My Super-Hot Fake Wedding Date

Once he’d disappeared from view, I put all the ice cream away except for one pint. I took it to the couch and snuggled underneath my velvet throw. I ate the ice cream. I thought about what my father had said. It’s called giving him a chance.

In order to do that, I had to fully accept that Bob might say no. He might very well say hell no. For all I knew, he could be back together with Katie. There were a lot of what if’s, but they didn’t matter. What mattered was being brave. What mattered was trying.

And there had never been a better time to try. If I failed, at least I had seven pints of ice cream in the freezer.

Chapter Twenty-Three

BOB

I’d finished my four miles and was heading back to my apartment when I saw a large black Escalade idling outside of my house.

Chip rolled down his window. “Mr. Palmieri, do you have a minute?”

“Uh…”

He got out and opened the rear door. “Trust me. You want to hear this.”

“Okay, Chip.”

Much to my surprise, the backseat was empty. “Are you kidnapping me?”

Chip met my eyes in the rearview mirror. “Only if you refuse to come with me, in which case yes.”

“Where are we going?” My T-shirt was sweaty, stuck to my skin.

“I’m not at liberty to say. But my employers wanted you to know that it’s important.”

“Is Maddy okay?” I asked immediately.

“Yes of course. I would have led with that.” He pulled out onto my street and headed toward the city.

“You can’t tell me anything?”

“I’m sorry, I can’t.” Chip’s gaze flicked back to me again. “You know what the Delaneys are like.”

I nodded and looked out the window. “Yes. Yes I do.”

We drove in silence until he maneuvered the car into a residential neighborhood in Back Bay. He parked in front of a townhouse and motioned to it. “Number 233. They’re expecting you.”

“Dude. Can’t you tell me who it is?”

He turned around and looked at me, an apologetic expression on his face. “It’s bad, that’s all I can say. But it won’t be as bad as it seems at first.”

“Gee, thanks.” I climbed down from the car with a pit of dread in my stomach, reminding myself that I didn’t have to do this. But curiosity got the better of me and I rang the doorbell.

Aileen Delaney surprised me at the door. “Roberto, it’s a pleasure,” she purred.

“Uh… Hi.” My brow furrowed. “Is Madison here?”

“No darling, she’s not. But there’s someone inside I’d like you to see.”

“Okay?” But nothing about this seemed okay, although I was vaguely relieved that I wouldn’t be alone with Aileen.

“Bob?” A woman’s voice, familiar and husky, called me from the next room.

“Katie?” I glared at Aileen. “What did you do?”

It looked like Mrs. Delaney attempted to arch an eyebrow, but her face was so frozen, I couldn’t be sure. “Come with me. I want to see something.”