himself as he dropped down on one of the waiting room chairs and dutifully reached over and accepted the cup of imaginary tea that Deb prepared for him.
“Thank you, Pumpkin,” Chase murmured absently, pretending to take a sip from the pink plastic teacup as he found his attention shifting toward the double doors to his left just as Kim, who was manning the front desk today, looked over at him and said, “Grey is on the phone, but he should be done soon,” looking uncharacteristically distracted today.
Nodding absently, Chase finished off his tea and held it out so that Deb could refill it. Once she was done, he pretended to take another sip as he sat there, wondering why he was even here. He’d kept his promise to Sloane and now that she was gone…
He had better things to do.
“Thank you for the tea,” he said, placing the plastic teacup on the chair beside him.
“You’re welcome,” Deb said, flashing him an adorable smile as he leaned over and kissed her small forehead. Without another word, he headed for the front doors, more than fucking done with this place. He didn’t need therapy or any of this bullshit, and he sure as hell didn’t need Sloane.
She wanted to end things for a job that she fucking hated? Then that was more than fine with him because he didn’t need her. She could go off doing whatever the fuck she wanted. He didn’t care. He had his life back and that’s all that mattered. It was better this way anyway, Chase told himself as he shoved the front door open only to find himself shaking his head and turning around.
“Fuck it,” Chase bit out as he made his toward the double doors, ignoring Kim as she tried to stop him and headed to the back office, deciding that he’d played enough fucking games to last him a lifetime.
Chase didn’t bother knocking when he reached the office door.
“What’s going on?” Grey asked, frowning when Chase walked in.
“I don’t fucking need her,” Chase said, shaking his head as he dropped down on the leather couch with a look that dared Grey to argue with him.
“Let me call you back,” Grey said, hanging up on whoever he was talking to as he got up and made his way around his desk. “What’s going on, Chase?”
“Sloane decided that she was done playing house and that it was time to leave,” Chase said with a humorless chuckle as he shook his head in disbelief because this was fucking priceless.
She loved him.
That was just fucking great.
“Why did you let her leave?”
“I didn’t let her do anything.”
“True,” Grey murmured, looking thoughtful, “but you also didn’t try to stop her, did you?”
“She has a life to get back to,” Chase said, sitting back against the comfortable leather couch.
Nodding, Grey said, “And now, so do you.”
“It lasted longer than it was supposed to, but it was time for her to go,” Chase said, shrugging it off like it was no big deal, but god, was he fucking pissed.
She’d left him for a job that she hated and he…
She’d fucking left him!
“And this is what you want?”
“Yes,” Chase bit out even as he had to admit that this wasn’t exactly the way that he’d hoped things would end.
“Okay,” Grey said, nodding slowly as he considered him. “Then let’s say that Sloane hadn’t decided to end things. Let’s say that she’d left like she was supposed to and you texted and called her every day and visited her when you could, would that have been enough?”
“Yes,” he lied because he knew that it never would have been enough.
“How long do you think it would have been before you grew bored?” Grey asked, sounding curious.
“I would never grow bored of Sloane,” Chase bit out.
“But you don’t want her.”
“I want her,” he snapped.
“Then why did you let her go?” Grey asked, pulling the coin out of his pocket that he never seemed to go anywhere without and began absently flipping it over the back of his knuckles.
“Drop it,” Chase said because he was done talking about this.
“I would if I really thought that’s what you wanted,” Grey said, watching him.
“You don’t know what I want,” he said evenly.
“And you do?” Grey asked, arching a brow in question.
“Yes,” Chase bit out.
“What is it that you want, Chase?”
“It doesn’t matter,” Chase said, hoping that he would just fucking drop it.
“Why not?” Grey asked, refusing to give up.
“Because I can’t fucking have it!” he snapped, wondering why this