I only just made it in time to attend the town meeting at the community center. I had left Carter in charge of the inn and hoped he wouldn’t run into trouble, especially not with Duckota.
I pushed the door to the community center open and stood on my tiptoes to scan the crowd until I spotted Suzie. She waved me over and I took a seat next to her and Alex.
“Sorry I couldn’t be here earlier. I have so much going on, it’s a miracle I got here on time,” I said.
“No worries, we’ll catch up after, right?” Suzie asked.
I nodded. “Definitely.”
A night out with my best friend was exactly what I needed. Organizing the spring event, not so much, but as a local business owner, I had no choice. People expected everyone who was someone in this town to commit to helping with the organization of seasonal events, including this one. The Spring Picnic was a classic. It was a ton of fun, although I wished I could’ve skipped my commitment to it for a year. I had enough on my plate with Asher’s wedding and Diane breathing down my neck.
Milly, who owned the local bedding store, walked onto the stage at the front of the room and tapped the microphone. The crowd grew silent, and all heads turned to face her.
“Good evening, everyone. I’m excited to see so many faces here tonight,” she said. “I would like to—”
The screeching sound of the double doors opening cut her speech short. A couple of gasps went through the room and people started whispering amongst themselves. I shook my head. It didn’t surprise me that Justin had to come in late, making a show of his arrival.
“Carry on,” he said with a grin.
He walked right up to my row and took the empty seat next to me.
“What are you doing here, Justin?” I whispered.
He shrugged. “It’s a town meeting, right? I’m in town, so technically I’m entitled to be here.”
“You don’t even live here.”
“Shh, Milly’s talking.”
I stared him down. “Did you just shush me?”
A smirk stretched across his face. “What? It’s inappropriate to talk when someone is addressing a crowd.”
It came as no surprise that someone like Justin would enjoy trying to get under my skin. The worst part was that he was succeeding in his intentions. My blood was boiling already, and he’d only been here for a minute. I shot him my most annoyed glare, throwing in the stink eye for good measure.
“Shut up, Justin.”
He glared at me. “You shut up.”
“Is there a problem?” Milly asked.
It took me a few moments and some elbowing from Suzie to realize Milly was talking to me. Fifty heads turned in my direction, making me cringe in my seat. The whispering of other townies didn’t bode well either. The fact that Justin and I had been yapping away during the town meeting would dominate the town’s gossip before I could blink.
I fabricated a forced smile. “No, not at all. I apologize. I stand by what you were saying.”
“So, you agree to be allocated to this task?” Milly asked.
Crap. What was she talking about? I hesitated for a moment, then realized this was about the Spring Picnic. What tasks could be involved that I wouldn’t want to be allocated to?
“Sure. Put my name on the list,” I said.
I didn’t have a clue what I’d just agreed to, but I was positive it was better than admitting I hadn’t been paying attention.
“Great,” Milly said.
Heat spread to my cheeks. I sank deeper into my chair, wishing the ground would open up and swallow me whole. Why did Justin have a knack for embarrassing me all the time? It was like high school all over again.
I glanced sideways. He sat there looking all yummy, his eyes twinkling with delight. This entire thing was nothing but a joke to him. Then again, why would he even care? To him, these four weeks were a welcome break from real life.
But to me, this was my life. Gosh, I should stay as far away from him as possible. I didn’t need anyone messing with my life, especially not someone like Justin Miller.
Milly pushed her glasses up her nose then trailed her finger down her list of tasks. “Who wants to help build the food and drink stands for the open-air cinema? Preferably someone who’s good with wood.”
Justin’s hand shot up.
“I’m good with wood,” he said with a grin.
I rolled my eyes. “Classy.”
“Great. You two will have a wonderful time together.” Milly smiled at us and looked at her list again, ready to allocate another task.
I sat up straighter. “Excuse me, Milly. What do you mean you two?”
She creased her eyebrows. “You are responsible for the food and drinks for the movie night. Justin’s responsible for building the stands so you can actually sell the food and drinks. This can only work if you two work together.”
My throat tightened. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea. Justin doesn’t even live here.”
It was a lame excuse, but I had to try something to get out of this. Manning the food and drink stands was a fun job, just not with Justin there as well.
