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The responses, mostly from colleagues at the university, poured in even faster:
OMG! That’s amazing!
Congratulations Lucy, Jamie’s a great guy!
Love the ring!
How did he propose?
When’s the wedding?
And her personal favorite: Damn! One less single billionaire in the world.
Apparently, there were others who knew Jamie came from money. She just happened to think it extremely tacky that someone would refer to it online—so she deleted that post.
Lucy answered a few others, stating they hadn’t set a date yet and thanking them for their well-wishes. She wondered if their plan could possibly work. Could it really be this simple? Fake an engagement to a respectable wealthy man and then all of a sudden she’d be deemed respectable too?
She hated lying.
She hated pretending to be anyone but herself.
But Gail had wanted her to be Milly’s guardian and it seemed right that she do whatever it took to make sure that happened.
As she sat there and watched the messages accumulate, her phone began ringing. It didn’t surprise her to see that it was Grace.
“What in the world is going on?” Grace asked as soon as Lucy answered the call.
Lucy laughed. “Well, hello to you, too.”
“Forgive me,” Grace said. “Hello, my friend. Now tell me, what the hell is going on?”
She told Grace about Jamie’s idea. “So that’s basically it. The engagement isn’t real and I’m not sure if I’m doing the right thing or not. All I know is…I failed Gail as a sister while she was alive. I don’t want to fail her again. And I don’t want to fail Milly. I need time to think, but I also need the ability to act on whatever decision I ultimately make, and that means making sure I’m granted guardianship.”
“That makes perfect sense, Luce. I don’t have any kids yet, but I know that when I do, I’m going to do whatever it takes to see them safe and happy. But what you’ve told me certainly isn’t ‘it.’”
“What do you mean?”
“You know Jamie cares for you, Lucy. A lot.”
“Of course. That’s obvious. He’s being such a good friend.”
“So you’re…”
“Enjoying being fuck buddies for a while. But that’s all. Nothing’s changed. He’s still from a world I’ll never fit in.”
The silence on the other end of the line was dramatic.
Lucy sighed. “What?”
“It’s just…you’ve never cared about fitting in anywhere, Lucy. Why do you care so much about what Jamie’s friends and families and acquaintances think?”
“I care what he thinks, and ultimately, he needs someone who’ll make his life easier, not harder. Eventually, if I made his life hard, he’d grow to resent me and—”
“That dog won’t hunt, Lucy.”
“Uh…what?”
“You can bullshit yourself, but don’t bullshit me. You’re scared, pure and simple. Scared that you’ll give your heart to Jamie and he’ll break it.”
