Page 72 of Second Chance with the Enemy CEO
He raises a brow. “Too busy for music? That does not sound like you.”
I shrug. “Life happens.”
“What about you?” I counter. “When was your last concert?”
“Two years ago,” he says.
I turn to him, eyebrows raised. “Really? Who did you see?”
“Bruno Mars,” he says with a small smile.
I blink. “No way. You? At a Bruno Mars concert?”
“Why do you sound like you don’t believe me?” He asks, amusement flickering in his voice.
“I don’t know…,” I shrug. “You do not exactly scream ‘Uptown Funk’ to me.”
He smirks, pulling his phone from his pocket. “Well, to prove I’m not lying…”
He scrolls for a moment before holding out the screen. It is a picture of him at the concert, standing with Cara, both of them grinning at the camera. He swipes to the next file - a short video of Bruno Mars performing “Uptown Funk” with the crowd going wild.
“Happy now?” He asks, slipping the phone back into his pocket.
“Of course, you’d never go to a Bruno Mars concert of your free-will,” I say laughing.
“Cara nagged me for three months to take her,” he says with a shrug.
I laugh, the sound bubbling out before I can stop it. “Of course. That girl has you wrapped around her finger. Unlike your other sisters, she knows exactly how to make you cave.”
“She’s persistent,” he admits with a wry smile, “and annoyingly good at it.”
Before I can respond, a voice interrupts us. “Hazel? Is that you?”
I turn to see an older woman, Mrs. Carter, approaching with a warm smile. “Oh, my goodness, it has been so long! How are you, dear?”
I stand, exchanging quick pleasantries while Liam watches quietly from his seat. Mrs. Carter’s smile widens when she spots him. “And Liam! It is a surprise and a delight to my old eyes seeing you both together again. You two always were thick as thieves.”
“Not anymore,” Liam mutters under his breath, low enough that only I can hear.
I glare at him before turning back to Mrs. Carter with a smile. After a bit of small talk, she wanders off, leaving us alone again.
“Remember the Fourth of July fireworks? You and Ethan nearly set her dock on fire.”
“That was his fault,” Liam says quickly. “He’s the one who thought a Roman candle fight was a good idea.”
I laugh; the memory is as vivid as if it happened yesterday. “You didn’t exactly try to stop him.”
“Fair point.” He grins. “What about you? You were the one who convinced us to sneak out to the lake in the first place.”
“Guilty,” I admit, smiling despite myself.
After that, we were interrupted a few more times by a few people popping up to say hello to us, mostly me.
Liam leans in after the third interruption. “You’re like a local celebrity.”
I snort. “Hardly.”
As the evening progresses, our conversation drifts to memories of the town. We trade stories, teasing each other over old mishaps and shared experiences.
