“Jade.” I take her hands in mine. “Thank you. This is priceless information.”

“You’re welcome. I’ve been thinking of running a workshop.”

“But, I didn’t tell you about this because I wanted to brainstorm ways to avoid showing up.”

“Oh. Really?”

I take a deep breath. “If my brother wants me at his wedding, I’m going. End of story.”

“Ah. I see.” A deep sigh. “Remember when you used to hate him?”

“Yup. I miss those times more than ever.” I force myself to shrug. “But it’s just a week. Honestly, I’m being a crybaby.”

“You sure?”

I nod, and resume skating. A moment later, she catches up with me. “Well, don’t forget that fulminating diarrhea is your friend.” Her arm twists around mine. “It might come in handy, if you ever find yourself sitting across from Conor Harkness.”

7 days before the wedding

Chapter 1

In a much-appreciated stroke of luck, my brother’s favorite creature in the whole universe is a dog.

Or…that’s not wholly true. The orbit of Eli’s life spins around a single center of mass: Rue, his fiancée. And after two years of observing her, studying her, teasing her, squinting at her, and making stilted conversation with her, I must admit that I cannot blame him. Rue is unique, and complicated, and loyal, and silent, and most people don’t like her very much.

I once suspected her to be cold. I worried that her relationship with my brother was doomed to be lopsided, and that it would end with her breaking his heart. And yet, over time it has become obvious that she’d do anything for him, including patiently pretending to be interested as his little sister ventilates the idea of getting bangs for the fourth time in a month.

I see her, and I have judged her worthy of his love.

The dog, however, predates Rue. Tiny is a sweet-tempered, two-hundred-pound mutt rescue whose hobbies include snoring, slobbering all over himself, and being indiscriminately, aggressively affectionate. And when Eli started musing that it might be nice, having a destination wedding with close friends and family, it was Rue who said, “We should stay nearby, though.”

“Why?”

“Wouldn’t you want Tiny to be there?”

Indeed: worthy of his love.

Fortunately, Tiny is an enthusiastic traveler, which allowed them to keep Europe on the table. Unfortunately, not every airline allows in-cabin transport of bear-sized dogs who bark through their night terrors after being awakened by the smell of their own farts. Tiny’s substandard sleep hygiene breaks my heart, but it’s a sliver of an opportunity—one I latch on to like a barnacle in a hurricane.

“I found this airline,” I told Rue and Eli a couple of weeks before the wedding. “The flight wouldn’t land until the day after yours, but it comes with all these special accommodations for large dogs. Tiny would be comfortable. And I could accompany him.” I smiled at Tiny, whose head was already leaning against my knee. “Hey, you perfect boy. Do you wanna go on a road trip with Aunt Maya?”