Page 40 of An Engagement Pact

“People would believe it, but it wouldn’t feel so much like a lie.”

“Good.” He smiles at me for real for the first time in twenty minutes. “Not sure why I didn’t think about it.”

“Most destination weddings are just as expensive as the real thing because it’s a big production and family and friends are invited, but this wouldn’t be a destination wedding. Just a spontaneous impulse while we’re out of town.”

“Okay. That will work great. Where should we go?”

“I don’t know. Or really care, if you want the truth. But I’d rather it not be too expensive.”

When Dan opens his mouth to reply, I speak over him. “I’d like to pay my share, but I’ll have to take it out of my meager savings, and I don’t want to pay interest on a credit card until I get the money from our deal.”

“Okay. Well, Vegas is fairly inexpensive if you don’t gamble, and it’s easy to get married there. Plus it will help our story since getting married in Vegas is such an obvious thing.”

I nod because I know what he’s saying is the truth. I’ve never had the slightest interest in going to Las Vegas. In fact, the very idea of it—the loud, glitzy surroundings and the thoughtless throwing away of money in casinos—is contrary to everything in my nature.

But in this case, Vegas makes sense.

Dan is checking his phone. Maybe he had a text come in.

Still thinking, I ask slowly, “Will people believe that’s a place either of us would really choose to go for our first vacation?”

“Hold on,” he murmurs, still working on his phone.

I wait, initially with understanding but increasingly impatient as he appears absorbed in his phone.

Dan usually isn’t the kind of person who prioritizes his phone over the people around him, so this is unusual behavior for him.

But I thought we were having an important conversation.

After a few minutes, he finally lowers his phone and gives me a victorious smile. “Got it.”

“Got what?”

“There’s always a zillion conventions going on in Vegas on any given weekend, so I found one we might go to.”

I frown as I peer down at the screen of his phone he shows me.

It’s the website for the annual conference for a national society on wolf conservation that meets in Vegas in three weeks.

I stare down at the page, scrolling farther to see a list of sessions and keynote speeches. I start to shake with silent laughter.

“What?” Dan asks, obviously trying to hide a grin. “Isn’t that something you’d be interested in?”

“Yes,” I admit. “If it was an academic conference, for sure. But these folks seem kind of... nutty. Did you see this midnight session where they go out and howl at the moon to share in the wolves’ experience?”

“Yeah. I saw that. That’s the session that won me over. I think it looks like great fun. And no one around here is going to question the nature of the conference. We can just tell them it’s about saving wolves, and they’ll believe it. It will give us a reason for being in Vegas. Everyone knows I don’t gamble. So unless you want to put forward the story that you’re a secret lover of slot machines...?”

“No, of course not. We’ll go with the conference, assuming it’s not too late to buy admission tickets.”

“No way is this conference sold out. I’ll get on it right away and sign us up for the conference and get flights and reservations.”

“I don’t mind paying my share.”

“Sure, we can settle up whenever.” He’s back to working on his phone, but he mutters with a smile on his face, “This is going to be fun.”

***

THE FLIGHT TO LAS VEGASthree weeks later is remarkably smooth. It’s a direct flight from Charlotte, and it takes off on time and has almost no turbulence. We’re seated in coach since Dan knows I want to spend as little money as reasonably possible, but the plane isn’t entirely full, so we have an empty seat on our row.

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