He scoffed. “What? Now you’re discriminating because I don’t currently live here? I want to help. Plus, I lived here for eighteen years. Isn’t that what counts?”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “You sure want to help out a lot these days. What’s with this Good Samaritan act?”
“Guys, there’s no need to fight over this. I’m sure we can rearrange things if working together makes you uncomfortable,” Milly said.
I looked up and almost told her that yes, we should rearrange, but Justin cut me short.
“Thank you, but that won’t be necessary. We’re both adults. We can handle this, can’t we, Addy?”
I gritted my teeth. He had me backed into a corner. If I said no now, I would come across as a whiny child. That was not the image I wanted to create for myself.
“Fine. We’ll work together.”
“I’m glad to hear that,” Milly said. “Next one up is quilting some picnic blankets we can auction off. Anyone up for that one? I need three volunteers.”
As Milly appointed the quilters, I wondered why Justin was so keen on teaming up with me. It made no sense, but then again, did anything that involved Justin ever make sense? He loved taunting me, that much was clear. Maybe if I didn’t show him how much he got to me, he would back off.
I spent the rest of the meeting looking straight ahead. If I glanced at Justin again, I might explode and slap him.
When all the tasks were finally allocated and Milly had thanked everyone for coming, I heaved a relieved sigh. Everyone swarmed together at the tables in the back where fresh coffee and cake was up for grabs. Justin left to talk to Asher and Layla, Asher’s wife-to-be. He was finally out of my hair.
Suzie put a hand on my arm. “Are you okay? You look like a volcano about to burst.”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just a bit shocked that I’ll have to team up with Justin.”
“I’m sure it’ll all work out fine. Besides, there’s worse faces to look at all day long,” she said, wiggling her eyebrows with a smile.
Alex laughed. “Hey, I heard that.”
“Oh, you know I don’t have eyes for anyone but you,” Suzie said.
She pulled Alex in for a hug and kissed him. They were so adorable together I couldn’t help but smile, yet I also felt a tiny bit jealous. The love they shared was something I could only dream of.
“Excuse me, Addison.”
I turned around. “Oh, hello, Diane.”
I wondered what she wanted to discuss now. At least it couldn’t concern Duckota. For the duck to have traveled all the way from the inn to the community center would’ve been a miracle.
She crossed her arms over her chest. The look on her face terrified me. I didn’t know what it was with her, but the woman had a knack for scaring everyone away.
“That Miller boy being here, is that going to be a problem? For the wedding, I mean.”
“I don’t think so,” I said.
That couldn’t be further from the truth of what I was really thinking, but Diane didn’t need to know that. It would only make her worry, and a worried Diane was ten times worse than a normal one. Not that Diane ever came across as normal.
She nodded in appreciation. “Good. The boy is trouble. I don’t want him messing things up.”
Why did she assume that I had any say in what he did or didn’t do? I wasn’t his mother.
“How would he mess things up?” I asked cautiously. “He’s Asher’s best friend. I doubt he’ll do anything to jeopardize his wedding day.”
“Maybe not on purpose, but the boy has a bad reputation of getting my Asher into less than charming situations. He’s staying at the Old Pine Cove Inn and you’re the owner, so it’s only fair I’m expecting you to keep an eye on him. Before and during the wedding.”
Sure, because that was a totally reasonable request. I would love to spend my days running around and checking up on what my guests were doing in their free time, especially Justin freaking Miller.
“Maybe you can talk to him about your concerns,” I said. “I think he’ll be more inclined to listen to you than to me.”
Diane looked over to the snacks table where Asher and Justin were shoving cake in their mouths, then trying to smile without anything spilling out.
The old lady put a hand on her cheek and shook her head in disbelief. “That scenario right there? That’s what I mean. My Asher is never like this. Whenever he’s with that Miller boy, he turns into a teenager again.”
“I see what you mean,” I told her. At least we saw eye to eye on the topic of Justin being a complete baby. That still didn’t mean I should act like his mother and keep him in check. That was entirely up to Justin himself.
Alex appeared by our sides. He gently put his hand on Diane’s arm, and her entire face lit up. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but would you mind going over the menu for the wedding one more time? I’ve got a couple of questions about the entrees.”
I shot him a thankful smile before walking away. If he hadn’t intervened, Diane never would’ve stopped pressing the issue.
I lowered my voice as I confided in my best friend. “I’m so glad I hired Alex. He’s a keeper.”
