“It’s a great idea.” Mariella smiled and handed Angi a glass of white wine. “Just one quick drink and you can go back to wallowing in your self-pity.”

Emma nudged Mariella. “The idea was not to make her even more stressed.”

“Can you get more stressed?” Mariella asked Angi, almost as a challenge.

“Perhaps if the local sheriff locks me up for beating the crap out of you,” Angi answered with a sweet-like-candy smile.

Mariella shrugged. “I’m scrappier than I look. Have a drink and talk to us. We’re your friends.”

The words made Angi’s irritation deflate like a popped balloon, but she still couldn’t bring herself to admit how much she missed them and her work at the inn. “I’m sure Emma filled you in, so we’re all on the same page.” She downed the wine in two big slugs. “Nice seeing you both.”

“What do you think about frozen puff pastry cups?” Emma asked suddenly. “Ham and cheese or spinach?”

“Neither.” Angi glanced at the refrigerator that she’d stocked with appetizers for the reception. “I stayed up half the night last weekend making homemade stuffed mushrooms and spanakopita. What happened to them?” Her annoyance had returned full force.

“After the guests were asleep last night, I invited Cam over for a visit.”

“A booty call,” Mariella stage-whispered.

Angi rolled her eyes, although she really couldn’t blame Emma. Cam Arlinghaus, Emma’s fiancé, was tall, dark and handsome—plus he wore a tool belt better than any man Angi had ever seen. Unlike Emma, Cam had grown up in the area, but he’d become a recluse when his wife died in a car accident years prior. Through a strange twist of fate, he’d ended up helping Emma with repairs on the inn before its opening. Although they didn’t seem like a match on paper, the two had fallen madly in love. Angi was glad for her friend and not the least bit jealous. Okay, maybe the teensiest smidgen jealous, but she let that go because she loved them both.

“I missed him,” Emma said with a shrug. “I’ve been busy this week. He committed to work with Dylan Scott on the new headquarters for that sportswear company moving to town, so his schedule is just as packed as mine.”

“What does Cam being here have to do with my appetizers?”

Emma cringed. “A few of the guests got the late-night munchies and raided the fridge. Unfortunately, they left the trays on the counter and Cam’s dog pulled them down.”

“The dog ate my appetizers?” Angi felt her mouth drop open.

“Not all of them,” Emma said quickly. “We heard the noise in the kitchen and came out. I thought he was closed in the laundry room for the night. I’m so sorry, Ang. They spilled all over the floor, and Toby got excited and...”

“He stress peed on them,” Mariella finished with wide eyes. “Couldn’t salvage a thing.”

“We can’t serve guests stuffed mushrooms that have potentially been peed on,” Emma explained as if it weren’t obvious.