Page 10 of The Wedding Twist

“I knew you liked him,” a voice sounded from directly over her shoulder, causing her to yelp and drop her phone. She whirled around to find Quinn, a satisfied grin on her face. “And I don’t blame you.”

“I was just looking at your post. For god’s sake,” Celeste said, pinching her sister on her forearm.

“I bet you’re counting down until Monday.”

“Actually, I just called the college to ask them to transfer my class.”

“Too bad,” Quinn said. “He’s like the first guy who’s made you blush since Matt.”

Celeste shot her sister a look. “I don’t want to talk about Matt,” she said. “And he didn’t make me blush.”

“Uh-huh,” Quinn said.

“When did you become such a brat? That’s Ava’s job.” She sat back in her chair. “Don’t you have some mothballs to tend to? A penny farthing to ride into town? Candlesticks to drip?”

Quinn took a strip of licorice from Celeste’s desk and went to exit the room, then turned around. Her expression changed from playful to serious. “You know, not all guys are dicks like Matt. You really should start dating again sometime soon. Even if it’s not Professor Dreamy.”

“Thanks for the life talk, small fry. Maybe you’ll take your own advice soon and join the twenty-first century.”

“I’m only twenty-seven. People my age don’t date.”

“I don’t want to know what that means,” said Celeste. “Close the door on your way out.”

Quinn took an exaggerated bite of her licorice and grinned before closing the door. Celeste spent a few minutes sending emails and surveying the reservations for the next few weeks. After the wedding that weekend, they were about 75 percent booked for the next month, which was quite good for the early spring. Once the summer came around, they’d be operating at capacity, with a healthy waiting list, for May through August and often a couple of weeks into September. Their prices reflected the busy season but were never unreasonable, and the online ratings, Quinn’s social media–marketing efforts, and the praiseworthy press they’d received in publications likeTravel and Leisure, theGlobe Travel, and even a mention in theGooptravel section always ensured the Butterfly Lake Lodge was on people’s radar.

Celeste knew she was a key part of the lodge’s success. There was no guarantee, however, that the new owner would want to keep the lodge the same. She needed to solidify her plan B.

She opened up a local job-search board, but most of the postings were for server or housekeeping positions. Instead, she went on individual hotel and resort websites to see what might be posted, but again, no luck.

After doing a quick walk around of the lodge to check in on guests and staff, she popped in her earbuds, pulled on a light jacket and set off down the gravel road to get a few steps in, and make a phone call she didn’t want eavesdropped on.

The sun was high in the sky, but the forecast was calling for rain that afternoon. Every conversation in the area lately started with remarks about how early spring had come this year. Usually there would be snow on the ground and frozen lakes until mid-May, but this year, the snow had already disappeared and people were cautiously optimistic that they’d made it through the winter.

Regardless, it was always four seasons in one day in the mountains, so there was a chance on her short walk she’d either be shedding her jacket if it got too warm or popping open her umbrella to shield herself from rain or hail.

When she was a safe enough distance from the lodge, she selected Gus Evans’s phone number from her address book. Gus was the lead concierge at the Halcyon Retreat Center two lakes over…and the area’s biggest gossip. If anyone had the scoop, it would be him.

“Why, are you looking?” Gus whispered as soon as Celeste inquired about any openings he might be aware of.

“Uh, no, why would I be looking?” she said, hoping she sounded convincing. “I’m just…curious.”

“Hold on—let me move to the back office,” Gus said, and Celeste heard shuffling in the background, then a door closing. “Okay. You didn’t hear it from me, but word has it that Annie Flint is retiring at the end of the next month.”

“You’re kidding.”

“Not kidding. My sources tell me she’s moving to Palm Beach. She’s had a boy toy there all these years, and she’s finally agreed to retire and move in with him.”

Celeste’s mind whirled. Annie Flint was renowned in the area as the iron lady at the front desk of the Keystone Ridge Resort, the area’s most storied and expensive luxury hotel. There were rumors she used a UV light to inspect the cleanliness of her employees’ uniforms before every shift, and most people took it as a general fact that Annie would be queen of the castle until the day they rolled her dead body out the inn’s service door.

“Okay, that’s some hot gossip,” Celeste said. “Anyway, see you at the BIA meeting next month?”

“Maybe. We’re short-staffed here, so I’ve been working doubles twice a week. I might have to miss the boxed wine and stale shortbreads this time around. Gotta go.”

Celeste hung up and took a deep breath of the fresh early-spring air. Right on cue, a gentle mist started to fall. She pulled on her hood and opened her umbrella and decided to keep walking a little longer to burn off some nervous energy.

The Keystone Ridge Resort could be an interesting opportunity. It belonged to a large chain and they had their own business office, so the role was probably more about bookings and some concierge work, which she was sure she could talk through without official credentials.

She did an internet search of the resort on her phone, then zoomed in on the write-up of the amenities and offerings and types of packages they offered. Honeymooners, family getaways, weddings…she knew all about those. She scrolled down farther to find that the Keystone also hosted some of the most exclusive hunting-and-fishing expeditions in the area. Annie Flint could probably tie a Silver Blue in her sleep.

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