Stone disconnected his phone and groaned leaning back against the back of his sofa. On the coffee table in front of him was an engraved piece of paper, an invitation to his sister's wedding. Which wouldn't have been a problem if he hadn't panicked in a brief moment of insanity just now on the phone with his sister Georgia, the oldest of his sisters who was planning their youngest sister Jessica's wedding.

"Now with Jess bein' married, you're the only single one of us, Jake. Even little Joey's bringin' a date. So I'm gonna have to put you at the singles table. Mrs. Baker's daughter Mary Sue will probably be happy to see you."

Memories of Mary Sue Baker blasted through Stone's head and he panicked. "But I'm not single! I have a girlfriend and I was plannin' on bringing her. I just with . . .uh work and uh all I didn't get to call."

He could hear Georgia's excitement. "Really now? Well, we're sure gonna be glad to see her. I'll put you down for a plus one and move you to Joey's table."

And now Stone was stuck. Why the hell had he done that? He didn't have a girlfriend. Aside from the ill fated kiss with Mabel and the flirting with Lamia (and obviously that was going nowhere ever), he'd not had any romantic action since he broke up with his last girlfriend back in Oklahoma two years ago. And he'd been far too busy to even meet anyone in Portland, yet alone date. So that left him with two possibilities: Baird or Cassandra.

Things with Cassandra were complicated. He'd been honest enough with the girl, he liked her. Liked her very much in fact, probably too much if he really thought about it. And although he actually had changed his tune when it came to trusting her, a situation like this . . .well it was way too much like leading the girl on. So she was the last resort.

Baird. Baird would do it if he explained the situation to her. She understood complicated family relationships and dodging well intended setups. He remembered a story she'd told him and Ezekiel one night after a few beers had loosened her tongue (Cassandra had left early that night) about the time she'd bribed someone into posing as her date at a family reunion to dodge a setup. She'd be perfect. Plus she was adaptable, cleaned up nice and he had no complicated feelings toward her at all. They were friends pure and simple, sometimes a bit like siblings.

But as they say, the best laid plans of mice and men. When Stone got to the Library the next day, he found Ezekiel setting the globe and Cassandra working at the table.

"Either of you seen Baird?" he asked.

"Yeah," said Ezekiel with a wink, as his door set up. "Flynn's back. Well, I'm off."

"Good luck with your mission!" Cassandra called after him.

"He really got a mission or is he off stealing something?"

Cassandra shrugged. "I don't ask any more. "

"So is Flynn really back?"

Cassandra smiled, "he is. And he whisked her off on a week's vacation! Isn't that romantic? Those two are so sweet, I swear." If Stone wasn't panicking, he'd have noticed the wistful edge to the young woman's voice.

Stone swore and Cassandra looked startled. "Damn it," he tossed the envelope down on the desk and put his head in his hands. "I totally blew this. I should have called her last night."

"Are you in trouble?" Cassandra asked. "I mean Baird was a little reluctant to leave us all without a Guardian but Flynn told her if it was an emergency we could call. But I think we should be alright for a week. I mean, you and I generally are, can't speak for Ezekiel."

"I'm in trouble, alright but not what you're thinking," Stone motioned toward the envelope on the table and she picked it up.

"Is Jessica your sister?" Cassandra asked reading the wedding invitation that was for two days time.

"Yes, she's my baby sister. Gettin' married. Should be a happy time."

"Then why are you so upset?"

Stone groaned. "I told my other sister that I was bringin' a date and I wanted Baird to pose as my girlfriend."

"Well, can't you call and say you're not then?" Cassandra was a little confused and quite a bit hurt that he'd ask Eve before her. But then again it wasn't like they had an uncomplicated relationship.

"Mary Sue Baker," Stone said before he could stop himself, shuddering. "She was gonna sit me at the singles table and seriously Cassandra, I'd bring zombie Lamia if that meant not being prey for Mary Sue Baker."

Cassandra laughed in spite of herself. "Lamia disappeared, we don't know if she's dead. But okay, so you're dodging this Mary Sue person. So um, did I ever tell you I liked weddings?"

"Cassie," he groaned.

"Look, I know you and I . . .I know you don't trust me. And that you're," Cassandra drew air quotes, "cool with that. But you do like me, right? So you'd probably at least have a good time with me, right?"

"It's not that I don't trust . . .damn it."

Cassandra's eyes widened. "Did you just say what I thought you said?"

"Alright okay, I trust you in a lot of ways. Not every way, not just yet. But . . ." Stone scratched the back of his neck, "I don't trust anyone really in every way. I trust you with my life and my safety. And I'm tryin', I really am. I do like ya, Cassandra. You know that."

