Page 78 of The Fake Date (Brides of Beaufort 4)

“Marriage did it, I think. I’m pretty sure I’m screwed now.”

“Great.”

“So, why didn’t you tell her how you feel? Sounds like the conversation last night would have been the perfect time.”

Actually, it wouldn’t have been because I happened to be sharing her bed at the time.I adjusted my tie, suddenly feeling like it was a little too tight. “Because then I asked about her not wanting to date someone who’s leaving, and her answer pretty much told me she wasn’t letting herself be into me either. I think maybe some things just aren’t meant to work out, you know?”

“Nope. But again, I’m a sap now, so what do I know?”

“Uh-huh.” My gaze wandered back to Lyndi, finding that she was talking to an older woman who looked a lot like her mom. I needed to get back there and do my thing. “Anyway, abort mission. I’m gonna keep doing what I’m doing and call it good.”

He hung his head. “Your loss, man.”

“No,” I disagreed, backing up to rejoin her, “because you can’t lose something you never had.”

I hurried over to Lyndi and pasted my professional smile in place, sliding next to her and resting my hand on the small of her back. “Hi.”

“Aunt Rose, this is my boyfriend, Beau,” Lyndi said, introducing me the same way she had been all morning.

“Nice to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“You too,” I replied, slightly uneasy.

“How long have you two been together?” Aunt Rose asked, blinking up at us with an innocent smile on her lips.

“Oh, almost a month now, right?” I asked Lyndi.

She nodded with a grin. “Yep.”

“How nice. And how did you meet?”

Lyndi squeezed me tighter against her. “He was at a wedding I was working.”

“Was it love at first sight?” Aunt Rose asked, her hands clasped in front of her.

Oh, this is a new one.

I looked down at my fake girlfriend. “What do you think, Lyn?”

She pursed her lips, then shook her head. “I’m not a huge fan of love at first sight. I’d say… crush at first sight is more accurate.”

“I can’t blame you,” Aunt Rose crooned, giving me a look that had me gulping like a rabbit spotted by a hungry… well, cougar, actually.

Lyndi gasped. “Aunt Rose!”

“I’m old but I have eyes,” she said with a teasing laugh. “Anyway, my daughter said you have a business as a wedding-date-for-hire. Is that how this started?”

I shook my head and slung my arm over Lyndi’s shoulders. “No, no. This was completely unofficial.”

“I see. And are you still in the business?”

“Not locally,” I answered, again, like I had been all morning. It was a popular question since her family all knew about my side gig and this is what we’d agreed on. “I’ll still take out of town jobs, though.”

“Isn’t that a littlestrangefor you, Lyn? Knowing he’s out there with other women? I know it’s all for show, but still.”

If other family members had thought that today, they hadn’t had the guts to share their opinion on it yet. And if I were being honest, it was a fair question. Now that I knew how I felt about Lyndi, the idea of going on any more fake dates didn’t sit well with me at all.

But what was I supposed to do about my old man’s debt? I couldn’t just cut off thousands of dollars a month for a woman who openly made it clear we couldn’t be together for reasons that were important to both of us. That would be crazy.