Chapter 5 #2
“The bus broke down. We’re stuck in some town called Millfield until tomorrow.” My voice wavers despite my attempts to control it.
“Oh honey.” Jen’s sympathy flows through the connection. “Melody’s fine, I promise. We’re having a great time.”
The pressure behind my eyes threatens tears I refuse to shed. “Tell her I love her. Tell her I’ll be home as soon as I can.”
“She knows,” Jen says gently. “One more day won’t change anything.”
But Jen is wrong. I disconnect with a hurried promise to call later, blinking hard against the burning in my eyes.
“Crisis meeting,” Casey announces, interrupting my spiral. His tone carries the gravity of someone declaring nuclear war rather than a broken-down bus.
I follow him to where the others have gathered near the fireplace.
Phoenix stands with his back to the flames, shadows dancing across the sharp planes of his face.
The light catches in his hair, turning the edges to burnished copper—a trait Melody inherited that transforms her curls to fire in certain light.
The resemblance sends a fresh wave of anxiety through me.
Theo clears his throat, expression solemn as he stares down at his phone. “I’ve completed my assessment of our current situation.”
“And?” My pulse quickens.
He taps his screen with the gravity of a general reviewing battle plans. “The nearest McDonald’s is twenty-seven miles away. Taco Bell, thirty-four. There’s a Subway in Riversend, but they close in exactly forty-three minutes.”
My jaw drops. “You called a crisis meeting over fast food?”
“Nutrition is critical to survival.” Theo doesn’t crack a smile, his deadpan delivery somehow making it worse.
“There is one local establishment. Millie’s Diner.
Reviews are...” He winces slightly. “Mixed at best. User HungryTrucker58 reports, and I quote, ‘meatloaf had the texture of wet cement but tasted worse.’”
Casey peers over Theo’s shoulder at the phone. “Oh man, scroll down. Someone found a hairnet in their soup. The owner replied it was a ‘special garnish at no extra charge.’”
Phoenix’s lips twitch at the corners, eyes finding mine with a sparkle of amusement I haven’t seen since Chicago.
“In case you’re wondering about transportation, I checked while these two were investigating local cuisine.
We’re here for the night.” A half-smile softens his features. “Might as well make the best of it.”
“I can’t believe this is happening,” I mutter, frustration finally breaking through my professional veneer. “A broken bus, a town with a population smaller than most concert venues, and the three of you discussing diner reviews like we’re planning a vacation.”
“Four of us,” Mike corrects from an armchair by the window. “And the meatloaf review is spot-on. I stopped here two years ago and still have nightmares.”
Phoenix steps closer, voice dropping for my ears alone.
“I know this isn’t what you planned. None of us wanted to get stranded.
But we’re here, and it’s one night.” His gaze softens.
“You don’t want to spend it holed up alone in your room.
” The smile that crosses his face combines equal parts charm and challenge.
“Martha says there’s a Christmas festival happening in the town square tonight. Food vendors, local music, the works.”
“You can’t be serious.”
“Dead serious.” He gestures toward the window where, despite the snow, colored lights twinkle. “We’re here. Might as well make the best of it.”
Casey perks up instantly, already pulling his beanie back on. “I vote festival. I smell funnel cakes, and after reading those diner reviews, I require funnel cakes for my continued survival.”
“The funnel cake stand has five stars on Yelp,” Theo adds, still scrolling through his phone. “Unlike Millie’s, where someone apparently found a—”
“Please stop,” I interrupt, holding up a hand. “I don’t want to know.”
“Hot chocolate,” Phoenix says, his voice low and persuasive. “Fresh air. Christmas lights. Beats staring at B&B wallpaper all night.”
They look at me expectantly, awaiting my verdict.
Phoenix’s eyes hold mine, something in their green depths resembling the man I knew before fame and distance transformed him—the one who found adventure in unexpected places, who taught me to embrace moments as they came.
The one who could turn a roadside diner into the most romantic spot in three states simply by sitting across from me.
“Fine,” I concede, recognizing defeat. “But only for a little while. And if I see one hairnet anywhere near food, I’m leaving.”
The smile that spreads across Phoenix’s face pierces through my defenses with unexpected precision, awakening memories best left dormant. For a dangerous moment, I glimpse what might have been—the life we might have shared if ambition and timing hadn’t torn us apart.
Casey pumps his fist in triumph. “Operation Avoid Food Poisoning is a go!”
“I’m bringing Pepto-Bismol anyway,” Theo mutters, tucking his phone away. “Just in case.”
As we prepare to venture into the festival, my phone buzzes with another text from Jen—another photo of Melody, this one showing her holding up a paper snowflake with determined pride.
Jen: She misses you, but she’s okay. One more day won’t change anything.
But Jen is wrong. With Phoenix beside me and Nashville drawing closer, everything has already begun to change. The countdown to the inevitable revelation ticks louder with each passing moment.
And I have no idea how to stop it.