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Finn:
That works. Thank you, Chief. See you at nine.
I look up at the table.
“That was Chief Morrison. He can meet us at the farm tomorrow morning at nine, with Marcus Chen from public works. They’ll do a joint assessment and give us an answer on the site by end of day.”
“That’s…fast,” Bastian says.
“I know it’s the day after Thanksgiving, but if they clear the site and you and Taylen agree to host the festival, we can start on logistics on Monday. If they don’t, I need every hour I can get to find another option.”
“Okay,” Bastian says, but I’m not sure he’s really okay with it. I know it’s a huge ask, but I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place.
I drop Taylen a quick text, hoping he’ll see it first thing tomorrow.
Fox tips his beer bottle slightly in my direction. “Count me in.”
Nikko nods. “Me too. I can help with the walkthrough.”
“Thanks, guys.”
I put my phone back on the table and take a long pull of my beer. Tomorrow morning is going to come very fast, but for now, I do my best to enjoy the music, have fun, and ignore both the weight of the festival on my shoulders and the man in front of me eye-fucking me like he’s allowed to.
I finish my second beer and nurse a third. Nikko drifts back and forth between the stage and our table, getting more excited every time he returns and mentions the lead singer’s voice and the quality of the music.
At some point, Bastian’s eyes have gone glassy, and when he stands, his balance is a little questionable. “I think it’s time for me to go home.”
Mik is already on his feet. “I’ll drive you. Kay wants to go hiking to take photos for a school project. We’ll never hear the end of it if we’re too tired to keep up with her.”
They say their goodbyes. Mik squeezes my shoulder on the way past. Tyler follows them, and the three disappear into the cold.
Shortly after, Stone drops into the empty chair next to me, pulling his coat off the back and shrugging into it.
“I’m out,” he says. “I’m going to grab a ride back with Joe’s kid before Nikko drags us into becoming groupies for whoever this band is.”
“You just don’t want to admit they’re good,” Fox says. “Maybe as good as us.”
Stone’s face scrunches. “No one is as good as us.” Stone claps my shoulder. “Night, boys.”
The bar is still as busy as when we arrived, but now it’s just Fox and me at the long table. We smile at each other, but then I glance to my left and see Noëlle and Sam. Noëlle waves, so I wave back, praying she doesn’t see anything gossip-worthy in the way I look at Fox.
“I should go home,” I say, when what I want to say is, “Will you come home with me?” I know that can’t happen. Our time together came to an end this morning before I left my apartment. No more indulgent nights together, or lazy morning blowjobs.
Nikko comes back again, grinning like a kid. “These guys are incredible.”
“You’ve mentioned,” Fox says dryly.
“Are you in any rush to get back to the farm?”
Fox blinks. “Why?”
“I want to stay and talk to them after their set. I want to buy the lead singer a drink. Maybe pick his brain.”
Fox’s mouth twitches. “I’m actually pretty done,” Fox says. “It’s been a long few days on the road. I was going to head back to the farm soon.”
His eyes flick to mine.
“Oh.” Nikko’s face falls. “Damn. I really want to stay for their last set.”
