The Tourist Attraction (Moose Springs, Alaska #1)(62)

“Thank you.” Zoey was almost moved to tears. “Graham, tonight was…everything.”

She’d never known anything could be this perfect, then Graham blew the rest of it out of the water when he whispered, “That’s how I felt the night I met you.”

Zoey would never regret missing the narwhals disappearing into the water. Trusting Graham wouldn’t let her fall, Zoey bent over and kissed him instead.





Chapter 11



Every Sunday night in Moose Springs was karaoke night at the Tourist Trap.

No one had bothered to ask Graham if that was okay with him. If they had, Graham would’ve said emphatically no, it was not okay with him. He couldn’t imagine a worse situation than one in which the customers of his diner found an excuse to stay around even longer, driving him to stand behind his grill until nearly midnight, listening to the off-key musical stylings of those who should know better.

Some days, Graham truly hated his life.

By the time Lana’s “crew” came through the door, Zoey a quiet presence at their heels, the party was in full swing. From across the ridiculously packed diner, she raised an eyebrow at him as the group approached. He recognized Killian—grr—and Enzo and Haleigh, but the others were just more nameless, faceless strangers. Zoey seemed lost among them, dressed in her worn jeans and faded Wonder Woman T-shirt. She hung back, letting the rest of them order their mass of Growly Bears and food. Only when they moved off to find an empty table did she approach.

“This was not my idea,” he assured her in greeting, indicating the cleared area that made up the makeshift stage.

Graham winced at a particularly bad blond woman attempting a Righteous Brothers’ cover. The two backup singers with her weren’t going to be enough to save her, not when her voice entered the vicinity of a warbling screech.

“Definitely not my idea.”

“Why did you give them a karaoke machine?” Zoey asked, accepting the glass of water he gave her with a nod of appreciation. “It’s a truth universally acknowledged that a drunken mass who see a karaoke machine must use that karaoke machine.”

“I didn’t. They just kept bringing one. I threw two out in the dumpster, but karaoke machines are eviler than Ouija boards. They just keep coming back.”

At his feet, Jake whined.

“I know, buddy. It’s breaking my ears too.”

“Is it okay for him to be in here?” Zoey asked, noticing the tail wagging furiously next to Graham’s leg.

“Yeah, Harold already caught me this morning. He’s not coming back anytime soon.” Graham gave her a mock worried look. “Are you going to tell on me?”

“Depends,” she said flirtatiously. “What’s it worth to you?”

Oh man. She was killing him.

“We’re in trouble, Jake,” Graham murmured.

When Jake whined in reply, Zoey headed behind the counter, kneeling down and taking Jake’s furry nose in her hands. “Don’t worry, you handsome devil, you. I’d never tell on your daddy. But I will give him a lot of crap for the horrible sounds coming out of that speaker.”

“He gets lonely. It’s the classic, age-old fight. I’m always gone at work; he’s always stuck in the house. He thinks I’m out playing with other dogs, and it’s always a fight when I get home. If I didn’t take Jake out and show him a good time every now and then, he’d up and leave me.”

Zoey dropped a kiss to Jake’s snout. “Sounds like you deserve it. Right, baby? Your daddy deserves it. If you were with me, I’d treat you better. No one keeps Jake in the corner. Not with your new bling. Aren’t you gorgeous?”

“Now who’s quoting too much pop culture?”

“Alaska is rubbing off on me.”

“Alaska wishes.”

Sometimes things just slipped out. Wincing at his own choice of phrasing, he glanced at Zoey out of the corner of his eye. Her cheeks had turned an adorable shade of pink, and she was clearly taking refuge behind her glasses, hand partially obscuring her face as she fiddled with them.

“Alaska also thinks you could use a real drink. It’s on the house.”

“I thought you didn’t give away anything for free.” Zoey shot him a cute little grin. “Especially not to those who rotate in and out of your sphere of existence without remorse.”

“Haven’t you noticed, Zoey?” Graham moved closer, because she wasn’t the only one who could flirt. “I keep making exceptions for you.”

Zoey declined the drink but did take a soda, a small order of fries, and Jake, insisting on paying for everything except his border collie. Graham didn’t think of himself as a hoverer or invasively nosey, but he glanced at her wallet when she counted out the bills. Even someone not paying attention could tell her cash stash was shrinking. So he snuck an antlered reindeer dog onto her plate while she focused on Haleigh’s rousing and entirely believable rendition of Katy Perry’s “Last Friday Night.” And because it was Zoey, he drew little music notes falling out of the reindeer’s open, singing mouth in ketchup.

While Graham was busy finishing Zoey’s perfect, musically inclined dinner, Easton abandoned his own table, joining Graham at the counter. “So.”

“So what? Hey, can you give this to Zoey? And tell the rest of them to come get their crap? It’s ready.”