Page 45 of The Fiance Dilemma

The brown in his eyes sparked with interest. His voice went down, and he must have been on a quest to distract me because he said, “I know that now.Sugarplum.”

I wrinkled my nose at him before turning toward the other two women with a tense smile.Sugarplumwasn’t a winner either.

Bobbi’s eyes found mine from the settee she was perched on. Her lips were pressed in a line. She was still a little mad at me for ignoring her. And she probably thought my and Matthew’s exchange was cringy. I gave her a nod and she answered with more glaring.

“So, Josephine,” Willa said, snatching my attention. “How far along are the wedding preparations?”

“They’re… far enough to be along.”

“She means that everything’s under control,” Bobbi explained. “Especially now that the father of the bride is here.”

I couldn’t help but stiffen in the plush cushion I was sitting on. Was that why Andrew was here? Gosh, I wished I could pull out my phone and see one more time if I could find the answers in Bobbi’s magic W.P. of Hell, or whatever she called it.

“I bet,” Willa commented, eyes still on me. “I hope that’s not being tainted by all that is being said online.” My breath caught on its way in, and I felt Matthew’s arm coming around my waist. “I hear planning can be daunting.”

“Daunting is one way to put it,” I repeated with a smile. “So how long have you been writing forTimemagazine? Any reason in particular why you’ve decided to visit the beautiful state of North Carolina?”

“I’ve worked in the field long enough to know it can’t be easy for you to be roped into something like this,” Willa answered. She flung her pad open and scribbled a word. “The public eye can be vicious, as I’m sure you’ve seen with your father. Then your sister. Now you.” Her gaze bounced to the man by my side. “Or the two of you, better said.”

I wondered what she’d just written down. I wondered if I could see if I squinted my eyes. “That’s nothing I—or my fiancé—can’t handle,” I quipped. Matthew’s hand at my hip squeezed as if in confirmation. “We know how to keep busy, block the noise, and stay focused on what’s important.”

“Like the wedding,” Willa concluded, making me think that Bobbi wasn’t the only person who believed that a wedding was the solution to every problem. A drop of sweat clung to the nape of my neck, and Willa scribbled some more in her pad. She lifted her head. “Do you mind telling me a little about that?”

Sheesh. For such an aesthetically pleasing–looking woman, she was like a dog with a bone. Reminded me of Bobbi, and we were only ten minutes into this. “What about it?”

“Anything you’re comfortable sharing.” She shrugged an elegantshoulder, her poise casual. “Returning to your question, that’s why I’m here. To learn everything there is about Andrew. We’re working on a book, as I’m sure he’s told you. I wouldn’t call it a biography but more of a recollection of all his accomplishments and failures. We’re still finessing the details. For now, all I want is to gain an understanding of his life. That includes you, Josephine. It also includes things like your fiancé, the wedding, Andrew’s role in that, or the hometown you two share.”

I blinked at the woman. For a long moment.

A book? A… memoir, from what she’d described. She was wrong. I was hearing about it for the first time. And the fact that the woman who had called me a misstep was writing it led me to believe she might consider me one of those failures she’d mentioned.

I pushed out an awkward-sounding laugh. “Well, if you’re looking for the story of how I was conceived, I don’t think I’m the person to ask. I wasn’t really there that night, Willa.”

Bobbi’s jaw hit the floor.

Matthew covered a snort with a cough.

And I would have felt a prickle of pride if I wasn’t busy trying not to be intimidated by the way Willa was looking at me.

“I’d like for you to show me around, Josephine,” Willa said. “Spend some time with you while I’m here. Besides shadowing Andrew.”

“Sure, of course,” the people pleaser in me started, but I saw Bobbi’s head shaking. “Or maybe not. Maybe…” Bobbi lifted a finger and signaled something I didn’t understand. “Maybe Bobbi should? Yes. She’s been here long enough to know her way around town. And I know she’s been dying to socialize with someone who can relate to being away from home. So she should take you.”

Bobbi’s eyes narrowed. “Thank you, Josephine,” she deadpanned. “I’m truly ecstatic to show Willa around this wonderful place.”

Matthew’s hand moved at my hip, what had to be his thumb brushing my skin over the tulle, the gesture tickling and warming my skin. It felt like a tiny reward, a distraction I deserved, and a strange sound left my throat in response. He continued, awareness bubbling in the most inappropriate way and moment.

“I wonder what’s taking Andrew so long,” Willa commented.

“He’ll be here in a minute,” Bobbi answered.

That thumb got a little adventurous, trailing up, tickling me further, and driving me even more distracted. “I guess only Andrew would be late to the first meeting with his child, huh?”

Matthew’s hand went still. His body, too.

Bobbi gave her head one disapproving shake. Willa returned to her notes, adding something else.

“Sorry,” I said, flustered. “That came out worse than it sounded in my head. We’ve been face-to-face. Through a screen. In the monthly Zoom calls. It’s really not like he didn’t want to come here. He’s a busy man. And I get it. I’m mayor of town and I own a business. I could have flown to Miami if I wanted to, but I was busy.” I swallowed, my excuse feeling silly. Had I really compared those two things to Andrew’s responsibilities? “Anyone else struggling with this heat wave? Because this time last year, I wouldn’t have been wearing this dress. I can tell you that much.”

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