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I take another oversized bite, hoping to distract myself from the burn. Beneath the table, my leg bounces uncontrollably, and a bead of sweat trails down the back of my neck.

“What do you think, Rome?”

I glance up at Jett, whose eyebrow is cocked like he honestly expects my mouth to be capable of forming a coherent sentence.

“What was that?” I ask, barely able to hear my own voice over the sound of my heartbeat pounding in my ears.

Jett’s smirk widens. “I said, looks like you’re struggling over there… You ready to tap out now?”

I silently shake my head, finding the act of talking far too painful.

“Okay, man, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.” He grabs another wing, and that’s when I notice the mountain of discarded bones piled on his plate. He’s got to have at least a dozen compared to my measly four.

Apparently, Guy notices the same thing because he nudges Luka, and, not so quietly whispers, “Looks like he’s losing his steam… A hundred bucks he doesn’t make it past four.”

Luka clicks his tongue like he’s considering me. “Meh, I think he’s got another one.” He claps me on the shoulder, and I choke on my own spit. Tears fall from my eyes, and snot pours from my nose.

I dive for the glass of milk, downing the whole thing before I slam it down on the table.

“Gentlemen, it looks like we have a winner,” Guy says, his hand already open as Luka pulls the hundred-dollar bill from his wallet.

“What a great day to be alive. I got to eat my favorite meal and another year of not leading the festival,” Jett says, stretching his arms above his head as he sucks in a deep breath. “I guess I’m doing something right.”

Luka claps his hands. “All right, Roman, we’ve got a town meeting to get to. Let’s not keep your fans waiting.”

My lower back aches, my limbs stiff from all the prolonged sitting I’ve been doing over the last several months. I guess the added responsibilities as the acting CEO are finally starting to catch up with me.

No wonder Leo was always so miserable.

I’ve only got one more year of the additional work, and the time can’t go by fast enough.

I’m supposed to be the good guy around the office. The one chasing new sparkly ideas, wooing people with my charm and charisma. Not the practical leader, forced to scrutinize profit margins and make difficult decisions.

Let’s just say the past couple of weeks have not been the brightest.

And now, to make matters worse, looks like I’ve gotten another responsibility added to my plate. I can’t believe I let those bastards bait me into a stupid competition. I have no doubt Luka rigged it to get back at me for last year.

I guess that’s karma for you. Now, not only is it my turn to throw the festival, but I have to follow Luka and Leo’s wildly successful festivals.

My idiot brothers have each raised the bar for this event, and now everyone expects me to top them. Frankly, I have no fucking clue how I’m supposed to pull that off.

Hell, my palms are sweating just thinking about it.

“There you are,” Colleen Collier, the owner of Inn, sighs as she grabs my arm to lead me inside the vacant building where we hold our town meetings. “I’ve been meaning to show you the design for our new website.”

As much as I love being so adored around here, sometimes I wish there was literally anyone else to share the spotlight with.

There’s a lot of pressure that comes with being the dependable one—the person everyone knows they can count on. Don’t get me wrong, I love giving back to my community. It makes me feel like I’m making a difference, like my life has purpose. And with a life as privileged as mine, that sense of purpose isn’t something I take for granted.

It makes me feel like, in some small way, I’ve earned everything I’ve been given.

But if I’m being honest, I don’t know if it’s my genuine desire to serve others that keeps me going…or the fear of disappointing everyone if I don’t.

I look down at the tablet and take a deep breath, plastering on my most convincing smile. “Looks great, Colleen. May I suggest adding an option for online booking?”

She pats me on the shoulder. “You always think of everything.”

“Glad I could help.”