Warms.
Melts.
He just said I’m a breath of fresh air.
Me.
Why on earth is he being this nice…to me?
I glance at the clock one last time. My shift is about over, but I can’t quite get my feet to move, and when my eyes come back to Shepherd I can tell he’s noticed that I looked away.
“You’re checking the time. Do I bore you?”
God no.
You’re the reason I’m still here.
“Not at all. I always check the time.”
“You’re leaving early tonight.”
I blink. “How do you know that?”
“Lucky guess, actually.” He smiles and gestures to the clock on the wall with a tip of his head. “But also, you’ve glanced up there three times in the last fifteen minutes, so either you have a boyfriend who is about to walk in here and kick the shit out of me for talking to his girl, or your shift is about to end.”
I nearly scoff over his boyfriend comment because the last boyfriend I hadwaspossessive enough he probably would’ve threatened to kick the shit out him.
He would’ve failed, I’m sure, but he would’ve threatened, nonetheless.
Shepherd takes an unsteady breath that has me watchinghim curiously. He hesitates for a moment and then his expression shifts and I wonder why he seems so nervous all of a sudden. “And if I’m being honest,” he says slowly, “I came here hoping youdon’thave a boyfriend about to kick my ass so maybe I could…you know, take you somewhere to eat.”
I freeze.
Oh.
I wasn’t expecting that.
At all.
“To eat?”
Like, fancy food?
I take a mental note of what I’m currently wearing. I hardly think jeans and a T-shirt would work in the kind of restaurants Shepherd Haynes regularly frequents. I should tell him no. At least not without going home for a shower first. I probably smell like beer and fried food.
“Or not,” he adds quickly. “It doesn’t have to be a date or anything. Just…you know, food. Somewhere that isn’t here.”
“You don’t like the food here? I thought you loved the fries.”
“That’s not what I’m saying at all. And I do love the fries.”
My shoulders tighten and I wince when I answer, “I don’t really do…fancy.”
“Good,” he says, releasing a breath. “Because I forgot to put on my fancy pants before I came here.”
His goofy smile makes me laugh, cutting the tension that seems to exist between us.
“There are some great food trucks around Stadium Park. I was just thinking about maybe taking a walk and seeing what we find.”
