CHAPTERONE
“Huh,” said Arthur Pineclaw as the limo cruised into town. “They changed the sign. I heard they were thinking of changing that back in high school. Didn’t think they’d actually go through with it.”
Rusty didn’t look up from his phone. The director had been exceedingly dull since they got off their Los Angeles to Alaska flight, spending most of the limo ride on his phone.
Arthur extended a wing and nudged the human. “Rust. They changed it.”
Rusty glanced up. “What? Oh. Yeah, bud, I bet a lot’s changed. How long has it been since you came back?”
“Over a decade.” Arthur shot him a bright smile to cover up the nerves squirming in his stomach and peered out the window again. “It can’t have changedthatmuch. You know our movie theater only had one room, and they’d play one movie for six months?”
“Times are a-changing,” Rusty said, shoving his phone in his pocket. “Your hometown’s a big draw for tourists nowadays. We’re lucky the location scouts thought of it.Andthat they let us film. You know the Cozy Grotto Café?”
“Doesn’t ring a bell.” Arthur stared out at the town as it came into view. The streets were shockingly less shabby than he remembered. Crowded, too. Gone were the dingy Christmas decorations Arthur had grown up with; now, they had brand-new lights winding up lampposts and shiny wreaths hanging off every door. Some of them were even monster themed, which Arthur got a kick out of.
Claw Haven, the new sign had declared.For the monster who wants some peace and quiet. It was a cute little slogan. Arthur might have even liked it if he was the kind of guy who enjoyed peace and quiet.
But Arthur was meant for cityscapes and noise. Which was why he’d gotten out of this sleepy town the year after high school ended and hadn’t looked back since. Not until Rusty got in touch with an exciting new opportunity: a Christmas rom-com based in Arthur’s own hometown.
We don’t want to do it without you,Rusty had told him after his agent put them in touch.If you don’t say yes, we might as well scrap the whole project.
So, of course, Arthur had signed on. How could he not, with so many people counting on him? Besides, he’d been meaning to squeeze another shoot into his winter schedule. It was a quick enough job—they’d already shot in LA for a month, and now they needed two weeks in Claw Haven for the small-town scenes. They’d wrap on Christmas Eve, and Arthur would be back in LA in time for another carefree Christmas watching the holiday episodes ofFriends,eating takeout, and “forgetting” to call his parents, who would in turn “forget” to call him before trading apologies and promising a New Year’s call that would never happen.
Rusty tapped on the partition. “Driver! Cozy Grotto Café. We’re here!”
The limo skidded to a stop outside a café that Arthur vaguely remembered. It used to be called something different, but it had still been a café. One of theonlycafés. Not anymore, though—they’d multiplied since Arthur had gone. He’d counted at least four tucked in between the revamped bookstore, bakery, and tattoo studio. They even had askincareshop now, which was exciting. He only had so many of his special creams, and he could already feel his mane drying out.
Arthur slipped his sunglasses on and turned to Rusty. “I can pull these off, right? They’re not too much?”
“You look great,” Rusty assured him. He clapped Arthur on the back, right between his wings. “Ready for your triumphant return?”
“Always.” Arthur winked, telling his pesky nerves to shut up. He had nothing to be nervous about. He’d been popular in high school, and now he was returning as a movie star. He had alimo, for god’s sake. These small-town folks wouldn’t know what hit them.
He shook out his mane and climbed out onto the snowy sidewalk. A few shoppers glanced his way, and one of them even did a double take. But no mobs, no pleading for autographs. Arthur told himself he was relieved. He liked the attention, but it got tiring sometimes.
Rust shivered. “Goddamn! This cold isintense. WishIhad fur.”
“We can’t all be perfect,” Arthur told him, stretching out his cramped wings. First a plane ride, then a limo ride—he would need a good fly around while he was here. Even if it didn’t stop snowing, this weather was manageable to fly in. He used to do it all the time. A million years ago, back when he spent every winter flying around the mountains with a certain someone’s arms around his shoulders, her bright laugh in his ear…
He squeezed his eyes shut. One thing he had decided when he told Rusty he’d do the movie: This wasn’t a trip down memory lane. He had a script from his publicist about what to say in interviews, but those responses were all vague and mostly fake. He wasn’t going to get lost in the memories.Especiallynot memories about her.
He reached for the café door.
It swung open, a peppy human beaming up at him. Her hair was blond and glossy, her clothes the kind of fashionable he thought you couldn’t get in Claw Haven.
“Hi,” she said, her accent decidedlynotlocal. “I’m Luna Musgrove!”
“You’re the one who reached out to my agent and got Rusty on board,” he supplied, stepping past her into the warm café. It was bigger than he’d expected, all tiny tables and ornate chairs and a persistent smell of cinnamon in the air. A camera guy was setting up near the counter, and a prop guy slotted plastic minotaur-themed cupcakes into the cabinet.
Arthur turned toward the door, calling out into the cold, “Rusty! It’s your old pal Luna!”
Rusty rushed into the café after him, brushing snow out of his hair. “Luna, hi. Great to finally meet you in person. You look even better off Zoom.”
“Aw, so do you.” Luna kissed his cheek. “Soglad you’re here. There are some set people out back who have a ton of questions for you. Something to do with lighting rigs?”
“On it,” Rusty said and took off in the direction Luna was pointing.
Luna brushed her blond strands out of her face. She was definitely from LA, he was sure of it now—she had thatlook. Dentist-perfect teeth and glowing skin. She looked chic and adorable in her puffy winter clothes, which were much thicker than anything a local would wear. This was a woman who wasn’t used to the Alaskan cold.
