When a 24-year-old construction worker poses as the fiancé of a comatose Cuban supermodel, she must find a way to renege her lie after falling for his firefighter cousin.
* * * * *
When 24-year-old cons...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
I sink into the couch and pile my freshly-showered hair on top of my head before diving into my lukewarm cup of instant macaroni and cheese.
"I have no idea how I'm getting out of this one, Willa Mae. What was I thinking, saying Valentino is my fiance? How stupid can I be?" I complain between bites.
My neighbor stares from the chair across from me and folds her hands into her lap. "Child, there are only two things in this world that are infinite. The universe, and human stupidity."
"Nice." I roll my eyes. "Aren't you supposed to be cheering me up?"
Her crinkly brown face breaks into a grin. "I thought I was! If it's any consolation, I'd have lied about it too. That boy is fine with a capital F. I wouldn't kick him out of my bed for eating crackers."
"Willa Mae!" I let out a gasp and nearly choke on a spoonful of soggy pasta. "Wait a minute. How do you know what Valentino looks like?"
She cocks her head to the side. "What—you think I'm too old for TikTok? Y'all are going viral, girl. People are shipping you from Miami to Timbuktu."
"Oh, that's just fantastic." I throw my head back and groan. "If Mom were still here, she'd have me committed."
"If your Mama were here, you wouldn't be in this mess to begin with," she says in a stern tone. And then her voice softens. "It's been two years. Don't you think it's time to salvage your social life and make some friends?"
Her words sting like a slap in the face. "You're the only friend I need."
Willa Mae purses her lips in opposition. "How many twenty-four year-olds hang out with their eighty-one year-old next door neighbors?"
I'm pretty sure it's a rhetorical question. And besides, I don't care. I'll hang out with whoever I want.
"Look," she begins. "I love you like you're my own, and I've known you since you were knee-high to a caterpillar. But you are stuck in a rut. Your Mama would be all kinds of furious if she knew you were filling your life with nothing but work and generic macaroni and cheese." Her face scrunches in disgust. "Speaking of which, I'll be bringing you over some meatloaf and collard greens just as soon as it's done."
I give her a grateful smile. "What would I do without you?"
"Probably starve," she says with a snort.
My cell pings from the side pocket of my sweatpants. When I plop my macaroni cup onto the end table and look at the screen, my heart sinks to my toes. "Crap."
Willa Mae leans forward in her chair. "Who is it?"
"Valentino's cousin. He's stopping by with Sonny."
Her brows angle together. "Who's Sonny?"
I pocket my phone and shrug. "No clue. But it's apparently staying with me while he's in the hospital."
