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“Wait, Cami⁠—”

But I’m already throwing open the door, grabbing my jacket from my chair, and hurrying for the elevator without a single look back over my shoulder.

“You told him no?”

“Right.”

“And then you ran out of the office?”

“Yes. But I emailed HR and told them I was taking a personal day.”

“Cami Aaronson. Who are you?”

“A coward, I guess.”

“Okay,” Poppy says, and she makes that familiar groaning noise like she’s sitting down. “Don’t get me wrong, it’s a weird offer.”

“Very weird. Like…maybe even creepy?”

“Oh. Did he give you creepy vibes?”

“No,” I admit, “he didn’t. Everyone knows how much time he’s been spending on the whole Moreno Toys thing. And I looked the guy—Chris Moreno—up. He’s a huge family man, just like Patrick said.”

“Oh, we’re calling him Patrick now?”

“Shut up. He told me to.”

“Gotta do what the boss man says.”

“No, I don’t.”

“I think you should do it.”

I suck in a sharp breath, choke on my own spit, and listen to my best friend laugh as I nearly die.

“What?” I croak when the little episode is over. “What do you mean? You think I should go to Finland with my boss—a man I barely know—and pretend to be his fiancée when my last engagement went up in flames?”

“I would say more like it was doused, but yes. I think you should do it. I mean, the thing you said about the resignation, living off savings for a while as you figure things out? Think about that bonus, Cami! That would set you up for a year.”

“Two years,” I say, closing my eyes, seeing the number seared in on the back of my eyelids. “It would support me for two years.”

Poppy lets out a breath. “Yeah, I mean, I’m not saying I’d do anything for money, but on the scale of crappy jobs, going to Finland with your boss for a week is definitely not at the bottom of the list.”

I think of my mom, who has been working as a nurse for decades now. All the back-breaking labor she put in to make money for the family. And my dad, a teacher, waking up early and coming home late, adopting the pressure of dozens more kids to care for, teach, and set up for success.

Poppy is right. If I did this, it would be more money than I’d ever made in a week.

It could set me up for the break I want to take from working. To figure out my plan for having a family.

Now, pacing back and forth across my living room, I ask into the phone, “You really think I should do it?”

“Yeah,” Poppy says, her voice a little soft, just like it was when I first broke things off with Jeremy and she was being gentle with me. “I really think you should.”

CHAPTER 7

PATRICK

Chris calls me again on my way home from the office.