6
“Hey, Ez, wait up,” Rafe called when Ezreal stepped out of the conference room.
It’d been a busy few days, and he was looking forward to the weekend. He hoped Rafe didn’t have a new assignment for him.
“I’m going to miss our game night. I’m finally going to visit the new London facility. I’ve been putting it off too long anyway.” Rafe ran a hand through his hair, a motion that he only did when he was agitated. “I need to get away.”
Ezreal had to bite back a grin. All summer he’d enjoyed watching how Ahri and Rafe had fought their obvious attraction. They weren’t able to date each other because of the boss/assistant thing. It must have gotten to be too much for Rafe, if he was going all the way to England to get away for a while. Once Ahri’s temporary position was over in a couple of weeks, Ezreal had no doubt they’d become an item.
“Kayn’s going to be gone too, you know,” Ezreal said. “New York again.”
“That’s right. He’s sure going there a lot.”
“It’s so he can help with Ahri’s cover story. If his sister were really hiding out there instead of at your mom’s, he’d be making regular trips to check on her and make sure she’s safe.” Ezreal rubbed his face. “But Darius better not decide to go anywhere this weekend too. Someone needs to be here to speak for the company if something comes up.”
“Someone who’s notyou, you mean.” Rafe shot him a flat look.
“Exactly.”
“You promised you’d work on this. You can’t hide away forever. Maybe you should watchThe King's Speechagain.”
“Give me a break. Speaking for a gaming company doesn’t even touch leading a country during war.” Ezreal brought up the calendar on his phone. “How long will you be gone?”
“At least a week. I won't be back until a couple of days before the Midsummer’s Eve event.”
“You’ve got it that bad, huh?”
“Shut up.” Rafe’s brow furrowed but the corners of his mouth twitched up. “How’s the piano lesson project coming along?”
“Pretty good. We’re having contractors submit bids. I may have to pay a little extra to encourage them to put her project on the top of the list.”
His father had been a little too interested in the project when he’d realized it was for a woman. Ezreal had tried to put him off, but his dad had never been one to be put off with evasive answers. The conversation had gotten so bad that Ezreal had stuttered, and he hadn’t done that while talking with his father in years. And that, of course, had really gotten his dad’s interest. With Ezreal’s total lack of relationship experience, any sign that he might be seeing someone was likely to get the entire family excited.
Living far away from him had been one of the reasons Ezreal had been in favor of locating their headquarters in Boone. Shouldn’t having a bunch of money mean he didn’t still feel like a little kid around his father? The man always made Ezreal feel like he was incapable of deciding how to live his life.
“Hey, guys,” Darius said, striding toward them. “Ez, what did you decide about your costume?”
In some ways, his partner was almost as bad as Ezreal’s father. Rafe didn’t say anything, watching with interest.
“I told you I’d take care of it.”
“You also promised you wouldn't just throw something together.”
“I took your advice, okay? I’m having someone sew me a costume.”
“Great.” Darius looked relieved, which made Ezreal feel a little better. Maybe his friend didn’t like playing the bossy father role after all.
“Who’s doing it for you?” Rafe asked.
“Sara.” Ezreal coughed.
“Sara? You’re on a first-name basis with her?” Rafe patted him on the back. “That’s huge. You haven’t even spoken directly to Ahri yet, and she’s been here for weeks.”
“Yeah, I’m impressed,” Darius said, his expression curious. “You’re okay talking to her?”
“I talked to her daughter.”
Both men groaned.
