Page 64 of Can't Fight the Moonlight

"It's a tough call," she admitted, feeling torn herself. "Maybe we should go to the bar one night and see what's going on."

"That's not a bad idea. If Kevin sees us, maybe he'll come clean to Chloe so that we don't have to."

"That would be a better scenario."

"I can't believe he's acting like such a jerk," Keira continued. "All these years she waited for him to come back, and he always said how much he missed her, and now they're at odds, and they have a new baby. How is this happening?"

"I wish I knew."

"Chloe has been holding down the home fort for a long time. When does she get a break? When is it her turn?" Keira demanded. "Maybe I should tell her what Kevin is doing. I hate that she's being taken advantage of."

She smiled. Keira was always fiercely protective of people. She was the kind of friend who would always have your back, and the lingering resentment she'd had toward her bringing Paula's proposal to her disappeared. Keira hadn't been trying to hurt her, but to help her. She was just being too sensitive.

"What do you think, Lizzie?" Keira continued.

She focused back on Chloe. "Well, we can't do anything tonight. They're having dinner with Kevin's parents, who are celebrating their anniversary."

"Hopefully, he spends the entire night at home with his parents and his wife and his child."

"Hopefully," she echoed, as the art and wine fair came into view.

Wicker Avenue had been closed down to traffic, and a dozen or more tents had been set up along several blocks, offering wine, art, and appetizers. There was quite a large crowd filling the street, and she hoped all of the guests at the inn were here. She'd made a point of encouraging everyone to attend. She wanted them to not only fall in love with her inn but also with Whisper Lake, so they would continue to come back as often as possible.

They stopped at the first booth to grab plastic glasses of wine and then meandered through the art in the booth next door. As she paused to study a landscape of the lake, Hannah moved up next to her.

"I heard you've been hanging out with the very sexy Justin Blackwood," Hannah said. "What have I missed the last two days?"

She smiled. "Not much. I'm just being a good host."

"And what is he being?" she asked, with a mischievous smile.

"He's being a good guest."

"Hey, I want the juicy stuff, not the stuff you'd tell your parents," Hannah complained.

She hesitated. "We might have kissed."

"Really? Okay. Now we're getting to the good part. It was good, wasn't it?"

"Oh, yeah, the man can kiss."

"What else can he do?"

"I'm not going to find out."

Hannah groaned. "Why not? He's one of the hottest guys I've seen in a long time. Why wouldn't you find out? It sounds like you're both interested. Is he married or something?"

"No, he's single. But he's just passing through."

"Good. Then if he's bad in bed, you won't have to see him again."

"Unfortunately, I don't think that will be my problem."

"You're afraid you're going to fall in love with him."

She was actually afraid that was already happening, but she didn't want to say that. "I think it's better that Justin and I keep a professional relationship. I don't want to complicate things, and his grandparents are two of my best repeating guests. They've also sent several friends my way. I don't want to ruin that relationship by messing around with their grandson."

Hannah grinned. "If anyone understands love, it's probably Marie and Ben. Look how long they've been married."

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