It was difficult when she was so aware of him filling the chair, filling her office, making her heart race as if it remembered how she’d once felt about him. As if it remembered how much she’d loved him. Wanted him.

Whitney had had plenty of boyfriends in her thirty years, but none of them had ever made her feel as much as Cormac did.

And she’d learned the hard way that she never wanted to feel that much about anyone again.

“I didn’t tell anyone I was coming,” he said.

“That’s why Jeff didn’t mention it.”

“I thought it better just to come and talk to my staff in person. I’m making changes across the company. Relocating to Marietta.”

“I read the email, and Jeff also filled me in.”

“Do you have any questions about the move?”

“No.”

“Any concerns?”

“No.”

“I want you to feel free to ask me anything—”

“No questions,” she said cutting him short, resenting that he looked so comfortable while she felt as if she’d swallowed glass. She forced a small hard tight smile, wondering if he’d know it was as fake as fake could be. “No concerns.”

He smiled back, his lips curving and yet his gaze narrowed. He wasn’t buying her smile. He apparently knew her too well. “I wish everyone was as calm and pragmatic as you are about the move to Montana. But then, you’re from Bozeman. Of course you know the area, and the appeal of a small town like Marietta. I am hoping you can share your knowledge of the area with the others on your creative team.”

“I’m happy to talk up Marietta, because it is a charming town, but I am not going. I literally just sent HR an email letting them know I won’t be relocating.”

There was a flicker in his eyes but other than that, he didn’t look unduly disturbed. “You’re a key part of Sheenan Media.”

“Was a key part,” she corrected. “I love Denver. I’m staying here.”

“There are significant bonuses for those of you in key positions that make the move. And you hold one of those key positions.”

She shouldn’t be surprised that he was dangling money. It’s how Cormac operated. If there was a problem, throw cash at it. Cash solved everything.

Her lips curled even as her heart hurt remembering anew how Cormac Sheenan refused to play by society’s rules. He was the kind of man who made up his own rules. He did what he wanted, when he wanted without regard to others.

“Money doesn’t solve everything,” she said.

He shrugged. “It certainly helps, and in this case it will ensure that my staff is able to settle in Montana with as little stress as possible.”

“It won’t help those who have to leave their families and friends.”

“Some people like change.”

Her lips compressed. Cormac had an answer for everything. But then, control was everything to him. He always did what was best for him, treating others as accessories. But she wasn’t a doll, or a puppet. She wouldn’t be toyed with and then discarded. And she certainly wasn’t about to move to Montana for him.