Page 1 of Saving Shepperd

ChapterOne

Shepperd

A quick glance at my phone while rushing into the building told me I was late again. No matter how much time I gave myself, it seemed like I couldn’t get to my summer job on time. And my boss knew it.

The asshole had been riding my case since the week I started, and now I was his favorite target. All his pent-up hostility and frustration from his failures in life were taken out on me.

Dramatic?Maybe.

But I’d become the queen of overreacting lately. My fuse was so short, I was set off by every little thing. If the man even looked at me sideways today, I’d be fired from this place too.

Unfortunately, my bad attitude hadn’t been serving me well in the workplace. I was on my third job in as many months. Of course none of the terminations were my fault. Somehow, I managed to gain employment in three separate places with the exact same mansplaining type of boss who expected me to do all the things he didn’t want to do while he took the credit.

Maybe I wasn’t cut out for the wholeworkthing. I didn’t get along with most of my coworkers either. If I was let go from this one, I already decided I wouldn’t look for another. I’d wasted my entire summer on this merry-go-round of attempted people-pleasing, and it just wasn’t for me.

Was this what the world was turning into, though? Maybe. If these three dipshits were my only interaction with men, I’d have lost all hope in the gender all together. It also didn’t help that three of my four sisters had found amazing men to partner with and those constant in-my-face examples of high-quality men were setting the bar impossibly high for me.

“You’re late,” my boss said by way of a greeting.

I had just set my bag on my desk when he pounced. “I’m aware,” was all I could offer. How many more apologies could I give?

After logging in to my computer, I got busy. The company processed medical billing for a bunch of plastic surgeons in the area. In this town, there was no shortage of specialists. The amount of money spent on physically altering bodies was astronomical. Maybe I needed to reconsider my major.

I had one more semester until I graduated. My twin was already done with her four-year degree and was just awarded a scholarship for our university’s graduate program. I had no interest in continuing beyond what our parents expected, though. Honestly, I was lucky to have made it this far.

I hated school. I hated the original thirteen years of grade school and high school and the college experience too. None of what everyone else had such fond memories of appealed to me. Sororities, parties, learning…all seemed like a waste of time to me. I learned best by doing. This summer was proof enough that was all you really needed to be capable of landing a job. As long as you could sell yourself during an interview, the rest could be learned on the job.

My cell phone vibrated on the desk where it sat screen-side down. Daryl, my boss, didn’t mind if we had our phones on during work hours as long as we got the work done. I snuck a peak at the incoming text and felt the first genuine smile of the day try to break through.

Hey, lady.

After a quick look around the office to ensure Daryl was busy and not monitoring my activities, I shot him a reply.

Hey, yourself.

Can I see you tonight?

Work until 6. After that?

A few minutes passed, and I worried he might not respond. I just met the guy after shamelessly flirting with him for most of the summer. We worked out at the same gym, and it was months of eye-fucking across the room before he finally asked me out.

We’d gone out twice so far, and I was really into him. Still waiting for the other shoe to drop, though, because it always did. It didn’t make sense that the guy was single. He was the most beautiful man I’d ever laid eyes on and was funny and charming as hell, too.

Something would ruin it all. It always did.

Sounds great. Call me on your way home, and we’ll figure out the details.

I turned my phone back over and got busy. As long as I got the enormous stack of papers on the opposite corner of the desk dealt with, I’d be finished on time. If I sat there mooning over a guy for too long, I’d have to stay late until I was through it all. Perfect! That motivation would keep me focused.

Two hours later, my eyes were crossing from looking at so many numbers, and I wanted to crawl under my desk and take a nap. I stood and stretched my arms high above my head and told my coworker I needed a break.

“I’m going to get some caffeine down the hall. Want anything?”

She backed away from her keyboard and stood too. “Mind some company? I could use a break too.”

“Free country,” I replied with a shrug and then winced. I was so used to being snarky around my family, the answer just fell out of my mouth when I opened it. “Sorry,” I mumbled when she looked at me with a confused, unimpressed stare.

“Really,” I said, stopping her with a hand to her forearm. “I’m sorry. That was super shitty, and you don’t deserve the attitude. I had the worst night’s sleep and am just a little punchy today.”

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