“She’s not a dog mom,” Riley acknowledges.
Bex’s eyes bounce back and forth between us. “What? What did I do?”
“First rule of the dog park: you don’t bring food.” Inclining my head toward the trio, who plant themselves in front of her with begging faces turned on, I grin. “Food-driven.”
“Oh, man,” Bex says. She goes to shove the bag inside her oversized purse, but Riley stops her.
“Nah, girl, let ‘em stare. They’re not the only creatures here who are food-driven. Pass me anything chocolate and filled with cream.”
Bex hands her the bag and then turns back to me as she sits down on the bench beside me.
“So, engaged, huh?”
Sighing, I fill her in, too, punctuating the end of my sentence with a reminder to keep the secret. Bex holds up her hand like she’s been asked to swear on the Bible. “I won’t tell a soul. But, you do know that as a bride you can get, like, a whole buttload of discounts, right?”
“Yes, I do!” She’s speaking my love language. “Yesterday, the internet introduced me to the world of engagement in ways I never thought or dreamed existed.”
Riley laughs at me. “I’ve been engaged and I don’t thinkI received many discounts. In fact, our wedding was really expensive…but I did get free champagne when I tried on bridal dresses.”
“I took note of that, don’t worry.” I reach into my pocket and pull out my phone, finding the list I’d saved. I tap on the note app and read. “So, two different bridal shops in town do the free champagne, I can get a discount for all of us on spa packages—if you want to be my faux bridesmaids, that is. There’s bridal discounts on gym memberships and barre classes I can take, as well as a free gift from Crate and Barrel if I register with them.”
I know my eyes have lit up and I’m looking a little unstable, but it’s exciting. Especially if you've not ever had any of this. Just the thought of getting all of the presents makes me feel like a kid in a candy store. A small child taking in the wonder of Christmas, if you will.
Except it’s all a lie. For a good reason, but still.
I let my eyes make their way over to Riley. “There’s no harm in just registering, right?”
“You’re going to go through the motions and pick things out for a fake wedding just to get something like a discount?”
“I’m sure Crate and Barrel would at least give me a candle. Or a picture frame,” I say, watching Riley’s eyes widen with each word. “Oh, come on. I won’t tell anyone; only you guys will know I did it.”
The pair exchange a look, Riley still shaking her head. “You just said you’re trying to be careful and keep this quiet, right?”
“Right, which is why I scratched off ‘putting engagement announcements in local paper.’ See.” I point to the phone as if I had really written it down. “It’s not even here.”
“You’re …I don't know what you are. I’m both in awe and worried for you.” Riley chuckles.
“So, does anyone want to try on dresses this week?” Iwiggle my eyebrows, letting my head spin back and forth between the two of them. “Champagne on me.”
“You’re literally unhinged.” Riley leans around me and looks at Bex. “Do not listen to her nor let her talk you into any of it. No bueno, as they say.”
Bex laughs, then turns her expression serious. “I do like a cake tasting.”
She’s so right. I add that to my list. “I had not thought of that…”
“Stop,” Riley spits out, laughing. She kicks at my crutches under the bench. “I’ll take these away so you can’t go anywhere.”
“I’m not an invalid, and I’m allowed to stop using them tomorrow, so that foils your plan.” I take another sip of my coffee before nudging her with my shoulder. “Don’t worry, I will not do any of these things.”
When Riley looks at me intensely, I put a hand on my heart. “I swear.”
“I’d love to know how all of this transpired so quickly,” Riley says. “We haven’t even discussed your make-out session.”
“What?” Bex shrieks. “You made out with the hot NFL player?”
“We did, but it was more like a stress release, I think. He was in a towel, we’d been laughing—”
“A towel?” Riley’s look is incredulous. “I’ve known that boy for years and have only seen him in swimming trunks. Never a towel.”
