A Bad Boy is Good to Find - By Jennifer Lewis Page 0,95

drawing pain, anything to distract from the uncomfortable mix of sensations boiling inside her.

“Lizzie.” A hissed voice from the darkness made her spin around. A long narrow face topped by a thick head of wheaten hair emerged from the gloom.

“Dwight?” She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and walked away from the lights and cameras..

“Why are you shooting out here in the dark?”

“No power in the house. Con’s meeting his brother.”

“Who?” Dwight wrinkled his face impatiently.

Did Dwight not even know about Con? A chill trickled through Lizzie as she remembered how she’d kept Con a secret from everyone. Her own prize, her dream, that she didn’t want anyone to trample on. Or was it because deep down she knew he wasn’t one of them and they wouldn’t really accept him?

He’d be one of them now, though, as heir to this place and a fortune in vintage sheet metal.

Shame seared through her at the superficial thought. She didn’t deserve someone like Con, who’d been through so much and emerged a warmer, nicer person than she’d ever be.

Dwight tapped his foot impatiently on the tarmac. “Where’s Maisie?”

Lizzie shook her head and gulped. “I don’t know. She’s out here somewhere. They’re in the middle of shooting, though, so you might want to go wait inside.”

Dwight smacked at a mosquito above the collar of his striped oxford shirt. “Ugh, this is ridiculous! I fly all the way down here and now—”

“Shhhhh!” came a hiss from the darkness.

Dwight stalked off to the house.

“Lizzie!” Lizzie jumped as Con said her name. “Come here.”

Anxiety spiked inside her as he beckoned her into the harsh glare of the television lights. What did he want with her?

“I want you to meet my brother, Danny.”

Her heart thudded as she walked toward him in slow motion. How did he know for sure it was his brother?

Con seized her hand as she came close. “Danny, this is Lizzie, the woman who brought me back down here. I wouldn’t have had the courage to come without her.”

Lizzie’s breath evaporated, and the television lights stung her eyes. “Hello,” she managed, as a large, very rough hand grabbed hers and shook it. “Nice to meet you.”

Her words sounded stupid, but she had no idea what to say. She noticed that Con’s brother had tattoos on both forearms. His features, blunt and forbidding in the harsh light, melted into a smile when he spoke.

“I’m glad to meet you too, Lizzie. I’ve wished for this moment for ten long years.” A gentle voice, with its almost European-sounding accent. “Thank you for bringing my brother back to me.”

Lizzie colored, partly as a result of the strong emotion zinging between all three of them and partly out of embarrassment that her motives were so very different. She’d dragged Con here to punish him, and her plan had turned inside out.

She heard harsh whispering off to one side, and the Eyewitness News reporter stepped into the light.

Lizzie barely heard a word of the interview that followed. She backed away out of the light, slipping her hand from Con’s as he answered a question. Out in the darkness, Maisie fumed and stamped about being scooped, while a producer from the news station reminded her they’d been the ones to find Danny and she’d get her turn in a minute.

It seemed like an hour before all the news vans packed up their equipment and rolled off into the steamy darkness. Lizzie was ashamed to find herself hoping Danny Beale would climb back into his truck and roll away too, but of course he didn’t.

Con and his brother talked, animated and excited, touching each other a lot as if they couldn’t quite believe the other person was really there and they needed to make sure. Both beaming. She could see the resemblance between them now, even in the darkness. Not just features but gestures and the cadence of their speech. She knew she should feel very happy for Con, and part of her did, but the rest of her was…

Jealous? She wanted Con all to herself again.

The portable generator the electricians were using had roared to life again once the cameras turned off, and the jackhammer fury of its engine rattled her nerves.

“Dinner!” Maisie’s voice penetrated the darkness. “Let’s get out of here and into some light and air-conditioning before we all go mad.”

“Lizzie, come with us!” called Con. He stood by Danny’s truck. She swallowed and walked forward, tucking her hair behind her ears. She had a feeling Danny