Sam looked at her friends. “I’ll do whatever I can to help, too.”
“That’s awesome. I knew you’d want to be involved.”
“You’d better add Megan’s name to the committee,” Sam said. “She would disown us if we left her out.”
Cassie’s cell phone beeped. She read the name of the person who’d sent the email and sighed.
“Bad news?” Sam asked.
“It’s Wilson Enterprises again.” She deleted the message. “Hopefully, they’ll give up and stop contacting me.”
The heat of a blush hit Sam’s cheeks. “I’m sorry about entering you in the jewelry competition.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Cassie said quickly. “It would have been wonderful if I wanted the publicity.”
“But you don’t. Is there anything I can do?”
Cassie shook her head. “I tried blocking their emails, but they started using another address. I don’t understand why they keep contacting me. I’ve already sent them enough information for the article they want to write. Besides, in a few months, no one will remember who won the award.”
At least, she hoped so.
“Do they know the name you use as a jeweler is different from your legal name?” Brooke asked.
“I don’t think so. The emails I’ve received are addressed to C.J. Davis and come through my website. As long as they don’t connect C.J. Davis with Cassie Harper, I’ll be okay.” She pulled her mind away from Wilson Enterprises and focused on Brooke’s problem. “Do you want to know about the wedding planning program, Brooke?”
“Only if we’ve finished talking about everything else.”
Cassie typed some notes into her laptop. “I’ll tell Pastor John we want to help with the tiny home project. But in the meantime, we’ll focus on the auction for The Welcome Center. I’ll send everyone a list of what we have to do in the next two weeks.”
“And I’ll check your email settings before I go,” Sam said. “I can download a program that will block all emails from Wilson Enterprises, regardless of where the message comes from.” She pulled out her phone and opened the wedding planning app. “Which brings me nicely to this program. I couldn’t have designed it better myself.”
As Sam showed Brooke how to use the app, Cassie’s mind drifted to the jewelry award. In five weeks, a ceremony would be held in New York City, showcasing the best of the best in jewelry design. Cassie’s necklace and earring set would be there, but she wouldn’t. And for now, as much as she wanted to be recognized by her peers, that’s the way it would have to stay.
Chapter 2
Three days after he’d decided to find C.J. Davis, Noah stepped out of his rented SUV and studied the stunning view of Flathead Lake. Sunlight glistened off the clear blue water. The mountains on the opposite side of the bay rose to a formidable height, disappearing under a blanket of cloud.
Nestled against the shore of the lake was Sapphire Bay. The spire of a church marked one end of the small, Montana town. Other buildings lined the sides of what looked like the main road. If he was searching for somewhere he could get lost in, this wasn’t it.
The drive from Polson Airport had been uneventful—if you discounted the moose grazing beside the road or the squirrels watching him from the grassy bank of the picnic area.
He took a deep breath. After sitting in the plane for more than seven hours, the tension in his shoulders began to unravel.
For most of his life, Noah had lived in New York City. He was used to skyscrapers, traffic jams, and constant noise. Apart from the silence surrounding him, the grandeur of the scenery was overwhelming. In some ways, it made him feel as though he’d locked himself inside a closet for the last four years.
He pulled out his cell phone, took a photo, and emailed it to his brother. At least it proved he was here and hadn’t canceled his flight at the last minute. Because Jack, even with his unfailing loyalty, had been waiting for him to change his mind about coming here.
That would never have happened. Noah needed to find C.J. Davis as much as he needed to breathe. Without her help, his options to rebrand his company were limited. And without repositioning him company’s online presence, his contract as chief executive might not be renewed. If he found himself out of a job, he might be moving to Sapphire Bay, too.
Noah returned to his SUV with a heavy heart. Somewhere far below, in a small town called Sapphire Bay, was his last chance to prove he could lead Wilson Enterprises into the next decade. And, despite his best intentions, he still didn’t know if C.J. Davis would want to speak to him.
On Monday afternoon,Cassie rushed into the guest cottage at the back of her property. Thankfully, she’d made the bed last night, added fresh towels to the small bathroom, and filled the refrigerator with milk, bread, and butter.
She placed a gift-wrapped basket of local produce on the dining room table and opened the French doors leading onto the deck. A gentle breeze drifted into the cottage, adding the scent of pine and spruce to the calm interior.
When she’d moved to Sapphire Bay, she’d looked for a property that could provide some sort of income. She had big dreams on a tight budget and, at one stage, doubted whether she could afford to live here. But after five weeks of pestering the local realtor, she’d finally found the perfect property.
Honeysuckle Cottage was a cute, three-bedroom home on the outskirts of town. It had everything she wanted, including a second, smaller cottage sitting forlornly under an old oak tree.
