Page 4 of Love to Prove You Wrong

“Well?” she asked, leaning on my desk.

I turned around and riffled through a drawer of paperwork. I didn’t want Suzie to see my shaking hands while I talked to her.

“How come you know Justin Miller?” I asked. “You only moved back here a couple of months ago, and he was long gone by then. Thank goodness.”

Suzie walked over to my side of the desk and shoved her phone under my nose. “Um, hello. Justin Miller, star of the hit seriesIn Dire Need, not to mention a ton of successful rom-com movies. Who doesn’t know the guy?”

I snatched the phone from her hands and peered at the pictures Google had pulled up for her. “Huh.”

Unfortunately, she didn’t stop questioning me. “Come on, Addy, you have to tell me more thanhuh.”

I let out a sigh as I closed the door of the office. I wanted no one to hear what I was about to tell Suzie.

“Remember how I told you about that guy who used to call me Fat Addy in high school? And then everyone started calling me that? Well, he and Justin Miller are the same guy.”

Suzie gasped. “No way.”

“Him laughing at my expense every chance he got drove guys away from me. He was the town stud and everyone looked up to him, even though they didn’t always agree with his behavior.”

“What is he doing here?” Suzie asked. “And at the inn of all places?”

“He and Asher are best friends. He came back here for the wedding.”

“I see,” she said, then narrowed her eyes. “And Asher? Do we still like him? Or should we hate him as well?”

I shook my head. “Asher has never been rude to me. He never spurred Justin on either. If anything, he tried to get Justin to tone it down with the nicknaming. Not that it helped.”

Suzie smiled at me. “Let’s just hope he stays out of your hair and that he won’t cause any trouble.”

I laughed. “Justin Milleristrouble, believe me.”

Three taps on the door cut our conversation short. I knew it was Carter, as I’d been the one to suggest he use a special knock so that I would immediately know it was him and not some random guest.

“Well, duty calls. But I’ll see you tomorrow for the Spring Picnic meeting, right?” I asked.

Suzie nodded. “Alex and I will be there. I told him he’d have to go home alone, though. We’re still on for that girls’ night out we talked about, right?”

“Definitely.”

“Great, I’ll see you tomorrow,” Suzie said.

She waved me goodbye, and I joined Carter at the reception desk where a demanding guest had almost brought the guy to tears. After resolving the issue and finishing the occupancy report, I closed the reception desk for the night and headed home. It was a good thing I hadn’t run into Justin again. How I was going to cope with him around for an entire month, I had no clue, but I did know I had to find a way to stay as far away from him as possible.

As soon as I closed the door of my house behind me, I went into my bedroom and changed into loungewear. My place was located right beside the inn so I could be there in a matter of minutes, if I needed to. It was still secluded enough that I could shut out the world as well. If I didn’t, then I’d be catering to guests well into the night. There was always something or someone needing my attention, but I was only human after all.

The house only had one bedroom, a tiny bathroom and a small garden, but since I was single, it was perfect for me.

I settled myself on the couch with the latest copy ofFarm Weekly, but I couldn’t stay focused on the article about alpaca grooming, nor the one about the best way to grow your own tomatoes. My thoughts kept wandering after every sentence I read, zooming in on Justin. Why did I care about him being here? And why did his arrival feel like such a shock? High school was a long time ago.

I chucked the magazine aside and turned on Netflix, pulling upIn Dire Need. If Justin was the star Suzie claimed he was, I had to check it out.

Of course, I’d heard people talk aboutIn Dire Needbefore, but I had always assumed it was some stupid show that only aired on one of those obscure channels. Townspeople here often got excited about things that were completely mundane.

So yeah, I had never realized how popular the series was. I hardly had time to watch TV or go to the movies. I mostly played old nineties series in the background while catching up on housework. If I didn’t, the loneliness had a way of creeping up on me and taking me by surprise. Kind of like Justin Miller.

I pushed play on the first episode, half expecting it to suck. But when Netflix asked me if I was still watchingIn Dire Need,it dawned on me that hours had passed since I’d so much as moved.

I rolled my neck from side to side, trying to ease the cramps that had appeared from sitting in the same position for hours.

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