I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.How could he be so heartless?I turned to Jerry, my frustration boiling over into something much stronger. “You know what? No. I’m not going to let you treat people like this. Maybe people do need someone to talk to before they fly. That’s what made this job worth doing!”
The nervous flyer’s eyes darted between me and the terminal like he was trying to calculate the odds of survival. I stepped closer and gave him my calmest smile.
“Hey,” I said. “You’re okay. Your plane will be piloted by professionals who do this every day. Look, nearlythree millionpeople fly in and out of U.S. airportsevery single day.And around the world? We’re talking almost100,000 flights a day.And you know what happens on most of them?”
I gestured towards the sky. “Absolutely nothing.Flying is actually the safest form of transportation. Statistically safer than driving.”
I pointed behind me, where anyone could see the shuttle’s dented bumper. “Muchsafer than driving.”
He laughed—just a little.
I put my hand on his arm. “Take a deep breath, walk back in there, and think of it as your next big adventure. You’ve got my cell phone number. Call me if you need anything.”
He hesitated for a second, then straightened up a little, a spark of determination flickering in his eyes. With a nod, he turned around and marched back into the airport, his carry-on wobbling behind him, but his steps a little more confident than before.
I glanced over at Jerry, who was staring at me like I’d just sprouted wings and started flapping around the airport. He didn’t get it, but that was fine. What I’d done mattered, even if Jerry never realized that. His expression hardened into his familiar scowl. “Well, congratulations, Kathleen,” he spat. “Now, not only are you fired, but you lose the apartment too. I was going to let you stay another month, but not anymore.”
The world seemed to tilt.The apartment too?My heart pounded as the reality of my situation crashed over me like a tidal wave. This wasn’t just a setback—this was my life unraveling. I didn’t have a family I could fall back on, nor was there a cushy inheritance waiting to bail me out. Losing my job was bad enough, but losing my apartment was even worse. That was everything.Where was I supposed to go?The walls seemed to close in around me, suffocating in their finality. I had nowhere to turn, no safety net to catch me as I fell. This wasn’t just a bad day; this was the kind of disaster that could screw up my entire life.
As if to add insult to injury, my phone buzzed. I glanced down to see a text from Ms. Last-Minute: “Thank you so much. I made my flight!” Along with it, a selfie of her grinning on the plane like she’d just won the lottery. I held up my phone. “My passenger made her flight.”
Jerry looked at me like I’d given away the nuclear codes. “You gave her your number?”
I shrugged. “What, you don’t exchange numbers with your airport shuttle driver?”
I stared at the screen.At least someone’s day turned out okay.But Ms. Last Minute’s relief only amplified my own sense of defeat. Everything I’d worked so hard to maintain was slipping away.
Jerry’s voice cut through my thoughts like a knife. “You’ve got until the end of the week to get your stuff out of the apartment.”
I swallowed hard, trying to keep the tears from spilling over.Don’t let him see you cry, Kathleen. You’re stronger than this.But deep down, I wasn’t so sure. Losing the job was one thing, but losing the roof over my head? That was a new kind of desperation.
I took a shaky breath and nodded. “Fine.” I hoped my voice didn’t betray the chaos inside. “I’ll be out by Friday.”
As I walked to the bus stop, I tried to focus on the silver lining. Sure, I’d just lost my job and my apartment in the span of ten minutes, but it wasn’t all bad.
I still had Alex. A superhero in scrubs. A handsome doctor boyfriend—every woman’s dream. Right then, all I wanted was to wrap myself in his arms and let him remind me that things would get better.
2
I feltmy spirits lift as the most gorgeous man I’d ever seen stepped out of a hospital room, looking effortlessly perfect in a doctor’s coat. Alex Steele. Six feet of calm, dark blond perfection, with warm, hazel eyes that could make anyone feel at ease.
For a moment, I just stood across the hall from him, staring, hardly able to believe that someone like him was mine. It felt unreal—like I was living in a dream where I was dating the kind of man other women could only fantasize about.
He was always put together. Patients loved him, of course. Who wouldn’t? He had a charm that made people trust him instantly, as if he were some kind of reassuring anchor in a stormy sea. And it wasn’t just patients. Nurses, fellow doctors, even the administrative staff—they all seemed to light up when he was around. It wasn’t just his looks or his skill; it was the way he carried himself, with confidence and ease.
I couldn’t believe my luck. To be dating a guy like Alex, who had his life so perfectly together. He had never known hardship a day in his life. He’d started the race way ahead of the starting line, like life had handed him a head start while the rest of us were still tying our shoes. And honestly, there was something comforting about being with someone who’d never faced real struggles.
Sure, our conversations might not have been deep enough to solve world hunger, but with someone as incredible as Alex, who needed profound? Just being with him felt like an achievement.
Seeing him made the chaos of my morning feel like a distant memory.
I took a step forward and froze.
Another doctor stepped out from behind him. A stunning woman with glossy hair and a toothpaste-commercial smile. She placed her hand on my boyfriend’s arm possessively.
I glanced at the sign on the door they’d just exited: “Supply Closet.”
A weird, hot knot twisted in my stomach.
