I grinned. “Except there was a whole field trip of kids coming through my ice cream shop. They all asked for a sample, ate it up, and then decided they didn’t want any more than that after all.” Tears started to fall again. “And right now, Dean is tossing the little red sample spoon in the trash.”

Steph laughed softly, stroking my hair. “You’re clearly not ready for rational advice right now. We’re in the self-pity phase, and that’s okay. And all this ice cream talk makes me want some. What about you?”

I nodded. “I’m going to pick the one that nobody has taken. The sad little flavor in the corner who keeps getting rejected, no matter how hard she tries.”

“Okay, okay.” Steph shushed me and started to stand. “Let’s go get some ice cream.”

* * *

The sad little flavor nobody wanted was Minty Monkey. It was mint mixed with strawberry ice cream and had chunks of hard candy mixed in. Frankly, it was disgusting, and I could see why I was the first one all day to order a scoop from the untouched bucket of ice cream. The girl behind the counter had even asked me if I was sure.

Yes, I was sure, I’d snapped.

Except, now all I could do was look sadly at my ice cream and think this must be how Dean saw me.

“Stop that,” Steph said. “I can see you’re trying to hurt your own feelings again.”

“I’m not trying. It’s just so easy. I mean, of course he doesn’t want me. I’m Minty Monkey to him. I’m disgusting. I’m a confusing blend of flavors nobody in their right mind should’ve ever put together. And why are the hard candies so hard? Who wants that? I don’t get it.”

Steph gave me a patient smile, then stuck her chocolate cone out toward me. “Want to swap? I’ll eat your Minty Monkey.”

“No. I picked this one and I’m going to stick with it.”

“Maybe we should change the subject a little,” Steph said. “I mean, what are you going to do about the big fake? Are you two going to be able to keep it going in front of everybody after this?”

“I don’t know. We didn’t really talk about it.”

“Because you know we have the rehearsal dinner coming up. And then the wedding night. It’s going to be like four hours of dancing and partying after the wedding. If you two are glaring and cold shouldering each other, people are going to wonder.”

“Let them wonder,” I said, feeling over the whole thing. “Maybe that’s for the best. We can just get it out in the open. Or people can think we broke up for real. That happens to real relationships all the time. Trust me,” I added with a bitter smile.

Steph rolled her eyes and smirked. “Mom would be heartbroken if you two split.”

“We were never together!”

“I know, I know. I just mean if she thought–It’s just that mom is really rooting for you. She hates seeing you get hurt. I do too.”