I already knew Sophie was perfect.
Shepherd and I had interviewed several other candidates for my replacement, but from the moment Sophie had walked into the room, I’d known. Why? The fact that she hadn’t balked when Shepherd stared at her, like a scary unblinking robot, while she introduced herself said a lot.
We’d interviewed a guy this morning who’d wilted so fast under Shepherd’s gaze, we hadn’t even gotten to the questions before he’d excused himself. His hands had been shaking so badly, he’d barely been able to get the door open. And he hadn’t come back.
I’d almost told Shepherd to tone it down—he was scaring away the good applicants. But I’d thought better of it. Whoever we hired was going to have to face those cold blue eyes on a regular basis. If they didn’t have the spine to stare him down in an interview, they’d never last as his assistant.
Sophie was holding her own.
Her dark blond curls were pulled up in the cutest bun, and she wore a tasteful blue dress with a cream cardigan that looked great on her curvy frame. She smiled pleasantly and quickly adjusted her glasses.
“I think that’s all the questions we have for you,” I said. “Shepherd, do you have anything else?”
“No.” He pushed her resume toward me, picked up his phone, and started checking his messages.
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. But Sophie didn’t seem fazed. She reminded me a little bit of—well, me. I had a feeling she was the type of girl who came across as nice and sweet, which made people underestimate her.
I also had a feeling she’d be the one who could handle Shepherd Calloway.
Being with me hadn’t changed who he was. He was still stoic and serious. Still appeared cold and unfeeling, especially at work. Not many people got to see the Shepherd on the inside. The guy who could shred on a bass, whose rare smiles made my knees weak, and who loved it when I left bite marks on his chest.
He had four right now. I’d counted them this morning as I kissed them better.
“Thanks for coming in.” I stood and shook Sophie’s hand. “We’ll be in touch soon.”
“Thank you for your time, Ms. Dalton,” she said. “Mr. Calloway.”
Shepherd’s eyes flicked to her, but he didn’t reply. Just gave her the tiniest of nods, then went back to his messages.
Sophie turned to leave and the door flew open, hitting her right in the head. She stumbled back, clutching her forehead. Shepherd stood, and I grabbed her shoulders to steady her.
“I’m so sorry.” It was Nina, the front receptionist. “I thought you were interviewing in Mr. Calloway’s office. I didn’t know anyone was in here. Are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine,” Sophie said, and I could hear the dejection in her voice as she rubbed her forehead. “It’s probably my fault.”
“No, it was totally me.” Nina seemed to realize Shepherd was still in here. Her eyes landed on him and she paled. “I have to get back to the front. I’ll find another conference room for the marketing team.”
Nina scurried away. I still had my hands on Sophie’s shoulders. I felt her take a deep breath and straighten her spine.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” I asked.
“Yes.” She took a step and turned. “I’ll be fine. Thanks again for your time.”
I leaned a little closer and lowered my voice to a whisper. “Don’t worry. That didn’t ruin it.”
She gave me a bright smile. “Thanks.”
“We’ll be in touch.”
Sophie left and I gathered up the resumes we’d collected.
“That was the last one. What do you think?”
“We’ll hire Sophie.”
I agreed, but I was surprised he’d made the decision so fast. “Really?”
“She’s the obvious choice. Don’t you think so?”
“I totally do, I’m just surprised you decided that fast.”
“She’s experienced and well-qualified. She interviewed well. And I don’t hate the sound of her voice.”
I laughed. “That’s your criteria? Is that why you hired me? You didn’t hate the sound of my voice?”
Pocketing his phone, he looked me in the eyes. “No. You were the best for the job and I didn’t hate the sound of your voice.”
I slipped my arms around his waist. It didn’t matter that the door was still open and anyone walking by could see. In fact, Steve walked by, right then. He paused and gave me a dramatic wink. I had no idea why. Shepherd and I were no secret. Everyone knew that we were dating and I’d moved in with him. People probably thought I’d taken a new job because of our relationship—which was both true and false. But it didn’t matter what they thought.
The corner of Shepherd’s mouth hooked in a little grin and he leaned down to kiss me. I caught his lower lip between my teeth and bit down, just hard enough to get him to grunt.
“I’m going to fuck you so hard for that later,” he growled in my ear.
“Promise?”
