Page 14 of Five

And there’s the asshole now. Coming out of the main house, dressed just like these society men, with the biggest wild grin on his face. He’s British in every way you can imagine. I think his father is an earl or some shit like that.

“Five!” Jack exclaims. Like this is the most fortuitous meeting ever and not a setup, even though it clearly is a setup. He walks up to me, taking my hand to give it a good ol’ boy shake, and claps me on the back, just like Grant did.

I wince at the touch, but pull myself together quickly. Just make nice, hear them out, say no as politely as you can, and leave.

Good plan, Five. Good plan.

“Jack,” I say, turning to him. “I’m afraid I have no clue why I was asked here.”

“Sit, sit,” he says, motioning to a chair at the head of the table. “You’re the guest of honor today, Aston. Enjoy it. It won’t happen again for decades, if that.”

I won’t be associating with any of these fuckers for more than an hour, let alone decades. But I sit anyway. It’s the fastest way out of this meeting.

They pour me a drink, offer me a cigar, joke in their offhanded we-all-know-each-other way, and then settle back into their seats.

Grant sits at the opposite head of the table. He picks up a gavel, pounds it on what is clearly hardwood underneath the tablecloth, and says, “Let the meeting come to order.”

From there it’s a whirlwind right out of my own worst nightmare.

And I rescind every thought I had earlier about winning.

Chapter Five - Rory

“So what should we do about this?”

I’m at Kate’s now. She found me walking back to my car on College Avenue and I followed her back to her parents’ house. We’ve been best friends since childhood, so I’ve been here millions of times over the years. Just not recently. I can’t help looking down the hall where I know Five’s room is. He moved out to go to Oxford back when he was fifteen, and I’ve spent many a day longing for him in that room, and not a single thing has changed in it since he left. But I glance that direction anyway. Still longing.

“I dunno,” I absently answer Kate. ‘Do about it’ is code for ‘cause trouble.’ “I mean, I can’t force the man to want me, ya know? Either he does or he doesn’t.”

“He definitely does, Rory. Don’t be stupid.”

“It’s not stupid to question things, Kate. He stopped all contact six years ago with no explanation. How should I take that?”

“Yeah, but you said he was flirty with you at Anna Ameci’s. That’s gotta count.”

“Flirty, fine. But no kiss. And then that old joke about being the boss of me. It’s stupid. And childish. We’ve worn it out. It’s not cute anymore. I mean, I’m a grown-ass woman, for fuck’s sake!”

Kate eyes me with a look, a look that says I’m being dramatic. But I don’t care. “This morning I was in New Jersey getting ready to drive up to the Hamptons with my best friend and boyfriend—”

“Excuse me?”

I roll my eyes. “You know what I mean. She’s my best college friend. It’s not my fault we went to different schools. I have to have friends, Kate.”

She wrinkles her nose at me. “And the boyfriend?”

I shrug. “He’s new. We’ve only been dating for a week. Plus, he’s Tera’s brother.”

“Who the hell is Tera?”

“The best friend! God, can you please keep up?”

She chuckles into her glass of ice tea.

“Anyway, my point is… I was living my life, happy as can be, and then Oliver just takes it upon himself to flip my world upside down. I should’ve never come home. Five didn’t come here for me, he came for some stupid meeting. And he’s not gonna stay, you watch.”

Kate shrugs. I was secretly hoping for a healthy round of protests that included the words Five loves you and You’re the only one for him. Or, You guys were meant to be together.

But even she has to admit… I could be right. And she’s his sister, so she knows him better than anyone. Plus, she’s gone to visit him at Oxford like a dozen times since he left home. So she definitely knows him better than I do.