“I’m here under protest,” Jaslene grumbles, her chin lifted so high I can see up her sweetly stubborn nose.

“Oh, c’mon, Jas,” I say, leaning over so our faces are close. “You can’t seriously still think I’m the bad guy.”

She narrows her eyes and pouts at me, no doubt annoyed with herself that she can’t pretend to be upset for more than a few seconds. “No, of course not. But I can hold a nonsensical grudge with the best of them. And it’s just . . .”

“It’s just what?” I ask.

She scrunches her face as if she’s in agony. “I worked so damn hard on that wedding—in a serious time crunch, no less—and it all went up in flames.” Straightening, she collects herself, then says, “It’s just going to take me a little time to see you and not be immediately reminded that a giant-ass potentially mood-killing footnote will be attached to whatever I say about this wedding whenever I talk about it.”

I see her point. That’s sure to be an awkward aside for any prospective client. “Fair. I can accept that.”

“Jas,” Lina says. “Consider this your wedding war story. Every planner has one. Remember the groom whose buddies shaved his eyebrows the night before the ceremony? That’s mine.”

Jaslene rolls her eyes. “Yours is quirky. Mine is dismal.”

A hand massaging her belly, Natalia says, “Don’t get worked up about it just yet. Picture this: Solange and Dean get married one day, and you end up planning their big day. The wedding crasher becomes the bride.” Natalia throws down her hands. “Now that would be a fucking footnote, baby.”

I cringe at the thought. “Yeah. No. Sorry to burst your bubble, but that’s not happening. I’m done with emotionally unavailable men who view relationships as an entry on their résumé. That’s Dean in a nutshell.”

“That is Dean,” Lina agrees. “But I’m still a softie for him. He has no interest in falling in love, and I don’t think it’s because he’s a selfish guy. It’s something else. Wish I knew what.”

I know the tea, but I’m not sharing what he told me with this group. Dean has his reasons, and so long as he’s being honest with his partners about them, I can’t really fault him for elevating compatibility over love. Shit, one more bad relationship and I’ll be asking Dean to send me his playbook.

Jaslene sighs. “My love life’s nonexistent but not by choice.”

Lina puts a hand on Jaslene’s arm. “And that’s okay. Relationships don’t have to be the end goal.”

That’s what Dean said. But is it so wrong to want to find your person?