A Case for Forgiveness

Shay stood up. “I have to go. Can you handle things while I’m gone?”

Hannah nodded. “Sure. Go kick some lawyer butt. But before you go—that Adele person called again.”

“Adele?”

“Yep.” Hannah looked down at the paper in front of her. “She called last night, too—twice. I told you.”

Shay shook her head, vaguely recalling the conversation. She’d been so distracted after the evening at Caleb’s she didn’t remember the details. “Did you get any details?”

“I tried, but she said she only wanted to talk to you. She said it was very important.”

“I don’t know anyone named Adele. Did she say what it was about?”

“Nope, but I think she’s from Utah. I recognize the area code.”

Hannah would recognize the area code for Utah—she’d spent a lot of time there in her ski-training days. Probably something to do with a reservation. Shay was continually surprised by how often guests thought only the manager could handle their special requests.

“Can you put her name and number on my desk? I’ll call her back later. I don’t have time right now.”

“Will do, but when you get back we need to talk about the staffing issues in the restaurant.”

“Have you had a chance to look over the applicants for the server positions?”

Hannah grimaced. “I have, but there’s not a lot to choose from there. Kyla Randle applied, but we know she was fired from the Cozy Caribou for stealing from the till. Randy Baxter applied, but Shay, he hasn’t showered in three years. There are a few other applicants with literally no experience and/or dicey references—Crystal Scower is a known meth dealer from Glacier City and this other guy who just got out of jail because of some brutal animal cruelty charges.”

“Nope. No way on that last one. I’d rather hire the drug user—but seriously, her name is Crystal and she deals meth?”

“Yes, and I agree—you know what Agnes used to say—if a person isn’t kind to animals then there can’t be much for kindness in there at all.”

“That’s the truth. We’re having open interviews on Friday, so maybe someone will show up then.”

Hannah looked doubtful and Shay felt the same. This was a problem. She was also short at least one more maid and a front desk person. But the restaurant was the most pressing problem. She and Hannah were picking up the slack, but it was becoming increasingly difficult with the tourist season officially upon them.

Shay had not only expanded and remodeled the dining room; she’d hired a professionally trained chef, Javier, who had overhauled the menu. Shay had been skeptical when Javier had introduced a few of the dishes—like honey-glazed salmon and halibut with mango chutney. She would have lost a lot of money betting that the men in this town would never eat “fish with jam,” as her friend Cricket Blackburn had taken to calling the dish.

The Faraway Restaurant was now quite a bit more upscale than Rankins’ other two eateries—the Cozy Caribou and the Top Rock Café. This didn’t include the Donut Den, but her sugar-addicted cousin-in-law Emily was the only person she knew who considered a donut a proper dinner.

Shay hadn’t realized there were quite so many people in Rankins hankering for a fine dining experience. Well, fine dining Rankins-style consisted mainly of changing out of your work clothes before grabbing a bite, but still the restaurant was filling a niche she hadn’t expected.

“Don’t worry—we will figure this out. I need to go, so let’s recap quickly—what are you going to do with the fish if Mr. Takagi shows up?”

Hannah looked skyward and slowly tapped a pink-polished fingertip to her pursed lips before pointing it at Shay. “Lightly bread and panfry?”

“Hannah—”

“Shay, chill—seriously, you need to lighten up. I’ve got this. You can leave the expensive lipstick-kissed koi in my capable hands.”

Shay wasn’t so sure about that, but she picked up her bag and headed out of her office. She had more important matters to attend to, because family trumped everything in her life—even the inn. And she considered Caleb family, so if Jonah thought she hadn’t been thrilled with him last night...well, then he hadn’t seen anything yet.

CHAPTER THREE (#ulink_ba5e12ca-59a7-5663-97c9-2ad19fd3f656)

THE SUN SHONE bright amongst a smattering of high, fluffy clouds and from the Faraway Inn’s ridge-top location Shay could see the entire town of Rankins below. The Cozy Caribou’s distinctive red roof stood out like a beacon in the heart of its quaint downtown. Normally, on a day like this, she’d soak in the sight, be grateful for the sheer beauty of this place she was lucky enough to call home—but not this morning. Because now, instead of the lovely view and the drive down the hill calming her anger, the time only managed to rile her further.

Breakfast? With his buddies? Shay felt her blood pressure spike anew. Jonah had said he would call her as soon as he learned anything, but he had opted for breakfast instead? Unbelievable...

Shay marched into the Caribou, her eyes sweeping the place until they latched on to the table where Jonah sat, sure enough, shooting the breeze with a bunch of his old compadres—Bering, Cricket Blackburn, Gary Watte, Steve Howard and—Tag? That was a surprise. Could her big brother finally have let go of his animosity toward Jonah? It seemed unlikely. Like her, he’d probably been blindsided. Unlike her, he was too polite to make a scene.

As she headed toward the table, she heard a few greetings and comments in her periphery. She offered only quick replies.

Jonah jumped up from the table as she approached. “Shay, I was going to—”

The table went silent as she interrupted smoothly, “Can I talk to you for a minute?”

“I—”

“In private.”

All eyes were on her, every mouth shut. Tag asked a question with his eyes and Shay conveyed with a look that yes, she was fine.

Jonah nodded.

She pivoted and headed toward the back of the restaurant and into the area that served as a bar in the afternoons and evenings. The section was closed now and darker than usual in the normally bright space, but she could feel that Jonah was close behind her. Maddening how she still felt so much where he was concerned.

When she was sure they were out of earshot she turned and faced him. “Well?”

“Shay, calm down. I—”

“Calm down? Why wouldn’t I be calm, Jonah? Oh, right, because you’re here eating breakfast with your old posse while I’m up at the inn, concerned and waiting for you to call me with news about your grandfather?”

He opened his mouth but she began firing off more words before he could respond. “Look at me.” She pointed at her face. “See these bags under my eyes? That’s because I barely slept last night. The inn is crazy busy, I’m short-staffed, and I have a guest bringing in valuable live koi that we have promised to take care of—but none of that really matters to me right now, Jonah, because I am worried about Caleb. You remember him? Your grandfather? The man who, outside of my own father and possibly my brothers, is the single most important man to me in the entire world.”

“Did you say koi?” Amusement danced across his face and that spiked a fresh surge of annoyance.

“Yes,” she snapped. He didn’t deserve an explanation.

“Okay... Shay, listen—I was going to call you, but I left my phone—”

She tipped her head down and tapped on her forehead, trying to rein in her temper. “Just tell me what Doc said. That’s all I really want to know anyway.”

“He didn’t say anything definitive. He is sending Gramps to a specialist. His appointment is in three weeks.”

Her eyes shifted upward, connecting with his. “A specialist? What kind of specialist?”

“A cardiologist in Anchorage.”

“A cardiologist? What...? He doesn’t have a heart condition, or any family history of heart disease.” She didn’t care that she was informing him of this like he didn’t already know his own grandfather.

“He had some abnormal test results and Doc wants Gramps to follow up with a doctor in Anchorage.”