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“I’m sorry to break up the party, but I really need to go—”
“Of course,” Snow said, her cheeks flushed with color.
“But I would love to see you at the icebreaker tonight. It’s in the club, and if I can get my ass in gear, it should start in about half an hour.”
“I might be able to peel myself away from this bed long enough to attend.” Sean was still lying there, stroking her cheek and looking like he was in heaven.
“Sadly, I have to go too,” Sean said as he slowly slipped from the bed. “I have a phone call with a supplier for some new pillows that they claim are better than the ones we have now… I’ll believe it when I feel it.”
“Aww, you both have to leave me?” She playfully pouted.
“It won’t be the last you see of me, beautiful, you can count on that,” Sean said.
I hurried and got dressed, which was difficult with my clothes strewn all over the place and mixed with theirs, but I managed. Sean was right behind me. We made sure to give Snow a kiss goodbye before we headed out of her cottage.
She stayed upstairs in bed. Naked. An image I would never grow tired of seeing in my head.
“That was something—” I started to say as we exited. I stopped short when I noticed Gage not even six feet from the front door, standing off to the side facing the cottage with a serious look on his face. “Gage? What are you doing here?”
“I’m working. You two sure look happy.” He was a man of few words. I never let it get to me, I knew my friend well enough to know that was just the way he was.
“And you sure look grumpy.” I joked.
“Cameras are currently down, I think it’s a Wi-Fi issue. My guys are working on it.”
“Ahh, well, that explains the sour face this time, I suppose,” I said. I looked back at the cottage I had just exited, thinking about all the problems she was having with Hunter.
“I’m on it,” Gage said.
“You’re on it?” I asked.
“Making sure that asshole doesn’t bother her, I mean.”
Gage and I had been friends for so long, we often didn’t have to explain things. He knew what concerned me, and from the way he was standing there, just watching her cottage, it seemed to concern him as well.
“I have to head out,” Sean said, slipping away and heading toward the main building.
“I have to get going too, I’m already running late.”
“You don’t have to worry about anything, I’ve got it covered.”
“Thanks, Gage,” I said. He sure could be a grumpy asshole sometimes, but he was a good guy. He reminded me a lot of Ben, one of my oldest friends. The two could almost be brothers. He was a bit of an asshole too at times, but like Gage, they were good men who you knew always had your back.
Thinking of Ben brought back a rush of memories. My palms were dripping with sweat and it felt like all the air had been sucked from my lungs. I knew if I closed my eyes, the images of his body would be there, so I didn’t dare blink. I remained frozen in place, and focused on my breathing while centering myself as best I could.
“You okay?” Gage asked.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine,” I said, my voice coming out but a whisper. I painted a smile on my face and took a few more deep breaths before waving at Gage and walking toward the bar. At least I had the icebreaker, and Snow, to occupy my thoughts, to distract me. I tried not to think about Ben too often, but sometimes, it happened at the most random moments. Losing your best friend, even years later, well, it was not something you ever fully got over.
12
Gage
“Any updates?” I asked, speaking into my phone.
“Not yet, boss. Sorry about that, we’re working as hard as we can to figure out the issue. We have IT on it too,” Marcus replied.
“No need to be sorry, it’s not your fault. Just keep me updated when IT has it figured out,” I said.
