Tony’s voice was flat with boredom. “Nope. Still on bridge construction.”
I sagged back in my chair, relieved. “Thank God.”
Up front, Cooper finally moved on, shifting papers before launching into the next item on the agenda: the Winter Festival. My attention snapped back immediately.
It was the first major event the whole town was putting together since, well, ever, really.
Three days long. Music, food, drinks. Humans and the pack working side by side. Cooper talked about schedules and volunteer rotations, about booths, permits, and crowd control.
He also spent an unusually long time praising a particular secondhand bookstore and the specials it would be running during the festival.
I rolled my eyes and pulled my phone out, angling it low.
As Cooper kept talking, my gaze drifted around the hall. Noah wasn’t here. Neither was Ethan.
Furrowing my brows, I flicked through my notifications. There they were. Messages from both of them, received two days ago. Of course they couldn’t make it.
I closed my eyes briefly, resisting the urge to bang my forehead against the back of the chair.
Right. This was what I got for not checking my messages.
I shoved the phone back into my pocket and exhaled loudly. It was fine. They were probably busy. Everyone was, lately.
At least I was here.
Cooper eventually shifted the agenda again, and my attention snapped back the moment he said the word “entertainment.” Then he mentioned live music.
I straightened in my seat without even thinking about it.
Although the Winter Festival was supposed to be a fun, low-pressure, festive event, Cooper made it clear there would still be auditions.
Only a handful of acts would be picked for the main stage, and the biggest slot of all would be New Year’s Eve, right before the countdown.
“We want good bands and performances,” Cooper said mildly, a hint of a grin tugging at his mouth. “Good singers. You’ll be representing Pecan Pines, after all.”
“Not you, Maurice!” a voice shouted from the crowd.
A hoarse voice immediately shot back, “Hey! My bluegrass band is coming along great!”
Laughter rippled through the hall.
Cooper shook his head, clearly amused. “Maybe after this meeting, you can stop by the clinic and ask Ethan for some throat medicine first.”
“That’s our sound!” Maurice protested. “Our sound!”
The laughter grew louder, and Cooper raised a hand in surrender, nodding along. “A sign-up sheet will be outside after the meeting. Auditions will be scheduled after that.”
He scanned the room, eyes flicking from face to face, eventually landing on me.
“No—ah, Zack. Will you guys be joining?”
“Yes,” I said without missing a beat.
Cooper smiled, satisfied. “Good.”
Then he moved on, pointing toward someone else. After going through a few more people, he finished his sweep of the room. “Anyone else interested in participating, go ahead and sign up.”
I sank back into my chair, heart racing. Maybe I’d jumped the gun. What if Noah and Ethan weren’t free after all?
