“I have no idea how to makeanyonedo that—least of all myappallingly unrequitedchildhood crush.”
“We’ll figure it out. I’ll help you.”
“You’re going to be a little busy.”
“I’m never too busy for love.”
“Ashley,” I said. “Are we getting carried away here?”
“Think of it as an emotional reset,” Ashley said, getting serious. “A chance to heal old wounds, and reevaluate emotional scripts you wrote years ago, and come to a new understanding of the story of your life.” She paused. “But an epic one-night stand wouldn’t kill you, either.”
“Ashley!”
But Grandma Dodie started laughing again.
“This is impossible,” I protested. “Finn was never, ever interested in me,” I said. “Ever. At all.”
“You were a kid back then,” Ashley said. “Now you’ve grown up.” She looked me over. “We’re going to have to get your hair done. And your nails. And I will teach you how to walk in heels. Do you have any sexy outfits? Scratch that. We’ll raid my closet.” She squinted at me. “Should we do lash extensions?”
“I don’t—”
“It’s fine. Mascara will do.”
“You can’t turn your wedding cruise into some kind of Rube Goldberg love trap,” I said.
I was trying to make it sound ridiculous, but Ashley nodded, likeExactly!“He’s on the ship, and you’re on the ship. He’s newly divorced, and you’re newly—not married. This is a no-brainer. You just need to show him that you’re not a scrappy little pain-in-the-butt neighborhood kid spying on him from that oak tree anymore. He needs to understand that you’ve grown up into an irresistible, obsession-worthy love sorceress.”
This felt like a high bar.
Reading my face, Ashley said, “And maybe you need to understand that, too.”
“Nobody has time for any of that,” my mother interrupted. “We’ll be lucky to get these programs ready.”
“Mom’s right,” I said. “Everybody’s overwhelmed.”
But Ashley shook her head. “This is easy. I was already working to set up half the bridesmaids. Think of all the team activities we’ve already planned. What if JoJo and Finn just happen to get paired up for all of them? And just happen to get seated together at every single meal? That’s not more work—that’s just tiny changes to a spreadsheet.”
Ashley met my eyes. She knew I loved spreadsheets.
“That’s just,” she went on, pressing her advantage, “holding space for destiny.”
My mom peered over her readers at Ashley like she was getting grandiose, but she let it all stand.
I let it stand, too.
And that’s how, by consent agenda, we wound up launching Operation Conquest.
Ashley went back to making notes on her pad. “We should switch Finn’s room, too,” she went on, “and put him near Harmony’s. So that JoJo has every opportunity to”—she wiggled her eyebrows a little—“upgrade roommates.”
“Ashley!” I said.
But her point was valid.
Even if Finn wasn’t my destiny, he was better—and I realized this could also be said of every other passenger on the ship—than rooming with Harmony.
WE WOUND UPtalking so late into the night that I didn’t go home to my apartment and slept over at my parents’ house instead. Lying on my old bed in my old room, my personal Finn Turner wheels really didstart turning.HadI imprinted on him?Wasthis the answer?CouldI conquer him? He’d been quite the teenage heartthrob. The competition might be stiff. Wasn’t he a fancy lawyer now?
Flipping over onto my tummy on my hydrangea-print bedspread, I googled him.
