I'm with Cupid by Jordan Cooke Page A

friend’s mental health. “Are you sure?”
    Tanya’s chocolate-colored eyes were the picture of seriousness. “ Totally she did. It was amazing. First of all, she’s really pretty. Like, so much prettier than she is in pictures.”
    â€œUm—in pictures?”
    â€œAnd second of all,” continued Tanya breathlessly, “we had this totally amazing conversation where she was like, ‘I am the Virgin Mary’ and I was like, ‘I totally know!’ And then she was like, ‘You know I’m a virgin, right?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah—that’s why that’s your name!’ And she was like, ‘Totally,’ and I was like, ‘So what’s up, Virgin Mary?’ and then she got all, like, scary. With a big scary face. And then she said it. The thing that made me decide to say yes, I’ll marry Trent.”
    The story was ludicrous, but Corliss was enthralled. “What was it? What did the Virgin Mary say?”
    â€œShe said, ‘Don’t end up like me!’” Tanya sat back, as if to let Corliss absorb it. “And then I was like, ‘But why not? You’re so pretty,’ and she was like, ‘But I’m a virgin, which totally sucks,’ and I was like, ‘OHMYGOD, YOU ARE, THAT’S THE WORST!’”
    â€œTanya, wait, whoa, take it way down. Are you telling me—?”
    â€œI swear, I swear, Corliss. The freakin’ Virgin Mary! She said Trent’s name and everything. And Trent was asleep on my couch out there, all curled up asleep—groaning in pain like usual whenever he crashes here and I refuse to have sex with him—and I went in and woke him up and said yes!”
    â€œWow, Tanya, I don’t know what to say. . .” She truly didn’t. Tanya certainly seemed like she believed what she was telling Corliss. But Corliss was pretty skeptical about a Virgin Mary sighting in the Malibu area.
    â€œYou don’t have to say anything, Corliss. Just say you’ll be a bridesmaid!”
    Corliss’s mouth flew open. Never in her wildest dreams back in Indiana-no-place did she ever imagine that someone like Tanya—a world-famous Sports Illustrated cover girl—would ask her to be a bridesmaid. In spite of the deeply strange nature of the entire conversation up to this point, Corliss was genuinely flattered. “Seriously . . . ?”
    â€œTotally seriously! I’m going to have about twenty bridesmaids so I can afford to make one of them you! Please, oh, please say yes?!”
    â€œGee, Tanya, when you put it that way . . .”
    â€œI’m going to have a humongous wedding with, like, a dozen flower girls and lots of silk draperies all draped over everything in, like, a huge church with all my cousins flying in from all over and a salsa band.”
    â€œWow, you sure are planning quite the event . . .”
    Tanya grew serious again. “Would you tell Max?”
    â€œMax! Me? Why not you?”
    â€œPlease, oh, please? I’d totally love for him to throw me and Trent a party at his house. It has those amazing views and he lives near so many famous people I want to invite! But I don’t want to ask him myself and seem all grabby, ya know? Ohmygod I just had another idea! We could get Star magazine to sponsor the party! They could buy the photo rights, too, which should be about two hundred grand.”
    Corliss was confused all over again. She’d never known Tanya to be so calculating. What could be going through her gorgeous brunette head? “Photo rights . . . ? Where are you getting these—”
    â€œAnd maybe Wolfgang Puck could cater it! Wouldn’t that be fierce? We’d really get a lot of publicity out of that. And Max loves publicity. Please, oh, please ask Max for me?”
    Corliss panicked. After her conversation with Max the night before, she was completely certain Max wouldn’t take this marriage news well