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“Look at you, walking around like a pro! I can tell your new PT is working wonders.”

He rolls his eyes at my praise. “You act like I haven’t been walking perfectly fine for the last 74 years of my life.”

I chuckle. “Good point. Where’s Mom this morning?”

“She went to her early morning gardening class. Pretty sure she’s already friends with everyone who lives here.” He laughs.

It warms my heart to see my parents acclimating to their new home so well. I can’t deny my overwhelming relief that they’re taken care of, and knowing that Madden had a hand in that does funny things to my heart. But maybe that’s just indigestion. I certainly hope so, because developing feelings for a man I only married for money would be cumbersome.

I need to remember that Madden didn’t pay for my parents’ assisted living because he’s in love with me; he paid for it as part of our arrangement. And I have my part to play in exchange.

After spending the morning with my dad, I meet up with the girls for lunch and shopping. Since Sophie and Madden are close, I’m hoping she’ll tell me what kind of wardrobe might be complementary to his.

We meet at a brick-oven pizza place in the shopping center. Kate is wearing one of her outlandish dresses, of course; this one has cats all over it. I have no clue how she makes these wacky dresses look cute, but somehow she does.

Kate and Sophie spot me walking toward their table and stand to greet me. “There’s the new Mrs. Windell!” Kate exclaims as she looks me up and down, taking in my distressed skinny jeans and grey long-sleeve. “Thank goodness you came to us for help. You clearly need our superior fashion advice. You brought Madden’s credit card, right?”

“Hey! I just came from my parent’s place, not a formal event. Plus, not all of us have purr-fect wardrobes.” I make a show of thoroughly looking over her cat dress.

Sophie laughs, spewing some water out of her mouth. “Well played, Odette.”

We chat about our week over pizza, and once we’ve finished up, we clear off the table and amble around to the different shops. The three of us enter a cute little store filled with unique women’s clothing, and Kate runs off toward a very colorful display.

“How are things going?” Sophie leans in and asks quietly.

“They’re going fine. Besides the few events I attended with him this week, we’ve hardly seen each other.” I shrug. “There’s nothing on the schedule for tonight, though, so he said we could spend some time together. Maybe that’s a step toward us being friends?”

“Gosh, what an awkward situation. It's gotta be weird living with someone you hardly know.” She cringes. “And my brother has a hard time multitasking, so that’s great that he chiseled time out to get to know you.”

“Hopefully becoming better friends will help with the awkwardness.” I sigh. “It’s so nice to talk to you about this. You’re basically the only person I can confide in besides Madden. I’m bummed that you’re leaving tomorrow. We were just starting to get to know each other.”

She looks up from rifling through a display of cardigans. “I know. It would be nice to live closer, but I also love being with my military-spouse friends. Their husbands are deployed with Sam, so we hang out all the time.”

“Sounds like you have a great support system there. How is your husband doing? Do you get to talk much?”

Her eyes look a little misty. “I think he’s doing okay. He’s working in a really remote area near Kandahar, so we only get to talk on the phone like once a week. The rest is just email.”

“That must be so difficult. And here I am whining about my awkward fake marriage.”

Sophie laughs softly. “Hey, my problems don’t make yours any less difficult.”

We turn as we hear Kate coming up behind us with her arms full of insanely bright patterned clothing. “Are you ready to try things on, Odette?”

Sophie and Kate push me towards the dressing room and, despite my hesitation over Kate’s choices, I end up purchasing several items. Who would’ve thought that adding some color to my wardrobe isn’t so scary after all?

Thanks to Sophie and Kate’s help, I take home several fashionable yet professional outfits as well as a sleek, black cocktail dress and a formal gown that the girls basically forced me into. The dress is long, mermaid style, and off-the-shoulder with a sweetheart neckline, and the silky fabric is a deep violet color. It even came with a little rhinestone belt. I have no idea what occasion I’ll have to wear it, but the girls were extremely convincing.

We say our goodbyes and give Sophie hugs since she leaves tomorrow.

A little after seven o’clock, I arrive back at the apartment, eager to show Madden my purchases. As the elevator goes up, I think about how surprised he’ll be to see my new wardrobe. The man has style and always looks so put together, so he’ll probably appreciate the effort I’m putting into looking the part.

Aside from that, I have to admit that I’m looking forward to our evening together. I enjoy spending time with him. Too much, perhaps.

I waltz in the front door, expecting to find Madden relaxing on the couch. But much to my surprise, our apartment is scattered with fliers, pizza boxes, and about a dozen people. Madden and David are the only ones I recognize. I attempt to retreat inside myself to my peaceful space, but it’s not working because everyone has looked up to stare at me.

“Odette! How was your day?” Madden walks around the chaos to greet me at the door.

Observing my facial expression, he freezes and smacks his palm to his forehead with a groan. “I completely forgot about tonight. I am so sorry.”