Page 2 of Billionaire Boss's One Night Stand

“No?” I grinned. “Then that sob story you told us at your bachelorette party about his not being hot enough and having a small?—”

She shoved at me. “Shut up!”

“A small?—”

She shoved again. “I said shut up!”

I cracked up, loving that she’d have her taste of karma. Her whole goal in life was to marry someone in town and do nothing, and well, the selection of men in Hamming left a lot to be desired.

“I was just joking,” she muttered as I went back in the house to get the last bag.

“Hmm, no. Your maid of honor said she slept with him in high school and he was just as small then as?—”

“Shut up!” she growled, reaching out to shove my shoulder again, but I dodged her.

God, I cannot wait to get out of here.I grabbed a tote bag with some things I'd put aside for the drive and let out a satisfied sigh at the emptiness of the teeny room I’d been stuck in for too long. The furnished studio I would rent in New York was tiny as well, but it’d bemine, away from here.

Becca trailed after me again as I left the house and checked over the placement of all my things in the SUV. It stung that my parents weren’t here to tell me goodbye, but that was nothing new. They were too busy golfing, and I supposed their hobbies wouldalwaysmatter more. Then again, they were taking Becca and Dan out to lunch in half an hour, so I supposed their priorities would stay consistent, at least.

I got in the driver’s seat and typed in the navigation, ignoring Becca crossing her arms as she stood in the driveway.

“Why are you still here?” I said without looking up as I typed on my phone, checking that the map app was loading. “I don’t need you to see me off.”

She laughed wryly. “I wanted to see if you’d actually do it. If you’d leave like you claimed you would.”

I faced her slowly, raising my brows. “You wanted to see if you could call my bluff?”

“Yeah. Because why would some fancy company in New York wantyou?” She went back to studying her cuticles.

Because I got perfect grades in college. Because I did ad work for shelters and volunteer groups that got national recognition. Because I’m smart and a hard worker, goddammit.I bottled all that in. It would go in one ear and out the other with her. Besides, it only mattered if I knew those things. The hell with her. I didn’t need her approval, and I was sick of waiting around for a scrap of it from my family.

“Well…” I flicked my hand at her. It wasn’t a wave. She wasn’t worth my energy to say goodbye to. “Good luck not annoying Dan, I guess.”

She cracked a mean laugh. “Go to hell, Loren. You need a lot more than luck to make something of your life. I’ll be here to watch when you crawl home after the city chews you up and spits you out.”

I’m done.

I faced forward and sighed. Shoving my gear into drive felt good, but once I left Hamming and hit the highway, I felt fantastic.

I was finally taking charge of my life. It was overdue, and I fantasized about how awesome this adventure would be.

No more trying to compare to Becca. No more seeing my parents frown when I couldn’t be more like my “perfect” sister. No more being stuck with a shitty job market in a small town.

As the tires traversed over mile after mile, though, some of Becca’s criticism snuck in. Her words festered and picked at me, making me cringe with worry.

Iwassheltered, growing up in a small, rural town and never going on vacations anywhere fancy.

Iwasnaïve when it came to finding my way, relying on navigation often. I’d read up on the subway system and Istillcouldn’t understand when and how I determined something was uptown or downtown.

And Iwasa tad ignorant about what constituted as office chic. I didn’t have much to spend on a wardrobe, so designer items weren’t happening anytime soon. My style was a little on the eccentric side, with color and a fondness of floral prints.

“Damn you, Becca.” I grabbed my phone and called the one person who’d always counter the negativity my sister gave me.

I’d met Hailey in college, and she was the one who told me to apply at the company she worked at, Richards Consultation. She was my “in” at the job I’d start next week, but I was certain my résumé spoke for itself. The interview with that John guy went so well, too.

“Are you already here?” Hailey answered with an excited squeal. “Wait, no. You said you wouldn’t be in until this afternoon.”

“I just left home.”Homewas a stretch. It never felt like one.

---