Page 6 of Game Day

Brooke and I exchange a look. I can tell she’s dying to talk about the wedding, but this is too good to pass up.

* * *

Ten minutes later, we’re getting out of the car at Little Nell.

"What is this place?" I ask.

"Only the most incredible resort in all of Aspen." Brooke claps her palms for emphasis.

As if to back her up, the scenery opens up to reveal a gorgeous vista of pine trees and mountains, the main lodge rising majestically from the center.

We head inside with Annie. Surrounding us are high ceilings and wooden beams. It's like a holiday card.

"This is amazing," I murmur.

"Why are you whispering?" Annie laughs.

"It feels like a library. Or a temple. Or both."

We wind through to the dining room, where we meet Rae. We take our seats and order drinks and food.

“Okay ladies, we have a serious topic.” Brooke clasps her hands and looks solemnly between us as she lowers her voice. “Our mutual friend and her hulking hunk are planning to elope.”

Evidently, she couldn’t wait until later to talk about it.

“Well?!” she prompts when neither Annie nor Rae responds immediately. “Tell her it’s a terrible idea. That she’ll miss out on the wedding planning and the guests and the cake and the party. Flowers everywhere and too much champagne and people telling bad stories about her.”

Rae lifts a shoulder. “She should do what she wants.”

“I was totally going to buy your next album, but now…” Brooke sends a pointed look at Annie.

“Tyler and I got married on an island with a short guest list,” she starts, referring to her next-level–famous rock star husband. “Partly, we did it because we were afraid of it being made public. We found out the hard way that you can only control so much.” Her lips twist wryly.

“You regret it?” I ask, curious.

“Not a second. Are you eloping because you really want to? Or you’re worried it will be too out of control if you do it here?”

Three pairs of eyes turn to me as I consider.

I would marry Clay anytime, anywhere and it would be a dream come true. But, I’d be lying if I said the circus around him didn’t affect our plans.

“Maybe a little bit of both,” I admit.

I steer the conversation to Rae’s upcoming performances, trying to escape being in the hot seat.

"This isn't even the best part of the resort," Brooke weighs in as we rise after the meal. "Is the deck open?" she asks the hostess at the front of the restaurant.

Her smile is sympathetic. "It's booked for an event this evening.”

"We'll be quick and leave zero trace,” Brooke offers. “Promise."

The hostess reluctantly shows us out the back to a huge sweeping field with a panoramic mountain view.

My breath lodges in my throat. “Oh, wow.”

It’s staggeringly beautiful. The bright blue sky, the craggy peaks.

Nature is showing off. It’s a spectacle, the grandiosity of the landscape and the resort tucked into the heart of it. A way for us mere humans to experience the world the way it was meant to be.

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