Page 27 of My Dream

“Snow?” I called back to her and raised an eyebrow.

Fallon nodded and turned on her barstool to face me fully. “I’ve always wanted to go to Alaska. We barely get seasons in Texas—just a few days of winter, and then it’s back to seventy. Let’s go somewhere different than here.”

It made sense, even if it wasn’t what I’d been expecting. I took another drink from my beer and nodded. “Sounds like a plan to me. Hey, Yarder,” I called out, turning back to him. “You can keep your beaches. We’re going to Alaska.”

Yarder laughed and took a long pull from his drink. “Fine by me.”

Before I could respond, the front door swung open, and Clay walked in with Mark and Drew trailing behind him.

“We’re not even knocking now?” Yarder called, his tone sharp.

“Not when we’re filming,” Clay replied smoothly and brushed into the clubhouse. “We need to come and go as we please. If we knock every time, we’ll miss things.”

Yarder motioned to the small camera mounted in the corner of the common room, its lens trained on us like a silent observer. “Pretty sure that fucker will catch anything you guys can’t.”

Clay ignored the jab and turned to Mark. “Show us to the equipment room.”

Mark stepped forward and headed down the hallway without a word. Clay and Drew followed behind him.

Adalee’s voice cut through the tension. “I know we hate Clay, but we don’t hate Mark, right?”

Yarder sank back into his seat with a shrug. “He’s fine. If anything, I’m hoping he’ll be on our side and keep Clay in check.”

We had all been hanging around the common room since the cameras came back on. None of us really knew what to dowith ourselves. We understood we had to be on camera to get enough footage for the crew to leave, but none of us wanted to be the center of attention.

“I’m going to grab the poster board,” Adalee announced suddenly and jumped up from her barstool.

“What the hell do you need poster board for?” Cue Ball asked with a frown.

“We’re up first on the plan,” Fallon answered with a smile. “We need to get the ball rolling on The Cakery.”

Adalee ducked behind the bar and pulled out a sheet of white poster board. “We need to come up with our menu.”

I chuckled. “Shouldn’t you find a place to set up shop first?”

“Details,” Adalee replied with a laugh. “And besides, Fade is going to set up some places for us to see.”

“Friday,” Fade called out. “I got in touch with a real estate agent. They’re going to show us a few spots.”

“Are we renting or buying?” Fallon asked and glanced at Yarder.

He leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. “Whatever makes the most sense. Buying would be better, but we’ll see.”

“We good for that?” I asked.

Yarder shrugged. “We can put a down payment down and get a loan for the rest. Shouldn’t be bad. Besides, The Cakery is going to take off like a fucking rocket, so I’m not worried about it.”

Clay, Mark, and Drew reappeared from the hallway.

“Okay,” Clay said and clapped his hands together. “Just act like we aren’t here.”

I rolled my eyes and tipped back the last of my beer. “That’s fucking easier said than done.”

“We were just about to go over the plans for the new business the club is starting,” Adalee announced brightly. “You guys can be here to see it from the ground up.”

Clay’s interest was piqued. He motioned to Drew, who lifted the camera onto his shoulder and pointed it toward Adalee and Fallon as he walked toward them.

It was showtime.

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