I’m hoping Dash doesn’t want to rope me into another lie. I feel bad enough for the show we put on in Palm Beach, but even then, it felt truth-adjacent because I was busy falling for the guy.

Now? I don’t know where I stand anymore.

I step through the front doors of the bar and pause. The place is packed, but it looks very different from when I was here last: There are bouquets of roses everywhere, silks draping to cover the pock-marked bar, and is that…

Yup, a string quartet in the corner, playing Taylor Swift covers.

I can see all of Dash’s friends here, dressed up fancy, and then it strikes me—is this some kind of romantic celebration for Grace and Charlie? An anniversary, maybe.

Dash emerges from the crowd, looking relieved. “You’re here!” he says, grabbing my hand. “Quick, follow me.” He pulls me through to the back of the bar, and into the hallway. “I’ve been trying to talk to you all day.”

“I know, I’m sorry,” I follow him away from the crowd. “I’ve been busy, and this meeting today…” I trail off, not wanting to get into it. “But anyway, I’m here now. What did you want to tell me?”

Dash winces. “It’s about this. Tonight. It’s a proposal.”

I gasp in excitement. “For Grace?”

“For you.”

I stare at him, flabbergasted. “What?!”

“Shhh,” he hushes me, sending an anxious glance to the main room. “Zelda’s somewhere around here. This was all her idea. She just showed up, wanting me to propose and lock it down. So I figured, why not get it out the way? You can turn me down, and then the whole fake part of the relationship will be over.”

His words stab me, right in my chest.

“Over,” I echo numbly. “Just like that.”

“And we won’t have to lie anymore,” Dash gives me a big smile. “I know, it’s fast, and I tried to warn you, but... Zelda is like a damn hurricane, you know that. Can you believe she pulled all this together in twenty-four hours?”

“No… I can’t believe it.”

I swallow hard, processing this bombshell. “So, I’m supposed to turn you down, and then, what? We go back to our everyday lives, and I send you investment updates every quarter?”

Dash’s smile slips. “No. No, that’s not what—”

“Because you could have given me some warning,” I talk over him, my emotions boiling over. I can’t believe I just walked into this blind. I thought I was braced for him to break up with me, but I had no idea it was going to be a big, public humiliation. “Have you seen how many people are out there?” I exclaim, my voice rising. “And look at me, I’m in a fucking Ann Taylor Loft blouse I got on special markdown!”

“You look beautiful,” Dash says immediately, but that just makes it worse. He has no idea how much my heart hurts right now. And why would he?