Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 80562 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 80562 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 403(@200wpm)___ 322(@250wpm)___ 269(@300wpm)
“Sometimes I think I dreamed that whole thing with Peter up. Like a bad nightmare. I haven’t even heard from him since that day.”
“He’s probably hoping you write it off as a dream. Then he can come back once we miss the deadline and collect his winnings.”
“Yeah,” I sigh. “That does make sense.”
“We’ll figure it out. You good for me to go for a run? I need to get it in now if I’ll be able to shower in time for the games.”
“Yeah, sure,” I say, wiping my eyes and pulling back. “I’m good.”
He kisses the top of my head and then leaves.
And with that, I let out a long, hard breath.
21
JAKE
Frosty Harbor is a town that knows how to throw a celebration. Jesse and Caroline’s family have been part of a long tradition of bringing the town together for events, going back since the town’s founding, butI’m always a little surprised by the huge turnout.
We’re near the center of town and the clearing of grass is covered with picnic tables, portable grills, boxes of game items, and covered plates of all shapes and sizes. People always bring food to Frosty Harbor events, and it might be my favorite part of them. Today, Nolan and Mia’s restaurant catered for the event, so the quality of food is off-the-charts. On top of the catered food, people brought their own tinfoil dishes of stuff from home, too, creating a practical feast.
I’ve only been here for a few minutes, and I’m already half-stuffed with homemade mac' n’ cheese, peach cobbler, pigs in a blanket, steak bites, and several other delicious bites.
I’m chewing as I look out over the town and take in the sight of the snow-topped mountains. There’s snow on the peaks almost year-round, even when it’s pleasant and warm on the ground. There really aren’t many places more beautiful than here.
Every person who passes stops to squeeze my shoulder, shake my hand, or make some old-timer joke about “the old ball and chain” or some other good-natured jab at married life. I do have to admit the general tone of people in town has been different than I initially expected. Instead of seeming happy and congratulatory, it feels like they all enjoy teasing me about married life. That, or they will joke about how head-over-heels we must be to get married so quickly.
Caroline finds me in the middle of her frenzy of planning. She puts one hand on the small of my back and moves in front of me. “Hey. Doing okay?”
“Yeah?” I say around a mouthful of pulled pork.
“You sure? Because Carter told me you’re eating like you’re training to be a competitive hot dog eater in your retired life. He thinks you’re nervous.’
I pop a roll in my mouth, puffing out one cheek with food. “I’m not nervous.”
Her smile is soft and sweet. She touches my forearm. “Maybe take a little break from the free food. We’ve got a game in five minutes.”
Mia gestures for Caroline, who rushes off and helps pull more chairs into position. People are gathering in a ring around the chairs and the girls are blowing up balloons. Doesn’t look too bad, I think.
I grab another hotdog, sigh, and head over.
“Here he is!” Paisley shouts, fist-pumping. From the looks of it, she already had too much to drink. Then again, when it comes to Paisley, half a beer is probably too much to drink.
The crowd of onlookers continues to grow as I’m ushered into one of the chairs. Nolan and Jesse are beside me, and then a handful of other married guys from town are filling out the remaining chairs. The wives, girlfriends, and fake fiancée assemble on the other side of the clearing. Paisley is busy with a few other women handing out huge balloons.
“Okay!” Paisley shouts, swaying a little as if the next stiff breeze might knock her off her feet. “Welcome to the wedpocolypse!”
“Nope!” Mia shouts, rushing over from her place in front of Nolan’s chair. She puts an arm around Paisley, still holding her oversized balloon. “We decided to just call these the wedding games. And thank you all for coming. Frosty Harbor’s imminent newlyweds will compete against six lucky couples for the grand prize. There will be seven games in total, and the winning team from each game earns one point. We’ll have one main event per day, and then anybody else from town who wants to play is welcome to join in and play for fun. At the end of the week, the couple with the most points from our six parties here takes home the prize!”
“What’s the prize?” somebody shouts from the crowd.
“Oh!” Mia smiles. “The winner gets a romantic dinner for two at Taste after hours. Me and Nolan will personally cook for you and serve you the meal. And if me and Nolan win, we don’t have to stay late and cook for you slobs!”