The Christmas music quieted.
“It’s a good night to be in Piney Falls, folks. The air is crisp, the pies are a-plenty, and the town’s about to go up in lights. Thanks, all, for joining us this fine evening. First, we’ll be treated to a Christmas medley by Mrs. Whipple’s very own Piney Falls Tiny Chorus Group. Let’s give them all a hand, shall we?”
Justine squeezed Burke’s hand and leaned into him. “Something’s not right,” she said.
“Why do you say that?” Had she noticed how preoccupied he was?
“On the other side of the tree over there, Brittany’s all cozying up to Becky, a girl from school. She’s never given her the time of day.”
Burke tipped his head. “Okay…”
“Becky is the one person in town that knows…well, knew that you didn’t actually exist.”
A furrow pulled at his brow.
“Becky was my cashier that day at the store,” Justine said, the words coming out in a rush. “Brittany came flashing her promise ring, which made Becky confide in me privately about being the only one in town who didn’t have a marriage prospect in sight. So I told her that I had only made you up to appease my nagging granddad. To make her feel better, you know?” She pulled back and stared at him with wide eyes. “Well?”
Burke shook his head, then lowered it to speak closer to her ear. “You think that Becky is dishing the dirt to Brittany right now?” He glanced beyond Justine’s blonde locks to observe the pair. Brittany’s fingers curled around the girls shoulder as she looked at her intently. Two other girls were huddled up close, along with a gentleman whose back was to them.
“I told her not to tell anyone,” Justine said. “And she said my secret was safe with her, but…” She averted her gaze as Brittany shot a look in their direction. “Becky’s really sweet,” Justine continued, “but unlike me, she’s always wanted to be part of that girl group. Something like this could be her in, you know?”
“So what if she did tell her? What would Brittany do, come confront you?” In truth, this seemed like a minor issue compared to the bigger problem bouncing restlessly in Burke’s brain.
But then he noticed something that fanned that very concern. The red-haired gentleman who stood among the group was familiar. Very familiar.
The knots in his gut grew sharper. And bigger too. Only one man knew that Burke was attached to the sale of that land. Land that was, according to Lenny himself, an important piece of property to the town. So what was Lenny doing with the group of gossiping mean girls who might now know that he and Justine weren’t actually engaged?
“It’s weird that Lenny’s with them too,” Justine said, pointing out that very thing. “Not that you know who that is. He wasn’t at the festival, but he used to worship the ground Brittany walked on and she never gave him the time of day either. Now suddenly they’re all besties?”
Burke was only now realizing how very fortunate they were that Foster hadn’t shown himself at the festival. Of course, if the guy confronted him for not mentioning the supposed engagement, Burke could simply say they’d been trying to keep things under wraps.
But if Lenny confronted him while Justine stood beside him…
“Thank you for that lovely medley, Tiny Chorus Group,” came Tom from the mic once more. “We’re experiencing a minor technical issue, so please enjoy some lovely Christmas carols while you wait for the display.”
“Gramps texted and said he’s watching us from the bleachers over there. Millie’s ankle was acting up.” Justine tucked her phone back in her pocket, tipped her head to scan the bleachers, then lifted her arm to wave.
Burke did the same. Man, he was in trouble. Just one more person he’d tick off if he couldn’t fix this whole fiasco. A person who was very important to Justine.
Music picked up over the speakers once more, reminding Burke of the latest announcement. He couldn’t help but wonder if the technical issue had anything to do with the imposter wearing a crown in the crowd. The townsmen needed time to gather their torches and pitchforks.
“Could someone point me in the direction of the Tiny Falls?” came a voice from behind.
Burke spun around in time to see Duke hoist one of the twins onto his shoulders. “Hi, guys,” the little one said with a wave. Dante, Burke realized.
“Thanks for coming, man,” Burke said, turning to give Duke a back pat. “How