Page 32 of Wedding or Not

“Yeah. Natalie and I are booked all day with tours and showings. They were getting so unwieldy that we decided to funnel them all into Mondays and Fridays so we’re not constantly meeting with potential clients. The first ones are at ten.”

“I guess that’s it then.” He takes another swallow of his coffee and then stands up, moving his mug to the table beside us. Then he pulls out his laptop and situates himself. “It sucks we still have to do everyday drudgery even under the thrall of The Plan.”

A laugh surprises me, which is obviously what he intended.

But I think about his words as I turn back to Natalie and finish my latte.

Maybe he was just teasing, but it sounded like he’s been enjoying pretending we’re falling in love as much as I have.

CHAPTER 10

On Wednesday, Tessa and Iris are helping me get ready for my big date.

They know it’s fake and believe The Plan is great fun. So when Iris asked if she could help me get ready, Tessa declared she was joining in too.

I don’t mind. I don’t get to spend as much time with the younger three as I do Natalie and Audrey, so I’m happy for any opportunity outside our normal schedule.

So twenty minutes before I need to leave with Wes, Iris is trying to tame my hair with a curling iron and Tessa is inspecting every piece of jewelry I possess, talking through the pros and cons of each one before making her choice.

I already had jewelry picked out to match my pretty boho dress with a smocked bodice in a blue-and-gray floral fabric, but I don’t want to disappoint Tessa, so I agreed to let her choose the jewelry.

“That necklace is too big,” Iris says, cutting her eyes from my hair to the elaborately beaded necklace Tessa is holding up. “The dress has enough going on up top. It needs something smaller.”

I actually agree with Iris, but I don’t want to sound like I’m playing favorites. So I say, “Tessa is still deciding, I think.”

“Yes, I am.” Tessa makes a face at Iris. “I wasn’t going to pick that one. I was just looking.”

I meet Iris’s eyes in the mirror, and we share a look of amused relief.

Tessa was indeed about to choose the overdone necklace, so Iris saved me from an awkward conversation.

“What about this?” Tessa lifts a simple necklace with pretty blue stones spaced widely on a vintage silver chain. “This is small, right? And the blue will match your dress.”

Relieved, I smile at her for real. “That one is perfect! I never would have thought of it, but it will look beautiful. There are some earrings that match if you can find them.”

While Tessa excitedly hunts for the matching earnings, Iris puts down the curling iron and hooks the necklace around my neck.

“My hair looks beautiful,” I tell her. “I can’t believe you made it look so good.”

I’m not lying. She did an amazing job with my thick mop of long hair, smoothing down all the frizzes and giving more structure to the wild waves with some big, loose curls.

Iris is clearly pleased with her work, beaming as she smooths down my hair after hooking the necklace.

“Here they are!” Tessa announces, bouncing over with the earrings.

It takes a degree of courage, but I let her put them in my ears, relieved when she exerts effort to be careful instead of doing it in her normal headlong rush.

When I stand up to examine myself in the full-length mirror on the wall, Tessa claps her hands in glee and Iris grins and says, “You look gorgeous.”

I do look good. There’s no denying it. I’m used to seeing a low-key pretty reflection in the mirror, but I’m not used to looking this put together.

“Wes is going to fall down dead when he sees you,” Iris says.

I give her a quick, surprised look.

“It’s obvious he thinks you’re pretty,” she says, looking slightly confused by my reaction. “Don’t you know that?”

My cheeks warm. “I doubt he thinks about it much.”