Page 8 of Love to Prove You Wrong

Ionly just made it in time to attend the town meeting at the community center. I had left Carter in charge of the inn and hoped he wouldn’t run into trouble, especially not with Duckota.

I pushed the door to the community center open and stood on my tiptoes to scan the crowd until I spotted Suzie. She waved me over and I took a seat next to her and Alex.

“Sorry I couldn’t be here earlier. I have so much going on, it’s a miracle I got here on time,” I said.

“No worries, we’ll catch up after, right?” Suzie asked.

I nodded. “Definitely.”

A night out with my best friend was exactly what I needed. Organizing the spring event, not so much, but as a local business owner, I had no choice. People expected everyone who was someone in this town to commit to helping with the organization of seasonal events, including this one. The Spring Picnic was a classic. It was a ton of fun, although I wished I could’ve skipped my commitment to it for a year. I had enough on my plate with Asher’s wedding and Diane breathing down my neck.

Milly, who owned the local bedding store, walked onto the stage at the front of the room and tapped the microphone. The crowd grew silent, and all heads turned to face her.

“Good evening, everyone. I’m excited to see so many faces here tonight,” she said. “I would like to—”

The screeching sound of the double doors opening cut her speech short. A couple of gasps went through the room and people started whispering amongst themselves. I shook my head. It didn’t surprise me that Justin had to come in late, making a show of his arrival.

“Carry on,” he said with a grin.

He walked right up to my row and took the empty seat next to me.

“What are you doing here, Justin?” I whispered.

He shrugged. “It’s a town meeting, right? I’m in town, so technically I’m entitled to be here.”

“You don’t even live here.”

“Shh, Milly’s talking.”

I stared him down. “Did you just shush me?”

A smirk stretched across his face. “What? It’s inappropriate to talk when someone is addressing a crowd.”

It came as no surprise that someone like Justin would enjoy trying to get under my skin. The worst part was that he was succeeding in his intentions. My blood was boiling already, and he’d only been here for a minute. I shot him my most annoyed glare, throwing in the stink eye for good measure.

“Shut up, Justin.”

He glared at me. “You shut up.”

“Is there a problem?” Milly asked.

It took me a few moments and some elbowing from Suzie to realize Milly was talking to me. Fifty heads turned in my direction, making me cringe in my seat. The whispering of other townies didn’t bode well either. The fact that Justin and I had been yapping away during the town meeting would dominate the town’s gossip before I could blink.

I fabricated a forced smile. “No, not at all. I apologize. I stand by what you were saying.”

“So, you agree to be allocated to this task?” Milly asked.

Crap. What was she talking about? I hesitated for a moment, then realized this was about the Spring Picnic. What tasks could be involved that I wouldn’t want to be allocated to?

“Sure. Put my name on the list,” I said.

I didn’t have a clue what I’d just agreed to, but I was positive it was better than admitting I hadn’t been paying attention.

“Great,” Milly said.

Heat spread to my cheeks. I sank deeper into my chair, wishing the ground would open up and swallow me whole. Why did Justin have a knack for embarrassing me all the time? It was like high school all over again.

I glanced sideways. He sat there looking all yummy, his eyes twinkling with delight. This entire thing was nothing but a joke to him. Then again, why would he even care? To him, these four weeks were a welcome break from real life.

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