At midday, Levi went to check with Kelly at the reception desk regarding the wedding booking she’d mentioned that morning.

“As a matter of fact, the bride emailed me back, asking me to book those dates. Do you think we’ll be ready for a wedding here in two weeks?” Kelly asked.

“We’re going to have to be,” Levi said.

An event like this could really mark a turning point for the lodge. If it became a spot for destination weddings with the community in Portland, it could be a whole new side to his business. Every little bit of increased profit added to the legacy that he would someday leave his cubs. If he ever got around to having them.

“I’ll send the bride a confirmation right away,” Kelly said.

His human receptionist had been working with him since he took over the lodge. In fact, she had worked at the reception desk under the old owners. The middle aged lady with gray around her temples was an asset to him in every way. Unlike many of his staff members and members of the Fate Mountain Village community, Kelly knew that Levi and his crew were all bear shifters.

“There’s something else, Levi,” Kelly said as he turned away from the reception desk. He turned back to her with a questioning look. “You have a visitor,” she said, raising her eyebrows and pointing in the direction of the couches that were arranged around the lobby fireplace.

Levi turned to see the back of a man’s head. The shaggy red hair and conspicuous tattoos gave the man away before he even turned around. Oh shit. Levi knew exactly who it was, and he wasn’t sure if he was ready to deal him on a day like today.

“Shane,” Levi said, coming around the couches to stand in front of his old friend from the military.

Shane stood, rolling his muscled shoulders back several times. Shane cocked his head at his one-time commander and shot out his hand to shake Levi’s.

“What brings you to Fate Mountain, Shane?”

“I’ve been living out alone in the woods for a long time. And I finally decided it was time to come back to town.”

After the war, Shane had taken to the woods, living in a cave and spending the most of his time in bear form. He’d said he was on a spirit quest or some bullshit like that. But most of the crew just thought he was hiding from the world. All of the men in his crew had been wounded by the prejudices against shifters in and out of the military, but Shane had taken it the worst. And that made him dangerous and unpredictable.

Shane crossed his tattoo-covered arms over his chest and glared at Levi.

“Aren’t you happy to see me?” Shane asked.

“Of course I am,” Levi said. “I’m just surprised to see you after all this time.”

“Let’s get down to business here; you and I don’t bullshit each other. I’ve come to ask for a job.”

“A job?”

“You know I was already a world-class chef before I joined the military, right?”

“Of course. Who hadn’t heard of chef Shane Keenan? So you’ve come to work in my kitchen?”

“I haven’t come to work in your kitchen. I’ve come to run your kitchen.”

“I already have a chef. What am I supposed to do, fire him?”

“Your human can be my sous chef.”

“I’m glad you have it all worked out how to run my staff,” Levi said sarcastically.

“If you don’t want the best of the best running your kitchen then…” Shane said, snatching his leather jacket off the couch. He pulled it over his shoulders and turned to go.

“Wait, Shane,” Levi said.

Shane might be cocky and unpredictable, but he really was the best of the best. He had been running a world-class restaurant in San Francisco before he had been outed as a shifter by resentful member of his staff. Because of the social climate at the time, it had been a choice between being lynched or joining the military.

“Shane, I think you would be an asset to Fate Mountain Lodge,” Levi said to his friend’s back.

Shane slowly turned, his lips parting into a grin. “That’s more like it,” Shane said, nodding his head.

“All right then, let’s go break this to the chef.”

“Sous chef,” Shane said.

“Are you sure you still have all your skills after all these years?” Levi asked, slapping Shane on the back.

Shane turned to him with clenched teeth, but his face softened into another cocky smile. “You can’t unlearn genius,” Shane said.

“Good to know,” Levi said as he pushed open the door to the kitchen.

The staff was busy finishing up lunch service and preparing for dinner. The human chef looked up at them and frowned, obviously recognizing Shane from his previous fame. If there could be a rock star in the culinary industry, Shane would have been it. That was before he’d been outed as a shifter and had to join the military. But anybody who’d been to cooking school in the last decade knew the name Shane Keenan. The notoriously tempered and tattooed chef was known far and wide for his culinary creations and the spark of creative genius that could be tasted in the flavors of everything he cooked.

