Finding Rowan

[Aiden Finnegan]

“She’s probably bankrupt herself building this place… Unless my Father helped her…” Aiden murmured half to himself and half to Sage. The Bottom of the Cup Café loomed large infront of them. It’s grand gable and polygonal towers cast a long shadow down the block, and upbeat jazz music poured from the rear. Black smoke rose steadily from a large chimney; scents of burning wood, bougainvillea and passion flower flitted around their noses. It truly did look like God himself plucked a Garden mansion up from New Orleans and dropped it down in the middle of Russia.

                A tall, slender man, impeccably dressed in a sharp black suit, stood at the top of the wooden stairs leading onto the wrap-around porch. Aiden’s face broke out into a wide smile as he rushed up the steps to shake an old friend’s hand.

                “Well, I do declare! If it isn’t Gareth Rice? How does the day fair you, good sir?”

                Gareth began rolling his eyes but quickly recovered from the expression. He shook Aiden’s hand and nodded politely.

                “Oh, do quit the theatrics, Aiden,” Gareth said with a smirk, “If only my mistress knew that she only had to fake a kidnapping to get your attention, I’m sure she’d have done it months ago.”

                “So, she did fake it? We saw footage of her with two people I’ve never met before.”

                “Oh, I can assure you the matter at hand is not fraud… Yes… Those two. Mistress had never met them before either. She left with them a few hours after hosting a small social in her private parlor. There were two more strangers, but they left in a rush; I have not seen them come back since.”

                “Who are these mystery people then?”

                Gareth coughed quietly into his hand, looking past Aiden and towards Sage. Aiden smacked his forehead lightly.

                “Lord, where are my manners?”

                “I was never under the impression you had any, Aiden.”

                “Cram it, Gareth,” Aiden retorted as he pulled Sage up next to him, “Gareth, this is my boyfriend, Sage Parker. Sage, this is one of my old friends, Gareth Rice. He works for my sister.”

                Gareth turned to Sage and shook his hand politely, “Charmed, Master Sage. Would the two of you like to accompany me upstairs, to Mistress Rowan’s private quarters? Happy hour is starting soon and we won’t have the appropriate privacy to discuss this sensitive manner.”

                Without waiting for a reply, Gareth spun on his heel and headed into the building.

                Aiden turned to look at Sage, “Don’t mind Gareth. He’s a little uptight. His father, Vic, is my own Father’s butler. We were all a little shocked when Gareth followed suit, but I always thought that he had a thing for Rowan… Poor guy. She never gave him the time of day.”