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12
“Ethan,” Kyle said, walking into his office.
Shit.
Ever since the previous night, Ethan had expected to talk to him, but when he’d returned to the party, he was busy trying to control the damage. And Kyle was nowhere in sight.
This morning, though, to have the man march into his office unannounced had to mean something.
His heart ached. He’d lost Poppy, and he was about to lose his job minus the bonus. Sure, the numbers seemed crazy good, but Kyle could still pull something out of his ass. Like the despicable way Ethan had behaved. He’d brought the company under a bad light, and would need a slap on his hand. A big slap.
Chills ran down his spine.
Today, Poppy was supposed to come by and say goodbye to the kids. While he was away.
The kids would miss her, and he would miss her.
But she’d showed she didn’t want to be with him. Could his mother have been right? Was he really so bad at picking partners?
Kyle’s assistant left, and closed the door.
“Something to drink?” he asked, knowing he should tell Laurel to bring some coffee regardless. Though every part of his body was already fully caffeinated. Fully aware and dreading the words that could come out of his mouth.
Kyle lifted his hand in denial, and sat across from him. “No.”
“I’m glad you stopped by. I meant to talk to you about last night,” Ethan started.
“Last night is the reason why I’m here,” Kyle said, his face giving nothing away.
Fuck.This was it, he knew it. His stomach contracted. “Mr. Kyle, I can explain.” Roy talked shit about the woman I love, who also happens to be the one I hired to work not only at the event, but had a whole booth made entirely for her.
“Have you talked to Roy yet?”
“No,” he said honestly. He didn’t owe Roy an apology, not after what he’d told him. Roy was scum. Ethan wouldn’t bring himself to apologize for doing something that had been warranted. He hoped that it didn’t cost him his bonus, but he had his pride, too. And common sense. Even if he’d pay a hefty price for them. “Honestly, sir, Roy was going to use his position to sleep with an employee. I don’t have to apologize to him.”
Kyle scratched his chin. “According to Roy, you slept with an employee. What makes you different?”
“I fell in love with my nanny, yes. A cliché, I recognize. But her sleeping with me had nothing to do with how vibrant, a great communicator, and unique her brand is. She’s still a great asset—as a contractor— to the company. She also broke up with me, so I don’t have a reason to recommend her other than her raw talent,” he said, proud at how confident he sounded. Poppy might have been scared, or unwilling to accept his love, but that didn’t affect her tremendous skills.
Kyle watched him in silence for a moment. “You’re straight with me, Ethan. I like that.”
“Yes. I apologize to you for punching another employee, something I’d never done before. But Roy was way out of line.”
“I’ll deal with Roy.”
And he’s dealing with me. “I appreciate you hearing both sides.”
“Yes. Well, since last night our social media has been tagged in all ways possible. Platforms I didn’t even know existed. We even made it to cable news.” He gave him a smile, which was the last thing Ethan had expected following those comments. “We got a lot of free buzz, and apparently a couple women came forward about Roy being inappropriate with them in the past. So he’s being pegged as the villain, and you’re looking good since you punched him.”
“Oh.” After breaking up with Poppy, he hadn’t really checked the social media much. And Laurel hadn’t mentioned it to him that morning. Probably because he’d looked like death after a long sleepless night. His shoulders relaxed, some of the tension leaving his upper body. What did this mean?
“So good news is, you’re getting your bonus. You’re a valued member of this company, Ethan,” Kyle said, and stood.
Ethan stood, taking the stretched hand and giving it a firm shake. “Thank you very much,” he said honestly. Damn it, he could hug the man and throw him in the air—though he doubted Kyle would appreciate that. A pang of sadness stabbed at him. He wanted to share the news with Poppy, but he couldn’t. She’d been clear about not wanting him in her life.
“Roy mentioned something about you wanting to take off and run? Opening your own firm?” Kyle asked, stopping midway before he reached the door.
“I…” He cleared his throat. “I love to work here, but I need control over my time. I have two children, and it’s time I put them first.”