“Shane Keenan,” the human chef said, wiping his hand off on his white chef coat before reaching out to offer it to Shane.

Shane just looked down at the chef’s hand, keeping his arms crossed over his muscled chest. Levi gave his old friend the side-eye and Shane finally reached out to shake the human chef’s hand.

“What brings you to my kitchen?” the chef asked.

Shane let go of the man’s hand and stared him directly in the eye with those clear blue eyes framed by ruddy eyebrows.

“It’s my kitchen now,” Shane said.

This was not how Levi wanted to introduce this subject to his kitchen staff. The chef looked up at Levi with a questioning expression. Levi brought his hand to his forehead, slowly shaking his head in disbelief. This was classic Shane. Totally irreverent and disrespectful. What was Levi supposed to do? Not only was Shane arguably the best chef in the country, he was also one of his crew from their days as Navy SEALs. Shane had come to him for help reestablishing himself in the world. As the leader of the crew, Levi took the motto “never leave a bear behind” very seriously.

“What does this mean, boss?” the chef asked. Levi could see the frustration and anger rising in his face.

“As you know, Shane Keenan is a legend. He’s offered to take over the kitchen. You will become the sous chef here, which means less responsibility, but at the same pay. I’ll even give you a generous bonus for stepping down as the chef, as I did hire you for the position. But since you have no specific contract as the head chef here, if you have a problem with taking orders from the legendary Shane Keenan, then you know where the door is,” Levi said.

He wasn’t in the habit of shaming his staff in public, but he had to nip this issue in the bud before it became a problem. He could see the wheels turning in the chef’s head. The words “generous bonus” obviously had an effect. Finally, the man let out a deep breath and his shoulders relaxed.

“I would be honored to work under Chef Keenan,” the human said.

“Excellent,” Levi said. “I leave it to you both to inform the rest of the kitchen staff and prepare for the evening meal.”

Levi turned away, leaving Shane to deal with his own drama. He better not rile up the kitchen. That was the last thing that Levi needed now, especially with the wedding party coming in two weeks. As temperamental and unpredictable as Shane could be, Levi had the sinking feeling that he had just made a serious mistake for his business.

Just as he walked out of the kitchen and was on his way to his office, he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He pulled out the phone and swiped his thumb across the screen, bringing up a message from Juliet. Her words nearly made his heart stop.

I think we’ll be meeting sooner than expected, it said.

Oh? he typed back.

Did she think his coffee comment had been an invitation? His old fears surged inside his stomach and mind, making his body tense.

My friend is getting married in two weeks. She booked Fate Mountain Lodge for the event.

Levi’s chest clenched up and he couldn’t think for a moment, let alone respond to Juliet’s text. He had to pull himself together. This wedding could mean a lot for his business, regardless of whether or not a woman he’d met on a dating app would be in attendance. Still, a whole slew of conflicting emotions churned in his stomach. He didn’t know if he was ready to meet her. He didn’t know if he was ready to meet anyone who could be a romantic partner, especially a human, no matter how much he wanted a mate. After he hesitated for several long moments, his phone pinged again with a new message from Juliet.

I know this is awkward. It’s awkward for me too.

It is awkward, he typed.

I had no idea that it was your lodge she was talking about. I’m sorry to do this to you, but I’m the maid of honor in the wedding. Just because we’ve been talking to each other on Mate.com doesn’t mean that we have to go out for a date when I come up for the wedding.

As reassuring as her words were meant to be, it left a sense of disappointment in his chest he couldn’t quite understand. She was freeing him from the obligation of a date, but did he want to be freed?

We’ll see what happens when you get here.

It was the most pragmatic thing he could think of to say. He didn’t want to blow her off, but at the same time, he didn’t want to commit to anything either. They had only been texting for a couple days, and from what he’d heard about the online dating world, it could take weeks of texting before people ever met in person, if they ever met at all.

Sounds like a plan, she typed.

She didn’t text anything again for quite some time. Levi stared at his phone, wondering how to respond.

I like texting with you, he finally said.

Her response was quick and definite.

Me too.