“But I don’t think Justine would want to be gone over Thanksgiving,” he said, diverting to the minor hiccup. “She’s got plans to spend the holiday with her grandfather.”
“You could take her back to Piney Falls for the holiday. If you brought her out with you on Sunday, she could stay until then.”
“True.” But that wasn’t what was bothering him. Just days ago, Lorraine asked if he had anything she should know about—anything at all. Misdeeds, secret scandals, juicy tidbits the tabloids could get ahold of. Perhaps by playing Justine’s fiancé, he was risking another Benton scandal after all. But then something else came to mind. Someoneelse.
“Why don’t you check with Claudia?” he said. “She might not want me bringing an outsider in just yet.” The concern gained merit in his mind. If Justine weren’t trustworthy, she could spin a sordid tale for the press before Lorraine’s interview came about. Of course, Burke knew Justine better, but should they have to take his word for it?
“That’s fair,” Lorraine agreed.
Burke’s brows shot up in surprise. He gave his phone a look as she continued.
“But let’s make us a deal, shall we?”
“Oh, great,” he mumbled, provoking a laugh from the woman.
“IfClaudia says yes…yousay yes too. At least yes to asking her.”
Burke gulped, testing the idea in his head. His nerves had tamed. His concern had too. “Okay,” he said. “Deal.”
“That’smy sweet grandson,” Lorraine cooed. “I’ll get back to you about Claudia. You have fun on your date tonight, alright?”
“Alright. Thanks.”
Burke sighed as he tapped the screen to end the call. He guessed she’d learned the wisdom behind the oldstop while you’re aheadphrase.
His mind was going a million directions all at once. The situation with his half-family, the fear of somehow shaming the Benton name. But that’s not what took up the lion’s share of Burke’s headspace. No, the prize for that went to Justine—a woman who hadn’t even been in his life three days ago.
He couldn’t recall being so intrigued by a woman before. Without even trying, Justine had touched spots of his heart he hadn’t even known were there.
Lorraine thought he’d sounded happier, huh? Burke couldn’t deny it. Life seemed to be all blue skies and sunshine with Justine nearby.
The thought had him glancing back at the blanket of clouds in the distance. Hovering, menacing, and dark. He thought back on the deal he’d just made. Burke assured himself that he’d follow through. But as he considered how quickly things could shift—go from perfect to wrecked in a blink—he inwardly reserved the right to forgo the deed.
Call it intuition, paranoia, or sheer life experience with its jaded edge, but Burke wasn’t so sure this would work out after all. In fact, something told him as he pulled his gaze off the dark and crashing storm in the distance, this could easily end in disaster.
Chapter 14
Justine paced down the hallway and eyed the front room window at the end of the hall.No BMW yet.
She spun back toward the other end, feeling more anxious than she ever had for the festival to date. She hadn’t revealed a whole lot about the festivities, and Burke hadn’t asked. But as two forty-five neared, Justine couldn’t help but look at the small town’s events with the scrutinizing eye of an outsider. Particularly an outsider from the big city who’d agreed to play the role of her fiancé.
And would someone with what seemed to be unlimited funds even want some refinished record player? It was meant to be a thank you gift of sorts for all he was doing for her, one with a personal touch, but perhaps he’d think it belonged more in a garage sale than a penthouse.
Don’t worry about it,she urged herself at the head of the hallway once more. The front room felt much bigger with all the extra space in it. Normally, Justine would be thinking about her pieces, how they would sell. How the rest of the vendors would do this year. And she’d probably be thinking about ways she could snag the title of Pie Princess from Brittany before she could win a record third year in a row. Not that she’d ever wanted to win before.
But not this time. Now, as they counted down the final moments, Justine was stuck wondering what kind of convincing she and Burke would come up with. Would he rest his hand on her lower back as they checked out the various booths? He’d done that before, and she’d liked the feel of it. Would he pull her closer as they gathered around the bonfire after dark?
Visions of that blissful dream came to her then, planting a longing for something more. Perhaps a sample of his kiss right when Brittany was looking.
Hot flutters stirred low in her tummy at the mere thought. She couldn’t imagine kissing a man with such ridiculously good looks. Those blue, piercing eyes, that strong chin and chiseled jaw. Even the sculpted angles of his lips added to his masculine appeal. And that scent…
The unmistakable sound of pinecones crunching beneath tires made her heart skip three full beats.
She glanced upward.Please let this work.The moment the words left her lips, Justine was struck with shame. Wasn’t it blasphemous to ask the heavens for help when she was lying to the entire town?
No.She wasn’t so sure itwasall that wrong. After all, she’d lived a good honest life. She’d treated others kindly, and avoided—at all costs—making someone feel the way Brittany and her crew made her feel so many years ago.
In essence, the circumstances leading up to this had catapulted beyond her control. Sure, she told one white lie. But she’d have never lied to Wilfred if he hadn’t pressed so hard. And she’d only done so to avoid hurting his feelings about his constant pursuits to find her a guy. Moreover, she’d never once told anyone outside of Wilfred about the fake engagement. He’d done that all on his own. And what was she supposed to do, makehimlook like the liar?
