opened and he saw one of the cleaning carts emerge, being pushed by Donna Moore. Donna was a bear shifter who’d gone to school with Ryland and Soren and was a little down on her luck, thanks to a husband who drank too much. She’d come to him a few weeks ago, begging for a job and he’d found her one. From what he heard, she was doing well. She was quiet and kept her head down, never complaining.
She started when she saw him. “Mr. Snow.”
He smiled. “Donna, what did I say?”
She blushed. “Ryland. Sorry about that.” She was distracted by the sound of Soren’s laughter down the hallway and turned in time to see him and Lia disappear around the corner. She blanched. “Was that…?”
“Soren? Yeah.” He’d forgotten Soren and Donna had a thing years ago in high school. They’d been an item for a couple of years until Soren dumped her, unable to fit her into his burgeoning schedule. There was no time in a musical prodigy’s life for hometown sweethearts. Donna had been devastated at first, but moved on and had a couple of kids with her husband. “He’s just visiting. You won’t tell anyone you saw him, will you? He’s trying to keep a low profile right now.”
Her tired eyes creased with a smile. “Of course. I understand. Superstardom and all that. Have a nice night, Ryland.”
“You, too.” Ryland stared into the empty hallway his brother and Lia had just vacated. “I’m sure mine’ll be just grand.”
Chapter 5
As Soren walked her into the Northern Ontario darkness, much darker than Toronto ever was in a power outage, Lia’s mind reeled. She was on the arm of a musical giant of the ursine variety, while his hot bear brother followed on their heels, steam coming out of his ears. She darted another look back at Ryland, only to be met with the penetrating gaze of his black eyes. Even in the dark, she felt its debilitating force.
She swallowed, blinked, and slowly turned back around. Why was he always so mad?
And why couldn’t she stop thinking of him? He was so much on her mind she was even forgetting her fear of being in the woods.
They turned a corner on the pathway and suddenly the view ahead was illuminated by a thousand fairy lights. Lia smiled in spite of the emotional churning in her gut.
So this was a fish fry.
The beach near the lake was packed with happy families eating and laughing, sitting on picnic benches and on towels right on the sand. There was a covered booth set up near the sparkling water’s edge, and under it a couple of men were frying up some very fresh-looking fish in a large fry pan. In another booth, a lady was doling out heaping mounds of the creamiest coleslaw she’d ever seen. In the middle of the beach there was a fire pit with a steaming cauldron. People were boiling corn on the cob in it and then dunking their cobs in pots of melted butter. There was a grill, and the delectable smell of cooking sausages made Lia’s mouth pool with saliva. To say nothing of the table of sinful desserts: pies, crumbles, and cheesecakes. A band was playing a fusion of country and Celtic music down the beach, and the sound of rousing fiddles made her want to dance.
For a moment, Lia wondered if she’d stumbled into heaven. After enduring the rat race in the big city, it certainly felt like her version of the celestial place, creepy-crawlies aside. In that moment, she was happier than she’d been in weeks.
Soren and Ryland came to stand on either side of her. Even from behind his sunglasses, she could feel Soren’s frank gaze. “So, what’ll it be?” he asked. “Fish or sausage?”
She breathed in and all the wonderful fragrances hit her at once. “Would it be too greedy to say both?”
Soren laughed out loud. “I love a woman with an appetite. Come with me. I’ll make sure you’re fed.” He maneuvered her away from Ryland and toward the food.
Not wanting to resemble a desperate dolt, Lia tried not to look back at Ryland more than once. Still, she felt his
She started when she saw him. “Mr. Snow.”
He smiled. “Donna, what did I say?”
She blushed. “Ryland. Sorry about that.” She was distracted by the sound of Soren’s laughter down the hallway and turned in time to see him and Lia disappear around the corner. She blanched. “Was that…?”
“Soren? Yeah.” He’d forgotten Soren and Donna had a thing years ago in high school. They’d been an item for a couple of years until Soren dumped her, unable to fit her into his burgeoning schedule. There was no time in a musical prodigy’s life for hometown sweethearts. Donna had been devastated at first, but moved on and had a couple of kids with her husband. “He’s just visiting. You won’t tell anyone you saw him, will you? He’s trying to keep a low profile right now.”
Her tired eyes creased with a smile. “Of course. I understand. Superstardom and all that. Have a nice night, Ryland.”
“You, too.” Ryland stared into the empty hallway his brother and Lia had just vacated. “I’m sure mine’ll be just grand.”
Chapter 5
As Soren walked her into the Northern Ontario darkness, much darker than Toronto ever was in a power outage, Lia’s mind reeled. She was on the arm of a musical giant of the ursine variety, while his hot bear brother followed on their heels, steam coming out of his ears. She darted another look back at Ryland, only to be met with the penetrating gaze of his black eyes. Even in the dark, she felt its debilitating force.
She swallowed, blinked, and slowly turned back around. Why was he always so mad?
And why couldn’t she stop thinking of him? He was so much on her mind she was even forgetting her fear of being in the woods.
They turned a corner on the pathway and suddenly the view ahead was illuminated by a thousand fairy lights. Lia smiled in spite of the emotional churning in her gut.
So this was a fish fry.
The beach near the lake was packed with happy families eating and laughing, sitting on picnic benches and on towels right on the sand. There was a covered booth set up near the sparkling water’s edge, and under it a couple of men were frying up some very fresh-looking fish in a large fry pan. In another booth, a lady was doling out heaping mounds of the creamiest coleslaw she’d ever seen. In the middle of the beach there was a fire pit with a steaming cauldron. People were boiling corn on the cob in it and then dunking their cobs in pots of melted butter. There was a grill, and the delectable smell of cooking sausages made Lia’s mouth pool with saliva. To say nothing of the table of sinful desserts: pies, crumbles, and cheesecakes. A band was playing a fusion of country and Celtic music down the beach, and the sound of rousing fiddles made her want to dance.
For a moment, Lia wondered if she’d stumbled into heaven. After enduring the rat race in the big city, it certainly felt like her version of the celestial place, creepy-crawlies aside. In that moment, she was happier than she’d been in weeks.
Soren and Ryland came to stand on either side of her. Even from behind his sunglasses, she could feel Soren’s frank gaze. “So, what’ll it be?” he asked. “Fish or sausage?”
She breathed in and all the wonderful fragrances hit her at once. “Would it be too greedy to say both?”
Soren laughed out loud. “I love a woman with an appetite. Come with me. I’ll make sure you’re fed.” He maneuvered her away from Ryland and toward the food.
Not wanting to resemble a desperate dolt, Lia tried not to look back at Ryland more than once. Still, she felt his
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