Medicine Man's wife ended up canceling their date five minutes before they were set to meet. She was a bit dejected, but on the plus side, at least she hadn't wasted her time with him. The last thing she needed was a cheater. Dazed, she walked across the street to the park after doing a little junk food therapy.

The park was filled with mothers and their children sharing playdates. They appeared perfect and content. Toddlers full of innocence. Young wives married to the love of their life. Or not. Maybe they weren't happy. Perhaps they'd not found their perfect person, but simply settled. She couldn't criticize them for that. Finding the ideal person was a pipe dream. Of all her dates, not one of them she liked enough to warrant a second date. This was a terrible way to end her online dating experience—rejected. Maybe that was the universe telling her to give up on the natural sequence of things—love, marriage, baby carriage.

Depression came in waves, ebbing between her consumption of donuts purchased on her way home from Medicine Man's infidelity. She still couldn't believe it.

She stuffed a bite of chocolate-glazed goodness into her mouth. Pulling the box of Krispy Kremes closer, she waved her hand over the contents, as if choosing the right one produced a prize, and then settled on the jelly-filled cream puff. Strawberry filling squirted as she bit into it, dropping onto the top of the carton. She scooped the glob up with her finger and licked it clean.

She hated being judged. Her mom furnished plenty of that. The wife had messaged her on Medicine Man's account, cussing her out for being a homewrecking whore, even if her husband was cheating with oblivious women. Arsenic and Old Lace followed Arryn into the kitchen and twined around her ankles. She looked down at them. "You don't know how lucky you are. A little surgery, and you don't give a rats ass about making any babies." Old Lace licked Arsenic's face. "Well, even when you cared, it was only a few times a year. Find a guy. Mate. Move on. You girls have the right idea."

Arryn took another bite, then mulled over what she'd said. Maybe that was it. Plenty of single mothers. Of course, not all of them intended to be that way, but surely plenty of them did. Only—before the thought finished forming, a tap at the door got her attention. She went to open it, carrying the donuts with her.

Yennefer blew in as if being chased. "What about the Medicine guy? How'd that turn out?"

"Come in."

"Oh. Yeah. Sorry. I'm in a hurry. I left the shop under the care of that new high school girl that Linette and I hired, and I'm afraid she'll burn the place down somehow."

"You could have just texted."

Yen waved it off. "Yeah, but I was running errands for the store on this side of town anyway. So? Tell me."

Before Arryn could answer, Darcy threw open the door and breezed in holding a greasy McDonald's bag. "I took a late lunch so I can live vicariously through you. How was your date?" She walked to the counter, sat on a stool, and lifted a kid's meal from the sack. "When can we meet him?"

Arryn went to the fridge, took out a can of Mountain Dew, and handed it to Darcy. She loved her friend's enthusiasm, but those damn cards never seemed to turn in Arryn's favor. "You're not. His wife called."

Darcy's and Yen's jaws dropped. Darcy spoke first. "Oh, shit! What happened? Never mind. Don't answer. What a shitweasel."

Yen scrunched up her face. "I should have done a dual reading. I'm sorry." She moved to stand next to Arryn and hugged her. "This settles it. I'll fix you up with Rio."

Arryn broke the hold. "No. He's not my type, and there's no need to waste time with him."

Yen put her hand on her hip and eyed her as if to say Oh, really? "Oh honey, trust me, it will not be a waste of time."

Arryn shook her head. "Before y'all got here, I talked with Arsenic and Old Lace and decided. I'm looking at it all wrong. I don't know why I didn't see it before." She picked another donut from the box, pinched a bite, and crammed it into her mouth.

Darcy finished her chicken nuggets and washed it down with a gulp of Dew. "That's not true. You've barely scratched the dating surface. There are tons of single people out there. You have to keep going out until something clicks with one of them."

"How long do you think that will take? Six months? A year? I've made up my mind. I'm having a baby. Three years wasted on Gianna. No condenders on eDen. Not rich enough for the sperm bank. I'll just get myself knocked up. My mother will lose her shit, but she'll get over it."

"When did you go to a fertility clinic?"

"The other day. I don't have the money for it. I may as well try on my own, for free."

Darcy finished her fries, then crumpled the wrapping. "Okay, now I'm confused."

"I need your help. You wanted to fix me up with some men from work, and I want you to do just that."

"No problem. I've already told you I know a couple who'd be worth dating."

Arryn shook her head. "I don't want to date them."

Darcy frowned. "I don't get it."

"Show me pictures of the guys you have in mind, and I'll choose one."

Her eyebrows rose into her hairline. "You're going to ask one to get you pregnant?"

"I don't intend to tell him."

Yennefer narrowed her eyes. "You can't do that. Forcing a guy to be a father when he may not want to be. That's wrong."

"My clock is ticking, and I've already invested too much of my life in relationships I thought were perfect and look where it got me. I can't afford to devote that much time into another relationship with no guarantee of having a family with them."

"You don't have to. Some men will be more than happy to knock you up. We just need to put the word out. Hell, Rio will probably do it."

"It would be better if it's someone I don't know. That way, I won't have to see him all the time. I'd cross paths with him if you're friends with him."

