“I wanted to say how good it feels tonotbe the one in the hot seat this time,” Duke said.
A couch pillow darted across the room and pegged Duke in the head.
“Hey,” he said, rubbing the spot with his hand. “I was just saying…”
Zander shook his head. “Asinsensitiveas Duke’s comment might sound, it should encourage you to remember that most of us have been in a similar situation.”
“I guess you reallyarea Benton,” James said. “We all mess up with our women before we get it right.”
Burke shook his head. “I don’t think it’s going to be so easy.”
“Who said anything abouteasy?” Zander said.
“Listen, Burke,” Duke chimed in, leveling a look at him. “If there’s one thing we’re good at—as a family—well, besides making money,” he said with a laugh, “it’s covering each other’s butts.”
“You mean having each other’s backs,” James said. “Covering each other’s butts makes it sound like we’re shady or something.”
“Wedohelp one another out,” Lorraine agreed, gaining control of the conversation once more. “And that’s just what we’re going to do. For now, so we can do damage control, it’s time to do a little surfing and see what we’re up against.” She motioned for the group to follow her as she hurried past the tree.
“What do you mean?” Sawyer asked.
Camila and Vivia looked at one another. “Media backlash,” they said in unison.
“Media, how?” Burke tore himself off the couch to follow the group.
“They were streaming the event tonight,” Betzy explained. “There’s likely a whole lot of gossip on that thread already.”
“Gossip that, if word gets out, will spread straight to the tabloids,” Lorraine explained.
“Especially with the name Benton attached,” Camila said.
“Yeah, but she didn’t call you Burke Benton,” Michael said. “She called you Burke Richards.”
Burke nodded. “That’s what I told people in town so I wouldn’t raise any questions.”
“If one of them knows you’re a Benton, they all know by now, trust me,” James said.
“Doesone of them know? Besides Justine?” Michael asked.
All eyes landed on Zander.
“I didn’t hear anyone say it,” Michael continued.
Duke grinned. “That’s because you were getting the hot chocolate. Zander told some old lady that he’s our half-brother.”
“That was…brave.” Michael’s final word came out more like a question.
“Hey,” Zander said with a shrug. “We agreed to go public. I’m all in.” He shot Burke a smile.
“Thanks, man,” Burke said. It felt good to know he wasn’t alone in it. “If I wasn’t so focused on fixing this, I’d probably be bawling like a baby right now,” he admitted.
The group sank into the sofas in the living area while Burke broke into a pace behind them. With one hand spread across his forehead, he rubbed his temples. “I can’t believe this is real.”
Zander pulled up a search bar on the big screen and typed the wordsPiney Falls,Bentons,Burke, andJustine. He looked at Burke over his shoulder before hitting return. “Whatever we’re dealing with, however bad it gets, I want you to know that we’ll support you. Sawyer might have an inside contact with D & L Factories. The women can give you advice on how to approach Justine with the truth, and the best way to fix what’s broken.”
“You have to do somethinggrand,” Bezty said.
“But you have to wait for the right moment or you’ll just scare her away,” Kat added.
