Entertainment. More to add to the Underwood saga. Bored people needing something to listen to so they wouldn’t be alone with their own thoughts. It was funny, I supposed, that this had started as a problem for Andrew’s image, and now, it seemed, was only a threat to mine. “It’s three videographers, by the way,” I said. “Duncan and I terminated our relationship weeks before the date we were supposed to get married.”

“I know,” Bobbi admitted. And at this point I wasn’t even surprised by her knowing this. Her head tilted. “And I am sorry for blindsiding you, for what it’s worth. Your little meltdown set us back almost a week.”

A sigh escaped me. “Can you fix it, though? Can you fix any of this? Like you said you would?”

“I am Bobbi Shark, aren’t I?” She pushed the iPad closer to me. “I had them take the video down in less than a day. A good way tocontinue that is by letting mereallyhandle things now. I am your”—she shivered theatrically—“wedding planner, after all. So. Checklist?”

My gaze fell on the device, but I didn’t reach out for it. Not yet. “On one condition.”

Her eyes narrowed.

“No wedding dress,” I said, to which she frowned. “I’ll handle that.”

I couldn’t stomach looking at gowns. Not for this. Not when it felt like I was going to add a fifth memory to my already large collection. Not after I opened up like that to Matthew and showed him such a crucial part of who I was that no one else knew. And not when that’d mean I’d always have a reminder of something meant to break, hanging off a rack.

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