Stay With Me, Contemporary Romance (Last Frontier Lodge Novels Book 5) Read Online Free Page A

was exhausted. What’re you up to today?”
    “Breakfast with you.” He looked past her to Delia who stood up from the couch. “You have time to join us for a bit?”
    Delia glanced at her watch quickly. “Enough time for a coffee. I’ll meet you two out there in a few minutes. I have to check on the soufflé I left in the oven.”
    Jessa followed Garrett through the kitchen out into the lodge’s restaurant while Delia veered over to the massive baking oven on the back wall in the kitchen. Once Garrett pushed through the swinging door into the restaurant, he immediately sat down in a booth in the closest corner.
    Jessa looked around and saw the cluster of customers waiting in the reception area. “Shouldn’t we wait?” she asked, gesturing in that direction.
    “Nope. Gage and Marley keep this booth for family. Don’t go feeling bad about it. Look around. This is the only booth that doesn’t have the nice new leather upholstery. It’s also way back here in the corner and doesn’t have the view like most of the tables do.”
    Jessa scanned the room and saw he was correct, not that she doubted it. She sat down across from him. When she looked over at his sharp blue eyes and his ever-present half-grin, the knot of tension inside eased a little more. Even if she often felt like the oddball of her family, she loved her siblings and felt more comfortable with them than anyone in the world.
    “So, how was the drive?” Garrett asked.
    “Long and beautiful. You and Delia should take a trip sometime with Nick on the Alcan. I bet he’d have a blast.”
    “Oh, I’m sure he would. Maybe someday we will.” Garrett scanned her face and looked down at her bandaged hand, his eyes narrowing at that. “You said you didn’t get hurt in the fire,” he said, his words brusque.
    Jessa felt a flash of frustration. Having three protective older brothers was sometimes annoying. She shoved the feelings away because she knew Garrett was only asking because he cared. “It’s nothing to worry about. I burned my hand when I was trying to get out. It’s almost healed up.”
    Garrett didn’t look convinced, but he let it drop, unfortunately moving on to a more uncomfortable topic. “What’s your plan now?”
    Jessa shrugged. “I dunno. I lost everything in the fire. I’m not sure what to do now. I figured it was the perfect time to come to Alaska. Isn’t this the place people go when they need a fresh start and to get back in touch with, well, life or something?”
    Garrett smiled, a hint of rue in his eyes. “Maybe. I suppose that’s what I did and it turned out to be the best decision I’ve ever made.”
    At that moment, the swinging door opened from the kitchen and Delia came through. She held a tray with three large mugs on it. She quickly set the tray in the center of the table and slipped into the booth beside Garrett. “Fresh coffee from my amazing new espresso machine!” she announced as she handed a mug to Jessa and then Garrett.
    Garrett dipped his head and dropped a kiss on the side of Delia’s neck. “I was just telling Jessa coming to Alaska last year was the best decision I ever made. Actually, that’s not right. It wasn’t Alaska, it was you.”
    Delia’s cheeks flushed. She kept her eyes on Jessa. “Try the coffee. Let me know what you think. I wasn’t sure what your preference was, so I made a triple shot Americano. Seems like everyone in your family likes their coffee strong and dark.”
    Garrett lifted his mug and took a long swallow, leaning his head back with a sigh. “It’s perfect.” His eyes caught Jessa’s again. “She even makes the best coffee.”
    Jessa giggled, enjoying how relaxed and easygoing Garrett was with Delia. She took a sip of her own coffee. “Oh, this is amazing! You guessed right by the way. I like my coffee dark and strong.”
    Delia laughed softly. “Good to know. So what’s on the schedule for today?” she asked generally.
    Seeing as Jessa had absolutely no