“You try telling Sacha that.”
“Or, I could stay out of it,” Colton replied, making Jack chuckle. “By the way, your boyfriend broke the speed barrier, running from the woods behind the Christmas tree farm to the café.”
Jack lifted his gaze. “Sweater, food, or matchmaking opportunity?”
“Last one.”
Jack shook his head, amused.
“You ever think of proposing?” Colton asked, curious.
Something fizzled, sparked, and then burst into flames in front of Jack, who jumped, lost his balance, and yelped as he fell out of his chair.
“Shit, are you okay?” Colton hurried over to help Jack up. His friend groaned and pushed himself to his feet. He brushed the dust off his clothes, then seemed to remember what Colton said, and his head shot up.
“Why…who…um…has Fitz said something?”
Colton shook his head. Poor Jack looked like he was about to lose his breakfast. Colton held his hands up in front of him. “It’s okay. Relax. Fitz hasn’t mentioned anything. I was just curious.”
Jack let out a shaky sigh. “Oh. Okay. Good. Yeah, um, no. I’ve thought…things, but um, I don’t think—I mean, I’m not, um….” He cleared his throat and set his chair to rights before sitting down. “So, what was that I heard about Ace? Something about an ax?”
It was Colton’s turn to groan. “It’s nothing. King’s going to take care of it.” At least, he hoped so.
CHAPTERSIX
“Idon’t think this is a logical solution,” Leo said, scrunching up his nose.
Ace grabbed one tree branch and tested its strength before doing the same to the one across from it. “How else are we supposed to know if there are any squirrels or chipmunks up here?”
“What if you get bitten?” Laz asked worriedly.
“Please,” Ace grunted as he pulled himself up. “This is Winterhaven. They’ll probably apologize and knit me a sweater.”
“Unlikely,” Leo muttered. “Besides, chipmunks live most of their lives on the ground and underground.”
“Thanks, Jane Goodall.” With a grunt, Ace pulled himself up again, grabbing another branch. It reminded him of the rock-climbing wall at work. Hm, climbing that wall used to be a lot easier. Maybe he needed to add some more pull-ups to his weekly workout.
“Jane Goodall studied chimpanzees, not chipmunks.”
“Just keep an eye out for squirrels. And bears.” Ace was almost to the top. So far, no fluffy-tailed rodents.
“You think we’ll see a bear?” Laz asked excitedly.
“If we see a bear, we go in the opposite direction,” Ace called down. “We don’t stand there and take pictures. Got it?” He was down two Boyfriends; he didn’t need to lose a third.
Colton was going to murder him dead. Technically, losing Fitz had not been Ace’s fault. Yes, he’d gotten distracted and forgot to feed the giant Pomeranian, but he’d had every intention of doing so when Fitz caught up with him, tackled him, and tried to smother him with his faux fur coat. Then Fitz got a text and took off like there was a Black Friday sale on cashmere sweaters.
“This tree is too big,” Laz said. “Didn’t Colton ask for a nine- or ten-foot tree?”
“But this one is perfect! Look how full it is.” Just a few more branches….
“The question isn’t about whether there’s enough room in the cabin,” Leo offered. “The question is, how are we going to transport it? This tree has to weigh hundreds of pounds, if not more.”
“If the Grouchy Smurf can carry his dog on his shoulders, I can carry this tree,” Ace grumbled.
“Grouchy Smurf doesn’t have a dog,” Leo said. “He’s too small.”
“I think he’s talking about Joker,” Laz muttered. “Maybe we should call Red.”
