Page 34 of Fauxmance

Sariah shook her head. "No, Magnolia is totally Cinderella. She was the one who got swept off her feet by a stranger."

"Ah, so romantic," Veronica said.

I felt myself smiling. "Yeah, if you think freezing to death on an elevator qualifies as romance."

"I do. One hundred percent."

"Plus, you had Hayden to keep you warm," Vivian added, and I sighed. She was right. That had made it all the more swoony.

"She also got screwed over by her ex," Izzy put in.

Her words sobered all of us.

"Did Sean seriously break up with you then refuse to be your escort?"

"Yep, he did," I said.

"What a scumbag," Izzy declared. "I always hated that guy."

"Same. I wasn't a fan," Vivian said. Seeing my look of surprise, she held up her hands. "No offense, Magnolia. But when Jasmine told us he forgot your birthday every year, I knew something was up."

Izzy nodded and so did Sariah.

When I looked to Veronica, she gave me a shrug.

"I thought you could do better, but you liked him," she said. "I didn't think it was any of my business."

This was news to me. Yes, these girls were more my sister's friends than mine, but we'd become close because of the wedding. I got the feeling they viewed me as a little sister. They'd never had one bad thing to say about Sean—though it seemed they'd held back out of respect for me and my choices. Gah, had I really been so blind?

"So, what are you going to do?" Veronica asked. "About the wedding?"

"I decided to escort myself," I said.

Izzy's brows popped up, and Vivian looked just as surprised.

"Wow." Sariah bit her lip. "I thought having to be escorted by my jerk cousin was bad. But your situation is ten times worse."

"So not helpful," Izzy said.

Veronica put a hand on my shoulder. "Don't worry, Magnolia. I'm sure it'll work out."

"And if it doesn't," Vivian said, "at least your hair will look amazing."

"You guys, I'm not worried, and you shouldn't be either," I said. "It's not like my sister or Mrs. Wheeler would refuse to let me walk simply because I don't have an escort. It was out of my control."

Izzy patted me on the shoulder, and the move seemed oddly soft for her.

"I'll pray that Wheeler's high levels of happiness spare you any humiliation," she said. "And that your sister doesn't bite your head off."

I nodded. "I appreciate that."

Once the words were out, Veronica had me blot my lips on a napkin. She did a few more things to my cheeks then stepped back. When I saw my reflection, I almost didn't recognize myself. Yes, it was me. But also…not.

My cheekbones were more defined and rosy. My skin overall had never looked so bright. The eyeshadow brought out the gold flecks in my eyes, and my lashes looked long and thick. And those lips! They were lush, heart-shaped, and full.

"What shade is this?" I asked.

"It's called Daring Heroine," she said. "Figured it was appropriate. And it matched your skin tone so well."

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