Page 34 of Role Play

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Aidan

I gotto the boardroom first, which was in itself a first. The warehouse was farther away than any of the offices, so I usually walked into a filled room. Someone had left a plate of muffins on the table. I took a bite of a blueberry one and knew right away they were from Macy. She was magic.

I pulled out my phone to check Zane's text again. Eleven o'clock emergency meeting in the boardroom. It was five past eleven. Chase was the first to walk through the door. Zane and Trey came in behind him. Trey shut the door.

If it was just the four of us and they were closing the door. It was something big. And from the look on their faces, it wasn't good news.

"Shit," I said as they pulled up chairs. "Who died?"

Trey put his arms on the table and cupped his hands together, reminding me of our old high school vice principal just before he was about to lecture me on truancy.

"You. You died. Or at least the old Aidan that we all knew and loved. Well, mostly loved."

I laughed. "What the hell are you talking about? And if it turns out I'm actually dead and I ended up in heaven or hell or wherever with the four of you, then I want a do-over."

Zane picked up a muffin and methodically stripped off the paper wrapper as he spoke. "You need to go after her."

I looked around at their faces. "What? Is this some kind of romance intervention? She left town. It's done. I'm moving on."

Chase leaned back in his chair. "See, that would be easier to believe if the usual Aidan was back but he's not. Which means you're still thinking about her, which means you love her."

"What the hell are you talking about, the usual Aidan?"

"Not that the usual Aidan is without flaws, because, frankly, he has plenty. But your people came to see us," Trey said.

"My people? Who the fuck are my people?"

"The people who work in the warehouse. They are complaining that you are stomping around with a frown like a big, brokenhearted grizzly," Zane said between muffin bites. "So either figure out a way past this, or go get the girl."

I stood up. "Can't believe you fucking called me over here for this."

"Just trying to show our good buddy the light," Chase quipped.

"Yeah, well fuck you all. I'm doing just fine." I walked out of the boardroom knowing damn well that I was doing anything but fine.

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