Page 49 of Rebel Moon

“Yeah, I need to get out of this room for a while.”

Jack helped me get my jacket and one boot on, then held the door for me as I carefully maneuvered the steps to the ground. The paths had recently been cleared of snow, so the going wasn’t too rough. When we got to the restaurant, Jack stayed close as I took the stairs. Once inside, we sat at a table in the corner. Breakfast was a buffet of amazing pastries, eggs, sausage, and fruit. Jack offered to fix me a plate, and I agreed.

He returned with exactly what I would have gotten for myself. A pile of eggs, a couple sausages, only berries from the fruit offering, and a croissant.

He’d piled his own plate high as well. A server brought us coffee and juice.

I dug into the food like I hadn’t eaten in days, which wasn’t far from the truth.

We didn’t talk much, just ate. When we were done, Jack asked for a refill on our coffees and then eyed me from across the table. “Rhett told me about Madeleine and Wyatt Black. Guess it’s about time we all knew how it all went down.”

“You didn’t know?” I asked.

“I had suspicions. But Madeleine’s cagey. So’s Rhett, for that matter.”

“They know how to manage us,” I said. “I haven’t liked it, but the truth is we wouldn’t be where we are without either one of them.”

“I know.” Jack turned to look out the window at the gray day. “I’ve thought about them a lot over the last ten years. Like what motivates them? We’re about the music. But what about them?”

“They’re the same, I think,” I said. “They love the music even if they can’t make it themselves. And us.”

“I ever tell you much about Rhett and me? What it was like growing up together?”

“A little.”

“He was my ride or die, you know. From the beginning, it was him and me, Holly and Luci. Luci was our precious little sweetheart. The four of us were as tight as kids can be. And Holly and Rhett back in the day? They were deeply in love, even though they both knew it was doomed. He couldn’t wait to leave Stonehaven. She couldn’t see ever leaving. But she has a good family—deep roots in Stonehaven and its history. Rhett and I always felt like we were just passing through. For Holly, it was her home.” He took a sip from his coffee mug. “Rhett was the one who dreamed big. Big enough for all of us.”

“And he was right,” I said. “He was right about the whole thing. Finding Beck and Grant and me and betting it all on our chemistry. Then bringing Madeleine in. I’ve not wanted to give credit to anyone but us boys, you know. But that’s not how it really is. I see that now.”

He gave me a long, hard look. “Talk to me. What’s going on with you and Madeleine? Ivy’s beside herself.”

“Beside herself?”

“As in, Madeleine’s been real quiet about it all but we’ve all seen you together.”

“Ivy’s pairing us together on purpose, right?”

“She was hoping for a great thaw between y’all.”

“That it?” I asked.

“That’s what she told me,” Jack said chuckling. “But I think there’s a matchmaker hiding in there somewhere.”

“You think?” I tried to smile but it came out as a grimace. “I’m in trouble here.”

“Talk to me.”

I told him everything that had happened between us, starting with day one and ending with day six, including what I’d learned about what Madeleine did for us.

“And that’s how we left it. She made an excuse to leave. Said she had to meet Ivy at the bar, but I saw her go back to her cabin.”

“Yeah, I know why she did that,” Jack said.

“You do?”

“She’s tightly wound. Always in control. You’ve brought a little chaos into her life.”

“Chaos? Is that how you think of me?”