Page 55 of Another Fox Bites the Dust
She throws a glance at Luke before eyeing me curiously. “Are you sure?”
“Of course I’m sure.” I try to temper my tone, but the words are still snappish.
Have I been so awful? I don’t even want to think about it, because obviously, I have.
I can be courteous and speak with Taylor like a grown-up.
“She’s with Jake up at the pond. They went to practice fishing and ax throwing.”
“Fishing and ax throwing?” Luke’s brows lift in question.
Her eyes roll heavenward with amused exasperation. “Jake has been insistent on practicing before Oliver comes for Thanksgiving in order to ‘crush him like the worm he is.’ ” She makes air quotes with her fingers. “Every time Oliver comes to stay with us Jake gets majorly competitive.”
Finley’s phone pings. She lifts it up to glance at the screen. “They’re still there. We can take my cart. I’m parked out front.”
Finley drives, Luke sitting next to her in the passenger seat, and I take one of the seats facing backward. The wind is chilly, but I don’t mind the cold sweep of air across my cheeks and the back of my neck.
The drive is short, and I use the limited time to gather my emotions and shove them down into a box.
I will play nice because it’s the right thing to do regardless of my tumultuous emotions about Taylor and how she’s all tied up in thoughts of Aria and my own guilt.
We stop near a cluster of pine trees, and I jump off the cart, landing on the hard-packed dirt and kicking up a small puff of dust.
Jake and Taylor are over by the pond, the water a flat pale-gray slate under the cloudy sky. They’re sitting about ten feet apart on folding chairs, holding onto fishing rods.
“Hey.” Taylor waves with her free hand, her smile bright.
I take a deep breath and follow Finley and Luke, keeping my eyes down so I don’t trip and practicing my deep breathing exercises.
If Taylor makes any snide comments or rubs her assistance in my face, odds of which are likely to be certain, I have to keep an iron grip on my self-control.
“Catch anything?” Finley asks.
“I’ve caught three,” Taylor says.
“She’s been lucky,” Jake grumbles.
“Practice not quite making perfect?” Luke teases Jake.
Jake puffs up his chest. “I’ll whoop your ass up and down this beach, Fletcher.”
A smile tugs at the corner of my mouth in spite of my chaotic emotions. Of course, Luke has already charmed Jake into being his buddy.
I clear my throat. “Why is Damon Lewis agreeing to work with us?” The words come out sharper than I intended.
Taylor’s eyes are wary. She glances over at Finley and then at me, lifting her chin slightly before answering. “Damon has been working with Laila on her next album, but she’s been in a bit of a rut, creatively.” She tilts her head toward Luke. “I sent the video of him singing to Ursula, and she shared it with Laila, and I guess she totally flipped.” She grins over at Luke. “I already told you this, but she just loved it so much, all of it, your voice, the song, your presence.”
He smiles back at her, the dimple making an appearance.
I grit my teeth.
Taylor continues, keeping her gaze on Luke. “She wants to work with you. Maybe do a couple of duets or something, for her album and for yours. She feels like she’s in this liminal space, and working with other artists and the flow that comes from a nexus of creators working together might help her get her groove back, so to speak. I can give you her number. She wanted to talk to you.”
Luke takes a few steps closer, standing next to me. “Mindy and I can call her together if that’s cool?”
Taylor glances over at me and her smile dims. “Yeah, whatever.”
She pulls out her phone.
