Bossman (Dirty Office Romance 1)

They followed me. It was a mistake to sit in the middle. At least if I’d sat near one armrest, I couldn’t be the middle of an estrogen sandwich.

Sam started in first. “This crap needs to stop.”

“You’re fired.”

“You’d have to be a boss to fire me. Right now you’re acting more like a little boy.”

“Screw you, Sam.”

“Screw you, too.”

Anna joined in. “We gave you two weeks. That’s all you’re getting.”

“How are you going to stop me from taking more time off if I want?”

Sam crossed her arms. “We’ve made a schedule.”

“For what?”

“To babysit you. Until you come back to work and rejoin the land of the living, one of us will be following you around.”

“I need Motrin.” I stood and walked into the kitchen. To my surprise, my shadows didn’t follow. Since the kitchen was empty and didn’t have two women in it, I drank a few glasses of water and quietly attempted to get my thoughts in order.

My peace didn’t last for long. They took seats at the table and stared at me.

Anna started the lecture. “We left things too long when Peyton died. You lost years that you can’t get back doing shit like this. We gave you two weeks to grieve your loss again, but that’s it. Time’s up.”

“I’m a grown man.”

“So act like one.”

“Don’t you have a child to take care of?”

“Apparently I have two.” Anna stood and walked over to me. My arms were folded across my chest, but she reached out and touched my shoulder. Her voice was quiet. “It’s a good thing. They caught the guy. I know you feel betrayed all over again, finding out it was a man she trusted and was trying to help, but it’s the closure you needed, Chase. It really is.”

If only that were the truth. If they’d caught the teens we’d all thought did it, maybe it would have been. Hell, even finding out it was Eddie—it would have been tough, but I think I could have eventually accepted it.

But discovering that what happened to Peyton was my fault? That I literally gave the killer the knife he used to kill my fiancée? I doubted I would ever get past that.

“I didn’t get closure, Anna. You don’t know what you’re talking about. If you did, you’d leave me alone.”

“So tell me, then. Tell me what it is that’s sending you off the deep end when I thought you were finally happy for the first time in years.”

I looked into my sister’s eyes. All I saw was raw determination. There was only one way to break it.

“You really want to know?”

“Of course I do. It’s why I’m here. I want to help.”

I turned around, opened the cabinet where I keep the liquor, and pulled out the first bottle my hand reached. Grabbing three glasses from another cabinet, I lifted my chin toward the kitchen table. “Sit.”

***

Eight hours later, I called a car service to take Anna and Sam home. Neither was functional enough for public transportation. We’d spent the day mourning Peyton all over again, and after they found out about the knife, I believed they finally understood why I needed more time.

“I love you, little bro.” My sister wrapped her arms around my waist and squeezed tight.

“Love you, too, you pain in the ass.” I kissed the top of her head.

Sam waited on the front steps while Anna clung to me. The last time we’d really hugged like this was before the wake. I made sure the two of them got into the town car and watched it pull away.

Even though I’d been drinking all day, I wasn’t really feeling drunk. For a change, I went into the kitchen and started to straighten up after myself. When my bell rang again five minutes later, I was surprised to find Anna and Sam back at my door.

“What did you forget?”

Their arms were hooked, and they didn’t attempt to come in.

“Nothing,” Sam said. “We just wanted to remind you that we love you and tell you we’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?”

“What you shared today was horrible. But it didn’t change anything. We’re not letting you disappear off the grid again and drink yourself into a coma.”

My jaw clenched. I knew they meant well, but I really just needed time. “Don’t do this to me.”

“We’re not,” Anna said. “We’re doing it for you. Because we love you.”

I stared at them until they said goodbye and started back down the steps.

Sam turned as she reached the bottom. “Oh, and Reese’s last day is Friday. She quit. So whatever you screwed up there, fix that shit, too.”

Chapter 33

Reese

I stared at my screen. It was the first time in more than two weeks that I’d seen or heard a word from Chase, and he’d picked my last day at work to reappear.

Can you come by my office around noon, please?