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Chapter One

MADISON

COUNTDOWN TO THE WEDDING FROM HELL: ONE MONTH

“You have to find a date” Josie sloshed so to me?”

“Ugh I’ not to” I wrinkled my nose and peered at my best friend “Let’s not talk about it I still have plenty of time”

“Girl, please” Josie waved her finger at irl” and started wagging her finger in the air as if she were a star on one of those Housewives shows and about to start a fight

“Don’t you wag your finger at led “It’s a whole month away”

“Ato pass the Delaney test” She crossed her legs and settled against the cushions of my couch For soed to look pretty Her pink scarf was perfectly draped around her neck, and her black dress and leggings were stylish and immaculate, even after a ten-hour workday

Josie always complained that she needed to lose forty pounds, and I cross-coeous That should have been the end of it, but listening was not always her strong suit We’d been best friends since ere thirteen She was more like my sister than my own sister

“I don’t want to talk about the Delaney test Stop, I beg of you!”

The Delaneys were es, tea-at-the-Four Seasons, Holy-Cross-educated Boston socialites And I, Madison J Delaney—in spite of being decorated with a Harvard MBA and running a successful tech startup, or perhaps because of it—was reatest disappointment in life

Nowof the century, and I was supposed to bring a date FML!

Desperate to change the subject, I fixated on Josie’s perfect ? Do you have a newsecret?” Josie was a makeup buyer froe lives A woover, and Josie’s special voodoo ara

“Let’s not change the subject!” Josie rolled her eyes “I’loss on before I came over Now let’s talk about you-knohat We need to deal with this”

“But it’s not fair Look at you—you’re so pretty, and you don’t have a stupid date for this stupid wedding”

“That’s because I don’t have a boyfriend, and I don’t have to pretend I do It’s not ulped her wine “It’s yours”

“I know I know” I rubbed my temples “Stupid Sienna!” I often referred to my little sister, Sienna, as Evil Sorority Spawn She was having a black-tie, three-hundred-guest wedding in four weeks, and I was pretty sure I wanted to throttle her for it—and a whole lifetirievances

“Why did I say I’d bring a plus-one?” I wailed

Josie laughed “Because youra boyfriend So you lied and said you did!”

“I was provoked” My as disappearing fast

“You’re always provoked when it comes to your mother”

I frowned “I was drunk It was Easter!”

“You’re always drunk at Easter”

“You try spending the holidays with my family You’d be drunk too!”