One look at the mountains rising in the skyline surrounding Anchorage, and Zoey knew getting here had been worth every second.
To her pleasure, Lana had hired someone to pick her up from the airport instead of Zoey having to take a shuttle. Lana accompanied the chauffeur, so Zoey had her friend to talk to on the long drive to Moose Springs. The winding scenic road had been stunning, even with her growing headache and jet lag. The deep green and blue mountains with their snowy peaks rising above the hotel and the quaint Alaskan town with its small lake cradled in the foothills below were incredible. Then they’d pulled into the hotel and Zoey’s jaw had dropped.
Moose Springs Resort was, to put it simply, absolutely fabulous.
Somehow the rustic luxury of the world-class lodge was even better than what Lana and a hundred internet image searches promised. Lana had invited her to come along every time before, but as with all of Lana’s adventures around the world, Zoey had been forced to say no. Just because Lana wanted to fly off to Europe on any given weekday didn’t mean Zoey could afford to take off work to go too. Her friend might be a trust fund baby with more than enough cash to spend on them both, but Zoey refused to let Lana foot the bill of their friendship. Besides, she had a waitressing job she couldn’t risk losing.
Finally being able to say yes to a trip with her friend was just as fabulous as the resort itself.
“There’s just no one interesting here yet.” With a dramatic sigh, Lana’s eyes swept the room. “It gets better around here closer to the Fourth of July… Oh! I see a familiar face. Come with me, and I’ll introduce you.”
Nope. Nope nope nope. Theirs was a friendship with long-established rules. Shaking her head, Zoey leaned in. “I don’t make you listen to stories about my job, and you don’t introduce me to your other friends, remember? Everyone always thinks I’m your assistant.”
Lana rolled her eyes. “One day, you will be less of a stick-in-the-mud. I will break you.”
Taking a sip of her moose pee, Zoey shot her friend a sassy look. “You’re welcome to try.”
Theirs was a strange friendship, but somehow it worked. They had next to nothing in common, but they complemented each other well. Zoey didn’t want to be the center of attention, and Lana had that covered. Lana needed someone she could trust, someone she could talk to with impunity, no matter what she’d gotten herself into this time. Zoey was good at listening without judging too much…or calling the cops.
Another rattle of ice—this time in a glass—was equally hard to ignore.
“Try not to let your eyes fall out of your head, love,” Lana murmured.
“Shut up.” Hiking her book higher up, Zoey glanced guiltily over the top. Sexy T-shirt guy’s attention was locked right on them even as he worked.
“How’s your water, Zoey?”
“Don’t tease her, Graham.” Lana tsked, a tease-me-instead tsk if there ever was one. “Zoey won’t fall for your tricks.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Lana rolled her eyes. “Don’t trust him, Zoey. Graham might look like a sweet thing, but he’s a snob through and through. To him, we’re the enemy.”
Instead of being offended, Graham just dribbled a splash of red-colored liquor over the brightest, bluest cocktail Zoey had ever seen. “Hey, Zoey. Have you ever read Where the Red Fern Grows?”
Zoey blinked at him. “I’m sorry, what was that?”
“So, this kid wants to earn some money, and he decides to do it by catching raccoons for their pelts. He figures out the raccoons will stick their hands in a coffee can to grab a piece of shiny tin and get stuck. Mean, right?”
She tilted her head, confused at the randomness of his comments, then squeaked in alarm as Graham abandoned his counter and headed for their table. “He’s coming over here, Lana,” she hissed.
“I know.” Even her jet-setting friend seemed impressed. “I’m not sure anyone’s ever seen his feet before.”
Setting down the drink and some unknown kind of bratwurst in front of her, Graham gave them a sexy smile. “My motto has always been not to grab the sparkly stuff. Lana’s sparkly, and I’m liable to lose my pelt when she’s done with me.”
“If Lana lets you get a paw on her, just let go before you get bonked in the head.” Zoey returned his smile with a shy one of her own.
“Hey!” Lana protested, but not with nearly enough vigor, her attention already straying across the room. In all their years of friendship, Zoey could count on her fingers how often Lana had managed to sit still for more than a couple of minutes.
Sexy T-shirt guy must have known Lana well. “I’m too lazy to keep up with her anyway. Enjoy your Growly Bear. This one’s on me. Just drink it slow.”
Mesmerized by how bright and blue it was, Zoey picked up her drink with a murmured thanks. Why were there blue gummy bears swimming in the liquid? Or were they drowning? Currently, Zoey was drowning in the cuteness of her dinner. It looked like a normal bratwurst, but he’d slipped a pair of paper antlers over one end and added two eyes and a toothy grin with ketchup.
