Page 35 of Captivating Mr. Second Chance

“I’d never,” he said and cleared his throat. “Should we start the movie now?”

“Yes!” Trace got up and passed the remote to Ethan, so he could cue upJurassic Park. It wasn’t exactly G-rated, but the kid really liked dinosaurs, and Ethan fast-forwarded through any scary parts.

Once the movie had started and his nephew was entranced, Ethan slipped his hand behind Laney, along the edge of the couch cushions. She narrowed her eyes at him. “I’m onto your game.”

“This isn’t a game.”

“Then what is it?”

“A Saturday night with my nephew, and I thought you might enjoy it.”

“You can’t charm me into saying yes to a date with you.”

“But—” Ethan grabbed Trace, pushing his fingers around his nephew’s mouth to purse his lips, provoking a laugh from the kid “—could you say no to this face?”

Trace walked a dinosaur up Laney’s arm, letting it graze on her hoodie, and she smiled at him. “Depends.”

“I need your help,” Ethan said, this time not taking advantage of Laney’s enduring love for her friends but because he truly needed her expertise. “I don’t know anything about raising money or putting an event together. I know how to make lists and analyze figures, but I’m sh—” he glanced at his nephew to make sure he didn’t catch his almost curse “—bad at what I need to know to throw a big party.” He patted Trace’s back, repositioning the dinosaur off Laney and down to the floor, despite her patience with letting it roam all over her, roaring and biting.

“I don’t think I can. I—”

He cut her off, expecting her argument. “I don’t want to know the details of you and Bobby. I hate him as it is.” Then he lowered his mouth toward her ear. “If you really don’t want to do it, I’ll stop asking, but I wanted you to meet my nephew. He has a fifty-percent chance that he inherited the Huntington’s gene. If I can do anything to stop it or help him, then I’m going to.”

Laney watched Trace play for a minute. She kept her attention on him as she said, “I worked with Bobby for three years. My whole life revolved around him and his business.”

If there was another word for something more than hate, Ethan didn’t know it, but that was what he felt for that bastard.

“So, I left not only him but my whole life. He ruined everything for me. My livelihood, my work, my confidence.” Then she lifted one shoulder and moved her eyes to Ethan. “Or, I guess I let him. I let myself be swept up, and I…” She blinked, her eyes darkening with sadness, and her throat worked on a swallow.

Ethan couldn’t help bending forward, kissing her jaw. “I’m sorry. Do you want me to kill him?”

She laughed, shifting back, forcing him to look her in the eyes. “You’re about the same height, but he definitely weighs more than a matchstick. I don’t think you could take him. Sorry.”

“Lane.” He pressed his hand to his heart. “My god, how you have the ability to hurt me. I’ve put on a couple of pounds since high school. At least two.” But then he licked his lips, letting his smile slip at her guileless expression.

“You can hurt me too, you know,” she confessed quietly. “Which is why I don’t want to say yes.”

He couldn’t fault her for that, for protecting herself after everything she’d been through.

“You can trust me,” he said, reaching for her hands that sat in her lap. He tangled his fingers with hers. “We can take it one step at a time.”

“Take what one step at a time? The fundraiser or…” She pointedly regarded their linked hands.

“Let’s start with the fundraiser, okay? We’ll see where the rest goes.” Although if it were up to him, Ethan hadthe restalready mapped out.

Laney nodded to herself a few times then shook off his hand to stand up.

Ethan squeaked out his question. “Where are you going?”

She dug in her purse for her phone and held it up. “Nowhere.”

Relief washed over him. “Good.” Then he stood up too. “Dinner’s almost ready.”

Leaving Trace in the living room, Laney followed Ethan to the kitchen while she peppered him with questions, taking notes on her phone. As they talked, she made a list of things to start with: a website, social media pages, contacts, sponsors.

“When were you thinking of having this?”

“I don’t know.” He placed the lasagna on the stove top to set and grabbed bagged salad from the fridge to toss into a bowl. “I was thinking spring sometime, but you’d know better than I about how long it takes to put something together.”

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