Page 25 of Love to Prove You Wrong

The sound of Justin’s phone saved me from having to answer. He looked at the screen and let out an irritated sigh. “I’ll be right back.”

He slammed the car door shut and walked away. I couldn’t hear what he was saying, but he didn’t look amused. He kept shaking his head and gesticulating wildly.

I gazed around the car’s interior, taking in the expensive leather seats with bespoke stitching and the control panel with the smooth design. I couldn’t help but laugh. How did this happen? Me, sitting in an expensive car belonging to Justin Miller, the guy I couldn’t stand.

Then again, was that still the truth? Things were shifting inside of me. Melting. As if every gesture and smile of his made the hateful feelings I harbored for him thaw. I even had to admit I wouldn’t mind if he kept chipping away at the icy barrier I’d erected for him.

Another part of me was terrified to let him in, though. It would mean forgiving him for every past mistake, and I wasn’t ready for that.

Justin got back in the car, slamming the door with a loud thud. “I want to apologize for leaving you to take that phone call, but I feel as if this entire night has been nothing but a string of apologies.”

“No worries,” I said. “Everything okay?”

I searched his face for answers, but he was good at hiding them. He was an actor after all. He locked his jaw and smiled. “It’s all good, nothing to worry about,” he said.

Yet I couldn’t shake the feeling that he wasn’t being entirely honest with me.

“How are you holding up with Diane breathing down your neck every day?” he asked, turning the conversation away from him.

I shrugged. “It’s okay. She might have a tendency to drive people to nervous breakdowns, but Asher deserves a fantastic wedding day. Besides, Diane means well. She’s stressed, that’s all.”

Justin shifted in his seat, angling his body toward me. “That might be true, but don’t let her call all the shots. You’re still the boss.”

“I know, but I need the money. She’s paying us a generous amount and I don’t want to jeopardize that. Plus, I do like being a part of this wedding.”

“Are you having money troubles?” he asked.

I shook my head. “No, no, it’s nothing like that. I’ve…”

“You’ve what?”

I pulled my eyes away from his face and stared out the window. “Nothing, you’ll think it’s silly.”

“I won’t,” he said, his voice soft. “You can tell me.”

His honest-sounding words made me turn my head back in his direction, and I took a deep breath. “I’ve got my eye on the patch of land next to the inn. I’d like to buy it and turn it into a petting zoo, but the bank won’t give me a loan unless I can pay at least twenty percent of the price upfront.”

A big smile spread across Justin’s face. “If this works out, you have to buy an alpaca. They’re such funny creatures.”

“Do you have any idea how much alpacas cost? Some are being sold for ten thousand dollars,” I said. “Each.”

“Maybe you should consider jumping into Diane’s pyramid scheme then. Didn’t she say you could make a big profit off those vacuum cleaners? You know, the ones someone sold her at a parking lot? Because that’s not shady at all, am I right?”

I laughed while shaking my head. “We shouldn’t make fun of her like that.”

“Why not? She’s not afraid of being blunt with you. Come on, Addy, you don’t have to be nice to everyone all the time. What do you want to say about Diane that might offend her?”

“I shouldn’t.”

He gave my shoulder a playful push. The sensation felt oddly fantastic. “She can’t hear you. And I won’t tell her. Just let it out.”

I bit my lip. “Okay. Her perfume smells like she’s been using the same bottle for the last thirty years,” I said.

“There, that wasn’t so bad, now was it?” Justin grinned at me, his smile thawing another icy layer.

I shook my head. “You bring out the worst in me, Justin Miller.”

“Aw, you love that about me. I’m the only person you feel comfortable enough showing your inner bad girl to.”

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