Page 21 of Wildly Inappropriate

“That definitely could be the case, but it seems unlikely. I mean, the man lives to torment me. You’d think he’d be the one staking out the living room so that he could annoy me all night.” I don’t mention thatIhad been lingering in the living areas, doing everything I could possibly think of to annoy him. I played Taylor Swift as loud as my phone speaker would play, though I swear I heard him singing along at one point. I purposely made the smelliest dinner I could think of by heating up a frozen steak of salmon in the microwave, but all that did was get Jack all spun up. I left my dirty dishes sitting out, but after two hours of him not coming out, I couldn’t take it any longer and had to wash them. I guess he’s more immune to terrible roommate behavior than I am.

She raises her eyebrows, but instead of voicing her skepticism, says, “I need to get to know JT more, I guess. Why don’t we all plan on dinner on Friday night or something? You guys could come into town, or I could come out there. I’m sure Becca and Kelsey would join.”

“That sounds—”

“Oh, shoot! I forgot Friday is my parents’ annual BBQ. You guys definitely have to come to that.”

“I’d love to come. But no way am I inviting JT to come with me. That’s a sure way to ruin the night not just for me but for everyone around us.”

“Come on, Lila. He can’t be that bad. Plus, he can’t possibly want to stay out at the course all alone.”

“I, in fact, think that’s why everyone goes out there: to be alone.” I pause. “Except me. For the record, I would love nothing more than for you to set me up with some hidden gem of a local.”

“Noted. I’ll put some thought into someone for you. But, in terms of people wanting to be alone, they may think they want to be alone, but if I’ve learned nothing in my thirty years, it’s that the people who say they want to be alone are often the ones who most need someone to be there for them. Look at Jameson. Coming out here did nothing for him until he met Bryn. There aren’t a lot of people in small towns, but they are some of the most engaged communities. People aren’t left on their own, not really.”

Why is JT in Wild Bluffs, really?I’m pulled from my wonderings by the sound of the door opening and the man in question walking in.

Izzy notices him at the same time as I do, and I hate that I note his signature golden curls are hidden under a black baseball hat, likely to try to keep from causing a scene in town. Though Wild Bluffs is mostly used to professional golfers wandering around at this point.

Or maybe not.The barista’s eyes are lit up in glee as JT makes his way to the counter, and I fight the odd urge to yell “mine” like a toddler with their favorite toy. Luckily for my insane moment of jealousy, a middle-aged woman steps up to JT, cockblocking the poor high schooler at the cash register.

“Yesss,” Izzy says with a laugh. “JT is about to meet the leader of the Wild Bluffs welcome crew.”

“Is that an official title?” I ask.

“It depends on how you defineofficial. She definitely thinks she’s the queen of Wild Bluffs.” Izzy sighs. “We should go save him before he is unknowingly married to Janice’s 45-year-old daughter. She just moved back to town after her divorce, and her mom is ruthless in finding her a new man.”

We don’t move, though, instead watching their conversation. As usual, JT is being warm and friendly with everyone but me.

“He might be interested.”

“He would be lucky to have Sarah, but word on the street is that she’s got her eyes set on an older guy in town. Janice just isn’t a fan because he happens to be her neighbor, and they fight constantly about a tree that is between their two property lines.”

“Why do you know all this?”

“Small towns, Lila. You’ll see soon enough.”

I sit back, content to let this play out, but Izzy clearly disagrees, because the next thing I know, she’s popping up and walking over to the counter where Janice is still talking to JT. I internally evil laugh at the fact that he hasn’t even been able to order his coffee yet.

“Hi, JT!” Izzy’s voice is a little too loud and a little too bright for it to seem normal, but the look JT shoots her is like she’s saving him from an especially painful round of bamboo torture.

“Izzy!” he exclaims. “So good to see you.”

It’s clear he means it when his face breaks into a full grin, and he steps forward to hug Izzy. Since they are both so tall, the two of them standing there look like one of those couples that would be featured in magazines. It’s…gross, really. Yeah, definitely. I’mgladJT has never once smiled at me like that or been glad to see me. Ew.

“We’re so glad you could make it into town! Our table is just over there.” Izzy points in my direction, and it’s only Janice’s gaze moving to me that keeps me from flipping JT off in greeting. I offer a casual nod instead. JT must be able to read my annoyance, though, because the left side of his mouth lifts into a smirk.

JT turns back to the woman and says, “Well, Janice, it was so nice to meet you. I will definitely be back in touch if my schedule opens up, but I really have to join my friends now.”

“Not a problem. So nice to meet you,” she replies.

JT orders a black coffee and makes his way over to our table.

“Jameson’s coffee maker not doing it for you?” I ask as I scoot my chair in so he can slip around to the empty seat by the window.

“Just thought I’d come into town and see what’s going on. I’ve barely seen another human since I arrived. It’s starting to creep me out.”

“I’m a human. I was inourliving room all evening yesterday.”

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