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“Yep. It is important work.”

Mildred sighs heavily, causing her blown-out curtain bangs to fly up in the air. “Anyway, back to the wedding! You at least have to get a date …” she trails off and bites her bottom lip.

“Wait, really?” I ask, surprised she’s not trying to make me go with Todd. “Um, why do you have that weird look on your face?”

“Okay fine, I’ll tell you! You don’t have to freak out.” She rolls her eyes like I threatened her to get top secret information. “You didn’t hear it from me … but Preston told me that Todd found another woman to bring as his date already … her name is awful, something like Tina or Tiana.”

“Trudy?”

“Oh yes! That’s it!” She brings her face closer to the phone. “Anyway, I’m telling you so you can bring a date … which will make him jealous … which will make him finally propose.”

My eyes widen slightly at the fact that he’s bringing the woman he cheated on me with. Maybe Hope and Layla were right and he actually will make a scene at the wedding. Or perhaps he’s hoping I’ll be the one to make a scene.

I huff out an annoyed laugh. “I don’t want him to propose.” I genuinely don’t want to marry a man like Todd. And it sucks that it took me seven years to see that.

“You’re heartbroken. You don’t know what you want,” she states, completely writing off my comment. “I have to go. Preston just got here to go over the seating assignments for the reception! And don’t forget to get a date. Or you’re dead to me!” She yells the last part at the screen before hanging up so fast I can’t get another word in.

I set my phone down on the countertop with an exaggerated groan.

Would Brooks actually agree to be my date? We’ve been friends for so long, surely it wouldn’t make things weird between us. Brooks has seen me on my best and worst days and nothing has ever altered our friendship. So maybe this ruse could just be a fun little inside joke we talk about for years to come?

Chapter 4

Molly

Freshman Year MIT

“All right, it’s Friday, homework is done. You don’t have any excuses …” Brooks waggles his eyebrows as he closes his laptop.

“No excuses for what?” I ask before stacking the books and papers strewn all over my bed.

Since Brooks and I are both studying biomedical engineering, our schedules and classes are really similar. Our English comp professor put us together for the research paper we’ve been working on all afternoon. We’re also lab partners in chemistry. It’s like the universe wanted us to be friends, and I’m good with that. Brooks has quickly become my only friend at college. Besides Todd. But I’m not sure he counts since he goes to Harvard, not MIT.

“We have our very first college party tonight, and you’re not getting out of it. No excuses!” He hoists his backpack over his shoulder and grabs my hand before trying to drag me from my dorm room.

Dorm room is not the best description though. I’ve seen a few of the other dorms and mine is by far the most luxurious, with its own kitchenette and bathroom. It’s not the real college experience. Even my meals are delivered weekly by a service my parents hired to ensure I’m eating healthy, quality food. I suppose this is just how things go when your father has expectations to meet in his social circles.

“And on the way to the party, we’re getting …” he lowers his voice to sound like some kind of evil sorcerer. “McDonald’s!” He lets go of my hand to throw his hands in the air and perform an evil laugh.

“Very funny.” I place my fists on my hips and glare at him. “It’s not my fault I didn’t know what McDonald’s was. My parents never took me there!”

The second week of school, Brooks asked if I wanted to grab lunch at McDonald’s. I’d never heard of it before, so I thought it was a nice restaurant. I even rushed to my dorm after class to change into a sheath dress and heels. Apparently, he’ll never let it go.

“What about commercials? Didn’t you have a television?” He raises an eyebrow in question.

“Of course we owned a TV.” I tug at the collar of my shirt, a nervous habit I’ve had since I was a child. “We just didn’t really watch it much with all our lessons.”

“What kind of lessons kept you busy all the time?”

I count the lessons with my fingers. “Let’s see … French, Latin, Spanish, tennis, piano …”

“Okay, okay.” He holds his hands up in front of him. “I keep forgetting you live a ritzy life. Which seems to mean you’ve never had any fun. You already said Todd is busy tonight, so no more sitting in your fancy-schmancy apartment counting your money.”

I roll my eyes. “Oh, yeah, that’s totally what I do. I also swim around in my gold doubloons like Scrooge McDuck.”

Brooks bursts out laughing. “Ah-ha! So you did watch at least some TV!”

“One of our nannies allowed me and my sister to turn it on sometimes. Like when my parents were busy entertaining or out of town.” I sigh, remembering Gertrude and her fondness for breaking the rules. “She didn’t keep her job very long. But it was fun while it lasted.”