Page 12 of The Runaway Bride of Blitzen Bay (Blitzen Bay)

“Yeah. I mean, it’s a jacket, so I guess it’s okay. Right, Hank?”

“You look fine to me,” he says, shrugging again.

“You’re both worthless to me right now.” Claire shifts through the ties and pulls out a solid black silk tie. “If you wear this tie, you should be able to pass for black tie optional. What time is the wedding?”

“One o’clock.”

“Oh, it’s a day wedding? Whatever. You’ll be fine.” She turns around and heads to the back room. “Hold on for a second. I’ll be back.”

I look up at Hank. “I’m not much on the fashion stuff. I’ve worn an army uniform for a decade. I appreciate this.”

“Claire’s dressed me for twenty-two years now. She never gets it wrong. You’re good.”

“How long have you lived up here?”

“Since we bought the inn, so about five years. We took it over from Sam when Holly got sick.”

“I’m just putting together now that this inn was named for her. Is that right?”

“Yeah, her parents started it back in the forties when they moved here from Germany after the war. They were one of the founders of the town.” He looks over to a picture on the wall. “That’s them with baby Holly. We kept it up. Holly was a sweet woman.”

“How’d she die? I haven’t asked Sam.”

“Cancer. She fought it off for years, but it finally got to be too much. I know Sam misses her, but he was glad to see her out of pain, too.”

I nod as Claire walks back in the room. She’s carrying two boxes—one wrapped in white paper with a very large gold bow and the other wrapped in tin foil.

“This is your present for the wedding,” she says, handing me the white package. “It’s two of my handmade candles. I signed your name to a gift card and put it in the box before I wrapped it. And this is your dinner—leftover Chicken Parmesan.”

“This is too much,” I say, putting the boxes down and pulling out my wallet. “How much do I owe you?”

“I know you better put that wallet away,” Hank says as he puts on his coat. “I’ll help you carry this stuff out.”

I stand there for a second with my wallet in my hand. I’m not sure what to say.

Claire pats me on the back. “You can buy us dinner at Izzy’s next week. Just go and have a good time at the wedding. You deserve some fun. And maybe you’ll meet a nice woman there—”

“Claire.” Hank swats her backside.

“Honey, I’m just saying Nash deserves someone to share his life with . . .”

“Well, if he can find someone as good as you, he’ll have something,” he says, kissing the top of her head. “Maybe someone a little less nosy though.”

Claire laughs as she picks up the boxes and hands them to me again.

I put my wallet away and hug her. “Dinner next week with at least two bottles of the most expensive wine. You saved me.”

“It’s a deal,” Hank says as he heads out the door with the jacket and tie. I grab the boxes and follow him.

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