by Haley Jacobs
“I could, but my sister’s running the place now and she’s doing great.”
Molly looked at Julia.
“Speaking of family,” said Molly. “How are your parents with all of this?”
Julia’s parents divorced when she was fourteen. She had been a pawn in the middle of a drawn-out custody battle. Julia loved both of her parents, but the bitterness between the two of them ran deep.
“Honestly,” said Julia. “I just have to keep them separate long enough to make it through the ceremony.”
“And Jake’s family?”
“His parents are great, but they’ve never met my folks. And then there’s his brother, Ron.”
“Oh, I know all about Ron Richardson,” said Molly. “I have all his songs on my phone, and everybody knows he’s a trainwreck.”
“Yeah,” said Julia. “But what you don’t know is that he’s married to Barbara.”
“Wait…WHAT?!” said Molly. “You mean the Barbara chick I just met?”
“That’s the one,” said Julia. “But they haven’t spoken in years. They had some big falling out, and Jake says that’s why Ron went off the rails. I’ve never met him.”
Lunch arrived. Julia had a Caesar salad and Molly had a hamburger. Molly took a bite and froze.
“Are you OK?” asked Julia.
“Oh my God! It’s perfect…” said Molly. “This burger is fucking PERFECT!”
Molly took a bite of a French-fry. “That’s the best French-fry I’ve ever had! How in the hell…”
Julia smiled. “Gaston. He’s kind of amazing.”
“Okay! Okay! One stupid question,” said Molly. “How does a chef like Gaston wind up in the middle of the Alaskan wilderness? You sure he’s unavailable?”
Julia looked nervous. “There’s something I haven’t told you about this place. About Jake.”
Molly looked concerned. “Nothing good can come after that. Spill it, girl!”
“It’s nothing bad. It’s just that…The Lone Pine…High Mountain…it’s not like other places in the world. The people here are…different.”
“What do you mean?”
Julia lowered her voice. “Have you ever heard of a shifter?”
“Other than on a 68 Buick, no.”
“Shape shifters are people who live between two worlds—the animal world and the human world. They have a foot in both. The Lone Pine is a haven for shifters. Gaston, he’s a like a wolf. Barbara’s a Puma.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” asked Molly.
“It’s why Gaston is here. He doesn’t fit anywhere else.” Julia took a deep breath. “And my Jake? Well…Jake’s like a bear.”
“A bear?” Molly raised one eyebrow and shot Julia an evil grin. “Is he a big bear? Seriously, Julia—TMI.”
Julia looked exasperated, and was about to continue when the sound of crashing plates shattered through the dining room. A tall, thin woman with white blond hair and grey eyes burst through the kitchen door. She was followed by an even taller man in a chef’s coat and hat. Both their faces were red. The diners did their best to look away as the couple screamed at each other.
The man threw his hands up, pointed at the woman and bellowed something in French.
“BUT YOU ARE MY FIANCÉ, GASTON!” yelled the woman in English with a French accent. “I AM PROMISED TO YOU!”
She held a dinner plate over her head, threatening him.
“Larissa…” said the man. Larissa hurled the plate at Gaston. He ducked and it smashed against the kitchen door.
Gaston yelled at Larissa in French. Molly couldn’t understand a word of what they were saying. If it wasn’t English or Spanglish, they could have as easily been speaking Martian for all she knew. Regardless of the language, she knew an insult when she heard one.
Larissa’s face contorted into tears. “THEN I QUIT! YOU CAN’T DO ANYTHING WITHOUT ME! YOU’LL COME BEGGING AT MY DOOR!”
Larissa stormed out.
“Hoo! Hoo! That was a nasty one! So that’s Gaston, huh?” said Molly. She turned to Julia. Julia’s face was sheet white and her eyes were brimming with tears.
“Uh oh,” said Molly. “What’s going on?”
“Larissa,” Julia sniffled. “She’s the Wedding Coordinator. My Wedding Coordinator just quit!”
“Wolf at the Wedding” is available now!
Don’t miss out on this delicious new romance.
The Lone Pine Lodge Series by Haley Jacobs
The Lone Pine Lodge books are all stand-alone HEAs.
Bear out of the Blue, Lone Pine Lodge Book 1
Wolf at the Wedding, Lone Pine Lodge Book 2
Wildcat and the Rock Star, Lone Pine Lodge Book 3
Coyote and the Beast, Lone Pine Lodge Book 4 (Coming in Fall 2017)