“For most people they aren’t, but I can tell you for a fact Audrey has an unreasonable vendetta against them. And no, I don’t get it either.”
“What about Wade? He’s covered in them, and she seems to like him just fine.”
“Obviously she adores Wade.” Sienna rolled her eyes. “But she’s not marrying him. She would flip her lid if Eli got one.”
Rather than the grumpy sigh she was expecting, Fox’s eyebrows shot up, and he turned away from the view with sudden purpose. “Well, then we’d better get down there and make sure nothing happens to mess up this wedding.”
Sienna smiled. “Sounds like a plan.”
She couldn’t believe it.Thiswas the attitude a best man should have. Playing nice for the cameras was all well and good, but this was how to show he really did care about Audrey and Eli’s happily ever after. The more time she spent with Fox, the more she saw he wasn’t as horrible as she thought that first day.
The two started walking back toward the Emerald Inn. The path was uneven and rocky, so the two moved slowly. Any closeness they may or may not have been on the brink of sharing before Jason showed up was gone, and the silence between them was unbearable.
Sienna waited for Fox to say something, but his attention was on the ground at their feet. It was a twenty-minute hike back down—a long, agonizing twenty minutes if Fox continued his silent treatment.
Sienna picked up the pace. There was no way she could handle much more of this, and she wasn’t going to be the one to break the silence. She concentrated on stepping over small branches that littered the path and was doing just fine until her toe caught a rock that was sticking up out of the ground.
She tipped forward, and her arms swung out around her. Thankfully, dance training kept her from crashing into the ground, but she did come down on one knee pretty hard. Embarrassed, she bit her cheek to keep from crying out.
Sienna was surprised when Fox didn’t make a snide comment about being more careful, but not nearly as surprised as when she felt Fox at her side, and he extended his hand. It brushed against hers and lingered there for a few moments before she finally took it. Without a word, he pulled her up. And then he kept her hand in his.
Sienna tried to steady her breathing and her racing heart without much success.
When she looked up at him in question, he only shrugged in response. His face was the same serious expression he usually wore, but at least there was no scowl. He was obviously just helping her keep her balance, but Sienna liked the way her hand felt in his and barely resisted the urge to rub her thumb over the back of it.
As they continued down the path, Fox would occasionally tighten his grip to help her balance better. Sienna wanted to tell him that she didn’t need his help, but she also didn’t want to risk a fall. At least that’s what she told herself when she squeezed back whenever she walked over a particularly rocky area.
They continued like this for several minutes before Fox cleared his throat. “I like you better when the cameras aren’t around.”
The words would have felt insulting if it wasn’t for Fox’s gentle tone—or the fact that he was still holding her hand.
Sienna looked back up at him. “What do you mean?”
“You just turn into this different person when they’re pointed at you, like you’re trying so hard to make them like you.”
And that was a bad thing?
She took a deep breath. “My career depends on the camera liking me. Could you imagine watching a show where the main character was grumpy all the time?”
Fox snorted. “We’re back to this again?”
She bit her lip. “I actually don’t think you’re Mr. Grumpy anymore,” she said softly.
Fox lifted a brow and waited for her to continue.
Sienna’s heart raced for a completely different reason. Fox had been really open with her up on the mountain. He’d told her about his ex-girlfriend, who sounded like a horrible person, and how he missed music so much it left a hole in his chest. She could trust him with a little bit of her pain, couldn’t she?
“I think I understand you a little more now,” she said.
His mouth turned down. “From one embarrassing conversation?”
She laughed. “It’s not that embarrassing.”
He shook his head. “Maybe not for you.”
“Seriously, I think I get it.” She took a deep breath. “I’ve always wanted to be an actor. Since I was a little girl.”
“I think every little girl wants to be an actress or a ballerina,” Fox said. “I wanted to be an astronaut.”
