Page 59 of Love to Prove You Wrong

Now I tried to stay busy with work, hoping that would make the time go faster. With the wedding only days away, another deposit had hit my bank account and I’d made an appointment at the bank to talk about a loan. That patch of land would finally be mine. So many exciting things were happening all at once that I constantly felt queasy. I didn’t mind, though. After all, it was a good kind of queasy, not the I-ate-a-questionable-seafood-platter kind. Everything was coming together for me and I couldn’t be more thrilled about several of my dreams becoming reality.

Diane walked into the lobby, heading straight to the reception desk. She’d come to do another inspection round – as she liked to call it – of the property now that the tables and chairs for the wedding dinner had been delivered.

“Everything okay?” I asked, flashing her my brightest smile.

“It looks good out there. We will have to go over the table setting again, though. Asher’s Uncle Peter can’t be sitting next to Aunt Vivian anymore.”

I scribbled the info down on a Post-it. “I hope nothing bad happened?”

“If by bad you mean that Peter refused to buy a puppy and Viv reacted by kicking him to the curb, then yes,” she said.

“Wow, okay. I’ll make sure they won’t share a table.”

Throwing your husband out because of a puppy disagreement seemed like an awfully weird thing to do, but I didn’t want to get into a discussion with Diane. After all, the shenanigans her family got up to were none of my business.

“Also, Layla told me one of her friends had requested to sit next to that Miller boy. There’s nothing I can say about it – Layla is the bride after all – but I don’t understand why anyone would make such a request. The poor girl must’ve been inhaling paint fumes.”

I nodded. “Is this girl called Ashley by any chance?”

“That’s right. She can have him, though.”

Diane had only just finished speaking when Justin appeared at the top of the stairs. It was almost as if she’d summoned him by talking badly about him.

My hands started to shake as I wrote down the info. “I’ll see what I can do,” I told Diane, even though I didn’t want to. But like Diane had stated earlier, it was Layla’s wedding and she was the one who got to decide who sat next to whom.

Justin came to a standstill right behind Diane. Behind her back, he was miming the words she’d just uttered, making me snort.

Diane turned around and shook her head. “Speak of the devil.”

Justin held his hands up, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “I’m not looking for any trouble. Honestly, I don’t know what I’ve ever done to you.”

Diane’s brows shot up. “May I remind you that you’ve dragged my Asher into questionable situations more than once? If and when you grow up, we can talk again.”

Then she turned back to me. Her mouth transformed into a hard line. “I can count on you to make these changes?”

I tapped my pen on the block of Post-its. “Absolutely. It’s all noted and will be taken care of.”

“Good. See you soon, Addy.” She walked toward the door, but as she grabbed the knob, she turned around. “Thank you for doing such a good job. I know it’s been a stressful undertaking, but you’ve handled everything in a professional manner. Well, apart from that duck escaping, and having Justin around, but nobody is perfect.”

As soon as the door shut behind her, Justin burst out laughing. “Why does a compliment from her sound like she’s reprimanding you at the same time?”

“Beats me,” I said, smiling at Justin like a certifiable fool.

“Are you free to go now?” he asked. “I know I’m early, but I couldn’t wait.”

I closed the computer’s browser and logged off. “I am. Carter will arrive any minute. What did you have in mind?”

“Lunch? Somewhere quiet where we won’t be disturbed.”

“Sounds good. I have to be back in two hours, but everyone’s got to eat, right?”

I grabbed my purse and joined Justin at the other side of the reception desk. We left the inn together. I had thought we’d go straight for his car, but instead he beckoned me to follow him on foot.

“Where are you taking me?” I asked.

“One of your favorite places in Old Pine Cove,” he said.

“The bakery?”

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