The inn had never been busier. All kinds of people were scurrying around, trays of clean glasses were being put on tables, every spot was being dusted one last time. And I had taken refuge in the small room where we kept the cleaning supplies. I couldn’t stay away for long, since Asher and Layla were getting married in a couple of hours, but I needed a five-minute breather.
Justin hadn’t stopped calling me for an entire day. When he got the clue that I wasn’t planning on answering, he had started sending me text messages. They ranged from apologies and pleas to talk to him, to gifs of Kermit the Frog looking out of the window, a sad look on his face.
No matter how much I wanted to feel his strong arms around me again, I couldn’t let that happen. I didn’t want to be with someone I could only have secret rendezvous with. If I committed to a relationship, it would have to be with a guy who was there for me, always. I mean, what if a year without us being together turned into two, then three? Crocodile Man was so popular that they’d probably make a gazillion sequels. It was a gamble I wasn’t prepared to take.
There was a firm knock on the door. “Addy?”
I pushed the door ajar and Carter’s face came into view. “I know you told me not to bother you for five minutes, but I need you outside. There’s a problem with the length of the red carpet.”
“I’ll be right there,” I said. “Thanks, Carter.”
“Great, I’ll tell Diane you’re on your way.”
I took three deep breaths, slapped on a smile, and marched outside. Diane was arguing with one of the guys from the party rental business we had hired. He looked seventeen, tops, and terrified.
“I hear there’s a problem with the red carpet.” I threw the guy a reassuring smile. “Maybe I could help.”
“A problem? You mean a disaster. The red carpet is ten inches too short. Ten whole inches.” Diane uttered the words with such volume that I cringed.
“I’m sure we can fix that, can’t we?” I asked the teenager. By now he probably regretted taking on an after-school job.
“I’m going to get my boss,” he said. “We might have an extra in the van.”
He scurried away like a scared rabbit.
Diane’s nostrils flared and I put a hand on her arm. “Why don’t you go inside and get yourself a drink? I’ll ask Alex to make one especially for you.”
She pushed my hand away and rubbed the spot as if I had put my germs all over her. “I can’t. I’m needed out here.”
I looked her in the eye. “Diane, listen to me. This is a stressful day for everyone involved, but weddings are all about love and joy. I wouldn’t want you to get caught up in the details. You can trust me to take care of them. This day will be over before you know it and you’ll never forgive yourself if you don’t enjoy yourself.”
She pursed her lips and pushed air out of her nose. “I guess you’re right. Do you promise you have everything under control?”
I nodded and put my hand on her back to gently nudge her inside. “I do. I’ll take care of the red carpet and then I’ll go check on the bride. You’ve got nothing to worry about.”
I approached the teenager, who was standing near the company van. “Excuse me. About the red carpet?”
The guy flinched, probably thinking I’d get mad at him as well.
“I just wanted to see whether you guys will be able to fix this. If not, I’m sure there’s another solution,” I said with a smile.
The guy’s features relaxed. He called his boss over, who nodded and opened the doors to the van. “We have a spare one that we can use.”
“Thank you,” I said. “And sorry about before.”
The boss let out a laugh. “Don’t worry about it. The kid got scared, but if he wants to work in this industry, he’ll have to toughen up. I’ve had people freak out over the most insignificant things. Trust me, I’ve seen it all.”
As soon as the red carpet was replaced with one ten inches longer, I went upstairs to check on the bridal party. Asher and Layla weren’t going to spend their wedding night at the inn, but I had offered them two of our new floral-themed rooms to get themselves – and their bridesmaids and groomsmen – ready for the wedding.
Just as I rounded the corner of the top floor, Justin came out of the groom’s room. He looked just as surprised as I was. Not that I was surprised to run into him here. He was still a guest at the inn, as well as the best man. But seeing him again for the first time since I ran out of Dave’s Diner was shocking to say the least.
“Addy, can we talk?” he asked. “Please?”
Man, did he have to look this good? He was wearing one of the suits we’d bought the night of Claire’s birthday party. He looked like a real gentleman. The suit accentuated his strong features like his broad shoulders and well-formed chest. His hair looked impeccable, and his jaw was freshly shaven. I knew how soft it would feel if I ran my hands over his face, but I couldn’t. That ship had sailed and disappeared over the horizon.
Still, no matter how good he looked, his expression was horrible and reminded me a lot of how I felt. Defeated, disappointed, hurt, confused.
He had dark circles under his eyes as if he hadn’t slept for days. They only made him look more ruggedly handsome, though.
“I don’t have time,” I said. “I have to check up on the bride and then I’m needed in the kitchen to see if we’re still on schedule.”
I thought I’d be able to stay cool and confident when running into Justin, but in reality, my voice sounded shaky, and my heart leapt into my throat.
He gave me a weak smile and slumped his shoulders. “Of course, I understand.”
I mumbled a thank you and hurried away toward Layla’s room, but Justin called my name again before I got there.
“Yes?” I asked without turning around. I couldn’t deal with facing him right now. If I did, I’d burst into tears.
