Page 94 of Captivating Mr. Second Chance

“That’s his name. Ethan?”

She nodded.

“And you love him?”

She nodded again.

“And you won’t even consider coming back to work for the Magnate Corporation?”

“I considered it,” she said honestly. “For a second. But, no, Bobby. I have moved on from you and your company.”

His chest rose on a breath. “So, I guess…”

“That’s it,” she said and stood up so there was no argument otherwise.

From his seated position, Bobby took her in, his gaze roaming over her for a moment, then he nodded and stood. “Walk out with me?”

She agreed, silently gesturing him to walk toward the door. For as much as this was not the time nor place, at least she was getting closure on this chapter of her life. It was time to move on without worrying about what was behind her.

Stepping out into the warm spring night, Bobby opened his arms for a hug, and Laney thought about ignoring him but eventually gave in. For the last time, she hugged Bobby Magnate, patting his back a few times while he smoothed his hands down her spine. That was when she broke away.

He eyed her, evidently finding her determination in her gaze. She was not going to acquiesce to his usual charm. “I’m sorry,” he said, taking a step back. “I imagine I will be for a long time.” When she didn’t respond, he held up his hand. “Goodbye, Laney.”

“Bye, Bobby.”

He tossed her a smile then turned his back on her, shuffling to the parking lot. After a few yards, he pivoted around, curving his hand by his mouth. “Tell your boyfriend I had him. That was a cheap shot he got in.”

She snorted a laugh then raised her arm as she spun away from him. “Bye, Bobby!”

Walking back into the hotel, she ducked into a bathroom to check her appearance. Her eye makeup was slightly smudged, and she spent a few moments fixing it before retying her ponytail and running her wrists under cold water. She needed a shower and a stiff drink, but seeing as how she had a job to finish, she’d get neither any time soon.

Inside the carnival, the celebration had pretty much died down. She’d missed the winners of the silent auction, which the DJ had taken care of, and now there were only a few groups of stragglers. Spying her brother, she made her way over to him, standing at a high-top table.

He dropped the few pieces of caramel corn he had in his fingers to hold her shoulders. “Hey, what happened? Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” She swatted at the air around her face. “He left.”

“Are you sure?” Dean darted his gaze around the room suspiciously.

“I’m sure. I walked him out.”

He finally let go of her. “And what happened?”

She shrugged, not really in the mood to rehash it all yet. “What you’d expect. He’s sorry, wanted me to come back, blah, blah.”

“You’re not going back, are you?”

“No, of course not.”

His shoulders curved in as he leaned back on the table. “Good.”

Laney craned her neck around the room. “Where’s Ethan?”

“He headed out a little while ago. I told him I’d wait for you.”

She deflated. “He left?”

“Yeah.” Dean chomped on a handful of popcorn. “The party’s basically over. It was a big hit. Everybody was hugging him, shaking his hand. Some people were asking about you, but…” He let out a gravelly noise. “I told them you were handling an emergency.”

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