“I don’t know. If I tell them, they won’t come either. What if this is their only chance to see him where Linda had no damn excuse.”
Devney sighs. “Okay, so . . . we don’t tell them anything yet. We’ll let them show up and then . . . surprise. No groom. You don’t think they’ll be upset if they find out he dumped you before the wedding?”
I focus on the road, taking the turns and letting my mind roam a bit for options. “Maybe. I don’t know.”
“Okay. Well, I’m here. I’ve got your back, and we’ll get through this. We can keep this all on the downlow, and when they get here, I’ll help you explain it. It’s better to have the weekend with your dad than to cancel.”
“Yeah,” I say with defeat. “All he wants is to walk me down the aisle. I know it sounds crazy, but he says it’s the only reason he’s fighting to hold on. It’s probably best that Oliver did it before we were all together, otherwise my father may have tried to kill him.”
She laughs. “Well, too bad we can’t just conjure up another Oliver for you to marry. Your dad never met him, so it wouldn’t be like he would know the difference.”
As I take the next turn, the craziest idea hits me.
What if I did have an Oliver I could conjure up?
“What’s the face for?” Devney asks.
“What face?”
“The one that says you’re about to do something stupid.”
Not stupid. Completely and utterly insane.
“I have an idea.”
Devney shifts in her seat. “I was worried you did. What is it?”
“Well, there’s an Oliver right here, and . . . he’s a friend who would help if I asked.”
Her mouth drops. “Oh no. No way. You can’t ask Oliver Parkerson to marry you. That’s . . . that’s crazy!”
“Is it, though? You just said we need an Oliver.”
“Maren! That is not what I meant, and you know it!”
“Well, I can’t tell my dying father that I don’t have a groom and the one thing he wants is gone now too. I can’t do it, Dev. I have to try something . . . anything . . . to give him this. He’s going to die, and—”
I can’t. That’s all I keep thinking. I literally can’t say it. I can’t tell him that he can’t walk me down the aisle or give me away. There’s not a chance I can get the words past my lips.
I would rather lie to him and give him what he’s always wanted than let him down. I have to at least try. If Oliver won’t do it, then I’ll have to break my father’s heart and pray it doesn’t kill him.
Dramatic? Maybe. Out of options? Yes.
“This is crazy,” Devney says as we approach the resort where we are set to meet Oliver Parkerson and his family.
“It’s desperation.”
“You know this is insane, right?”
I sigh, pulling my blonde hair to the side. “I know.”
“You’re my ride or die bestie so I’ll be right here and I’ll do what I can.”
I nod. “That’s all I ask.”
We turn into the drive and pass the sign for the Fire Resort.
Devney tilts her head. “I thought it was Firefly Resort.”
“Maybe the rest will be going up later?” I hedge my bet.
“Later? Why would it go up after they open? They are open, right?”
“Umm, not really. He booked the wedding as a favor to me. The resort doesn’t open for a few more weeks. I guess we’re a test run.”
“God, the hits keep coming.” Devney laughs in earnest now.
“You’re who told me he was opening this place and I should call him about a venue,” I remind her.
Devney raises one brow. “You cannot give me credit for this insanity. This is all on you.”
“Heard.” It changes nothing.
“You do remember I dated him, right?”
“Yes, but I’m not asking him to really marry me.”
Her brows raise before she huffs. “I’m not saying that. I’m saying that Oliver might be a good guy, but he isn’t going to agree to this. I just don’t want you to get your hopes up and end up hurt when he says no.”
“I can’t be any more hurt than I am now. I remember him being great and always rescuing girls who needed it,” I reply.
“True, but . . . this is just . . .”
“Crazy. Yes, I know.”
“He’ll never do it. He’s not good at lying and none of this makes sense anyway. How are you going to explain this to the people who have met the original Oliver?”
The only people I invited who know the original Oliver are my bosses, and that’s an easy fix. There’s no risk of anyone finding out unless someone opens their mouth. We will make our plan and stick to it and everything will be okay.
It can all work out perfectly, providing I can appeal to Oliver Parkerson’s knight-in-shining-armor side.
“It’ll be easy. His name is Oliver. Neither he nor my ex has ever met my family. So, all he’ll have to do is pretend to be in love with me, and we’ll fake the entire thing.”
Devney laughs once. “And what? You pretend to marry him and then tell everyone it was a lie?”
“I’ll worry about that later.” I need a bit of time to work that part out.
She snorts. “Sure. Don’t you think that’ll upset your dad more if he finds out the wedding was a big sham instead of just telling him that the real Oliver called it off?” she counters. “You aren’t thinking right. What is your plan? You just walk up to him and say, ‘Hey, Oliver, it’s been about ten years, but I need you to fake marry me?’”
“Do you have a better plan?”
Devney scratches the back of her head. “You turn around, pick up your morals you left on the road somewhere, and we tell your dad when he gets here.”
“That’s plan B.”
She groans. “Of course not. Look, I haven’t seen Oliver in years. I have no idea if he’s dating someone or married himself. You’re assuming a lot of things here, so just . . . prepare yourself in case this doesn’t work out. Okay?”
We pull up to a beautiful building. It has a rustic, yet elegant style that suggests this building has always been here even though it’s clearly new. It has oak-color siding with a mahogany-colored roof. The porch wraps around the entire thing, and the sunlight reflecting off the lake makes it look majestical.
I exit the car and head toward the three people standing outside the main entrance. One man draws my undivided attention.
Oliver Parkerson.
He was always handsome with dark brown hair, scruff on his face, and toned muscles, but now he’s freaking hot. Now he’s grown into every feature, filled out in every spot that a man should be, and I want to run to him and kiss him.
I mentally slap myself. This is Devney’s ex, and I lost my fiancé fewer than twenty minutes ago. I should be devastated, not thinking about shoving my tongue down Oliver’s throat.
No, this is a mission that has to be successful.
I walk toward him.
When I get to him, my hands start to shake. While I know why I’m asking this of him, it’s not easy.
I smile, hoping to hide my nerves. “Hey, Ollie, it’s good to see you.”
He shifts his body to the right. “Yeah. Hey, Maren.”
He looks just as uncomfortable as I feel. God, it has to be hard seeing Devney for the first time since they broke up. Maybe he still loves her.