“Since you won’t be my date to this wedding, Asher has arranged for Ashley to be my partner for the day. This doesn’t change how I feel about you, though. Anyway, I wanted to let you know so you wouldn’t get the wrong idea about me. I’m not interested in Ashley whatsoever.”
I swallowed my tears down. “Thanks for letting me know.”
Justin may have been speaking the truth about not being interested in her, but Ashley would stop at nothing to get Justin where she wanted him. Naked. In bed. With her. A shudder ran through me. I tried to cancel out any thoughts I had of the two of them hooking up and dashed into Layla’s room.
“Addy,” Brianna called out to me.
“Hey, guys,” I said.
Jess jumped to her feet and sprayed some hand sanitizer onto a glass of champagne, then shoved it into my hands. I politely declined. I had to work, and alcoholic beverages wouldn’t help with getting to the end of this day unscathed.
“How are all you lovely bridesmaids doing?” I asked, looking around the room. “And what about you, Layla?”
“I’m doing fantastic, albeit nervous,” Layla said. “I can hardly believe today is the day. Somebody pinch me.”
Ashley turned around, a string of her long hair twisted around a curling iron. “Tell me about it. I get to walk down the aisle with Justin Miller today. Who knows? If I play my cards right, I might walk down the aisle to marry him someday.”
I wished it wouldn’t be considered unprofessional to throw something at her, preferably something hard like a hairbrush. Marry him? Good luck. As long as he was Crocodile Man, he wasn’t marrying anyone.
“Well, do you girls need anything else?” I asked, silently hoping they didn’t. Spending time with Ashley while she gushed about Justin being her date was far from what I needed.
“No, but why don’t you stay for a while?” Stella asked.
I shook my head. “I can’t. I’m needed in the kitchen.”
Layla waved a hand at me. “Oh, come on, no one will know. If anyone asks, just tell them you were needed here to handle some crisis.”
“I guess five minutes couldn’t hurt,” I said and took a seat on the bed.
The girls continued chatting. They talked about the lingerie Layla had bought and the guys they were hoping to dance with later.
I let my gaze wander around the room. Layla’s dress hung from a velvet hanger, nothing more than the contours visible through the garment bag. Her white lingerie was on the dresser, the tags still on it.
She was one lucky girl, getting married to the man who loved her. The man who wouldn’t blow her off in favor of some stupid superhero. I balled my hands into fists as I thought about Justin breaking the news about his job offer.
Marissa, the makeup artist, put her brush down and smiled. “There, all done.”
She’d turned Layla into a gorgeous bride, and I felt my eyes water up. I dabbed them with a tissue, pretending there was something in my eye. If I already felt this emotional now, what kind of sobbing mess would the ceremony turn me into?
Marissa shot me a look. “Would you like me to do your makeup as well?”
“Oh, that’s sweet, but I’m not one of the girls who booked your services.”
She shrugged. “I’m paid by the hour and still have forty minutes left. Everyone else is ready, so why not? Come on, it’ll make you feel better.”
My eyebrows shot up. Did Justin tell them what had happened between us? I swallowed. “Make me feel better?”
Jess shot me a look. “I don’t want to be rude, but Marissa is right. You look like a tragedy went down.”
“Is everything okay?” Layla asked.
I plopped down in the chair in front of the desk where Marissa’s makeup and brushes were strewn around. “I guess hosting your wedding at the inn has made me nervous.”
It was only half a lie. The wedding had brought me so much stress, you’d think I was the one tying the knot.
“I understand,” Marissa said. “But just in case it’s also boy trouble, let me help you look even more stunning than you do.”
Did she have a sixth sense or something?
Marissa set to work and twenty minutes later, she was done. I took a look in the mirror and gasped. I had never looked this good before. Marissa had made my best features pop and I could’ve fooled myself into thinking I was a celebrity.
Eat that, Crocodile Man.
Brianna topped off everyone’s champagne glasses and I quietly disappeared, but not before profusely thanking Marissa for making me look like a goddess.
I shut the door, leaving the chattering and clinking of champagne glasses behind me. As I descended the stairs, my phone started to blow up. I hoped it wasn’t Diane with another ridiculous crisis that needed tending to asap.
I fished my phone out of my pocket and glanced at the screen. Huh. There were dozens of Instagram notifications, all from Justin’s account. Apparently, he had been tagging me in posts and stories.
Without hesitating, I opened the app and looked at his content. All over his stories feature were short clips of him, telling his fans about how he had a surprise for a special person and how he was going to reveal it later today.
Huh. I had forgotten about his surprise. At least, I assumed this surprise he had told one and a half million people about was the same one he had texted me about a couple of days ago.
I put my phone away before I got flooded with hope. No matter what surprise Justin had in store for me, it wouldn’t be enough to fix the actual problem. He was leaving me behind with nothing but the memory of a few dazzling kisses, to chase his dreams. It hurt like hell to realize I wasn’t a part of that dream in any way.