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now.” She dropped the keys into Emerson’s hand as her voice caught, and she looked like she wanted to say more. Instead, she simply instructed. “Get some sleep. We’ll talk tomorrow.” With a quick spin on her heel, she hurried back to the main house, sniffling softly.
    Emerson closed the door behind her, standing in the silence. She hadn’t been in this cottage in a long time, not since her mother had moved in. That was before she’d sold the main building, the huge Lakeview Hotel across the street. She didn’t want to think about that now. She didn’t want to think about anything. She was so tired her eyes wouldn’t focus, but she followed her blurry vision anyway. The layout of the cottage hadn’t changed from when she’d been a kid, so she stumbled along to the bedroom, peeled off her clothes, and fell into bed, sleep claiming her before she had another conscious thought.

CHAPTER TWO

    Cassie blew her nose one last time before she reached for the door handle and got out of the car. She slammed the door and gave a full body shake, as if she could rid herself of the awful feelings of sadness and grief simply by jiggling her clothes.
    “Well,” Jonathan Brickman said from the driver’s side. He caught Cassie’s eye over the roof of his silver Lexus. “That sucked in a big way.” He looked even more dashing than usual, his toned, six-foot frame clad in a somber black suit with a lavender dress shirt underneath and a black tie accent. His dark hair shone with the copious amounts of product he put in it each morning, and Cassie knew if she touched it, she’d get pricked as if by a porcupine. Jonathan’s hair didn’t move; that was the point. But it looked damn good. Combined with his olive complexion, alarmingly precise goatee, and calming green eyes, he was a beautiful man.
    Too bad he wasn’t her type. She wasn’t his, either, which was what made their friendship so perfect.
    Cassie merely nodded at Jonathan’s comment. She didn’t trust herself to speak yet, the tears still a bit too close to the surface. Taking in a deep lungful of fresh Adirondack air she steadied herself, waited a beat or two, then gave another nod.
    “Okay?” Jonathan asked, his voice laced with sympathy as he came around the car and dropped a comforting arm over her shoulders.
    “Yeah, I think so. I hate funerals.”
    “We all do, sweetie.”
    “She was so young.” Lake Henry was a small town, just about everybody knew everybody else anyway, but Caroline…she was loved by all. Every last one. She was one of those people. Visitors actually had to attend her wake in shifts, there were so many who wanted to pay their respects. And this morning, the funeral home had been packed. “Only a few years older than my mom. I can’t imagine losing her already.” A lump formed in her throat, and her eyes welled.
    Jonathan squeezed her close. “Your mom’s fine, Cass.”
    “So was Caroline before the blood clot. She had no idea she was even in danger. And then, bam! That’s all she wrote.” The tears spilled over. “It’s so wrong, Johnny.”
    “I know, honey. I know.” He turned her face into his chest and held her tight while she cried.
    After a few moments, she pulled away, dried her eyes with a way overused tissue, and blew her nose yet again. “Okay. Enough.” Another full-body shake and she felt better. “Enough. I’ve got things to do, Johnny. Why do you keep me here in the parking lot while you wallow? You’re so needy.”
    Jonathan smiled, revealing a row of perfect teeth. “I can’t help it. I’m such a queen.” He slid his hand down her arm, clasped her hand in his. “Hey, speaking of royalty, did you notice the Ice Princess?”
    Cassie rolled her eyes at the mention of Caroline’s daughter. “You mean that she barely shed a tear? I think she was the only one.”
    “Some things never change.” He kissed the top of her head. “Catch you later. Time to go to work.” He headed toward the back door