Page 87 of The Fake Date (Brides of Beaufort 4)

“Beau.”

“What did she say to you?” I asked, jerking my chin toward the door. “Because before she came in here, it seemed like we werefinallyabout to get somewhere. After last night, I figured you knew where I stood.”

“You stand on shaky ground, Beau. We both do. This isn’t good for either of us.”

Layla popped her head into the cottage again, causing me to bite back a curse. “Hey, guys, sorry, Grandma’s asking where you are again.”

“Tell her we’ll be right there,” Lyndi said, grabbing her purse and heading for the door.

I groaned and followed after her, taking her hand as we crossed the grass, smiling at her family as we passed them. “Lyndi—”

“Let’s do it at breakfast,” she whispered as we hurried toward the dining room. “It doesn’t have to cause a scene, we can just talk quietly and then you can get up and leave. I’ll tell Grandma later what happened. Now, come on. We need to get in there.”

Then without another word, the most frustrating woman I’d ever laid eyes on shot ahead of me, slipping into the dining room before I had a chance to stop her.

Fine. We’ll talk about it later, then.

During breakfast, I did my best to fake it and act the same way I had with her family yesterday. I chatted easily with her grandparents and parents, I smiled lovingly at Lyndi—meaning it—and I tried not to think about the fact that I wanted to yank her out of here and tell her how I felt so she’d stop trying to give me the signal to break up with her stubborn self.

“Beau,” she purred in my ear, tone icy, yet it caused fire to flash down my neck.

“Yes, dear?”

“Stop being so nice,” she ordered.

I gave her my most innocent smile. “Whatever do you mean?”

She hid her mouth behind her coffee cup so no one could read her lips. “We’re about to break up and you’re acting like we’re madly in love.”

“Sure am.”

Her eyes narrowed ever so slightly as she peered at me over the rim of her cup. “Get up and leave.”

“No.”

Thankfully, she dropped it. We finished up breakfast without any further talk on the subject, so I’d hoped I was in the clear. But then as soon as it was safe to do so, she took off so fast it made my head spin.

She really needs to stop doing that.

Even as I thought it, I shot myself down. I did this to her. It was my fault she was so wary of my motives and distrusting of everything I said. I’d made a killing selling this version of myself so I could take care of my father’s debt, but I was paying for it in a different way now.

I got up to find her, but as soon as I reached the door, her mom stepped in my path. “Hey, Beau, do you have a minute?”

Smiling despite the nerves reaching all the way down to my toes, I nodded. “For you? Absolutely.”

“How’s everything going?”

“Great. The trip’s been fun so far.”

“Not the trip, Beau. With Lyndi.”

I scratched the back of my neck. “Um, well, we’re great, too.”

“She seems a little…tensethis morning. But she won’t talk to me. And Layla wouldn’t tell me anything when I asked her. So, I’m asking you. I know my daughter, Beau. Something’s not right.”

I treaded carefully, wondering if this was going to be yet another one of those moments where someone we were trying to fool could see right through our act. “She’ll be fine. We’re just having a little disagreement, that’s all.”

“A disagreement? About what?” Mrs. Robinson asked, putting her hand on my arm. The look in her eye told me right away she didn’t know this started as a phony arrangement. “I’m sorry, if it’s none of my business, that’s fine. I just knew something was wrong and was worried. I’ll butt out so you two can sort through it.”