Page 4 of Too Good to be True

"I know. But I don't want to see you let this thing with him eat away at you and make you doubt yourself. He's a jackass, and he doesn't deserve you."

"This thing? You mean the breakup? The fact that he dumped me? The fact that the man I love doesn't want to be with me anymore? Is that thethingyou're referring to?"

"Yes."

"Well, I wasn't thinking about him, or thisthing,untilyoubrought it up."

"Bailey."

The tone of her voice tells me she knows I'm lying. Knowing she knows is good enough. I don't have to admit it. And I don't have to continue with this unwelcome reminder of how sucky my life is right now.

"Look, I know you're getting married, and you're happy. I'm happy for you; I really, truly am. But that doesn't mean my life stops. That everything that touches me, hurts me, magically evaporates."

"I know, Bailey. I get it. It's okay to hurt. Just don't let it take over your life. And don't change who you are insideorout for him."

"I'm not. I never did. Why would you even say that?"

"I was there for a lot of it. I know how he tried to control what you did and how you looked. It's only been a few days, and already I can see that you’ve lost weight. I hope you're not starving yourself to make him happy. That you're not hoping he'll see whatyouthink is the new and improved you and want to get back together."

"I'm not. I don't," I lie. "I just don't much feel like eating. Fran, I know you're worried. I'll be fine. I just need time."

Even though she can't see it because her head is on my shoulder, I offer her a smile. At least a hint of a smile.

"You know," her tone turns playful. "A couple of Sam's friends are on the plane. Two of them already asked about you."

"Francesca."

"I know. I know," she sounds deflated. "It's too soon. You're not ready. That's what I told them. They're really nice guys, not to mention incredibly hawt. You owe it to yourself to live it up and have some fun."

"Maybe some other time."

"If you change your mind, they'd love to meet you."

"It's not going to happen."

She nods. "Okay. I should get back to my fiancé." She holds out her hand with the engagement ring and admires the sparkling diamonds.

"Tell Prince Charming I said hi."

"Will do.”

“And Bailey?”

“Yes.”

“Don’t rule out a one-night stand.”

Before I can respond, Francesca gives me a loud, cheery kiss on the cheek and squeezes out of the aisle the same way she came in. I take a long breath and stare at the clouds. I wonder how many times we're going to have this conversation over the next week. Not wanting to live in reality, I plug in my earbuds and pull out a book. This way, I can live someone else's life until we land.

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