"You're upset about your date, and I don't blame you," Darcy said. "But to do what you're suggesting—well, this isn't you."

"It may sound crazy, but women do this all the time. They get pregnant to save a marriage—trap a man—extort money—or force a guy to leave his wife. I'm not doing any of those things. A guy can release fifty to five hundred million little swimmers. Five. Hundred. Million. And all I need is one."

Arryn stood her ground. "Let's say I do it the normal way. I stay on the dating site a few more weeks and find the man or woman of my dreams." She glanced at one friend and then the other. "I love him, he loves me, blah, blah, and blah. The only hold up is they want a long engagement. For the sake of a timeline, I'll say a year. By that time, I've got a couple years left."

Darcy held up her hand, but Arryn waved her off. "Let me finish. After that, we marry, but they want to wait a couple of more before we have a baby." She rolled her eyes up as if calculating. "Or, let's say after twelve long months of dating and planning my future with them, they pull a Gianna." She heaved a heavy sigh. "I can't gamble on that." Then she gazed back at Darcy. "Okay, now plead your case."

Darcy checked her phone. "I don't have time for this. I've got to get back to work, but I want you to think long and hard about everything that can go wrong."

Yen giggled. "Long and hard definitely plays into it."

"You're supposed to be on my side." Darcy shot her a look. "Don't encourage her. This is a crazy idea."

"It is crazy," Yen said. "But she made some good points. Maybe it'll turn out like a romance novel where two people get thrown together and end up in love."

"Says the woman with two failed engagements," Darcy huffed and headed toward the door.

Yen scowled. "That was harsh and uncalled for."

Arryn sighed. The family curse of early menopause was fast approaching, and pregnancy needed to happen while she still had an egg. She placed her hand on Darcy's shoulder. "Are you going to help me or not?"

"I haven't decided yet." She pulled on the knob and stepped into the hall, with Arryn right behind.

"I'm asking a lot, and I wouldn't if I thought I could find someone who wants the same things I do and have a baby before my ovaries take a permanent vacation. Consider you'll be doing the guy a favor. Since he'll never know about the baby, once I start through the change, he'll avoid my mood swings, night sweats, hot flashes, and palpitations, not to mention the anxiety."

"It's not just ethically wrong. I'd be committing a crime by using their personnel files for information."

"Not really. You said you had some guys in mind for me, so give me those names. I'm not asking you to do anything you haven't been willing to do all along."

"So I won't be breaking any laws, but it will be impossible to work with a man who has a child with one of my best friends and keep it a secret," She pinched the bridge of her nose. "Y'all know I'm not good at deception."

"That is a consideration," Yen said. "She's a lousy liar. You remember how we could never get in a club even with fake ID's? She always caved and spilled her guts."

"I'm begging you. Please do this for me."

"Dammit, Arryn." Darcy sighed and shook her head. "I will regret this. But I'll do it. You have to be careful and plan everything out to the letter. This can't come back on me. Whoever you choose can never, and I mean NEVER, know I had anything to do with this. Understand?"

"Yes. I promise."

"There are so many things that can go wrong." Darcy looped her purse over her arm. "You need to consider that."

Arryn gave her a warm hug, watched her walk away, then turned her attention to her remaining friend. "I have so much to do. I need a bogus background. Residence. Workplace. An alias."

Yen nodded to each item, then smiled. "You'll also need a place to do the deed. I'm guessing a hotel room."

"Good point. And a cover story that puts me in town for just a few days. I don't want him to see me again, not that he would."

"That will all be easy. The hard part will be, how are you going to arrange a meet-cute?"

It'd been two days since Darcy agreed to Arryn's harebrained plan. At least, that's what Darcy called it. During that time, Arryn googled ovulation kits and determined the best one to use. To be double sure, she'd also downloaded a cycle calendar app.

Now, she sat at the kitchen table and stared at the purchases. She understood the confused expression on the clerk's face as she checked the items. A strange combination for sure—ovulation kit, pregnancy test, condoms. She could tell the woman wanted to ask questions, and as crazy as it was, Arryn felt a need to explain. The same feeling she got whenever she withdrew money from her savings as if she owed a reason for the withdrawal.

She walked to the mirror on the wall next to the front door, narrowed her eyes, and puckered her lips. "What's a nice guy like you doing in a place like this?" She straightened her face, then tilted her head to one side. "I'm new in town. Could you show me the way to your apartment?" She pulled the band from her ponytail and ran her fingers through her hair, then rolled her shoulders. "Want to make a baby?"

Throwing her head back, she laughed out loud. The sound filled the small room. Arsenic and Old Lace came from under the couch, hopped onto the end table, and swiveled their heads between Arryn and her mirrored image.

She rubbed their ears. "Yes. There're two of us. Both crazy. I'm practicing. Good or not?" She pursed her lips and fluttered her lashes. The cats stared, frozen in place. "Yeah. That's what I thought. More sick than sexy. How am I ever going to tempt a man if I look like I'm in the middle of a seizure?"

