Page 34 of The Fake Date (Brides of Beaufort 4)

“It’s weird not to be the one taking their photos,” she said, sighing as she watched her sister and Zac walk over to the pond.

“I’m surprised you didn’t tell Layla you wanted to do it instead.”

“I tried. She wasn’t having it. She said I’d taken a million special photos of her over the years, and today she wanted me to have fun.”

I shook my head with an exaggerated scowl. “The nerve.”

“I know, right. You reallydosee me.”

Meeting her eyes then, I swallowed. “I think I do, yeah.”

“Oh, there you are, Lyndi,” Ms. Hattie said, breaking the moment as she walked up with her son on her arm. “You remember Brett, right?”

“I do, yes. It’s good to see you.”

I lifted a brow as he smiled at her, pointing between them. “You two know each other already?”

“Small town,” Lyndi said with a shrug.

“We practically grew up together,” Brett explained.

Oh, peachy.

“Hey, man. I’m Brett,” he said to me, sticking out his hand.

I shook it firmly—yes,thatfirmly—and gave him a tight smile. “Beau. Nice to meet you. Your mom said you’re a Marine, too?”

“Guilty as charged. Gotta love moms. They always lead with the Marine thing, you know?”

His comment was simple and there was nothing wrong with it, but I couldn’t help but think of my own mom. The truth was, she hadn’t lived long enough to see me as a Marine. But if she had, she’d probably have been the same way. I brushed off the uneasiness as quickly as it had come, but then when I looked down to find Lyndi staring at me with a massive amount of concern in her eyes, a lump formed in my throat.

Shaking my head, I turned back to Brett. “Right. So, where are you stationed?”

I already knew the answer, but it was the natural question when Marines ran into each other in social settings. I didn’t want to highlight the fact that we were standing in the middle of Ms. Hattie’s matchmaking attempt by letting him know we’d been talking about him.

“Okinawa. I’m here for a month since I don’t get to come back that often.”

“Oh, wow. That’s great,” Lyndi said.

Ms. Hattie reached out and tapped her arm. “Hey, Lyndi, Brett will still be in town for your cousin Clara’s wedding. Do you have a date yet for that?”

“Actually, she does,” I said before I even knew I’d opened my mouth. Then, to make matters worse, I draped an arm around Lyndi’s shoulders and squeezed her tightly against my side.

Ms. Hattie gasped, looking between us with wide eyes. “No way. Lyndi, did you hire him?”

Brett frowned. “Wait,hire?Am I missing something?”

“Beau has a business where women pay him to be their dates,” Ms. Hattie explained.

“To weddings,” Lyndi blurted. “Just as their wedding dates. Strictly weddings.”

“Right,” Ms. Hattie said. “So, did you hire him, Lyndi?”

“I—”

“No, she didn’t hire me. We’re going togetheroff the books,” I said, internally groaning at the way my mouth kept spitting stuff out before I could stop it.

“Off the books? As in, you two are a couple now?”