My family left without making a fuss, but Harrison stopped to nudge my shoulder with his again. “Don’t wait too long to fixthings with Ellie, or Maddie’s gonna hold it againstmefor no reason. I don’t need that right now.”
I shoved him away. “Appreciate the support.”
Lovejoy ushered the others out before turning to me, her eyes filled with an all too knowing sadness I’d already grown tired of. “…Do you want to talk about it?”
“No,” I answered flatly.
“That’s understandable.” She cleared her throat and held up a small black pull-string bag. “Well, on to the good news, then! You survived the week and earned your phone back.”
“Lucky me.”
Her brow cocked at my dry tone as she handed my phone back, and she pulled out Ellie’s before hesitating. “Um…”
I couldn’t stop myself from holding my hand out, palm up. “Hand it over. I’ll return it to her.”
The pity in her smile made everything worse, but she handed the phone over.
“Why don’t you come back out to the party?” she suggested, hiking a thumb over her shoulder toward the deck. “It’ll be good to surround yourself with loved ones. We already took down the banner. It’s just an end-of-trip celebration now.”
I couldn’t think of anything I wanted to do less.
“Not really in the mood to celebrate,” I murmured, “but thanks for an unforgettable week, Bliss.”
She blinked before her smile widened. “It’s been a real pleasure to lead. I gave Madison a few business cards with all my info, if you’d like to follow my socials. My channels focus on love and companionship, but I also make some content to help with heartbreak.”
A dry laugh crawled up my throat, ringing hollow.
“Heartbreak. Right.” Looking down at Ellie’s garish, glittery phone case, I ran a thumb over one of the many cat paw charmswith a frown. Slipping her phone into my pocket, I gave a parting nod to Bliss. “Enjoy the party.”
I turned my back to her and headed to the cabin to pack—and stay far away from any pitying gazes.
back to reality
. . .
Ellie
Ellie’s Guide toProfessional CuddlingBeing a Fake FiancéeNOT Falling for Your Fake FiancéHiding Any Trace that You’ve Fallen for Your Fake FiancéKeeping It TogetherSurviving as a Fake FiancéeReaping the Benefits of a Fake EngagementLife After Having a Fake Fiancé, Tip #34: It’s important to get back into your normal routine. If you take time off to wallow and cry and hide away from the world in your tiny attic apartment with your cat, you might never leave home again. So…don’t do that.
What was the protocol for when your fake fiancé breaks your heart?
Sadie would definitely say it called for a giant bowl of ice cream, but I didn’t think I could stomach one.
I just wanted to stay in bed and cuddle with Whiskey until I cried myself to sleep.
So that was exactly what I did.
For three days straight, I hid from my friends, deactivated my profile on Sunshine Cuddle Services, slathered calaminelotion over my hives, and refused to leave the attic. All I did was crochet cute little creatures for Whiskey and Nico and try not to think about the past week.
Kitty took pity on me and left meals at my door, but I was just too mopey to face anyone.
I hadn’t even earned the right to act like I’d been dumped. Cade and I hadn’t actually been engaged. We hadn’t been exclusive. We hadn’t even been together, not really.
We’d been flirting with the beginning of something, and my overactive imagination had turned it into something bigger than it was.
I couldn’t even be angry at him. He’d just been trying to make another business deal, while I’d gone and caught feelings.
Whiskey commiserated with me, curling up against me in bed and not wiggling away when I soaked his fur with tears. He even went hunting in my closet and brought me a stockpile of buttons to cheer me up. And he didn’t complain when I crocheted more hats for him to model.