As if answering, Arsenic nudged Old Lace with her nose, then ran her tongue across her head. "What? I should lick him? Maybe after I get him into bed." Her cheeks heated, and the tattoo on the side of Rio's neck flashed in her mind. Very lickable. She flapped her hands at the cats. "You girls get out of here. You're a bad influence." They sprang to the floor and disappeared down the hallway.

Her stomach jittered and jumped. There was always the chance she'd fail. Her seduction skills were lame. The thought of being with a stranger scared the hell out of her. Sweat beaded above her lip, and the fear of failure pressed heavily against her chest. No need to think that way. She never intended to see him again anyway. Besides, what single man ever refused a one night stand?

Having a child before it was too late meant everything to her. She may not realize her dream of having Papi walk her down the aisle, but she prayed he'd live long enough to see her give him a grandchild. Tears pooled. No need to be sad. He was gaining weight. His color was better, and he had more energy. But as hard as she tried to stay positive, no doubt the cancer would come back. The oncologist said so. The only question was when?

Two years ago, she'd noticed the spot, but accepted her dad's excuse of his eyeglasses causing it. She'd even bought him pads for the nose pieces. But it didn't go away or get better, and Dad had been stubborn in getting it checked. Melanoma. Such a deceitful word. It sounded more like a fancy china pattern, or a president's mail-order bride in place of a killer. It was her fault. She should have insisted he see the doctor sooner. She should have nagged more.

Parked in front of Darcy's for over an hour, it'd been pure torture waiting. At five-thirty, nerves getting the best of Arryn, she finally saw her friend pull into the drive. Arryn bounded from the car to meet her.

Before she could, Yennefer's red VW bug wheeled in. She joined them at the front entrance. Once Darcy got the door open, they filed in behind her.

"I have some guys for you to consider," Darcy said. "I want this done before Shaw gets home, so let's hurry."

Arryn's stomach fluttered. She scooted a chair from the table and sat. "I've done the calculations, and it turns out Memorial Day weekend will be perfect for conception."

"That doesn't give us much time," Yen said. "What if you can't figure out how to make contact by then? I mean, we need to find out what the guy does socially."

Darcy logged into Facebook and pulled up a profile.

Arryn leaned over for a better view. "He's cute."

"Daniel works in the tech department. Forty. Divorced. No kids. He's been with the company for five years."

Arryn wrote his name on the right side of a legal pad as Darcy searched for a new one. "Ooh, he's hot." A mixture of a Greek god and superhero. Square jaw. Dark eyes and hair. Perfect teeth. Arryn considered how his offspring would look. Beautiful.

Yen leaned closer. "Holy hell. If you don't choose him, I will."

"Yeah. He's a hottie all right," Darcy said. "Mike Ascencio. Thirty-two. Single, never married. Legal department."

Arryn wrote his name on the left.

"Wait," Yen said. "Which stack are you considering?"

"On the right."

"What? You're culling McHottie? What's wrong with you?"

"I pictured him naked, and he'll be way prettier than me. My ego can't take that."

"In my experience, first time out, they pay little attention to visuals," Yen said. "Make sure the lights are low."

"You should know," Darcy said.

Yennefer raised her eyebrows. "I beg your pardon?"

"Just saying."

Yen smiled. "Yeah. You're right."

Darcy presented the final search. "I saved the best for last." She turned the screen to Arryn.

Arryn eyed the selfie with interest. "He is cute. More than cute. Those dimples are nice. What's his story?"

"Devon Patel. Divorced. One child. A little boy. Marketing department."

Yen stared at her phone, then spoke to Darcy. "If he's into country music, there's a whole bunch of bands performing that weekend downtown. If he's a fan, comp him some tickets."

"Why would I do that? He'd suspect something was up."

She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Tell him that company trying to buy y'all out gave them as a gift for your hard work, but you can't use them because you have plans already."

Darcy considered it for a minute. "Okay. That should work. But if he doesn't take the bait, I'm done. One try. Understand?"

Arryn nodded. "If he doesn't, I'll accept it isn't meant to be."

A week later, hard at work on her last dating article, Arryn's phone sounded. She stopped typing. Darcy. This was the day her partner in crime planned to set up the meeting.

She slid the bar to accept and crossed her fingers. "Yeah."

"Well, it worked. He didn't even hesitate."

Arryn released the breath she'd been holding. "Good. Now what?"

"What do you mean, now what? I've done my part. The ball is in your court."

"My heart is beating so fast right now. I have so much to do. Nails, waxing, teeth cleaned." She took a quick breath. "I should buy new panties."

Darcy sighed on the other end. "You should slow down before you have a heart attack. It's still not too late to give this crazy ass plan of yours up."

Arryn's head reeled. The plot was in place, and she didn't know if her emotions were due to excitement or fear. On one hand, she didn't have to worry about trying to impress the guy for a long term relationship. But on the other, she'd never hooked up and fallen into bed with a stranger. "Thanks for doing this, Darcy."

"Don't thank me. I have a bad feeling about this."

There's harebrained schemes, and then there's outright crazy schemes. Fasten your seatbelts. I wonder how this is going to work out for Arryn, what do ya'll think?

TEASER: This was a disaster. She had to get out of there.

Uh oh, what has Arryn gotten herself into now?