Page 57 of Game Plan

I should return a few calls from this morning but find myself opening the jewelry catalog again. The details of yesterday’s fire were devastating, and they left me in a negative headspace all morning—a place that Finn’s texts pulled me out of.

It’s not the beautiful rings that brightened my day. It was him. It was the easiness that has settled between us once again. It’s that somewhere in Chicago, Finn is going about his life thinking about me. He’s excited to send me a catalog of rings, something most men would roll their eyes at.

I like being on his mind like this. I knew I would, which is why I wanted to reset our friends-with-benefit parameters. But this is safe. It’s fun. Temporary.

And I plan on doing just that. I’m not one to squander a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

“But I would love it if you went into this with an open mind and just gave me a chance to show you how good we can be. All I’m asking is that over the next few months while we’re pretending to the world that we’re getting married, you allow me to earn your trust.”

“Oh, Finn.” I sigh. I know he wants me to give this a real shot, and I said I would, but as he said, he doesn’t know why I’m against it in the first place. And that’s on me. But it’s not even about not trusting him. “I’ll try. I promise. But I have a feeling that you’re going to regret this.”

I frown.

In the meantime, before he’s the one backing out of our agreement, I’m going to enjoy this. Suck up as much fun as I can while it lasts—and apparently get a kick-ass ring out of the deal that I can hopefully put to use helping others when this is all said and done.

That I can live with.

I glance at the clock. I can take a ten-minute break, and then I have to get back to work.

The file opens on my computer, and page after page of the most beautiful rings are lined up for my choosing. Siggy Mason, the owner of the luxury jewelry line out of Savannah, is the go-to jeweler of the stars. Everyone with a recognizable last name has a piece of her work.

And now I’ll have one, too.

I giggle, flipping through the pages, imagining each one on my finger, until I hit the last page. And there it is.

The one that’s meant to be mine.

It’s an Asscher cut on a gold band with tons of details that mean nothing to me. I’ve never been a big jewelry girl, and I’ll sweat the whole time this is on my finger, but there’s an element to this one that grabs my attention immediately. It’s beautiful and elegant, like it’s not trying too hard.

I lift my phone and find Finn’s name.

Me: I found the one. BM333. Size 6 according to the online measurement guide. Hope I did that right.

I start to set my phone down when Layla’s name flashes on the screen.

“Hey,” I say, grinning. I should’ve had her help me pick my ring. She would’ve loved that. “What’s up?”

“Pop …”

The wobble in her voice causes my heart to skip a beat.

Instantly, adrenaline rolls through my veins. “What’s wrong?”

“Branch’s dad had a heart attack,” she says, barely holding it together.

“Oh my gosh. Layla.”

“Branch is devastated, Poppy. I mean, beside himself. His mom called a little bit ago and told him. They took his dad by ambulance from the golf course, and someone there got in touch with his mom.”

My pulse quickens. “Is he going to be okay?”

I look down at Finn’s incoming call but ignore it.

She sniffles. “I don’t know. It doesn’t sound good. Branch told his mom he’d be there as soon as he could because she’s the only one who has him. So I’ve been trying to comfort him, find tickets, rent a car⁠—”

“What do you need?” I open my email and type out a message to my boss that I’m leaving early due to a family emergency. I copy Kelly, asking her to clear my schedule for the rest of the day, and to notify Peter that I’ll miss our meeting. “Tell me how I can help.”

I start to get up but turn back to my computer. I still have a stack of loose ends to deal with today, and a list of the most important ones passes through my mind.