Chapter 1
Lana
Why were people idiots?
Puffing out my cheeks, I exited my car and hurried toward my future sister-in-law’s coffee shop, The Cozy Cup. I needed a jolt of caffeine and a sounding board to figure out what to do with my wayward client.
The bell above the door jingled as Istepped inside. With a quick glance, I scanned the interior. At just after ten-thirty, the coffee shop wasn’t terribly busy. A few solitary individuals occupied cushy, brown leather club chairs, laptops and books balanced on their knees. There were also several small groups of tourists stationed at some of the larger tables, talking and laughing as they sipped their coffee and snacked on pastries. Thankfully, there was no line to order.
Spotting Mina behind the counter, I smiled in greeting and walked a little faster.
“Hey.” Mina smiled and stepped up to the register.
“Hi.” Stopping at the counter, I let my smile fade. “Do you have a few minutes? I need some advice.”
Mina’s dark eyebrows drew down over her blue eyes. “Sure. Do you want to go to the back?” She tipped her head to the doorway leading to her new, expanded kitchen space.
“No. We can talk here. It’s not a secret. I just wanted to make sure you weren’t too busy.” I drummed my nails on the counter, once.
“Yeah, it’s pretty slow right now, so we’re good. Do you want a coffee?”
“Yes. Just a cappuccino. But”—I held up a finger—“with sweet foam.”
Mina grinned. “Got it.” She spun around, taking a paper cup off the stack. “So, what’s up?”
“People.”
“Uh-oh. What happened?” Mina glanced over her shoulder as she packed ground espresso into a filter.
“So, you know the wedding I agreed to plan for Luke’s construction friend?”
“The one whose fiancée wanted to get married at the mansion before me and Luke?”
I rolled my eyes at the reminder. It had been a chore to convince Tina that it wasn’t possible. She hadn’t believed me when I said it wouldn’t be ready in time.
Probably because that was a lie.We planned to open a month before Luke and Mina’s wedding.
But I’d tried to tell her Luke wanted his wedding to be the first one there. And since he was part owner, he had a right to make such a request. When that failed to persuade her, I lied and told her there was a problem with the renovations. It had taken spreading the word around town that there was a problem before she finally conceded and agreed to book it elsewhere.
“That’s the one,” I said.
Mina chuckled. “You mean you haven’t found someone else to take her on?” She attached the filter to the espresso machine and pressed start.
I let out a soft snort. “I can’t. Not because there isn’t anyone, but because how would it look if I ditched my very first weddingclient? We want the inn to be a success. If I can’t handle a troublesome bride now, well...” I let my voice trail off and shrugged.
“True.” Mina bent down, opening the small refrigerator below the counter and withdrew a carton of milk. “Okay, so what did she do?”
“It’s not her this time.”
“Oh?”
“It’s her fiancé. He decided to go hunting.”
Mina frowned. “Why is that a problem? We live in Alaska. People go hunting all the time.”
“Right. But he went alone and now she can’t reach him.”
Eyes widening, Mina stared. “Oh my. Has she called the authorities to go look for him?”
