Page 4 of Wild in the Woods
“Thanks for that. I owe you.”
Stepping back, he released Jett and ran a hand over his mouth. Something about that woman made him nervous, which was ridiculous because he hadn’t even met her. Jett had said she was a reporter. That’s probably what set him off. He didn’t have time for reporters, or anything to do with social media.
He was proud of the contacts he’d made on his own that helped his outdoor survival business grow. But it was really a stroke of good luck that had propelled him into almost overnight success. A contact of his cousin and ex-Marine Desi Mitchell had landed him a four-year military training contract and a significant fee, with guaranteed renewal. The local news had run a small story about it, which was picked up by a larger media venue and then the news went national.
Not all the media had been good, though. A client had recorded several aspects of the survival course he’d taken and created a montage. The disjointed clips had been mashed together with overlying text like, ‘Badass Bootcamp’ and ‘Sasquatch Survival’ and other ridiculous things written in flashy, colorful font. Some of the videos had been embellished with little cartoon faces and objects—emojis, his cousins called them, and set to trendy music. He’d been appalled. Training people how to stay alive in survival situations was serious stuff, way more serious than the ‘Summer Camp for Adults’ shitshow the viral videos were making it out to be.
The videos had done something, though. In a matter of weeks, his course rosters were full for the next eighteen months. Despite the payoff from that, he had no intention of putting himself or his business in front of the media again anytime soon. He’d had enough of poop emojis and cats wearing dancing party hats being present in the same space as his business name, thanks.
So, he’d created a dummy phone number to help ward off the stream of media inquires that kept coming his way. Oh, he’d check the voicemail once every couple of months, but didn’t follow up on anything. He only handed out his real phone number when it was important.
Jett smacked him on the shoulder. “Why do you look so pissed right now?”
Fox grabbed his coffee from the table and tossed back the dregs of the cup. “Reporters.”
“You could take her out for a drink. Dinner, maybe.”
Fox scowled. “Why in the hell would I want to do that?”
“Because she’s attractive, not wearing a wedding ring, and you have five days and ten and a half hours to find a date for Desi and Kora’s wedding.”
Not this again. “I’m not bringing a date.”
“Yes, you are. You promised Kora.”
Fox scowled deeper. He’d played a game of cards with everyone after a family dinner a couple weeks ago. Bets were made. His family ganged up on him and said if he lost, he had to bring a date to the wedding. He scoffed because one—no way would he lose, and two— he had no interest in a date for the wedding or any other time. He thought his family had accepted the fact that he was happy going through life solo. But since all his cousins had found mates, everyone suddenly thought it was agreatidea to gang up on him about getting a woman.
He lost the game of cards. Big time. And he still had no interest in that date.
He’d hoped that everyone would forget about the bet. His cousins Jett, Desi, and Dax reminded him daily, including a count-down ticker that they texted him twice a day because they thought they were funny. Assholes.
“I’m too busy for this, Jett. Come on. I’ll show up for the wedding. That’s good enough.”
“You barely showed up for mine.”
Fox shrugged. “I was there, wasn’t I?”
He’d dutifully sat through the ceremony and then high tailed it out of there and back to his cabin in the woods where he liked it. When he wasn’t teaching a course, he was traveling, or at home. Alone.
“You know, you’re getting to that age, Fox.”
“Shut up.”
“Clock is ticking. You’ve got what, a year or two left to find a mate before—”
“I don’t care.”
Jett hitched a brow. “You don’t care? Really?” He poked Fox’s bicep repeatedly. “You’re willing to lose all this because you’re too stubborn to find a woman to settle down with?”
The bell above the door jangled as a customer walked in. Taking that as his cue to get the hell out of here, Fox moved past his cousin and walked out. Jett followed, annoyingly.
Yes, he was aware that he was approaching the age where, if he didn’t take a mate, his physical strength, and ability to shift from human to grizzly, would wane. He wouldn’t be able to sire cubs. He’d age faster than normal. It really sucked that he was trapped by his DNA into something he didn’t want.
A mate and cubs weren’t on his list. He’d seen firsthand how it could all go wrong. He watched his mother suffer horribly when it did. He’d suffered. Staying away from the combining of lives was the only way to ensure there wasn’t a fallout when those lives separated.
“Can we not talk about this right now, please?”
Jett checked his watch. “Look at that. Five days and nine hours…”
