“Water.” Last night, Kinley decided to forgo any unnecessary spending until the mayor slapped her with the bill to repair the sign. Its heftiness would no doubt force her to dip into savings she worked hard not to touch. She browsed the appetizer menu, favoring their less expensive prices, but a breakfast craving tugged her eyes to the eggs Benedict platter.
Folding her menu, Kinley waited for Cadence to return.
She stretched her neck toward the side door—one she’d used often when working here to keep out of the way of guests—hoping to catch a glimpse of Patty through the glass. Kinley imagined the woman had slowed down in her older age, no matter how stubborn she pretended to be. But she couldn’t imagine her selling the place, or even retiring. This lodge was her legacy, an entire lifetime in the making.
“Decide on something?” Cadence asked, sliding a sweating glass of ice water with a slice of lemon onto the small table.
After ordering, Kinley mustered the courage to ask after her former boss. She hoped Patty Whitmore would be happy to see her, but that wasn’t something she could say about most people in Sunset Ridge. “Is Patty busy today? I’m an old friend. I’d love to say hello if she has a minute.”
Cadence’s smile dropped slowly into a straight line, the sparkle in her kind eyes dimming. “I’m afraid she passed away.”
Kinley felt lead drop into the pit of her stomach.I waited too long.“I’m so sorry to hear that. Are you—are you related, by chance? Your eyes, they look so much like hers.”
“I’m one of Patty’s great-nieces. There’re three of us—Tessa and Sophie, too. We reopened the lodge a few months after she passed away.”
Kinley’s heart thrummed anxiously against her chest, fearing her mission was hopeless now.Nieces.That—and the restaurant—made more sense now, but it didn’t make the news any easier to digest. “How long has she . . .”
“Two years.”
Two years. If only Kinley had flown straight to Alaska the day she received that letter, as her instincts had tugged at her to do. She might’ve had the opportunity to talk to Patty Whitmore before she was gone. The woman had been responsible for sending it, after all, even if she didn’t know its contents. “I used to work here, when I was a teenager.”
“You should come inside after you eat. I’ll give you a tour if you like.”
“Maybe another time.”
“Of course. I’m here every day. Feel free to stop by at any time.”
When Cadence moved away with her breakfast order, Kinley gulped down her glass of water. The entire reason she came back to Sunset Ridge was to talk to Patty and get thatoneanswer.
“I see Ed didn’t prevent you from finding our newest restaurant.” From behind, Ryder’s deep voice startled her. She’d been so set on staying invisible that she broke her own rule, ingrained by all her military training. She’d kept her back to the deck entrance, unable to see who might be approaching, whether friend or foe.Definitely foe.
“I’ve heard good things,” she lied, unwilling to admit she didn’t even know it existed until minutes ago.
Ryder looked different out of uniform. More relaxed. More Alaskan in those Carhartt jeans and worn T-shirt. Different than his official appearance, but no less intimidating. Of course, Kinley had always felt that way around Ryder.Intimidated. “See you have an empty seat. Mind if I join you?”
Kinley wanted to say no, but people were watching. She wasn’t trying to attract any more attention than necessary, considering she still needed to pay Ava a visit before someone else told her friend she was back. “Have a seat.”
“You used to work here, I recall.”
“In high school, back in my morerebelliousdays.”
Ryder reached for a menu, a smirk flashing and disappearing so quickly Kinley wasn’t sure whether it had really appeared or if she’d imagined it. “Patty passed away a couple years ago. Didn’t know if you heard?”
Kinley refused to tear her fixed gaze from her silverware roll. “Fiona never told me. I would’ve come back for the funeral.”That’s probably not true. The heartbreak and embarrassment she felt at the table now would’ve been easier to mask if only she’d asked Fiona about Patty to begin with. She’d have some warning before arriving at the lodge unprepared for the news.
“She left the lodge to her great-nieces. Everyone in town’s happy they decided to take it over. One of them, Sophie, is very recently my sister-in-law.”
“Really?” Kinley wasn’t sure if that connection would come in handy, but she wasn’t going to rule anything out. Not yet. Just because Patty passed away didn’t mean some clue wasn’t tucked away in this lodge. If she could convince someone to show her the office . . .
“I see those wheels turning. As I recall, that look always meant you were up to something.”
“I don’t have alook.”
“You most definitely do.”
“You’re using that police training to jump to unfair conclusions about me.”
“Nope. I remember that look well. It’s like mischief dancing in those eyes.”
