Total pages in book: 17
Estimated words: 15560 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 78(@200wpm)___ 62(@250wpm)___ 52(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 15560 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 78(@200wpm)___ 62(@250wpm)___ 52(@300wpm)
And I didn’t have time to shower or make myself a cup of coffee this morning so I’m trying to function without caffeine. Life just sucks without my usual strong coffee with a splash of white chocolate creamer.
“As I just said, running late isn’t an excuse for speeding.” No damn duh. He doesn’t have to rub it in. “I should take you to jail for doing twenty-five miles over the speed limit.”
“But…” Darn. I’m not even sure what to say. My poor bank account will flip over and die if I add the cost of bail to my monthly expenses. “Can’t you give me a break?”
He stares down at me silently for a few moments, and I barely resist the urge to squirm under his gaze. “I tell you what. Let me check things out, and then we’ll discuss how we’re going to handle this.” My eyes follow him as he walks back to his vehicle. Darn, he’s even hotter from the back.
I give my head a little shake, reminding myself I should be worrying about my job, not the smoking hot deputy. Hopefully, he runs his check quickly.
I’m texting my boss to tell him I’ll probably be a few minutes late when the deputy walks back up to the car.
“It seems you have a habit of ignoring the speed limit, Ms. Anderson.” He hands me back my license and registration. I guess he found out about the three other tickets I’ve gotten in the last year.
“I wouldn’t say it’s a habit.” I smile weakly. “I just have a slight problem with punctuality.”
As he silently stares down at me, I wonder if I’ll be able to find another job that I like as much. “I’m going to give you a break this time.” His words slowly sink in, and I realize he isn’t taking me to the slammer.
Yes! I barely resist the urge to do a little happy dance as I look up to give him a wide smile. “Thank you so much.”
“But I don’t want to catch you speeding again.” I nod my head in agreement, not wanting to outright lie to his face, and cross my fingers behind my back. I know there’s no way I’ll be able to pull that off. “Where are you headed right now?”
“I work at The Wild Peach Brewery on Broadway.” We just opened a month ago, and we’re already packed to the gills every night.
“I’ve been there.” He leans against the side of my car and frowns down at me. “Are they open this early?”
“No.” I really don’t have time to explain this to him, but I don’t want to risk irritating him after he cut me a break. “I’m the owner’s assistant, so I work a regular nine-to-five schedule.” And it’s quarter to nine, so I have to get my rear moving.
“In the interest of public safety, I think I’ll give you an escort to the brewery.” He smiles down at me.
“Thank you.” Darn. That kills my intention to haul butt all the way to town once I’m out of his view.
All the way to town, I keep checking my rearview mirror to make sure he’s still there while controlling my lead foot and driving the exact speed limit the entire way.
I pull into the back parking lot, wondering if the deputy will stop, but he drives right by as I park.
I grab my bag and rush through the back door with thirty seconds to spare.
“I thought you said you’d be late.” Owen Wild, my boss and the brewery owner, looks up from the computer behind the bar.
“Sorry.” I wince as I head straight to the coffeemaker hidden in the back alcove. “My alarm failed to alarm, and I was rushing.” I conveniently leave out the part about me getting pulled over.
As I take my first sip of black gold, Owen points at the barstool across from him. “Have a seat and tell me what’s going on with you.”
Oh, man. I hope this isn’t the point where he fires me. I set my coffee mug on the dark wood bar and slide onto the stool. “I’m really sorry.” That’s an understatement. I love my job and my new town, and I hope I’m not about to lose one of them. “I’m going to set back-up alarms from now on.”
“I’m not worried that you’ve been late a few times, but I’m worried about you. The first two weeks you worked here, you were always on time. Actually, you were early every goddamn day, then all of a sudden, you started coming in late every day and you’ve got big black circles under your eyes.”
“I’m so sorry.” I sigh, hoping he doesn’t fire me when I admit my little secret. “I didn’t realize how much it costs to live in Silver Spoon Falls.” Boy, is that an understatement. This small Texas town has more millionaires and billionaires per capita than any other town around. All the wealth in town has driven the cost of living sky-high. “Paying the deposits for my apartment and utilities drained my savings, and I had to start making student loan payments.” It’s embarrassing to admit this to my wealthy boss, but I don’t really have a choice if I want to keep my job. “I had to take a part-time job to help me until things settle down.” That should be somewhere around twenty years from now when I finally pay off my insane student loans.