A Bad Boy is Good to Find - By Jennifer Lewis Page 0,84
A smile crept across his face. “I’ll rewind over this on two conditions.”
“What?” snapped Con.
“One, you have to buy me a six pack of beer.”
“Done.”
“Two, you have to go after that sonofabitch. I was listening at the window. His type makes me want to spit nails. Con, wouldn’t you like to see Maisie sharpen her journalistic claws on that bastard?”
Con raised an eyebrow very slightly. “When you put it that way, I think we can make a deal.”
“Any fine local brew will be acceptable.”
Lizzie let out a silent sigh of relief. “Dino, you are a man in a million.”
“And for the record, I think you two are made for each other.”
Lizzie frowned and tossed her hair. “Let’s go find a grocery store.”
Chapter 20
The power was still out when the local news crew arrived to do the arranged interview with Con. They brought their own lighting, which was lucky as dusk was falling and candles didn’t do more than punctuate the sweaty darkness descending on the house. The dining room was ablaze with spotlights and floodlights and people milled about, stepping over trailing wires and talking urgently into cell phones.
The perky local reporter with her spackled-on makeup and molded wire hair made Maisie look washed out and girlish by comparison, but Maisie didn’t seem to notice. She was too busy glad handing and name dropping.
Lizzie shook her head. She had ample opportunity to shake her head since she wasn’t wanted on camera. No, it was The Con Beale Show and his impending wedding rated only a brief mention in the interviewer’s introduction.
“The camera does love him, doesn’t it,” whispered Raoul, as he and Lizzie stood side by side in the shadows, watching Con’s elegant profile on a monitor. “Cool under pressure, that one. You picked a winner when you chose him. And you didn’t even know he owned this place!” Raoul slid his arm around Lizzie’s shoulders and squeezed her affectionately.
A spore of guilt exploded inside her. Did Raoul really think she loved Con? Despite overhearing them in the bedroom, he didn’t seem to get that they were just doing this for the money. Amazing what people will believe when they want to badly enough.
She knew how that went.
“He doesn’t own it yet,” she muttered.
“But these reporters are hot on the trail. Miss Thing there just said it.” He nodded his head at the female reporter. “He’ll get his due. I know it. You’ll be living the high life again, by his side. It’s like a fairy tale.”
She froze. The script she’d written for her and Con didn’t extend past payday, and here was Raoul conjuring up a Spanish-moss-bedecked happily-ever-after. Somehow, after last night’s unexpected intimacy, that scared the hell out of her.
She blew out a slow, silent breath. “Can you really see Con living here in swamp-ville again?”
“Yes.” He didn’t even look at her. “He loves this place. Can’t you tell? The way he’s always pointing out the birds and the trees and all that. He’s right at home here.”
Huh? Were they talking about the same person? Or was Con giving jovial swamp tours while she holed up in the bedroom?
What did it matter? “Even if the house does turn out to be his, he couldn’t afford to keep it. The lawyer’s already spent the money and a place like this costs a fortune to maintain.”
“Con will think of something. He’s a hustler,” Raoul said cheerfully.
“I won’t argue with that,” she murmured.
The reporter turned to face the camera. “So, Daniel Beale, Danny, Tiny, if you are out there, or if anyone out there knows where he is, please contact Eyewitness News at the number on your screen and reunite this family torn apart by tragedy.”
“I guess they dub the violins in later.” Dino snuck up behind them.
“Shut your mouth,” whispered Raoul. “I’m all choked up.”
He wasn’t kidding. Raoul still had his arm around her, and Lizzie could feel his chest heaving. She slid her arm around him and patted his back. “You’re a very caring person, Raoul.”
“It’s my downfall, sweetheart.”
“That’s a wrap,” called the female reporter. “We’re going to head back and cut a segment for the late news. We’ll pass any information we get right along to you. Thanks so much, Conroy, I think your story will touch a lot of hearts.”
Con said something inaudible and shook her hand. He searched the darkness, and when he found Lizzie, the look he gave her made her catch her breath.
This was all your idea.
“Excuse me.” She disentangled herself from Raoul and