Page 87 of Stolen for Keeps
“I wouldn’t’ve remembered his name if Claire hadn’t flagged him as a little too meticulous and eccentric, with a weird name.”
“Napoleon?”
His head tilted. “You know him?”
“He’s Maya’s cousin’s wedding planner.”
Elia’s eyes narrowed. “So the bride’s from the side that hates her?”
“Yeah. And let’s just say she wasn’t thrilled about losing the necklace.”
“I’ll let Claire know.”
“They might throw stupid money at you to book this place.”
“Let ’em try. We’re doing just fine without them. I’m feeling good about this season.”
I tossed him a side smile. “You? An optimist?”
Before we lost Tessa, he had been. He’d been the one with the confidence, the sure steps, the leadership. I’d been the little brother, nipping at his heels, wanting to be just like him. But grief had a way of changing a man.
“It’ll be fine,” he said, resolute. “We’ll be fine.”
Claire padded into the kitchen, sleep still on her face. “Morning, gents.”
Elia greeted her with a kiss and eased her into a chair. “Hey, can I ask you something?”
“Sure, what’s up?”
“Napoleon,” he said, glancing my way.
Claire sighed. “Canceled. Said he saw some bad reviews about The Lazy Moose and backed out. That couple from Missoula, they bailed too.”
She pulled up her phone and showed us a review from someone named Andrew.
The view was the only thing worth remembering. The décor felt thrown together, like someone raided a craft store clearance bin the night before. As for the hosts…hard to say who was actually in charge, and some of them were downright rude.
“And this one too,” she said, swiping to the next.
It was from a user calledWeddingWatcher.
A hidden gem? Sure, it’s a gem. But I sure hope it stays hidden. Plenty of other venues in Montana give you more for less.
Elia wrapped an arm around her. “I’m sorry, Chilli.”
She let out a breath. “Maybe it’s a blessing. I’m so damn tired. But that—” She jabbed at the phone screen. “That still stings.”
We all knew how hard she’d worked. Her flower arrangements. The lights. The hours.
Elia caressed her arm. “You know this isn’t on you.”
She gave a small nod. “I’ll be fine, baby.”
My morning brain slowly put things together. Goddammit. Napoleon hadn’t been put off by the review. He’d orchestrated the damn thing.
I sighed loudly, catching Elia’s and Claire’s attention.
“I think this one’s on me,” I confessed. “I’d bet real money that ‘Andrew’ is fake. And ‘WeddingWatcher’? Same deal. I’ll have the posts taken down.”