Suzie beamed. “The feeling is definitely mutual. He loves being the new chef at the inn. And such great hours too. He’s thrilled that he doesn’t have to work past three p.m. So am I. Otherwise, we’d never see each other. Plus, now he can still teach yoga.”
“Him getting his chef’s degree couldn’t have come at a better time. When Rick told me he only wanted to work nights from now on, I panicked at first.”
Suzie put a finger on her lips. “What club did he want to be a member of again?”
I giggled. “The official support group for husbands of crochet addicts.”
“I’m one hundred percent sure that’s just a fancy name for sharing a couple of beers with other men who want a few hours away from their wives,” she said with a chuckle.
“And it all turned out perfect. Rick’s got his membership pass, and I have Alex,” I said. “Although… Diane isn’t causing him too much stress, is she?”
Suzie shook her head. “You know what she’s like when he’s around. Diane loves Alex.”
I glanced over at the pair of them discussing menu options. “I wish she would treat me with the same fondness.”
“You do know you can be stricter with her, right?” Suzie asked, the tone of her voice careful.
“I know, but it’s Diane. She’s hard to please. And I don’t want to anger her. Have you seen those long red fingernails on her? Terrifying doesn’t even come close to describing them.”
An actual shudder ran through me as I thought of how Diane liked to prick those fingernails into people’s chests.
“Addy, you’ve got to set boundaries with her. If you don’t, she’ll act like she’s running the place. Trust me, I speak from experience. When she joined the bookstore’s book club last month, she tried to take over. She even wanted to discuss the fact that I served chocolate cake instead of apple cake. But I made it clear that it’s my store and my book club. That means I get to choose which cake is being served – apple, chocolate, or whatever kind of fruit that can go into a dessert.”
I sighed. “I just don’t know if something as trivial as which kind of cake will get served is something worth fighting over with her.”
“It might start with cake, but if you don’t stop her, it’ll end with Diane wanting her name on the lease or something. Besides, I didn’t have a fight with her. I’m not that brave. It’s still Diane we’re talking about. I handled it in a more subtle way.”
I laughed. “Subtle? You asked Alex to talk to her.”
“Yeah, you’re right. We’re both chicken shits.”
I rolled my shoulders back and forth to relieve some of the tension that had been building up in them. Between Diane’s demands and Justin’s silly comments, I’d had enough for one day. “What do you say? Shall we get out of here and grab a drink?”
“For sure,” Suzie said. “Let me go talk to Alex for a sec and I’ll meet you out front.”
I put my coat on and strolled outside. Justin was standing near the wall next to the stairs, his hands in his pockets. We hadn’t made eye contact yet, which meant I could duck back inside without him seeing me, if I was quick.
“Couldn’t miss me for more than a few minutes, could you?” he asked, still looking out at the street.
How did he even know it was me?
I rolled my eyes in a futile attempt to let him know how annoyed I was. “You have eyes on the side of your body now?”
He turned his head in my direction and grinned. “Maybe. So, when are we meeting up to discuss our tasks for the Spring Picnic?”
“I can’t right now. I have plans.”
He cocked an eyebrow. His face twisted into a smirk waiting to break free. “Who said anything about right now? How about tomorrow?”
I threw my hands in the air. There was no escaping Justin, that much was clear. “Sure. The faster we get this over with, the better. Meet me at my house in the morning. Nine o’clock sharp.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said, with a Southern accent he most likely learned from one of those fancy dialect coaches. Then he saluted me like I was a military sergeant.
I wanted to throw him a death stare, but for some inexplicable reason, a laugh came bubbling to the surface instead.
Justin pushed away from the wall, inching closer. “That smile right there is exactly what I’ve been waiting for.”
He now stood close enough for me to notice the subtle scent of his laundry detergent. Or for me to kiss him. I let out a puff of air. Where did that thought come from? As if I’d ever kiss him.
“Me laughing at your impressions doesn’t mean I like you now,” I said before he could get any ideas into that annoyingly stunning head of his.
“I’ll get you there,” he said before walking down the stairs.
“Don’t be late tomorrow. I only have one hour to talk to you,” I called after him.
He turned around, the dimples in his cheeks deepening. “Give me some credit, Addy. I know you don’t want to, but I promise you it’ll be worth it.”