Page 69 of Save the Date

“Yes, definitely. Thanks for listening.”

“Of course. Try not to worry about it anymore.”

Emma held back a scoff. Trying not to worry about something only made her worry more.

Twenty-Six

THE BABY SHOWER WAS A SUCCESS. JACKIE HAD COMEthrough with a suggestion for a monogrammed diaper bag that looked cooler than most regular purses. Matt’s cousin had loved it and his extended family had welcomed Emma with open arms. Emma and Matt had spent the weekend together in San Diego and it was finally starting to feel like a real

relationship—except for the whole lack of sex and nudity part.

Emma wasn’t used to having to bring her pajamas into the bathroom to change, but she didn’t want the first time Matt saw her naked to be her attempting to pull up her pants. He had ended up following her lead and they made it the whole trip without crossing any boundary that wouldn’t be allowed in a PG-13 movie. It sort of felt like they had jumped decades ahead in their relationship, from dating to being an old married couple who went straight from dinner to bed without any funny business. Emma had hoped the waiting-until-marriage pact would add a tantalizing element to their months-long foreplay, but it suddenly seemed like if the main course was off the table, Matt wasn’t that interested in snacking. It was almost afull-time job not to take it personally, especially considering she’d worn her fancy pajamas.

Now that Emma was back in Los Angeles, she was once again confronted by the fact she had to finish her book. She’d somehow managed to make her way through the majority of Michelle’s edits but still had absolutely no idea what to do about the last chapter. In the original draft, chapter eight had been nothing short of a tribute to her love for Ryan. She’d interviewed him for it, and they’d discussed how they planned to “keep the spark alive” and prioritize their union above everything else. The pages were laughable now, but it did feel pretty satisfying to have it in writing that Ryan once said, “We make a great team.” It was nice to have proof of his hypocrisy.

What kind of teammate ditches their partner without any warning? Not a good one. She hoped whoever he dated next was ready to be left hanging and humiliated.

Unless he married his next girlfriend, and their implosion hadn’t been about his secret fear of commitment but his dislike of Emma specifically. This possibility still caused Emma physical pain to think about, which was why she had been doing her best to avoid it. But her defense mechanisms weren’t working properly anymore, and she could feel her mood sinking into despair as she physically sank onto her bed. She needed to figure out how to write about what had happened without traumatically reliving it. Maybe if she could figure out a way to spin it into a lesson or something. People loved reading about turning hardships into life lessons. Normally, Emma pushed back against the internet-fueled need to learn something from every horrible experience, but if the capitalization of trauma would help her finish this book, she could sacrifice her morals for a few thousand words.

She just needed to figure out how to do it. And that might require a little help.

“Well, don’t you look fancy,” Will teased as Emma approached his table. Once he had agreed to meet for a brainstorming drink, Emma hopped into her car without bothering to change out of her ripped leggings and big comfy T-shirt that she only now remembered had a vaguely Florida-shaped stain near the hem. She assumed it was a good sign she hadn’t thought about looking presentable for Will; her crush was clearly on its way out.

“I’d roast you back, but I’m too thankful you’re here,” Emma replied as Will stood up to hug her. As his arms wrapped around her waist, it felt like someone had given her crush chest compressions—it was very much alive and well again.

Why does he have to smell so good all the time? she wondered.Does he have no shame?

“Anything for my favorite ex-slash-coworker.”

“Wait, does that mean I am your favorite exandyour favorite coworker? Or just your favorite ex-slash-coworker?”

“Great question. That I will not be answering,” he said with a smile. “What’s the big book emergency?”

Emma groaned and looked around for a waitress. They had met at one of the painfully cool breweries near Will’s place downtown. It had a big outdoor area and horrible service. Emma tried to make eye contact with an employee who purposefully turned the other way.

“Basically, I need to rewrite the entire last chapter. And my editor wants it to be about Ryan but—”

Emma felt all the oxygen vanish from her body. In a single instant she was reduced to her most basic form. She was no longer a human, but a wild animal trapped in front of its most lethal predator. Nothing had come close to preparing her for this moment. Nothing.

“Emma? Are you okay?”

Emma gave the slightest shake of her head to indicate thatshe was far from okay. Being okay was now a distant memory that felt more like a dream than her recent reality. If only she could force her body to spontaneously combust to escape her fate. A fire alarm would work too if she ran fast.

“What is going on?” Will asked, increasingly concerned.

“He’s here,” Emma whispered.

“Who, Matt?” Will turned around to look. Emma was too frozen with dread to tell him to stop. She watched in horror as her ex-fiancé waved and headed toward their table. Ryan was dressed in his favorite Patagonia jacket and what appeared to be new khaki pants. Emma, having been in charge of the laundry, was intimately familiar with his wardrobe.

“Oh fuck, is that Ryan?” Will asked as he turned back around.

“Get me out of here,” Emma growled.

“How?”

“Get me out of here, now!”

“Hi,” Ryan said as he appeared at the head of their table. “I thought that was you.”

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