“This smells delicious, but it’s too freaking cute to eat.”
Arching an eyebrow at his generosity, Lana waited until Graham was headed back to the grill before leaning in, her voice lowered conspiratorially. “He only gives kids the antlers. And he never gives anyone anything for free.” Lana’s eyes sparkled with mischief. “He likes you. I’ll ask what he’s doing later.”
“No.” Her face flushing, Zoey gave her a warning look. “Lana, don’t you dare.”
“I’m doing it.”
Just as Lana started to open her mouth in Graham’s direction, Zoey squeaked out one of her best threats. “I know your natural hair color.”
Lana paused, considering it. “Fine. But you’re no fun.”
No one should look that good walking across a room or ignoring the customers vying for his attention. Zoey took a bite of the dog as she watched Graham, then immediately spat it out. It tasted awful, the meat filled with a heavy combination of spices that made Zoey gag. In a panic to get the taste out of her mouth, Zoey grabbed for the drink, taking a slug of the bright blue liquid. She was drinking fire. Sugary fire.
Lana dissolved into laughter at the expression on her face.
“What’s in this?” Choking and sputtering, Zoey took refuge in her pee water.
“It’s better not to ask,” Graham replied at the same time as Lana patted her hand and said, “Don’t worry. Reindeer is an acquired taste. By the time we leave, you’ll love them.”
“I’m eating a reindeer?” A sweet, cuddly, pulls Santa’s sleigh at Christmastime reindeer? Zoey stared at them in horror. She was eating Rudolph. She had just swallowed Rudolph by-product.
Graham said to her from behind his grill, “Welcome to Alaska, Zoey.”
Well, there was no going back now. Grabbing the Growly Bear, Zoey took another drink.
Chapter 2
Lana’s generosity had led to…shenanigans.
Disturbing beer-inspired shenanigans that would have horrified the younger, more impressionable version of Graham. Someone tried to summit Frank the Mounted Moose’s impressive antlers and almost succeeded. Another failed in such dramatic fashion, Graham was forced to water down everyone’s drinks. Finally, when they were dangerously close to becoming a fun place to hang out, Graham declared it closing time.
It was barely ten.
Sometimes he closed as late as midnight in the summer, knowing his town stayed up and wanted somewhere to eat during the sunlight-filled evening, but that changed depending on his mood. He was less reliable in the winter, and when the Seawolves were playing, he’d been known to not bother opening at all.
Boy, did the tourists online review the snot out of him for that.
“Out!” Graham called cheerfully to the remaining stragglers. “Sorry, ladies. You’ll have to come back tomorrow.”
“But, Graham—”
“Nope. Back to whence you came. Shoo, tourists, you are no longer trapped today.”
Locking the door, Graham turned to the mess he’d have to clean up and blinked.
There was a drunk bookworm in his diner.
Somehow during all the craziness of the evening, Graham failed to notice Lana had left, but her friend had not. Zoey had abandoned her table and was now curled up on a seat against the wall, wedged next to a pay phone that hadn’t worked since Graham bought the place.
She was still trying to read her book, but she was half-asleep, and her book was upside down.
Huh. He’d only given her the one drink, and that had been hours ago. Joining her by the pay phone, Graham hunkered down so they were eye level, voice softened to sound unthreatening.
“Hey there, Zoey Bear. Where did Lana go? You need a ride home. We’re all closed up here.”
Zoey peered at him suspiciously, then shook her head. “I need my glasses,” she slurred. “I can’t see. Danger, danger, Will Robinson.”
Graham grinned, because for a tourist, she was kind of growing on him. Trying to adjust her glasses on her nose, Zoey failed to realize that she’d been using them as a bookmark. Taking her very delicate frames, Graham carefully opened them and set them on her nose.
“Imma call a cab.” When she started to stand, she ended up staggering. “Whoops.”
Graham caught her arm to steady her. “Hey, Zoey? Did anyone else but me give you a drink tonight?”
“Nope. But Lana had some aspirin.”
“Are you sure you took aspirin?”
Sticking her nose in his face, Zoey raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure I took aspirin?”
Well. This was a first on his watch. “Give me your phone, Zoey. I want to call your friend.”
It took her a minute to find her phone in her hand, but with Graham’s help, Zoey got there eventually. She proudly presented it to him. Without asking permission, he squished her thumb on the phone to unlock it, then found Lana’s name on the recent calls list.