Hearts in Motion (Boggy Creek Valley 5)

Bree lifted a single brow and waited for my answer.

“I enjoyed the drive up the valley,” I said, “and even stumbled onto a movie set.”

Folding her arms over her chest, Bree fought to keep the corners of her mouth from tipping up into a smile.

“Oh! How lovely,” her mother replied.

“Thank you for the tray earlier today, Mrs. Rogers.”

Bree’s mom waved her hand. “Please, none of that here. You can call me Joanne and my husband Ron.”

I nodded. “Will do.”

Joanne turned and looked at Bree. “I’m guessing you’ve already met my daughter, Brighton. Today is her birthday, and she’s going out to dinner—”

Bree quickly cut her mother off. “We met earlier, Mom. I really need to get going.”

“Is Kyle not picking you up?” I asked.

Joanne frowned and looked at Bree. “Why would—”

“He’s working late,” Bree said, interrupting her mother again. “But don’t worry, it’s not the first time a man has asked me to meet him at a restaurant.”

I felt the hit right in my gut. My smile faded slightly before I cleared my throat. “I hope you enjoy your birthday this evening.”

“Oh, I will. Trust me. I plan on enjoying it over, and over, and over.”

Joanne stared at Bree with a look of utter confusion.

I nodded, then looked at Joanne. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to get ready as well. I have plans this evening.”

The smirk on Bree’s face disappeared, and she turned away from me as I walked by and headed up the stairs to my room.

“Enjoy your evening, Mr. Cunningham!” Joanne called out.

The moment I got to my room and shut the door, I let out a string of curses. I hadn’t come to Boggy Creek to play these fucking games. I wanted to talk to Bree, but she clearly preferred to pretend she was going out to dinner with her fake boyfriend and that they’d be having sex all night.

Sighing, I pulled my wallet and keys out of my pockets and tossed them onto the small table in the room. I looked at the little basket that had been here when I’d checked in. There were shortbread cookies inside, along with a notepad and pen, mints, a chocolate bar, and a handwritten note from Joanne.

The room was a bright, cheery yellow, with a light blue comforter and blue sheets. On the bedside table sat a small bottle of lavender spray with a note that suggested I spray my pillow for a good night’s sleep.

The rest of the room was decorated in soft blues and yellows, with an antique dresser and writing desk. The queen-size bed also had an antique frame and the most amazingly intricate carvings I had ever seen in wood. It was beautiful. I imagined all the rooms in the bed and breakfast were decorated in a similar fashion. A large picture window with a cushioned seat overlooked the huge backyard. A small pillow sat on it that read “A Bushel and a Peck.” That seemed to be Joanne’s favorite saying. I had seen it numerous times already, and I’d only checked in this morning.

I sat down on the bed and rubbed at the back of my neck. Kyle had mentioned where he was taking Bree to dinner tonight, and part of me wanted to show up, just to see what Bree would do. It was obvious to me that the two of them weren’t a couple. I was an actor, and I could spot an act a mile away.

“Christ, you can’t show up alone, Luke,” I said to myself. Standing, I started to pace…then smiled. I reached for my phone and pulled up Hank’s number.

“You couldn’t possibly need me already,” he answered, sighing heavily into the phone.

“I don’t need you. I need Arianna.”

There was a short pause. “Why do you need my sister?”

“I need a date.”

“A date?” Hank asked, surprise in his voice.

“Yes. I mean, with Brighton acting like she’s dating someone, I can’t show up alone.”

“So you want to use my sister in this little game?”

“Brighton started it,” I said.

“Really, Luke? That’s the best you can come up with? Hold on. Arianna wants to know what’s going on.”

The phone was muffled, and I could barely hear Hank talk to his sister. When he came back on the line, he was clearly agitated.

“I think this is a mistake, but it seems like Arianna is into the deception.”

I cackled. “Deception? I’m not going to hang on her like she’s my date. I simply need her to show up with me.”

“To make Bree think you’re on a date.”

I sighed. “I guess it is rather childish.”

“Thank God you see the light.”

I stood and started to pace around the room. The image of Bree in that black dress had my body tightening up like a damn coil. “Tell Arianna thanks, but I think I’ve come to my senses.”