Page 81 of Hero's Prize

“What?” Rick threw up his hands. “You know it’s true.”

“What’s true?” Colton stopped as the waitress brought his plate of food and set it down in front of him. He forced a smile at her even though he didn’t feel it.

“What’s true?” he asked again once the waitress left.

“Nothing,” Tony responded. “Our resident asshole is being exactly that.”

Rick rolled his eyes. “Fine. Right. I’m the asshole for saying what all of us are thinking.”

“If somebody doesn’t tell me what the hell you’re talking about right now, everybody is going to be fucking fired.”

Tony held out a hand to stop whatever Rick was about to say. “There’s a little bit of concern about how some of your closest friends will be perceived by your public.”

“In what way? I’m not planning on putting any of them on public display.”

Tony nodded. “But sometimes you don’t get a choice. Especially with those who are closest to you.”

The bacon he was chewing went tasteless in his mouth.

“Ella.” They were talking about Ella.

“Yeah, exactly, man. Compared to the women you’ve dated in the past, she’s not exactly hot, you know?”

Colton looked over at Rick at his words. The guy actually thought he wasn’t being offensive.

“It’s time for you to go.” Colton managed to keep his words even when all he wanted to do was take Rick’s head and bash it against the table.

“Listen, man. I know you’ve known her a long time and she’s important to you. We get it. All I’m saying is that, comparatively speaking?—”

“I already heard you, Rick. And if you want to make it out of this restaurant with all your teeth still in your mouth, I suggest you leave right fucking now.” He stood up so the other man could pass.

“Whatever.” But Rick wisely slid off the booth seat and walked out.

Colton sat back down and pushed his plate away. He definitely wasn’t hungry now.

“Before you tell me to fire him, you should know that he’s an excellent camera operator and has a wonderful eye for shots.”

“I’m pretty sure I don’t give a shit about those things right now.”

Tony leaned back against the booth. “Rick knows what people want to see, and as much as you may not like to hear this…he’s right that Ella does not look like the other women you’ve dated.”

He didn’t give a shit about that. “You do realize that you’re just making my point, right? This is why I don’t want to film my personal life.”

“I get it. Your personal life is your own. We can make that happen.”

Tony pushed the plate with Colton’s uneaten breakfast back over to him. Colton picked up his fork.

“Good.” He was only a couple bites into his meal when he realized Tony still had more to say. “Just say it.”

“I know that you like it here. I know this is home. I know you’ve been struggling more than you let on.”

Colton shrugged and put another bite of food in his mouth.

“Both Rick and I want to make sure you have a career left to come back to when you decide you’re done here.”

It was on the tip of Colton’s tongue to announce that he wouldn’t be leaving Oak Creek and that if he was going to have a career in extreme sports, they were going to have to figure out a way around that.

They were going to have to figure out how to work hisimagewith Ella by his side.

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