Mia practically bounces toward me in a bright red coat, her dark curls escaping from beneath a knitted cap, and pulls me into a hug. Then she leans back, and her beautiful violet eyes go wide.
"Wait, no glasses? Since when?"
"LASIK," I say, blinking for emphasis. "Two weeks ago. Best decision ever."
"You look amazing." She shakes her head, grinning. "And how was the flight? The hotel? Dorothy didn't overwhelm you?"
"Everything's perfect. The view from my room is incredible," I say with a smile. "How about you? How are your alphas?"
"Well, they send their love," she says. "They're stuck dealing with some emergency at the resort in Hawaii, bigger than they expected. They're trying to wrap it up as fast as they can."
"Will they make it back in time for the festival?"
"Honestly?" She sighs. "I'm not sure about the hockey game. But I'm counting on them to be here for the Angel Ceremony."
"The Angel Ceremony?"
"It's this whole thing. The town gathers, they light an angel tree topper, there's music, everyone has a good time... Very Hallmark movie." Her voice softens. "It's been my favorite part of the festival since I was a kid."
"Sounds awesome, I'm sure they'll make it."
"They'd better." She shakes off the worry and links her arm through mine, her smile brightening again. "But enough aboutthat. Before I give you one last briefing on the mission, you have to try something."
She steers me toward a booth where pastries are laid out like jewelry. A teenager with flour in her hair guards the display.
"This is from my friend Elena's bakery," Mia says, proud. "She'd usually be here charming everyone into buying a dozen, but the shop's slammed, so she sent her apprentice and half her inventory."
"Elena…" I turn the name over. "Wait—Dorian's Elena? His omega?"
"Yes!" Mia lights up. "I keep forgetting you two know each other through work."
"Yeah, and I always had a blast handling cases for his company, Beaumont Patisserie." I pick up a pastry, remembering. "He mentioned Elena on practically every call. She must be remarkable."
"She really is. They both are." Mia's voice softens. "It's funny how things connect. Elena meets Dorian, Dorian gives me your info… and suddenly I've got a lawyer who helps me turn my one little hair salon into the Curl Up & Dye franchise empire."
"And I discover the joy of flying to small towns to wrangle difficult situations." I grin, taking a bite of the pastry.
Oh my god.
"Right?" Mia grins as she takes in my reaction. "Elena's won awards.Food & Winedid a whole feature. I'll arrange a proper introduction after you sort out our hockey problem. Which shouldn't take long. You're you, after all."
"Shounds great," I mumble around another bite. I swallow, clear my throat. "And speaking of the mission, is there anything I should know about our three prima donnas that wasn't in the files?"
Mia's expression shifts, something flickering behind her eyes. "Actually, yeah. There is."
"I'm all ears."
"So, we all went to the same high school," she says, leaning against the booth. "Back then they were pretty chill… for jocks. Then they left Lakeview twelve years ago to play professionally. Made it big. Real big. Highlight reels, endorsements, the whole deal." She pauses. "Then, about two years ago, they suddenly asked to transfer to our tiny local team."
"Theyaskedto transfer?" I arch a brow. "From a major league team to… Lakeview's? No offense."
"None taken, and yes." She shakes her head, still baffled. "These guys played for teams with twenty-thousand-seat arenas. No one has any idea why they came back here. They keep to themselves mostly. Bought a massive chalet up in the mountains with a private rink and everything."
"Private rink?" I repeat.
"Yep. They're probably there right now, actually." She checks her watch. "I texted them you'd come by today. They're expecting you around four."
"They couldn't even come into town?"