The last couple of weeks, since we’d come back from Miami, had been busy. I was still working for Shepherd, just until we could get a replacement up to speed. Cameron was anxious to get moving on her new venture, so I’d been scoping out office locations, pricing furniture, and putting together a preliminary budget.
Thankfully, it was Friday. It looked like we’d just found his new assistant. I had a few options for office space to send to Cameron. Nora had been helping me with office décor ideas, and Hazel had given me a lead on a potential office assistant.
Things were coming together.
Reluctantly, I dropped my arms and stepped back. “I have a few more things to do, then I’m heading home. Are you going to the Office early?”
“Yeah.”
The way he looked away, not quite meeting my eyes, made me feel all squishy inside. I’d caught that rare display of emotion. Shepherd Calloway was nervous.
I squeezed his arm. “I’ll see you there. And it’s going to be great.”
As usual, the Office was packed. Dahlia Marlow was on first, regaling the crowd with her sultry voice. I loved that the same bar that rocked out to Incognito was mesmerized by a woman in her late fifties singing folksy music and playing an acoustic guitar.
To be fair, she was amazing.
“I still don’t believe you,” Nora said. She stood next to me in a ripped Jack Daniel’s t-shirt showing little peeks of her lacy red bra, with distressed jeans and shiny black stilettos. Somehow Nora knew how to dress perfectly for every occasion, even a rock show at a dive bar.
Hazel sipped her bourbon. This wasn’t exactly a martini kind of place, so we’d all opted for Maker’s Mark, neat. “I think you’re trying to play a joke on us.”
I shrugged one shoulder. “Think what you will. You’ll see.”
The other day, Shepherd had surprised the heck out of me—and his dad and brother—when he’d unceremoniously invited them to see his band. He hadn’t bothered to set up his invitation with any explanation. No by the way, I play bass in a band, and I’ve never told you. He just casually told them he was playing Friday night and said they could come if they wanted to.
I’d given Richard and Ethan more details. Then Shepherd had mentioned, just as casually, that if I wanted to invite anyone else, it was fine.
Obviously, I’d taken him up on that. Show off my hot bass player to my friends? Yes, please.
His secret guitar lair, however, was still just that—a secret. I think we both liked it that way. We’d meet down there sometimes and pretend to be strangers. At least, I’d pretend. Shepherd’s version of role-playing was mostly letting me do all the talking and then ravaging me on every available surface.
I loved it.
Richard made his way through the crowd, followed closely by Ethan and Grant. Shepherd’s brother and brother-in-law looked around, bewildered, like they were wondering the same thing as Nora and Hazel—when we were going to drop the punch line and let them in on the joke. Richard, however, almost walked right into me. His eyes were locked on the stage.
“Who is that?” he asked, his voice awed.
“Dahlia Marlow,” I said. “She’s amazing, isn’t she?”
“She’s incredible.”
If a man could have actual stars in his eyes, or maybe little red hearts appearing around his face, Richard would have had them now. He always wore his heart on his sleeve, but I’d never seen him like this. I wondered if there was a way I could introduce him to Dahlia after her set. I didn’t know her well, but I’d chatted with her once on a night I’d come to see Shepherd play.
Annie and Miranda arrived, looking just as skeptical as everyone else. We all exchanged hellos and hugs—except for Richard, who was still too busy mooning over Dahlia to notice anyone else existed.
Her last song ended and she smiled at the enthusiastic applause. Richard whistled. I could have been imagining things, but for a moment, it looked like their eyes met. Dahlia’s face registered a hint of surprise, and she seemed to pause before continuing to smile and wave at the crowd.
The bar owner came out and thanked her for her set. Excitement swirled in my tummy. This was it.
“And now, let’s give it up for Incognito,” he said.
The crowd roared as the band took the stage. The lead singer and the guitarist came out first, taking their places in front. The drummer waved his drumsticks at the crowd and sat behind the drum kit.
And then there was Shepherd.
Dressed in a dark t-shirt that showed off his toned arms and a pair of jeans that made me want to take a bite out of his cute butt, he walked out on stage and picked up his bass. He was all cool, casual confidence. No swagger. Shepherd didn’t need swagger. Not in a tux at a fancy gala, or in a plain t-shirt on stage in a dive bar. He wasn’t here for the attention, and that made him infinitely more sexy.
“Holy shit,” Nora said.
