Page 8 of Her Inconvenient Wedding Date

“You were, for the role of Mrs. PowerPoint.”

“Mrs. PowerPoint—right.” I roll my eyes. “Wait, does Simon proposing mean I passed the interview? That doesn’t make sense. He didn’t like any of the answers I gave. I could tell because his right eyebrow kept twitching whenever I opened my mouth. But he did mutter something about how he needed to find a wife to get an inheritance and how he was running out of time and couldn’t be choosy.” I cringe as my self-esteem drops a few notches. Yes, I know Psalm 139 saysI’m fearfully and wonderfully made, but I can’t help wondering if I would be even more so if I were four inches shorter and more reserved. “There was something about me that he didn’t like, but he was willing to settle.”

“You know what that means, don’t you?”

“That he and I aren’t meant to be?”

Hunter nods. “That, and he also needs better glasses if he can’t see well enough to appreciate perfection when it’s right in front of him.”

An odd, tingling warmth fills my chest. That’s the sweetest compliment I’ve ever received, even if it’s completely false. I study him for a moment, wondering if I’ve gotten him wrong all this time. Maybe what I’ve been mistaking as a competitive spirit is Hunter trying to be friendly? He really is easy to talk to when given the chance. “That’s so gracious of you to say. But I’m not perfect by any stretch of the imagination. If I were, I wouldn’t be in this pickle. I’d be married already instead of going on blind dates and being questioned about how I squeeze a tube of toothpaste and hang a toilet paper roll.”

“He didn’t…”

“Oh, yes, he did. Slide number six was about bathroom etiquette. Apparently, the proper and only way to hang TP is under.”

He balks. “Under?!”

“Right? That was my reaction, too.”

“That’s worse than putting pineapple on pizza, which could be acceptable under the right circumstances,” he adds with a sheepish grin when he sees my raised brow. “But everyone knows that TP is supposed to hang over.”

“Not, according to Simon. If you have cats, then hanging TP under is the best way because it makes it harder for catsto unroll.”

One of Hunter’s bushy brows arches. “Wow, he must love his cats. How many does he have?”

I shake my head. “None. He’s allergic to cats.”

“But he still hangs his TP under? What in the world for?”

I throw my hands up. “I. Have. No. Idea.”

Hunter bursts out with a hearty chuckle that causes the laugh lines around his eyes to deepen. “I can see why you turned down his proposal.”

“I may be desperate, but I still have some sense left. I think.” I set my chopsticks down with a loud sigh. “You know what would solve this problem? If I could just rent a man. Maybe order one online who meets my parents’ requirements and have him show up for some dinners to convince my family that we’re engaged. Or better yet, that we’re married. Then after Jasmine and Bruce have their wedding, we can go our separate ways.”

Hunter also stops eating. He turns to me with wide eyes and asks, “Are you talking about getting yourself a fake husband?”

“Why? Do you know where I can find one?”

“You’re serious?”

“Am I ever?—”

“Not serious, I know,” he finishes for me with an amused smile. “Isn’t what you’re talking about like that story where the CEO asked his assistant to pretend to be his fiancée to make his grandfather happy? The one where he gets loopy after a dentist appointment and does a Kermit the Frog impression.”

I do a double take. How is it that I’ve known Hunter for a year, but I feel like I’m meeting him for the first time today? “When did you start reading rom-com?”

“I don’t. I saw the book on your desk one day and thoughtthe cover looked interesting, so I flipped through it. Isn’t there a name for that kind of marriage? Something inconvenient?”

“No, it’s the opposite. It’s a marriage of convenience. Although inconvenient would be a better description. There’s nothing convenient about being in a contractual relationship.”

“Why do you say that? If both sides are in agreement and they both stand to gain something from it, wouldn’t that be a win-win?”

“Not if one person develops feelings for the other person and then the contract ends. That would be greatly inconvenient.”

“Why wouldn’t they just stay married?”

“Because the person who catches feelings doesn’t know for sure how the other person feels, so they never speak up about it. At least that’s how I imagine it working out in real life. Reality doesn’t always end with a happy ever after. Anyhow, this is all speculation. It’s not like I’m going to find a man who’ll want to marry me temporarily. I can’t even find one to date!”

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