Fox took a deep breath as the door closed behind them. Nine more days to go after today.
“Finally,” Eli said, coming to stand between Fox and Wade and slapping them both on the shoulder. “Now let’s play some real pool.”
Harry was looking down at his phone. “Sorry guys, I have work to do.”
“This is supposed to be like a vacation for you guys,” said Eli. “Enjoy the mountains a little in between filming.”
“This can’t wait, sorry.” Harry strolled out of the room without even looking up from his phone.
“Who does that guy think he is?” asked Fox. Reagan’s fiancé had been a last-minute addition when Eli’s coworker had pulled out for a family emergency. So far, Fox had been less than impressed with the guy. “We’re all missing work this week.”
“Not me.” Eli grinned. “Should have been a teacher like me. Summer vacation for the win.”
“Low pay, no respect, and snotty teenagers all day?” Wade laughed. “No thanks.”
“And weren’t you just complaining last week that half your summer is taken up by classes so you can stay certified?” added Fox, crossing his arms and shaking his head.
Eli waved away their comments with his hand. “Yeah, yeah...but I love what I do. Can either of you say the same?”
Fox felt the familiar pang of longing that hadn’t gone away, even after ten years. He had loved his job a long time ago. Not anymore.
“Well, I for one am happy to be enjoying the mountains this week,” said Wade. “A nice break from sitting behind my desk. Care to give us a tour?”
Eli led them out of the game room and out the front door to the cool summer evening.
Fox inhaled the earthy mountain air and felt his body relax a little. This was a big reason he’d said yes to this crazy plan. Hanging out with his best friends in a place he loved. Every time he came to visit Eli in this tiny town on the other side of the state, he felt the rest of the world, and his worries, melt away.
The three friends joked and laughed as they made their way across the wide lawn to the barn at the very back of the property. Wellspring was so different from the beach town where he lived these days. The biggest difference being that he didn’t hate it here.
Instead of salt on the air and relentless blue skies, everything here was green. The grass was green, and the mountains that shot up on every horizon were covered in green trees. He was lucky to catch a sliver of blue through their branches on some parts of the property. It made him feel cozy and secure, like a warm, green blanket.
The only thing he liked better was getting lost in the hustle and bustle of a big city, but he had no good reason to go there, so he found as many excuses as he could to make the seven-hour drive from the coast to the mountains.
“So, these competitions,” Eli said, and Fox’s attention snapped back to the reason they were here—the wedding. “Honestly, I don’t care about much except the cake and the music. Let the girls win the rest, but Audrey has terrible taste in music.”
Fox chuckled. This was an undeniable truth. The girl was smart and funny and beautiful but had seriously zero appreciation for good music. He had done his best over the years to help her, but she was a lost cause.
“Also, I want a simple chocolate cake, and I know Harper will convince her to do something crazy like almond truffle lavender poppy seed.”
They laughed. The stories of Harper’s flavor combinations were notorious. And even though Fox had only been down to visit the Flour Girl Bakery a couple of times since coming to Wellspring, he noticed she had some unusual items in addition to the more normal offerings of pastries and bread.
“Either of you want to claim dibs on the garter toss?” Eli said. “That’s the only competition I really want to see who wins.”
“Are you having one?” Wade asked.
Eli shrugged. “Who knows, but it could be fun to see you both try to catch it.”
“Seriously?” Fox asked. A pine-scented breeze ruffled his hair and he ran a hand through it. “Harper and Sienna are the only available girls.”
And they were both definitely off limits.
“And what’s wrong with them?” Wade kicked at a branch that had fallen across their path. “I kind of assumed you’d be looking to hook up with one of them.”
“No way,” Fox said and stopped in his tracks.
They’d made it all the way around the back of the barn and had started down a path through the trees. Eli had promised a great viewpoint up ahead, but night was coming soon, and Fox worried about being able to navigate back to the inn in the dark.
Of course, given the choice between spending the night in the woods or more time in front of the cameras—and around Sienna—Fox knew which one he’d pick.
