Slightly Engaged — Wendy Markham

There are a lot of things worse than being slightly engaged...being entirely broke, completely alone and wholly perplexed.

It's been a year and a half since Tracey and Jack moved in together, and everything's totally perfect -- well, okay, almost perfect. There's still Tracey's mom, who says they're "living in sin," and her friends, who are all smug, married and totally sure that there would already be a ring on Tracey's finger if she hadn't been in such a rush to cosign a lease. Even Tracey is beginning to wonder whether Jack really is looking for a permanent relationship, or whether she's just renting space in his heart.

But just when Tracey's doubts are seriously raging out of control, Jack's mom lets her in on a secret -- he's just taken an heirloom diamond out of the family's safe-deposit box, which must mean that he's going to propose any day now.

Okay, any week now...

Any month now?