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“Tell me what?”
“That she was going to see him today.” Aurora speaks with such innocence. She couldn’t possibly understand why this is so problematic. That my best friendkissedme at Willow’s almost wedding. Rowan didn’t seem to care that I was there with Anders. But hedidcare when I left Caribou Creek with my new boyfriend and left him behind.
We haven’t spoken since.
That kiss still haunts me.
Not because my best friend kissed me and it was weird.
It was the opposite of weird.
To date, it’s been the best kiss of my entire life. And I still don’t know how to feel about that. I’m certainly not ready to face him, much less be stuck in close quarters with Rowan on a daily basis for the next several weeks. I never told anyone, especially my sisters, about that kiss. I hoped over time, the desperate urge to tell someone—anyone—my secret would fade.
It hasn’t.
“He won’t do it,” I tell Aurora, feeling confident in my declaration. “He’s too busy running his family business.”And he has no desire to see me. More than once since I’ve been back in town, he’s walked into the diner, spotted me, and turned right around to leave.
“Then who’s going to cook?”
That’s a good question. And none of us have the answer. Willow burns toast, Aurora’s set more than one kitchen on fire, and I can’t even get water to boil without burning myself. “Let’s hope Willow has a plan.” Before Aurora can say something about Rowan again, I add, “Abetterplan than Rowan Jacobs.”
For the sake of my sanity, I sure hope I’m right.
CHAPTER2
Rowan
Iscrub both hands over my face and suck in a deep breath. A fuckingemail, Dad? Really? I’ve read it three times, but I skim it a fourth just to be sure I didn’t mix up the words. After playing off-the-grid mountain man, my older brother Cassius is returning to Caribou Creek to reclaim his place in the family logging business.
“Fuck.” I reach for my coffee mug and find it empty. I stare at the stained bottom, unable to recall when I sucked it down.
I’ve worked myself to the bone for three long years, trying to prove to my father that I’m just as capable, if not more, than Cas to take over the family business. I’m the one who stayed. I grip the mug’s handle so tight it nearly cracks. After Kinley Gray chose that city jackass over our life-long friendship, I had to dosomethingto forget about her. And that earth shattering kiss. To try my damnedest to move on from the only woman I’ve ever truly loved.
I did the one thing I swore I’d never do—I set aside the life I wanted and offered myself up to my dad, filling the void Cas left behind. I’ve become damn good at it, too. Which is why this nonchalantemailfeels like a sucker punch to the gut.
Now that Kinley is back in Caribou Creek, the last thing I fucking need is too much time on my hands. Which is exactly what I’ll have now that my big brother is here totake the reins. Maybe I need a fucking vacation.
I pull up an internet browser and start to skim remote Alaskan cabins along the river. My freezer’s looking a little bare these days. Might be time to fill it with some salmon. Before I can find the right place, a gentle rapping draws my attention to the door. I stiffen, not in the mood to be bothered after the shitty news.
“Yeah?”
“Rowan Jacobs?” a female voice says through the door.
“Yep.”
The knob twists, the door falling open. Revealing Willow Gray—Kinley’s older sister. “Hey, Rowan. How are you?”
I’m more surprised that Willow came back to Caribou Creek than Kinley, considering the last time she was home, she was running away from her own wedding. But no matter how much I try to avoid the gossip, I overheard a table of old codgers talking about Mason and Willow getting back together. Something about the old theater, too. “Hey, Willow. What are you doing here?”
She looks around my office. It’s nothing fancy since I prefer to work out of a trailer instead of the headquarters building. It’s a cramped space with room for a desk, an overworked coffee maker on its last leg, and a rickety filing cabinet. But it’s my sanctuary.
“I have a favor to ask.”
“A favor fromme?”
“You still like to cook, right?”
It doesn’t take me long to figure out where this is going. Rose Clayton is headed out on a world cruise, and word around town is they haven’t found a short order cook to fill in. Unless one of the Gray sisters acquired a new culinary skill in the last three years, none of them can navigate a kitchen worth a shit. They might burn down the diner trying. “I haven’t done much cooking lately.”
