Starting Over (Nugget Romance 4) by Stacy Finz Page A

windows with views of the range and the mountains. “Sit. We’ll have tea.”
    She put a pot on to boil, removed a pair of cups and saucers from the cupboard, piled a platter with cookies—homemade if Sam was to guess—and set one end of the table. Papers, notes, magazine cutouts, and a fat binder cluttered the other end.
    Sam nudged her head at the stack. “Wedding stuff?”
    “Yep.” Emily eyed the pile and winced. “Barely two months to go and I feel as disorganized as when I first started. I don’t know how we went from a midsize gathering for family and friends to five hundred guests. But I’m blaming Clay, who’s decided to invite everyone in Plumas County.”
    “Oh my,” Sam said. “You’re doing this yourself?”
    “Yep.” Emily nodded her head. “And did I mention that I have a cookbook deadline? Crazy, right?”
    “Just a little.” Sam made an inch with her thumb and forefinger. And now I’m going to ask you to cook for the inn.
    “And guess what happened today?” Before Sam could ask what, Emily blurted, “The florist canceled—just called and said, ‘I know your wedding is in June, but something has come up and I can’t do it.’ Can you believe that?”
    “What are you going to do?”
    “Beats the hell out of me. Have any ideas?”
    “I might have someone for you,” Sam said. “Let me sleep on it.”
    “Sure. But enough about me, what’s going on with you? How’s life at the Lumber Baron?” The water started to boil and Emily got up to make the tea.
    “Life at the Lumber Baron is . . .” She had no intention of telling Maddy’s best friend her troubles with Nate, but, boy, would it be nice to have a shoulder to cry on. “We lost our cook today.”
    “Uh-oh,” Emily said. “What are you planning to do?”
    Sam looked at her and started to laugh. “I was going to ask you to do it . . . just temporarily . . . until we can hire someone. Bad idea, right?”
    “Ah jeez, Sam. Any other time I’d be happy to pitch in. But I’m drowning. What about Donna?”
    “She’s next on my list. It’s just that we really wanted . . . Don’t worry about it. We’ll find someone. Hopefully Donna will do it.”
    “You’re sure?”
    “Of course,” Sam said, though she wanted to beg and plead.
    Everyone loved Donna, even if she had a broken filter and said the first outrageous thing that popped into her head. Yesterday she’d told Sam that her blouse made her look pregnant with twins. Otherwise she was a fabulous person and a wonderful cook. It’s just that her food, more down-home fare, wasn’t as sophisticated as Emily’s. Sam knew Nate preferred sophisticated, and for some unfathomable reason she wanted his approval. Pathetic, especially as he’d made it perfectly clear that he wanted her gone from the inn. But Sam intended to show him that she was no quitter and that she was born to the job of event planning.
    Ditto for her dad, who needed to understand that his daughter was more than an ornament. In the meantime, she had a plan to keep him from selling the summerhouse. The scheme still needed finessing, but she had an appointment with a lawyer next week.
    “You liking the work at the Lumber Baron?” Emily asked, pushing a plate of cookies closer to Sam.
    “I am.” She took one and nibbled. “It’s challenging, but in a good way.”
    “Nate’s a great boss, isn’t he?” Sam must have looked at her funny, because she said, “I did a cookbook for Breyer Hotels. He commissioned it.”
    “Really? I didn’t know that.”
    “Yeah. He pretty much gave me full rein on it and loved the finished product. Are you two not working well together?”
    “Yes . . . well kind of . . . no,” Sam said. “Not so good. Although today we had sort of a breakthrough. He thanked me for helping with breakfast after Carmela was a no-show. But the bottom line is he wishes Maddy would’ve chosen someone with more experience, because this is my first job—ever.”
    “Maddy says you’re