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)
“That would be…interesting, Frederick,” was all I could manage.
“Wouldn’t it, though?”
“I find it odd that you didn’t mention this before now.”
“I thought it was something you would want to hear in person. And that you might digest the news better among friends.”
“How serious is he about making this appearance?” I asked, thinking he shouldn’t be getting everyone’s hopes up unless my brother was really planning to attend.
“He’s very serious. He asked me to speak with a Carter James while I was here, who is helping organize the event.”
“Oh, wow,” Dax said. “That will be great for the festival, if he does come.”
I bit my tongue. Dax was right. And it wouldn’t only be good for their city’s event, but for the Equal Marriage bill. That didn’t change that I was pissed that neither Frederick nor my brother had run this by me.
“This is something we’ll have to discuss further in private,” I told Frederick, who nodded as he took a sip of his own Arnold Palmer, surely knowing I was going to give him hell for not having mentioned this before.
“So much royalty at the Fever Falls Autumn Festival,” Serena noted, flipping her hand through her new extensions, an auburn-blonde combination Keeg had helped her select. “You know, I dated a prince from Saudi Arabia for some time. We had a great love affair.”
“Serena, I don’t think this is appropriate dinner conversation,” Dax told her.
“I didn’t go into specifics,” she insisted, leaning forward and adding, “but I can if requested.”
Keeg snickered beside me.
“We’d love some specifics,” Casey said, and Steve added, “Yeah, Ms. Middleton-Stuart. We love your stories.”
“We love your PG stories, Serena,” Nance clarified, and in my brief time in Fever Falls, I had learned why. Serena was not much for discretion.
“We’ll go into that over some mimosas this weekend,” she told Casey and Steve. “Sunday Funday!”
“Not hearing that,” Nance said as she seemed to work to ignore the obvious disregard for the drinking-age limit.
“Obviously, we’ll be drinking virgin mimosas,” Serena told Nance before turning back to Casey and Steve and rolling her eyes, as if that definitely wasn’t going to be the case.
“Mom…?” Dax said sternly.
“I will be having a mocktail. That much I can promise,” she assured him.
“Since we are all bringing up good news,” Casey announced, “Steve has sent in his application for Georgia Tech for next year.”
“Oh, that’s wonderful news!” Nance said.
We all let Steve know our support before he said, “It’s not a big deal.”
“Please,” Casey added, “you’re a shoo-in, unless they are looking to turn away their most qualified applicants. And in lighter, less academic news, Rodney and I will be attending the Autumn Ball together.”
Most everyone offered their congratulations. It was only very recently that Rodney had been willing to see Casey in public—something I couldn’t help but think still bothered Steve, as clearly indicated by his annoyed expression.
“Yeah, I wouldn’t bank on that one,” Steve said bitterly.
Casey took a sip of his sweet tea. “I would think my friend would be happy for me. Must be real easy for the guy who had a date to dances while I had to make friends by the punch bowl.”
“I’m very happy you have a date,” Steve said. “I just wish it wasn’t him.”
It was evident by the way they discussed it that this subject had already come up between them, but it was one of the few times I had seen such tension between them.
“Is everything okay between you guys?” Jace asked, seeming to pick up on the friction as much as anyone else at the table.
Steve bit his tongue for a moment, his face turning red. “I don’t think Rodney is good for him.”
“Steve…” Casey said severely.
“He’s late or cancels on you all the time, always with excuses, and I’m supposed to like him? I don’t think so.”
“He’s a busy guy. He has to take shifts at the restaurant to cover his rent and help his family out. He’s responsible.”
“Not when it comes to you, he’s not. You deserve a man who treats you right.”
Casey rolled his eyes. “When you find this man, you let me know.”
“I always treat you right.” Steve practically said the words through his teeth, and the silence that followed mixed with awkward glances around the table as we all realized there was a lot more going on between Steve and Casey since Rodney came into the picture than any of us could have known before.
Casey’s chin quivered as he looked at his plate. I’d assumed Steve had finished the conversation, but Casey added, “Yeah, you do. But then a homecoming or prom or ball comes along, and I’m still the guy standing in the corner while everyone else gets to dance.”
His voice cracked at the end of his sentence, and Steve’s expression softened as we all seemed to catch Casey’s pain, his hurt. He wasn’t wrong. There were things Rodney could give Casey that Steve simply couldn’t, and it was clearly something they had to work out in their friendship.