Sweet Home Alaska by Rebecca Thomas

Chapter One
     
    Trey Briggs glanced at Lauren’s application and scanned her résumé. The letterhead had her listed as owner and CEO of Moose’s Tooth Catering, LLC.
    He removed his glasses and bit down on the end piece so hard he almost bent it.
    He’d hire someone else, anyone else, but not Lauren Kinkade.
    He didn’t want to be around her. She conjured up memories of him as a lanky, awkward teen covered in acne. Back then, he could barely speak to people under normal circumstances, let alone a girl like her. A girl who commanded attention the minute she walked into a room, a girl who was as nice as she was beautiful, a girl who everyone wanted as a friend.
    He had earned his high school nickname because of her, and although no one had called him “Crash” in a long time, seeing her résumé reminded him. Sometimes if he walked into a crowded restaurant and a beautiful woman stood up at just the right moment. . . he remembered.
    He set his glasses on his desk and stood up. Pacing across his office, he stared through his floor-to-ceiling window at the mossy green color of the Kenai River.
    A knock sounded on his door. “Come on in,” he said.
    His administrative assistant, Kayla, marched toward his desk. “Just wanted to remind you that you have your first interview in twenty minutes,” she said.
    Kayla stood on the opposite side of his desk and started to place some papers in front of him, but instead raised a wary eyebrow. “Oh, you already have her information. I don’t remember printing that out for you.”
    “I printed it,” he replied flatly.
    “Oh, okay, well, as you can see, she’s local. My understanding is she moved back to town only recently. Her grandmother owned Moose’s Tooth bakery.” She straightened the papers in her hands.
    “Yes, we went to high school together. Graduated the same year.”
    “Oh. I didn’t realize you knew her,” Kayla said, narrowing her eyes at him.
    Kayla reminded him of his mother on occasion.
    Yes, he knew Lauren. A mixture of emotions welled within him. He saw the questions in Kayla’s eyes, but he didn’t owe her any explanation. “And she knew she’d be meeting with me about the job?”
    “Yes. In fact, I was very specific about that. I told her Trey Briggs was performing the interviews.”
    He had the urge to ask if Lauren had corrected her and said “Crash Briggs,” but he knew Lauren would never say that. He paced across the room, looking for an escape.
    “I guess when her grandmother died she left the business to Miss Kinkade. So she moved back. Or maybe you already knew that, too?” Kayla asked.
    “Yes, I knew, but I didn’t put two and two together that she was expanding the bakery to catering as well.” There wasn’t anyone in town who didn’t know about Elsie Kinkade’s Moose’s Tooth bakery. It was famous throughout the entire Kenai Peninsula. People would drive all the way from Homer on Sunday mornings for her cinnamon rolls, but he hadn’t given any real thought to Lauren being back in town until he looked at the candidates he’d be interviewing this week. He’d been so involved in overseeing the remodeling of the Salmon Catcher Hotel, he’d done little else for the past six months.
    Kayla interrupted his thoughts. “I think she moved back from somewhere in California.”
    “Burbank,” he said absently.
    “Oh well, oo-kay, I just wanted to remind you about the interview.” Kayla had the look of an investigative reporter, fishing for answers. She set the papers on his desk, took a moment to straighten them, and turned to leave.
    “Wait a minute.” Trey paced to his desk, picked up the papers, and sat down. He put on his glasses and pretended to read. He shifted his weight deeper into his leather office chair and tapped his finger on the arm before he glanced up at Kayla. “Call Miss Kinkade back and cancel the appointment.”
    Kayla hadn’t been with him long, but he guessed by the silence she was uncertain how to react