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Fox:

That’s why you need coffee.

I put the phone face-down and go back to work.

Ten minutes later, Emmett makes a choking sound as the door to the Chamber office opens with a soft chime.

I look up, and Fox is standing in the doorway of my office with two coffees in a cardboard carrier in one hand and two small brown paper bags in the other. His scarf—my scarf—is a little crooked from the wind, and his hair is all over the place. Under his coat I can see the too-short sleeves of my sweater peeking out at the wrists. I know I can’t kiss him like I really want to, right now, but just looking at his handsome face is enough.

“Hey,” I say. “What are you doing here?”

“You couldn’t come to coffee, so coffee is coming to you.” He raises the carrier and then turns to Emmett, who’s staring back with a totally starstruck face.

“Boss,” he whispers. “Is Fox Crue in the office, or is this festival stuff making me hallucinate?”

I laugh.

To give Fox credit, he takes Emmett’s weirdness well.

“Hi. I’m Fox. I’m Finn’s friend.”

Emmett lets out a tiny screech. “Hi.”

I would intervene and put them both out of their misery, especially because Fox is side-eyeing me for help, but this is too funny.

Emmett practically combusts when Fox slides a paper bag across his desk. “Noëlle said you’d want the cardamom bun.”

Emmett looks at the paper bag as color rises from his neck to his cheeks.

“Boss,” he says faintly. “Fox Crue from Hall of Fame is in our office, and he has brought me a cardamom bun.”

“Yes, you’ve said.”

“I’m going to need a moment.”

“Take your time.”

Fox laughs. It’s warm and easy. He crosses to my desk and hands me my coffee and my own bag.

“Cardamom for you too. Noëlle was insistent.”

“Bless her.”

“Can I steal a minute?”

“Yeah. Let’s go in the conference room.”

Fox steps into the room. I close the door behind us. “I hope you don’t expect me to be as starstruck as Emmett.”

He laughs but then his expression changes. “Talk to me, Finn. What can I do to help you?”

“What the band is doing is helping so much. Nikko is amazing. I’ve already received initial contracts from your lighting guys. I just need to check the budget, and then I’ll send that out.”

“There must be something I can do. Let me help.”

“I don’t know.”

“Listen, you have to make the decisions, right? But you don’t have to make every phone call.”