He slung the strap over his shoulder and fingered the bass strings. He knew we were out here, but I didn’t see a hint of that nervousness I’d caught earlier today. His eyes swept the crowd, finally landing on me. The corner of his mouth twitched and he winked.
My knees buckled and I had to grab onto Ethan to stay standing. Oh my god. That man.
“Hey, Seattle,” the lead singer said into the mic. The crowd cheered again. “Thanks for hanging out with us tonight.”
The drummer beat out a quick intro, and they launched into their first song.
Richard beamed at his son. Ethan and Grant still looked shocked, but they smiled and moved to the music.
Nora gaped at the men on stage. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell us.”
“It wasn’t my secret to share,” I said.
“They’re very good,” Hazel said, raising her voice to be heard above the music.
“Yeah, they are,” Nora said. “The drummer is exquisite. Do you know if he’s single?”
I shook my head. “Nope. They’re all married. Sorry.”
“Damn,” Nora said.
We all stood together, moving, swaying, clapping, and cheering as they played through their set. We hollered and punched fists in the air during the fast songs. Held our phones up like lighters for the slow songs. Watched as Shepherd played his heart out, lost in his music, letting the people closest to him get just a little bit closer.
They finished their set and the crowd roared. Richard cheered so loud Shepherd probably heard him all the way up on stage. Instead of staying back in the shadows, he came to the front with rest of the band. Lifted his arm in a wave.
“Thank you so much,” the lead singer said. “Until next time, good night.”
The stage lights went dark, leaving just the band members’ silhouettes. Music came on the speakers and the hum of conversation grew as the crowd around the stage broke up.
Richard touched my elbow. He was looking at something—or someone—near the bar. “Excuse me for a minute.”
He made his way to a small table. Dahlia turned and smiled. They shook hands and she gestured, inviting him to sit with her. He did, and I could practically see the sparks. The way they smiled at each other was the most adorable thing I’d ever seen.
A pair of cute guys had struck up a conversation with Nora and Hazel. This kind of fun, casual flirting was Nora’s catnip. She was clearly enjoying herself. Even Hazel looked interested. It made me wonder if she would decide her no-dating days were over.
“I’m glad you two are here,” Ethan said to Annie. “Grant and I need to talk to you.”
“What’s up?” Annie asked.
Ethan and Grant shared a smile. “I know this is personal, but we wondered if you were still looking for a donor.”
Annie’s lips parted and she blinked at him a few times. “We are.”
“Grant and I have been talking about it, and I’d like to volunteer,” Ethan said. “We’ve already decided we’re not having kids. We’ve always known that. But we thought this would be a good thing to do.”
“Plus, if it’s the physical traits you’re after, he looks a lot like Shepherd,” Grant said. “And Ethan is a brilliant architect. He’s smart and caring, not to mention gorgeous.”
Ethan shook his head, grinning. “Stop.”
I touched my fingers to my lips. They knew I was standing here, but this moment felt so personal. I didn’t want to ruin it by squealing with joy.
“There’s no pressure at all,” Ethan said. “I won’t be offended if you decide to go with someone else. I just wanted you to know, I’m willing if it’s what you want. And if this works out, we’d love to be around as the cool uncles, if you’re okay with that.”
Annie’s eyes glistened with tears. She glanced at Miranda. “I shouldn’t answer you without talking this over with Miranda first, but that’s the most amazing gift.”
“Yes,” Miranda said, clutching Annie’s arm. “We accept.”
“Are you sure?” Annie asked.
“I’m positive.” She stepped forward and wrapped Ethan in hug. “Thank you. I don’t even know how to thank you for this. Saying it isn’t enough.”
Next thing I knew, everyone was hugging everyone else. Grant hugged Annie. They swapped and Ethan hugged Annie while Grant wrapped Miranda in an embrace. Tears wet everyone’s eyes, including mine.
Especially mine.
We were turning into one big family. Maybe a quirky, slightly non-traditional one, but a family nonetheless. And somehow, that made it even more special.
Shepherd came out, a little sweaty, his hair a mess. Without a word, he wrapped his arms around me and captured my mouth in a soft kiss.
He rubbed his nose against mine. “Hey, you.”
“Hey. You guys were great tonight.”
“Thanks for coming.”
I wound my arms around his waist and smiled up at him. To most people, Shepherd Calloway was a focused and unemotional businessman. But I was the lucky girl who got to see the real Shepherd. The guy on the inside.
That guy was all mine.
