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Brent was the instigator. Gennessey figured that out within the first half hour spent with this family. As the youngest, she imagined he was afforded a certain amount of latitude with his antics, but none of the boys stepped over the line of being disrespectful to each other or their parents. Even as they gave Collette a hard time for mistakenly locking the boys out of a car which wasn’t theirs, she smiled and laughed along with them as if it was a story she’d heard many times over the years but never tired of it because of how her family enjoyed it.
“The best part,” Brent continued. “The look on the man’s face when he came out and saw what was going on. We were trying to tell Mom to get out, but she thought we were trying to trick her into unlocking the doors so we could get in. Then the man came out and thought we were trying to steal his car. He wanted to call the cops and everything.”
Collette rolled her eyes and shot at glance at Gennessey. “That’s what happens when I tried to spend the day with the boys without their father with us.”
“I would have loved to see it, but the stories I heard afterwards were well worth not being there,” Amos chimed in. “The man made such a fuss, he got the attention of several people from our community who were coming and going to the fair. They were all too happy to call me and tell me about what they saw.”
Gennessey chuckled. “Did the guy call the police?”
“Yes,” Collette exclaimed. “It didn’t matter what I said. The man was convinced I was trying to rob him. I waited there in the parking lot with these boys who weren’t trying to help me out and this man who treated me like a dangerous criminal.”
“But the guy was the one embarrassed. The two cops who showed up went to our church. They not only had known Mom and Dad for most of their lives, but they knew the three of us pretty well. They asked the guy if he really believed by looking at Mom that she was a criminal out to steal his car with her three sons in tow. They made the guy look so stupid, he apologized to Mom and drove out of there as fast as he could with the cops watching him.” BB finished the story with his arm draped across the back of her chair and his eyes capturing hers as if he had all day to spend staring at her.
“It really was the best day,” Brent mused, and his mother playfully punched his arm.
Gennessey laughed and tried to act unaffected by BB’s attention. He’d introduced her as a girlfriend, but he’d done little more than loosely hold her hand or place his hand at the small of her back when they walked or smile in her direction. As far as public displays of affection went, his moves were basic and could be counted as brotherly.
But her reaction to him was anything but innocent. Her nerves felt electrically charged each time she felt his hand or his gaze on her. His arm would lightly brush against her, and she felt a zing all the way down to her toes. He looked into her eyes, and her heart skittered in her chest.
It has to be the pretense. This is the first time we’ve played the part of boyfriend and girlfriend, so it’s natural to feel this way.
If only her rationalization was as convincing as it sounded in her head…
“I think it’s time to move this to the living room.” Amos rose from the dining room table as if to emphasize his statement.
“Mom, Gen and I will help you clean up.” BB lifted his and Gennessey’s empty plates as he stood.
“Of course, I’ll be happy to help,” Gennessey agreed.
“Thank you. Actually, Brennan, you and your brothers go with your father. It will give me and Gennessey a chance to visit without all the testosterone in the room.”
BB tilted his head to study Collette closely. “Everything okay, Mom?”
“What’s the matter, son? Afraid to leave your girlfriend alone with your mother?” Amos chuckled.
Gennessey smiled and nudged BB with her shoulder. “Go. I’m looking forward to hearing some embarrassing stories about you from your mother.”
He returned her smile and followed behind his father and brothers without further comment. Gennessey refrained from releasing a sigh of relief to have a break from the pretense. She hadn’t bargained for the way her body reacted to the touches and sweet words and attention she received from BB in order to fool his family into believing they were together. Their performance seemed to work too well. Not only were the Becketts convinced, but she was starting to fall under BB’s spell.
Isobel had been right. BB was the perfect choice for her wedding plus-one. She’d seen him charm the panties right off of women when they were hanging out at Torch, but she’d never seen him work his magic in circumstances where the end result wasn’t sex.
Collette collected a couple of dishes from the table and moved into the kitchen, leaving Gennessey to do the same. Once the men were gone, the energy changed, or at least she felt a shift. The dinner had been lighthearted and fun with the delicious meal adding to the laidback atmosphere.
Once the men moved to another room, a heaviness seemed to hang in the air. She couldn’t figure out what caused the change, but she immediately tensed, wondering what this private time with the family’s matriarch would bring.
While Gennessey continued to clear the table, Collette rinsed the dishes and loaded the dishwasher. Her movements were slow and deliberate. Gennessey wondered if she was intentionally drawing out the task to avoid joining the men.
“I want to thank you for letting me crash your family dinner tonight. BB told me you wouldn’t mind, but I know last-minute guests can be stressful.” Gennessey watched Collette’s expression for signs she wasn’t convinced of Gen and BB’s devotion to each other.
Collette’s smile was friendly if a bit half-hearted. “Nonsense. I’m happy you’re here. It’s been lovely getting to know you and putting a face with the name. BB has talked about you before, and I was always curious about you.”
Gennessey felt a shock jolt her system. “BB has talked about me?”
“That shouldn’t surprise you. Seeing how crazy he is about you, I should have seen it coming. I just wish we didn’t have to end the evening on a low note.”
Gennessey tensed. “What do you mean?”
Collette started the dishwasher and turned to lean against the counter. “We invited the boys over tonight because we had something to tell them. When BB told us you were coming, I have to admit I was relieved. I told Amos I would keep you company while he talked to the boys. It’s not a conversation we could postpone, but I wasn’t sure I could keep it together if I saw the boys upset.”
