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Back inside, Hollis leaned against the wall. “Is it hot in here? I thought we lived in the frozen tundra.”
Yeah, he looked a little out of sorts. I poked at him a little more because it was exactly what he would have done. “Or it’s the lovebug.”
He ignored me. “She starts Monday?”
“Yep.”
“And the entire town thinks I’m going out with Marlena?”
“Yep.”
He dragged his hand through his hair. “You Alaskans are crazy. And by association, I’m becoming crazy.”
“I thought you wanted to be one of us except—for the coffee.”
“Only on the manly front. All this other stuff… I’ll stay a New Yorker.”
I put my arm around his shoulder. “Let me go make you a soy milk latte with a hint of vanilla and chocolate with a double espresso. We don’t have another patient for thirty minutes.”
“You might have just redeemed yourself as my best friend.”
Well, I was probably about to un-redeem myself. On the way up the stairs, I asked, “Do you want me to call in sick on Monday?”
“Why?”
Oh, man. This was as easy as taking candy from a baby. “I figured you might want to play doctor with Devney?”
“Make it a triple espresso and bring me my hammer. I need to feel Alaskan.”
I laughed as we entered his kitchen. Yep, Dr. Hollis Fritz had been bitten by the lovebug. Hard.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Drake
The welcome party was a hit; people relaxed and enjoyed the good food and the company of friends. I waved goodbye as all our friends cleared out. The city council had congratulated me on saving the day. People were happy that we’d been able to redeem ourselves after the Fall Festival. The party had been all about being part of the community and just enjoying the company.
Because of this, it looked like my reelection was in the bag. What had started off as a way to distract myself from losing Lex had turned into something I actually enjoyed. Skagway was important to me, and keeping our sense of community was something that would always be close to my heart.
Of course, Irene and Raquel hadn’t shown up. Neither had Chazz. But I think Lex had worked through a lot of it. They’d never truly been her family, though she’d held out hope in the same way she had with Teagan. At this point, I believed Teagan had been missing so long that all we’d find was a body. No way could she survive this long. And I knew it bothered Lex she couldn’t save her.
Regardless of how nasty the person was, Lex wanted to help them.
So far this week, nothing else had happened. Kane was in the back, reviewing the tapes from the cameras he’d set up. Anything to get out of socializing.
Lex came up and bumped my hip. She’d been helping serve at the bar since I’d given Crete the night off to enjoy himself. “Poor Hollis.”
In the corner, Hollis was sitting at a table, surrounded by girls. He looked like he wanted to get the fuck out of there.
Devney approached the bar. I noticed she glanced over her shoulder nonchalantly before looking our way. “It was a great party. Thanks for inviting me. Can’t wait to start Monday.”
“Neither can we,” Lex replied, giving her a sweet smile. “You’re going to be a great addition to the team.”
Again, she gave another glance. Yeah, she liked Hollis. Lex had been right. Fidgeting with her hands, she nervously asked, “Will you tell Hollis good night for me? I don’t want to interrupt him.”
“I’m sure he’d love to be saved from that mess if you wanted to say goodbye. He’s probably going to kill me because I left him over there with Samone and Jane.”
I got a genuine smile, then she winked. “Have a good night. Don’t make him suffer too long. We don’t want a grumpy boss on Monday.”
