Gently then, Burke closed her door and made his way to his side of the car.
“So what is it that you do?” she asked once he was settled behind the wheel.
Great. Burke started the engine with the press of his key fob. A quiet hum filled the space as he fastened his own seatbelt. Don’t forget about Lenny’s warning. “I work in real estate, in a way. Buying and selling properties.”
“You flip houses?” she asked, a small pucker between her brow.
“Just land, usually. A lot of times it’s an old, almost forgotten listing that I dig up. I can get those at a great price. Then my business partner and I, we have a unique marketing technique that scouts out those willing to pay the big bucks.”
There, nothing too damning.
“So that’s it? You don’t have to do anything to it?”
Burke tipped his head, curiously watching as she reached for the Mentos in his drink holder. She pried one of the candies from the roll and proceeded to bring it to her lips.
“Oh,” she said, glancing over. “You don’t mind, do you?”
He grinned at the fact that asking him was nearly an afterthought. “Not at all. Those are my favorites.”
“Mine too.” She popped it in her mouth and looked at him expectantly.
Oh yeah, she’d asked him a question. “As for the properties, if necessary, I’ll make improvements or additions to make it appeal to a certain market—like buying out the neighboring land—even if it’s not originally for sale—to create one big piece of real estate. The increase is often…significant.”
“Ah,” she said. “Kind of like me. I mean, mine’s just a side thing, but it’s what I enjoy. Taking a piece of forgotten furniture and bringing out the beauty in it. I use good, useful pieces, you know? They just need a little something to make them shine.”
Burke held her gaze for a blink. “I bet you’re good at that. Making things beautiful again.” He gave her a soft smile, pausing just long enough for the bells to sound in his head. The alarms that said he was flirting with danger. Risking another broken heart. But nothing came.
Perhaps it was because there was no real threat here. The chances of Burke winding up with a woman like Justine, glued to her small town as she was, were slim. And the chances she’d ever give him the time of day were even slimmer.
Of course, it could also be that Burke was finally ready to settle down. He’d traveled from one end of the country to the next—a journey he’d known he would make most of his life. And hadn’t he felt something during Duke’s wedding? A longing to find his person too?
But then the real reason struck him, hard and fast. A realization that came very close to chiming that run-for-the-hills alarm after all. He’d nearly forgotten that she just might be engaged.
Burke blew out a pursed breath, not wanting to wait out the entire drive before he found out.
Well, if he was so ready to settle down, if he really had reached that place in his life, he should make himself a promise: if Justine wasn’t engaged, if she was, in fact, available, Burke would not run.
No. He would make use of his time there and Piney Falls, see what this engagement ruse might bring them, and—for once—be open to the world of new possibilities. Sparks of anticipation rushed deep into this core at the thought. Already, Burke couldn’t wait to see what that world might hold.
Chapter 8
The last time Justine went on an official date was late spring with Frank Johnson the towing guy. He’d roped her into it while chaining her Chevy up to his tow truck after a tire blew. “I know you like the rodeo,” he’d said, “and it looks like you could use a ride. It’ll just be two friends going to the rodeo together. Nothing more.”
Sure, until he appeared on her doorstep with a bouquet of flowers, wearing a crisp new shirt, polished cowboy boots, and three gallons of the same cologne her granddad wore. During the night, he reached for her hand once, slyly put his arm around her twice, and tried to plant one on her when they said goodnight.
“So,” Burke said from behind the wheel. “Do you eat at this place we’re going to very often?”
Justine glanced over in time to catch a reflection of light move across his face with a passing car. Sheesh, he was handsome.
“Not really,” she admitted. “It’s where we’d go for date nights, you know, in school for, like, prom and that type of thing.”
Burke tipped his head back in understanding. “Ah, the hotspot for prom nights. Got it.”
“Well,” she added, “it’s also the place for engagements, anniversaries, any special event. It’s the nicest place within miles, so…” Justine didn’t mind saying so; she was from a small town. She’d heard enough jokes to know that—to some outsiders—small town life was often synonymous with boring and even backwards, but life in Piney Falls was, to her, blessed.
“We can do this one of two ways,” Burke said, rolling his shoulders back. He propped a hand on the wheel and narrowed his gaze on the road ahead, lit only by the headlight’s beam. “We can save this whole fiancé story until we’re at the restaurant, or we can dive into it now and then talk about other things while we eat.” He chuckled wryly. “Like all the questions I’m going to have once you tell your story.”
Nervous knots turned in her gut at the idea of telling him. But there was no contest—she wanted to get it out of the way, and quick.
“Okay.” She forced out a heavy sigh, but it did nothing to relieve the tension. “There’s a simple explanation, and it might seem like I did a horrible thing or that I’m a little nuts or something…” She didn’t mean to let that last sentence hang in the air for so long, but at the sound of those words, Justine feared that’s exactly what the guy would think. He’d never met her before today; for all he knew, she was crazy.
The knots in her gut twisted. A flash of heat rushed up her neck.
“My granddad, you met him, he turned into some…chronic matchmaker. Not for everyone though. Just me. He’s been pushing the issue since my grandma passed almost two years ago.”
Burke acknowledged her loss with a subtle nod. “I’m sorry.”
“Thanks. Anyway, the point is, he became hyper focused on it.”
“He’s probably just worried about you,” Burke said. The nonchalant delivery of that comment made Justine pause.
“Worried about what?”
“Well, the man knows he can’t live forever. My guess is, he’d like to see you married before he’s gone.”
A hint of sadness sank into her heart. “Yeah, I’m sure that’s true.”
“And if his wife died not too long ago, he might be realizing how much lonelier life is without a partner.”
“Huh.” She let that sink if for a minute. “That makes sense.” She was losing her entire case and she hadn’t even started. Come on, you had your reasons for putting a stop to it—think.
“So he was playing matchmaker,” Burke encouraged, “to mainly you.”
“Right.” She nodded, setting her thoughts on the events that led to her desperation. The moment that compelled such rash action that it had dug and then buried her in a hole she didn’t know how to climb out of.