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to explain.”
     
    “There is nothing to explain and no way would I ever take you back. Get out now.”
     
    “Stef, hold on.” He came up next to her, ran his fingers down her arm and whispered in her ear. “Please, I was wrong and I’ll make it up to you, just give me another chance.”
     
    What was it she ever saw in him? There was a time, probably right up until her Miami trip that she would have considered taking him back. Now? Not a chance.
     
    “I won’t take you back, Gary. Not now, not ever. You destroyed whatever it was we had with your infidelity. Actually, I have to thank you because I now realize that we never had a good marriage in the first place, and if it wasn’t for your affair I probably wouldn’t have known until it was much too late. Goodbye, Gary.”
     
    There was nothing more to say. She walked over to the elevator doors and pressed the down button. Gary reluctantly shuffled slowly behind her. He seemed to attempt a reply, but the only word he was able to say as he walked into the elevator was “goodbye.”
     

     
    As difficult as it was to face Gary one last time, it was as if the last bit of weight lifted from her shoulders. Stephanie was finally free of her old life and feelings of inadequacy. The end of her stay was bittersweet. She looked forward to a new start but would miss Miami, and especially the time she spent with Jason.
     
    The staff of the Hotel Del Santos spoiled her. Each morning they delivered a tray of coffee, pastries and fruit arrived to her room along with her freshly laundered clothes from the day before. Every night she returned to find a small bottle of champagne, a bowl of ripe strawberries and a few gourmet chocolates, all at Jason’s request. She tried to have the deliveries stopped but the front desk explained Jason Royce insisted she receive the treats each day. She looked forward to the end of the day, when she took her champagne glass out to the deck, put her hair up, and enjoyed the lulling, hypnotic sounds of the surf while soaking in the hot tub. Her last day arrived, and she reluctantly packed and called the limousine driver for her ride to the airport. This was a trip she would never forget, but it was over now, and she needed to prepare herself for return to her everyday life.
     
    As the bellman collected her bags, she took one last look around the suite. She sighed and followed him into the elevator when something caught her eye. Next to the vase of roses on the foyer table was Jason’s engraved business card, right where he left it. “Don’t go back,” Stephanie whispered as she waited for the doors to close. His silky voice played back in her head. You can look at it as an ending, or you can consider it a beginning. The choice is yours. She stuck her foot between the closing doors which opened again.
     
    “Did you forget something, Miss?” the bellman asked.
     
    “Shit,” she said under her breath and walked over to the table. She took one long-stemmed rose and snatched the card off the table. Even though they were just words on a card, she felt closer to Jason by holding on to something that was his. She tucked the card into her purse and walked back to the elevator. The corners of her mouth upturned to a sly smile as the elevator doors closed.
     

 
     
    Chapter 8
     
     
     
    Rick popped his head into Stephanie’s office. “Are you feeling lucky?” he asked.
     
    She looked at him suspiciously, “Why do you ask?”
     
    “Today is your lucky day! Tom can’t make the Vegas trip because his wife went into labor this morning, so I need you to go. It’s a quick trip. You get there on Monday, and you’ll be back on Wednesday. You’ll be on a consulting basis for the client. So basically, if they have any product questions, you’re there to answer them. Good news is you’ll have a lot of free time. Just think of it as a company-paid vacation,” he said with a smile then disappeared.
     
    Stephanie pulled her desk drawer open