She looked at him hopeful. "It's either me, Mary Sue Baker or taking Jenkins and telling people you've gone gay."

"Cassandra!"

"What?"

"Well, I think I would pick someone a little less well, Jenkins if I did go gay."

"Well Flynn and Ezekiel aren't here."

He rolled his eyes. But Mary Sue was scary and trashy. And Cassandra was sweet and pretty and good company. "Alright, are you busy right now?"

"No, why?"

"Let's go grab some coffee and work out a cover story to tell my family."

She grinned and clapped her hands.

They'd been tossing scenarios back and forth and Stone was sighing. "You just don't sound like you're from Texas."

"Neither does Baird," Cassandra pointed out.

"Yeah, but she's military and was an army brat. Lots of ex-military end up in Texas. Okay, so your family moved to Texas. Which would work if I told them I was in a big city . . . ." He looked down at his phone where he'd pulled up a map of Texas oil rigs. He'd never been really specific with his family about where he was living.

"Wait!" Cassandra remembered something, "now mind you all I know about oil in Texas I got from watching Dallas . . . ."

Stone looked up at her, a rather astonished look on his face. "You watched Dallas?"

"Hey, I happen to like tv that doesn't require thinking. And my was that reboot mindless. Anyway, the pretty girl they were fighting over, she was a scientist . . .a geologist I think, they weren't really clear. But anyway, oil rigs have scientists working there right?"

Stone nodded, inspiration hitting. "Not all the time, but okay, you were down at my oil rig doing, oh it doesn't matter, you make up some geological sounding term and they won't ask you more. And you were down at the local bar, lookin' completely out of place when I bought you a drink."

"Because you're a nice guy and I looked lost." Cassandra nodded. "Alright and I don't know, how do things like this go? We started talking, next thing we know it's late?"

He shrugged. "Sounds good to me."

She smirked at him. "Can I tell them I like you because you're smarter than you look?"

"Hey!"

"Well, they might question why a scientist would date someone they think is just a rig worker. Even though I bet a skilled laborer like you makes quite a bit of money."

He nodded. "More than I make at the Library, but the Library also seems to make sure any unexpected expenses are met. Anyway, okay fine, my family does know I'm kinda smart or at least my sisters do."

"Like normal person smart, not what you actually are."

Stone nodded. "Exactly, like I kinda couldn't help making honor roll every now and again. So that's what they think I am."

"Okay, I can deal with that. And tone my own down," at Stone's look she said. "You aren't the only one who had to hide."

He sighed. "Yeah, but your reasons were very different. I think trying to preserve your health and sanity are slightly better."

"I'm not so sure your mental health wasn't part of what you're protecting but I know that part of our friendship is me not prying. So I won't."

"Thank you. Okay, so next up, how serious are we?"

"Serious enough you're taking me to this wedding and Mary Sue Baker can't have my man." Cassandra grinned.

"Well, beyond that."

"Serious enough to be seeing each other exclusively but not talking marriage any time soon?"

"Okay, yeah, that's good. Because I don't need my aunts and sisters askin' about a wedding date."

"Is your mother . . . ."

"Mama died two summers ago."

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I should probably tell you a bit about the family, since I assume I would have if we were datin'."

Stone then went on to explain that there were six Stone children. He had four sisters, two older: Georgia and Joyce and two younger: Jennifer and Jessica. He had one brother Joseph, though they always called him Joey. He was Jessica's twin.

"So how did Georgia escape your family's naming tradition?" Cassandra giggled.

"Her and Joyce were named after our grandmothers. But then I came along and they named me after my grandfather and then I think Mama just decided to have fun."

They talked a little more, Stone filling Cassandra in on little tidbits about his family. They fleshed out their hypothetical romance and felt like they probably could handle things. They'd just be themselves, well mostly.

"Oh!" Cassandra exclaimed as it looked like they were finished. "I totally forgot. What should I wear?"

"Oh, right." Stone rolled his eyes at himself. "The wedding's in the backyard at my sister Georgia's, then they're having a dance in her barn. We're pretty informal folk, I think only the groom will probably wear anything like a suit. I'm wearing jeans and a button down. So I don't know . . . outdoors in May in Oklahoma. It'll probably be a bit warm, so maybe a few less layers than you're wearing now would be fine. You like all them flowery dresses, so I'm sure you got something."

Cassandra smiled but felt like he hadn't been the least bit useful. She'd figure it out. She had two days.