Page 27 of Love to Prove You Wrong

“Got a minute?”

I turned around.

“Well, well, if it isn’t Kermit the Frog. Holding a duck,” I said as I let my gaze travel from Justin’s face to his arms.

He shot me a firm look. “That fence is getting fixed today, Addy, and before you resist, it’s nonnegotiable.”

“I don’t get a say in it?” I asked, in a tone that sounded harsher than I intended. The stress of opening these new rooms was getting to me. “I appreciate it, but we have a grand opening today. Distractions are the last thing I need.”

He held out Duckota as if she was an exhibit in a crime case. “If you don’t get this duck a proper habitat, she’ll keep escaping. Maybe even during the grand opening.”

I let my shoulders drop. It wasn’t fair of me to go against Justin like this. He was doing me a favor and I should be thankful. But did I really want him working in my backyard when I had a big event to focus on? He’d probably have sweat rolling down his abs by the time he was done, eliciting lustful looks from every woman in a ten-mile radius. I might have disliked him, but that didn’t mean I disliked how pretty his strong jaw looked, or his hair that asked to be pulled on while—

“I’ll interpret your silent stare as a yes then.” Justin’s words pulled me from my thoughts. I was pretty sure my eyes had glazed over.

It took me a moment to remember we were standing in the lobby of the inn with people scurrying past to put the finishing touches on the new rooms. Pulling on Justin’s hair and getting all warm and fuzzy about it weren’t the thoughts that should be crossing my mind at a moment like this.

“Uh-huh, yes, go ahead,” I said. “And thanks.”

I made a quick exit, blabbing something about having to check upstairs one last time even though I knew that the rooms didn’t need any additional checks from me.

I closed the door to the Begonia Room behind me and slid into one of the desk chairs. What had come over me? Why did visions of Justin’s abs and bedroom hair dance before my eyes? I was supposed to hate him for… for… for what exactly? Making fun of me all those years ago? Making me doubt myself? Ruining my science project? Or did I hate him because he was nothing like I remembered?

I shook my head and stood up again. If I allowed those thoughts to go any further, I’d be lost. I couldn’t do that to myself, especially not on such an important day.

As I descended the stairs, I spotted Rachel at the front desk. She was arranging bright yellow sunflowers in a large vase, working fast and focused.

“That looks amazing,” I said.

My words elicited a smile from her. “Thanks, Addy. I’ve got a box of plant food packets for you as well. Just add one packet to every vase in about five days and your flowers will last longer.”

“Thank you. I appreciate your help. The flowers make the inn look so fresh and inviting. And they smell heavenly.”

Rachel put the last flower in the vase, then took a step back to look at her creation. “There. All set. Make sure to call me if you need anything else.”

I saw her out the door, then took a quick bathroom break. A handful of local journalists would arrive any minute. The first guests staying in our new rooms were expected soon as well. I hoped everyone would love the flower-themed rooms. It was a risk making the kind of investment I had, but I believed it would be more than worth it. A lot of families and older people preferred to stay in a small place like the inn instead of the big resort up the mountain. And if I did get a petting zoo, I’d need more capacity for guests as well.

The next hour went by so fast that I hardly had a chance to take a breath. Carter welcomed everyone at the entrance, leading them to the front desk where I checked them in, and Hugo fromOld Pine Cove Weeklyinterviewed a couple of guests for his article on the grand opening. So far, everything was going as smoothly as it could. In fact, maybe a bit too smoothly. We were expecting twenty guests to arrive today, but even after everyone who had booked a flower-themed room was checked in, people kept trickling in. I was about to approach a group of seven women dawdling in the lobby and ask them if they had maybe booked the wrong date, when three vans stopped in front of the inn. Dozens of women piled out of them, almost toppling over each other.

They bolted toward the entrance with a pace that made me take a few steps back. When they frantically came running through the doors, I scurried over to the front desk. At least the counter meant there was a barrier between me and the excited women.

“Where is he?” one of them cried out.

Before I could ask who she was talking about, they all bolted out through the back door.

“What’s happening?” Carter asked, looking as afraid as I felt.

Hugo put down his beverage and called out to us, “I’m going after them. This is going to make a great article.”

Carter and I exchanged looks before running after Hugo. The women were huddled together at the back of the yard, right next to Duckota’s living quarters. Suddenly, things became crystal clear. They weren’t there for the grand opening, or even to admire my duck. These women had somehow caught wind of the fact that there was a celebrity staying at the inn.

I balled my hands into fists. There was no way in hell I was okay with this. Today was about my inn, not Justin freaking Miller. He always did this. He always needed to steal people’s thunder.

“This is pure gold,” Hugo said, his face beaming while he took photographs.

At least one of us was elated about this situation. I narrowed my eyes and zoomed in on my target. Justin was not going to know what hit him.

Carter shot me a worried look and placed his hand on my arm. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

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