Series: Fever Falls Series by Riley Hart
Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 96260 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 385(@250wpm)___ 321(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96260 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 385(@250wpm)___ 321(@300wpm)
“In that case, we definitely can and should get in the barn.”
We slipped away, enjoying a much-needed break before returning to our work.
We had plenty to do before the festival’s inaugural event, particularly with the King of Parlaisa granting us a speech during the ceremony the following day. So once we finished our playtime in the barn, Owen and I took care of our remaining responsibilities and then helped out wherever we were needed. The festival was always fairly chaotic to prepare for, and this year even more so with the added stress of a king planning to attend.
Lucas had only managed to arrive that morning, and Carter and Dax orchestrated his appearance with the royal guard. Owen had gone to visit him and help make necessary preparations, but considering he didn’t seem wildly excited after their visit, I didn’t imagine they had made much progress on the sibling front.
Still, I kept reminding myself that despite how hectic everything was, we’d all be able to relax after the ball, when I would finally have a chance to dance with my prince.
“Well, King Lucas didn’t do such a bad job after all,” I said, sidling up beside Owen after King Lucas’s speech at the kickoff event, one that had been recorded by local, national, and international news stations.
The turnout had been phenomenal, with a crowd of attendees dressed for the auction and subsequent ball. Everyone looked so elegant and regal, O especially. In a navy tux that complemented his steel-blue eyes, he embodied everything I could have expected from a royal.
But as he stopped and turned to me, despite all the beauty that stood before me, I could see the sadness in his expression too. King Lucas had more than given his approval of equal marriage, celebrating the love that was so freely shared in the States and hoping for the same in his own country, but it clearly wasn’t enough for Owen. If anything, it seemed his brother’s presence only reminded him of their strife.
“Yes, he did the right thing,” Owen said.
I interlocked my arm with his as we headed to the bachelor auction Carter was hosting. The crowd enjoyed the sexy men basically handpicked by Carter, who was offering up clever banter as members of the audience selected potential suitors for the night. I searched for Casey and Steve, but neither was anywhere to be found.
I texted both before hearing back from Steve.
STEVE: He’s not there?
ME: I haven’t seen him.
STEVE: Rodney bailed on him. :( Told you that guy was no good. I’ll be there in a bit.
It seemed Steve had been right all along about that asshole.
I searched around for my friend, hoping he was all right.
Owen noticed and asked, “Everything okay?”
“Just looking for Casey. He’s supposed to be here, but evidently Rodney isn’t coming.”
“What?”
“Yeah.”
I thought on what he must have felt like. He’d been so excited leading up to the dance, particularly picking out his suit with me. “What a jerk,” I muttered.
Once the auction was over, I followed the crowd into the ballroom of the old historic courthouse.
“You mind if we hunt down Casey really quick?” I asked O. “Kind of a friend crisis situation here.”
“Of course, Keeg.”
We found Casey, who was wearing the suit we’d purchased together. He sat at the bar on the opposite side of the ballroom.
I asked Owen to give me a moment, and I approached Casey and slid onto the stool beside him.
“Case,” I said.
He turned to me, his cheeks red, tears sliding down his face. “Did Steve blab on me?” he asked, his voice trembling.
“Yeah, you know that chatterbox.”
I was trying to be silly to cheer him up, and he smiled for a moment before his face trembled and a few more tears escaped his eyes.
He lifted a flask to his mouth and took a swig.
“Is that—”
“Serena’s? Yes. She said it used to be her breakup flask, but she doesn’t need it anymore, so she’s bequeathing it to me. Nice of her to put some whiskey in there for me.” He took another swig. “I guess Rodney was looking forward to breaking it off with me, since he was eager to tell me that all that time he’d been mysteriously busy, he’d really been seeing not one, but two other guys.”
“That’s terrible. What an asshole.”
“Yeah, apparently. I thought about just going home, but you know, in high school, I never really got a dance.”
“We danced all the time at homecoming and prom.”
“A slow dance. Steve always had a girlfriend, and you would even go with girls. I would sit off to the side and watch…and sulk.”
Another swig.
“Casey, maybe we can talk more and drink less,” I said, reaching for the flask, which he yanked out of my reach.
“If I can’t have a man tonight, at least let me have this.”
“Look, I’m sorry, Casey. But we don’t have to let fucking Rodney ruin another dance. Dance with me.”