Chapter One
The engagement announcement is social media official, only the wrong woman is posing beside the love of my life.
I swipe through the photos, my grip tight on my phone, and zoom in on the ring. My breath catches—a two-carat three-stone setting with a white gold band. My ex’s dream ring. There’s an identical one buried in the bottom desk drawer that I never got the chance to use.
Nina’s brown curls blow in the wind. Her white dress with lace overlay stands out perfectly amidst the backdrop of the sunflower field they’re posing in. She holds her hand out toward the camera, her nails polished in a French tip, and her smile is radiant as she turns her face to the woman behind her.
I scowl at her—the wrong woman. Jamie Home-Wrecking Harris. The coworker that was a little too close. The work wife who was determined to be the real wife no matter who she had to hurt in the process. I know I should be pissed at Nina, Jamie was no one to me, unlike Nina who was my live-in girlfriend. Nina’s betrayal should sting theworst—and it does—but I also miss her so much it’s a physical ache in my chest. I’ve never loved someone like I love her. I just wish I believed her when she said it was a mistake. If I never pushed her away, she’d be engaged to me instead of stupid fucking Jamie.
It’s so damn annoying that Jamie looks just like me. Shoulder-length honey-brown hair and hazel eyes. We both have the same soft masc fashion sense and half sleeves on our right arms. The first time I met her was when I surprised Nina with lunch at work. We joked that Jamie and I must be twins unknowingly separated at birth.
What does Jamie have that I don’t?
My screen lights up with an incoming FaceTime, and I debate ignoring the call. Casey is at her family’s lake house having a romantic getaway weekend with her boyfriend, and I’m in no mood to fake happiness over other people’s love. But Casey is my best friend, and if there’s anyone I want to cry about Nina’s engagement to, it’s her. I’d never dare interrupt her alone time with Marcus, but if she called me, it doesn’t count.
“Dakota! Finally!” The screen is blurry with movement, only the corner of Casey’s face and the cloudy blue sky behind her is in the shot. “What are you doing this weekend?”
Oh, you know? Eating my feelings while stalking Nina’s social media accounts as our favorite rom-coms play in the background.I’m a first-grade teacher on summer vacation. What better time to embrace terrible self-destructive behavior than when no one else will be the wiser?
“Not much,” I say instead. “I think I’m going to brunch at that new place downtown with Beth and Mary tomorrow.”
“Oh, fun!” She beams. “But ditch them and come here.”
Startled, I laugh. “Wait. You’re serious?”
The camera stills as Casey props it onto the kitchen counter. Her tawny blonde hair is pulled back into a claw clip. Her Maui Jim’s rest atop her head, and she’s wearing her favorite peach adorned aqua blue bikini top. She holds up a handful of fresh mint. “Sorry, I had to grab more from the garden.” She pulls leaves from the stem. “I’m making your favorite.”
“What’re you—? Where’s Marcus?”
She tosses the bare stem over her shoulder and shrugs. Casey is pretending to be nonchalant, but her shoulders are tense and her jaw is clenched.
“Christ.” I groan. “What’d he do now?”
She abandons the mint leaves and glares murderously at me through the phone. Anddamn. He really fucked up this time.
“We ran out of rum and went to get more. The girl at the store was all bubbly and gorgeous and super fucking helpful.” She talks with her hands, waving them in the air with an eye roll as she describes the employee. “Like wants to be employee of the fucking year kind of helpful.”
“Oh no.”
“And she’s all over Marcus, who acts like he’s never been inside a liquor store before, asking a hundred questions just for an excuse to talk to her.”
“Disgusting.”
“I know! And we’ve barely put our seatbelts on before he’s asking me if I’ve rethought my stance on threesomes.”
“I’m going to kill him.” Ever since Marcus found out Casey is bisexual, he acts like he’s dating a unicorn who’s open to inviting another girl into the bedroom. I don’t understand what she sees in that jackass. He always plays it off as a joke and like he’s complimenting her, butperpetuating the promiscuous bisexual stereotype isn’t a damn joke. The last time he brought up wanting a threesome, she told him she was down, but only with his best friend Luke. He hasn’t brought up the conversation since.
Casey rolls her eyes and reaches for another sprig of mint and resumes plucking the leaves. “Anyway, I kicked his ass out and sent him home, but I’m already up here with everything set up so please come.”
“Yeah, of course.” There’s not even a second of hesitation. Marcus and Casey have been off and on for a little under a year now. He always says or does some stupid shit, and she dumps him, but it doesn’t last. If I have to spend a weekend away at a gorgeous lake house with my best friend drinking mojitos while sunbathing, this will be my cross to bear. Especially if I can convince her this breakup needs to be the one to stick.
Plus, what better way to nurse my own heartbreak?
“See you soon!” She blows a kiss at the camera, and the call ends. My screen returns to Nina’s engagement photos.
Yeah, I definitely could use a mojito. Or ten.
One perk of living in the Great Lake State—aka Michigan—there is no shortage of beautiful lakes to fish, boat, or kayak in. My favorites are the hidden gems, like Lake Blue Skies. Situated in a small town, named after the lake, everything is less than a ten-minute drive away, and Main Street consists of a post office, ice cream parlor, pizza shop, and corner store.
