Page 10 of Love to Prove You Wrong

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 notthatbrave. It’s still Diane we’re talking about. I handled it in a more subtle way.”

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