“I am up.”

“I see that,” she replied as we sat up on the bed simultaneously.

“What are you doing here, anyway? The bonfire starts at seven.”

“Can’t I come hang out with my big sis?”

I tilted my head and pursed my lips. “No.”

“Well, shit. What if I told you I wanted to get the scoop on you and Colton before everyone got here?”

“No.”

“I brought tequila. And I really want to know if his, you know, matches the size of his hands and feet. Because the man is large everywhere.”

Damn. Alex knew that margaritas were my downfall. I sighed heavily, tilting my head back as I agreed.

“You always were an enabler,” I joked as my phone rang.

Glancing down, I noted the unknown number. Usually, I didn’t answer those and sent them to voicemail, but some sort of inclination had me pressing the green button. I silently gestured to Alex that I would join her in a minute, but she leaned her lean body against the doorjamb.

“Hello?”

“Yes, I’m looking for Autumn Easterly. This is Sandra from Elemental Design Events.”

My heart jumped into my throat. It had been a couple of weeks since I applied for the job the weekend I had arrived in Ashfield. The posting hadn’t crossed my mind again and I assumed my blacklist status had traveled all the way to Tennessee with me.

“Um. This is she. How can I help you?”

The woman on the other end of the line went into detail about how their hiring manager had attended a few of the events I’d put together in New York. When my name came across the list of applicants, she knew I would be the best person for the position.

“So, you’re just offering me the job? What about an interview?” My eyes darted over to Alex, who had stiffened, her body rigid across the threshold of my room.

“Well, I mean, we can hold an interview if you’d like one, but she’s pretty certain you’re the event planner she wants. You came highly recommended and your resume is impeccable.”

“Wow. I. . .ugh. . .don’t know what to say.”

“Say yes, of course.”

“Can I have a few days to think about it?”

“Sure, I suppose you have many options available to you.”

“Yes, thank you. I just need to adjust some plans, maybe.”

“Will you be in touch by Monday?”

“Sure. Yes. That sounds fine. I will call you back at this number on Monday.”

I couldn’t see the woman on the other end of the line, but I imagined she was leaning over her desk as she quietly asked, “Is it true that you’re dating Colton Crawford?”

My mouth hung agape as my fingers twitched.

“You can’t always believe everything you read,” I replied coldly, ending the conversation immediately.

Was this how it was always going to be now that I’d been tied to the sports superstar? My career blacklist nulled and voided with a single picture.

“I’m going to need that tequila. No margarita required.”

Chapter Eighteen – Colton

Sunday had come and gone and I was still sitting in a luxury hotel on the outskirts of LA. My agent snuck in sponsorship deals during the trip, which required my time there to be extended. Though I loved the weather and lifestyle of Hollywood, I missed Ashfield.

I missed the land, the mountains, and the smells. And, fuck, I missed Autumn fiercely. Everywhere I went, I swore that I saw her. Even at a local sushi place my agent and I dined at the night before, I stumbled over myself when I thought Autumn had walked through the doors. At second glance, it was clearly not her.

I’d reluctantly video called Autumn on Sunday when I learned my stay was going to be extended. She pretended to be okay with the change in plans, but I could tell by her eyes that she was disappointed. It was the same reason we hadn’t put a label on our relationship or talked any further about our path. We went day by day.

She’d mentioned the job offer to a prestigious group that had an office in Knoxville, but she said she didn’t think it was the right place for her. It was clear there was something she was hiding, but I had my own issues going on.

Sadie wanted to meet and I wasn’t sure that was the best idea with the way the press was still buzzing about with the pictures of myself and Autumn. But she was persistent. And that left a bitter taste on my tongue. My fear of her trying to use me to get ahead in her life, whether that be money or status, seemed more plausible every day. I was going to have to nip this in the bud once and for all.

“Colton, my man,” Lex, my agent, said as he strutted into my hotel room like he had zero cares that he had extended my trip by three days already. I was itching to get back to Ashfield. “We have another test spot today for-”

“For what, Lex?” I spun around, the vein at my temple bulging as I approached the agent that had been with me my entire career. “What is it for this time? A daytime talk show? A game show? Man, I don’t want to be a part of any of this. We agreed to the cooking show because there was experience with other retired athletes hosting similar segments, but you know that none of this is me. When I decided to retire that was to take a step back and enjoy life, not find myself just as busy.”

Lex held his hands up in defeat. “You’re right, man. I was only trying to help you get your feet wet so you’d have options. Right now, everyone wants you. I already have contracts for multiple spots that you tested for the last few days.”

My hand shot through my hair, leaving it in spikes as I sat on the edge of my hotel bed.

“Fuck, man. Look, how much longer do you need me here?”

Glancing down at his phone, he scrolled through what I assumed was his calendar before saying, “Another day or so? You have a magazine shoot after the test today and then the Hockey Network was hoping you’d be able to guest host the LA game tomorrow.”

“Okay. Then after that, no more. I’m tired, Lex. One or two gigs every once in a while is fine. Sponsorships I’m okay with. Just. . .slow down. Alright?”

“Alright. I hear you. I’ll let our contacts know.”

“Also, I’m going to need a plane ticket to Knoxville on Friday. And I need you to help me coordinate a meeting.”

Lex began typing away on his phone, arranging the items I needed. Looking up at me beneath his fuzzy furrowed brows, he asked, “Who is the meeting with?”

“Sadie.”

“Who?” he asked as the pitter-patter of him touching the keys on his phone stopped.

I turned away from him and faced the windows. Off in the distance, there was a mountain range. Rocky and brown, they didn’t look as resplendent as the ones in my backyard. I sighed, draping my arms over my thighs and hanging my head low.

“My sister.”