Chapter 1

"Mom, Dad, I've always said it. Derek isn't cheap; he's just old-fashioned. He doesn't know the first thing about romance. He specifically chose your favorite restaurant for the engagement dinner. Look how much he cares about you both!"

But when I pushed open the door to the private dining room, my smile died on my face. On the large banquet table sat a single plastic tray piled with dinner rolls and a jar of store-bought pickles.

Derek Crawford stood at the head of the table, humming cheerfully to himself as he poured canned iced tea into the wine glasses.

"Derek."

I stared for a moment, then turned away from my parents' burning glares and pulled him aside.

"Didn't I give you 200 thousand in our joint account? It's already past 1:00 pm. Where's the food?"

"I got the food. That's it right there."

He pointed at the dinner rolls with the expression of a man who had done nothing wrong. "I drove all the way to the wholesale store for those. Cheap, filling, and there's plenty to go around. Much more sensible than all that overpriced fancy stuff you like."

My mind went blank. I could hear my own voice trembling when I spoke.

"Derek Crawford, this is our engagement party. I invited every single relative and friend I have. And you're expecting everyone to eat dinner rolls out of a bag?"

"Come on, Serena, you know me. I'm a simple guy. I don't do fancy. Besides, everyone loves bread. Nothing wrong with keeping it classic!"

Behind me, my relatives' murmurs grew louder. I swallowed my anger and took a slow breath. "Then what about the drinks I asked you to prepare?"

"Right here." Derek held up a can of iced tea and gave it a little shake. "Canned iced tea. I even got the lightly sweetened kind. Thoughtful, right?"

Pretty thoughtful indeed.

Derek and I had been together for ten years.

I had invited every relative I had to this engagement party. I wanted everyone to see that Serena Spencer was not without a man, and the man she was marrying was certainly not a cheapskate.

But everything Derek had done tonight was a deliberate humiliation, played out in front of everyone I knew.

"Oh my god." My cousin, Ashley Sadler, cracked first, pressing a hand over her mouth as she laughed.

"Serena, this is the guy you've been defending all this time? He serves canned iced tea at an engagement party. How generous!"

My aunt, Diana Glosby, bit back her own smile and chimed in, "Dinner rolls and pickles at an engagement party. Now there's a man who knows how to stretch a dollar. Serena, don't let a catch like Derek get away!"

My parents looked ready to walk out.

Derek smiled modestly. "Thank you. That means a lot. Actually, I do have one more thing prepared."

He spun around and dropped to one knee. "Serena Spencer, will you marry me?"

I went still. Somewhere in my chest, which had gone very still, a small flicker of hope stirred.

Had I misjudged him? Was all of this just a buildup to some big surprise he had planned?

Then I saw what he was holding out to me. It was a two-dollar candy ring from the candy aisle.

The warmth drained out of me completely.

"Derek Crawford," I said, staring at it in disbelief, "you're proposing to me with that?"

He looked entirely unbothered. "It's practical and cute. Isn't that better than wasting money on gold and diamonds? Serena, you know how I feel about this. I don't want a materialistic woman. Living simply and honestly, that's what a real relationship is built on."