The thing is, I know exactly what I need and want now. Over the past month, Brooklyn Jewels has managed to pull in 25 percent more sales than we expected. When I mapped out our sales per day, that became clear: there was a significant spike within the first three days of my engagement announcement, and then that success petered out over time, with smaller spikes after the Elle story, Haley Cardozo’s Head Bitch in Charge radio show, and every time I posted something personal on Instagram. Considering that the rent hike will be 20 percent, that means a 25 percent jump in one month doesn’t necessarily help, unless I can guarantee that we’re able to keep our sales at that rate indefinitely. There need to be more spikes—bigger spikes.

What I need is a wedding.

With the numbers in harsh black and white in front of me, I see the big picture more clearly than ever before. A wedding is not guaranteed to save us, but it could offer us the best possible chance of success. The buzz around my engagement would turn into an even bigger buzz around the wedding. And with so much hanging in the balance—not just the shop, or my relationship with Sophie, but also our parents’ stake in the company amid their own business’s faltering year—I feel undeniably committed to seeing my plan through. Just to be safe, I recalculate my projections for how the wedding could buoy Brooklyn Jewels. It’s tight, but it works. Just barely, but still. Pursuing Blake isn’t just a harebrained scheme—it’s also my most solid hope. That is, as long as he wants me. If he wants me in that way.

If I want to really profit off the wedding, I can’t completely leave it up to chance. I can’t just zip up my wedding dress, walk down the aisle, and expect to rake in sales from followers. I put on my Kris Jenner hat to mastermind what comes next. For the next hour, I dive into a Google hole, taking precise notes and bookmarking relevant pages. I learn that the clearest way to accomplish what I want isn’t just to get a free wedding—I have to profit off my wedding.