Page 20 of Christmas Hearts

"Get her pregnant, did you?"

"My personal life is none of your business, Mitchell, so stay out of it."

I'm starting to get angry, but I can't resort to violence like my brother Ben did at Christmas when he broke Mitchell's nose. Lindsay notices things have gotten out of control when the room starts whispering, so she puts a stop to it.

We finish off, and I go look for Ana. She seems okay, but I'm not a master at reading her moods yet.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, don't worry."

"It's my job to worry about you, gorgeous."

Someone approaches us, and I'm surprised to find Mayor Mitchell standing in front of us.

"I'm going to prove that this engagement is all a sham. That you're using it to manipulate the citizens of Woodland Falls into voting for you."

"You know a thing or two about manipulation, don't you, Mitchell? Don't think my brother hasn't told me what you did to his girl."

"You know nothing about me."

He rushes off and leaves us wondering if he's serious about his threat. I excuse myself to Ana and walk over to my brothers, who are standing and talking to some of the community members. I just look at my brother Ben and squeeze his shoulder gently. That's his cue to gather everyone for a Hoffer meeting.

Less than thirty minutes later, my three brothers and I are gathered in my office at work.

"What's going on, Justin? At the end there, I saw Douchebag talking to you, and he looked like the cat that caught the canary." Michael says.

"He says he's going to find proof that my engagement to Ana is fake."

"I told you to just ask the girl on a date." Michael replies.

"Is your engagement fake, Justin?" Ben wonders out loud. "I mean, you and Ana seemed to be very close on New Year’s when we saw you at Mom's."

"It is, and it isn't. I made her a proposition, asking her to be my wife and campaign manager. That it would look better for a family man to run for mayor instead of a bachelor. She agreed—with some terms of her own."

"Justin…" Ben says in a disapproving tone.

"I think I'm in love with her. Communication between us is patchy. I screwed up with the engagement ring, not proposing and just giving it to her. I'm not good at dating. Luckily, I want to marry her as soon as possible."

"I don't even know what to say to that," Michael adds.

"Is there a way that the mayor can find out about this?" Danny asks.

"I don't think so."

"Maybe we should have someone look into the mayor's comings and goings. To get some leverage of our own." Ben offers.

"Like a private investigator?" I ask.

"Something like that," Ben says.

"Any more words of advice you guys can give me?"

"Well, you've skipped dating the girl…" Michael says.

"We've gone on several dates!"

"And you've skipped the proposal…" Ben adds.

---