“Cozy,” I tell him.
Beau shines with pride. “You hungry? I can cook us something here. Your flight got in a little early and no festivities start until tomorrow. I figure I’ll wait until tomorrow to toss you to the lion’s den.”
“That bad?”
“Ah.” Beau takes off his ball cap and anxiously runs his hand through his hair. “Not bad, they’re just a lot. Especially to outsiders.”
“Well, I’ll have to make them think I’m not an outsider.”
Beau eyes me for a few moments, gaze slightly narrowed. “How old are you? The agency said you’re of age.”
I send a lazy smirk his way. “I’m plenty old enough, Beau. I’m twenty-two.”
Beau whistles, eyes going wide at my admission. “You’re a kid,” Beau whispers in disbelief.
“I’m a forty-year-old at heart, don’t worry about it. You’ll see.”
He thoughtfully rubs a hand over the stubble on his chin, but doesn’t argue, just gives me a tight nod. Awkward energy radiates off of him. I oddly feel the need to fix it.
“How about you show me around town?” I ask, hoping to ease the awkwardness between us. Everyone needs to believe we’re boyfriends by tomorrow for the rehearsal dinner. “You need to pick up your suit?”
Beau heads towards the kitchen. I follow behind him like a scorned puppy.
“Yeah, sure. I do need to pick up my suit actually.”
“Well, we can cross that off our list as you show me my boyfriend's hometown. Give me the works.”
Beau sends a complicated look my way. But I just smile at him. My mission these next few days will be to keep him comfortable, make us believable, and earn my pay. I’ve endured worse.
CHAPTER THREE
BEAU
Trevor is so damn young. He’s also unfairly gorgeous. All tan skin and golden hair that falls in soft waves, just barely brushing his shoulders. And the way he looks at me screams trouble. Even when he thinks I’m not paying attention, I can feel the heat of his assessing gaze. Raking over me with all the weight of a physical touch.
I definitely made the right decision in ushering him out of the house.
Instead of the work truck, I get us into my antique Chevy that I use to run errands around town. My classic girl doesn’t have air-conditioning, so we roll the windows down, letting the whip of the wind cool us against the damp heat outside. Trevor is a great sport and doesn’t complain. He just sits patiently in the passenger seat with his elbow out the window, eyes keenly absorbing the farm landscape we pass on the short way into town.
We strike gold when one of the diagonal parking spots in front of the suit shop along Main Street is empty. I park us carefully, leaving a wide berth beside the cars next to us to avoid getting dings to my truck. Trevor wordlessly follows me out ofthe car and into the sweltering heat. His head slowly turns both ways to take in the long expanse of Main Street. I try to see it from his viewpoint but it’s impossible after living in Clay Springs all my life.
Brick-covered roads, with a long sidewalk down the middle of Main Street with blooming flowers in the middle. The wind blows the sweet scent of jasmine toward us from where it climbs and covers a gazebo. Inside are swings that, during the spring and winter, are frequently occupied by young couples entwined. A gentle, genuine smile covers Trevor’s face as he absorbs downtown Clay Springs.
“It’s like something out of a movie,” Trevor says in awe. “You seriously get to live here?”
I grunt an affirmative answer. He follows me without a word into the suit shop. Mrs. Carmichael waves at me from the register, her hair still buzzed short after her numerous rounds of chemotherapy last year. I give her a hug over the counter, and she pats my cheek when I pull away.
“Beau Callahan. You get prettier every time I see you.”
Heat slowly creeps up my neck and cheeks. “Thanks, ma’am.”
“I’ve known you since you were born, and you still refuse to call me Cathy.”
“Sorry, ma’am.”
She scoffs at me with a teasing smile. “Your suit is all done. Want to try it on before you leave just to make sure?”
I nod and follow her to the back, almost forgetting that Trevor is with me. I only remember when Mrs. Carmichael brings out the suit and her gaze dips to the side.
