Role Playing(28)

“I mean . . .” He cleared his throat. “Honestly, I was too wrapped up in other things—work, then taking care of my dying father—to be focused on anybody else. Sheryl marrying Davy, who loves her to pieces and can devote time to her, is really the best thing for everybody.”

He’d practiced that, used it in various family occasions. It was the truth.

Just . . . perhaps not all of it.

“Oh, you poor thing,” Deb said. “Putting everybody else first, no time for yourself. But doesn’t it get lonely?”

“You could be his date, Patience,” Riley pointed out, although he was giving the woman a subtle once-over himself. She smirked back coyly. “Nothing says ‘I’m over it’ like walking in with a beautiful new partner, am I right?”

Deb frowned. Patience, on the other hand, sent him a flirtatious wink.

“Maybe I’ll be available,” Patience said, with a careless shrug, even as her eyes sparkled. “If you want me to make her jealous, I’m happy to help!”

“For God’s sake, Patience, could you not stir up shit for one night?” Deb snapped, then startled, as if she’d suddenly heard the words she hadn’t intended to say. “I mean . . .”

“No, that’s fine,” Aiden said quickly. “I have time. The wedding’s months away. And it isn’t a big deal. Oh, hey!” He made a big show of pointing to the dining room table, laden with food. “You have mini quiches. And, um, chocolate chip cookies. They look amazing. Did you make them yourself?”

“Nah,” Patience answered for Deb. “Those are . . . what’s her name?”

“A friend of mine,” Deb said. “Mother of Harrison’s best friend.”

“I’ll have to try some.” He used that as the excuse to jump. He should have known that any conversation involving people from Fool’s Falls would bring up his past with Sheryl. It had seemed like the scandal of the century, or at least, his mother had claimed so. Apparently, it was still something to talk about.

Maybe he should rethink finding a date on Craigslist at this point.

His phone buzzed in his pocket, and he pulled it out, retreating into the bedroom with the dog again for a little privacy and to get his head together.

To his surprise, it was Bogwitch.

BOGWITCH: Hey. You up for a dungeon run?

He found himself grinning. It wasn’t one of their designated guild play nights, but there had been times when a few of them did impromptu missions. She kept typing.

BOGWITCH: Sorry to reach you this way, but nobody else is in the guild hall, and I don’t have anybody else’s contact info.

He thought about it. He could stay and tough it out at this party, but now, he wasn’t sure that this was the right approach. He’d have to hang out with Deb, who seemed intent on pushing him into some social makeover, and deal with Patience, who seemed like a gossip at best and who was now eager to dig into his past. Riley would probably find some woman he hadn’t slept with yet—if there were any left in Fool’s Falls—and probably bail early, leaving Aiden to halfheartedly watch the Cougars game and talk with people he didn’t know very well.

He took a deep breath, then typed his response.

Aiden: Why? Just felt like playing a game?

There was a pause, the dots appearing and disappearing. Finally, she sent:

BOGWITCH: I feel like killing shit.

He smiled at the screen. After that little group weigh-in on his past love life, he knew exactly what she was talking about.

Aiden: Respect. Give me like 30 minutes? I’m not at my computer.

BOGWITCH: Okay. See you in the guild hall.

He shut his phone off, then took a deep breath and prepared himself to do something he was really, really bad at.

Namely: lie, to get the hell out of this party.





CHAPTER 12


THE SNARK KNIGHT


Maggie waited patiently in the guildhall. She could’ve played one of her other games, she supposed. She still had a few kicking around. But ever since she’d gotten home from what would go down in history as the Debacle at Deb’s, she realized that she was angry. She’d initially tried settling down and watching a movie, but scrolling through the different options on all the streaming channels just increased her rage. And doing something sweet, like Stardew Valley or Animal Crossing or something?

She’d probably set everything on fire.

No, like she told Otter . . . she wanted to kill things. The tougher and bloodier, the better.

In the meantime, she treated herself to a quick meal of chicken fingers, fresh out of the air fryer. She’d been hyperfocused on work and hadn’t eaten lunch, which probably hadn’t helped her attitude at Deb’s party . . . something she should’ve thought about. So now she felt even angrier—at herself, at the situation.

Self-care was hard. Rage wrangling sucked.

She needed some escape.

She heard the announcement bell that someone else had entered the guildhall.

OtterLeader: Hey Boggy.

She smiled. Gandalf’s nickname had started to catch on, she’d noticed, just in the three times or so she’d played with the guild.

BOGWITCH: Hey Otter.

BOGWITCH: I don’t suppose you checked to see if anyone else was interested in joining?

OtterLeader: I did send out a few texts. Everybody else is busy, from the sounds of it.