Page 152 of By His Play

But there is nothing he can do now.

He’s gone above and beyond best friend duties these past few weeks. I can’t ask anything else of him.

“I couldn’t decide,” he lies. “So I ordered everything.”

“So I see,” I mutter as I lower myself to the chair.

“Coffee?” he asks, lifting the pot toward my mug.

“Yeah,” I agree, watching as the dark liquid pours out.

I’m pretty sure it’s the only thing I’m going to be able to stomach.

Proving that I was right about how he’s coping, Kieran eats more than should be humanly possible as I sit there picking at a croissant.

“The gym was pretty insane,” he says, filling the silence between us. “Empty too. I had a good session.”

“That’s good,” I mumble, unable to find any enthusiasm.

He continues talking, but it doesn’t make anything better.

“Are you done?” I finally ask, speaking for the first time in ages.

“Yeah,” he says, resting back in his chair and placing his hands on his stomach.

“Then we should go. We’ve got a long drive ahead of us.”

Pushing my chair back, I stand and walk toward the bedroom to collect my stuff.

“Y-yeah, okay,” he agrees behind me.

One minute I’m praying to get out of that hotel room, and the next, my wish has come true and I’m back in Kieran’s car.

The hotel he brought me to is the one with the fancy spa.

It’s not really a surprise. I saw the Callahan branding on everything possible inside the room, but I didn’t really give it much thought. But this time, as we walk through the foyer, there are people.

I can’t help but cringe as I consider just how many witnessed me be guided in blindfolded yesterday.

I guess it doesn’t matter. I’ll never come here again.

Kieran might feel comfortable in fancy places like this, but it’s not really my thing.

He opens the passenger door for me, continuing to be a gentleman, and after placing our bags in the trunk, he joins me.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” he asks for the millionth time this morning.

I get it. I look and sound anything but okay, but what exactly does he want me to say?

“Just anxious about returning,” I whisper, hoping it’ll help pacify him.

“It’ll be fine. Everyone is going to be so happy to see you.”

I don’t disagree. I’m sure they will. But I’m also not sure anyone has really missed me.

Jasmine, my assistant, who stepped up to take over my role in my absence has handled everything brilliantly. She might email and message me with questions, but I can’t help but wonder if she’s just trying to keep me in the loop more than anything else.

Do they even need me back?

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