Chapter 23
CHAPTER 23
#AlaskaLife #GhostHunting #WeddingPrep #RusticRomance
“ A little higher on the left,” Whitney called out as Sophie adjusted a string of twinkle lights. “Perfect!”
Sophie secured the lights, then stepped back to survey their work. The lodge’s main room had been transformed into a woodland fairy tale, with white twinkle lights creating a canopy overhead and fresh pine boughs adorning every surface. The late afternoon sun streaming through the windows caught the crystal decorations they’d hung, sending rainbow prisms dancing across the walls.
“Your followers are going to love this,” Whitney said, handing her more lights. “Though I notice you haven’t been filming as much lately.”
“I’m trying something new.” Sophie climbed back up the ladder. “Being present in the moment instead of always documenting it.”
“Wyatt’s influence?”
Sophie nearly dropped the lights. “What? No, I just?—”
“Uh-huh.” Whitney’s knowing smile was eerily similar to her husband’s. “Nothing to do with a certain ranger who keeps finding reasons to stop by?”
“He’s just doing his job.” Sophie focused very intently on untangling a knot in the lights. “Making sure the tourists don’t get eaten by bears.”
“Is that what we’re calling it now?”
Before Sophie could respond, the bride-to-be burst through the door in a flurry of nervous energy. Brynn Hollis was a local kindergarten teacher who’d chosen the lodge for her wedding, drawn by its rustic charm. Currently, that charm was being overshadowed by her obvious distress.
“We have a problem,” Brynn announced. “I think the lodge is haunted.”
Whitney shot Sophie a look that clearly said ‘behave.’ “What makes you say that?”
“The lights in the bridal suite keep flickering, and I heard footsteps in the hallway when no one was there, and all the flowers in my room were rearranged!”
Six months ago, Sophie would have already pulled out her equipment, ready to investigate. Now, she found herself studying Brynn’s face—the dark circles under her eyes, the slight tremor in her hands.
“Brynn,” Sophie said gently, “when was the last time you got a good night’s sleep?”
The bride blinked. “What?”
“Wedding planning is stressful enough without adding ghosts to the mix.” Sophie climbed down from the ladder and guided Brynn to a chair. “The lights probably need new bulbs, the footsteps were probably Johnny gathering tools for his next experiement, and the flowers...”
“That was me, actually,” Whitney admitted. “I noticed they were wilting and added water to them this morning. I should have left a note, I’m sorry.”
Brynn’s shoulders slumped. “Oh god, I’m being ridiculous, aren’t I?”
“Not at all.” Sophie sat beside her. “You know what I’ve learned doing this job? Sometimes when people think they see ghosts, what they’re really seeing is their own stress or worry or hope manifesting in ways they don’t expect.”
“That’s...surprisingly deep for a ghost hunter.”
Sophie laughed. “I’d deeper than I get credit for. Besides, any real ghost would know better than to mess with a bride on her wedding day.”
That got a small smile from Brynn. “You really think everything’s okay?”
“I think,” Sophie said carefully, “that tomorrow you’re going to marry the love of your life in one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen. And I think maybe you’re so worried about everything being perfect that you’re missing the magic that’s already here.”
Brynn took a deep breath, looking around at the transformed lodge. “It is pretty magical, isn’t it?”
“Absolutely haunted by romance,” Sophie agreed, making Brynn laugh.
After the bride left, considerably calmer, Whitney raised an eyebrow at Sophie. “That was well handled. Though I’m surprised you didn’t want to investigate.”
“Sometimes people need reassurance more than they need answers.” Sophie returned to her ladder. “Besides, any ghost worth their ectoplasm knows better than to haunt a wedding. Bad form.”
“Speaking of romance...” Whitney handed up more pine boughs. “Have you thought about what happens when your three weeks are up?”
Sophie’s hands stilled. “I try not to.”
“But?”
“But...” Sophie sighed, the weight of uncertainty settling on her shoulders. “I don’t know. For the first time in my life, I’m not sure what comes next. And the weird thing is, I’m okay with that.”
“Because of Wyatt?”
“Because of everything.” Sophie gestured around them. “The lodge, the mountains, the way everything feels possible here. Even the ghost hunting feels different—less about chasing stories and more about...understanding them.”
Whitney was quiet for a moment, arranging flowers in a vintage copper vase. “You know, when I met Darrow, I thought I had my whole life figured out. I had this perfect plan for my career, my future, everything.”
“What changed?”
“I realized some things are worth changing your plans for.” Whitney’s smile was soft with memory. “Even if they come disguised as stubborn Irishmen who believe in ghosts.”
“Or grumpy rangers who don’t?”
“Exactly.”
Sophie climbed down from the ladder one last time, surveying their work. The lodge glowed with warmth and possibility, ready to witness another love story.
“I used to think I wasn’t cut out for settling down,” Sophie admitted quietly. “That I was meant to keep moving, keep chasing the next story. But lately...”
“Lately?”
“Lately I’m starting to understand why people put down roots.” She touched one of the crystal decorations, watching it spin and cast rainbows. “Why they build something real instead of always chasing the next adventure.”
Whitney squeezed her shoulder. “Maybe the biggest adventure is letting yourself stay still long enough to fall in love.”
“With a place, you mean?”
“Sure.” Whitney’s knowing smile returned. “Let’s go with that.”
Outside, the sun was setting behind the mountains, painting the sky in shades of red and orange. Sophie pulled out her phone, then stopped. Some moments didn’t need to be shared with her followers.
Some moments were just for her, like the way her heart felt too big for her chest as she watched the light fade over the mountains she was starting to think of as home.
Even if she wasn’t quite ready to admit it yet.