Chapter 5

Felicity

I don't keep it casual when I pick a dress for this party. I have a long chocolate-colored number to match my eyes. It showcases my curves, and legs. I hope to show everyone at the party tonight that I'm back.

That what Karl did to me may have hurt me then, but not now. I'm a new woman. And I'll have a handsome man on my arm. Even if he isn't charming. I fluff my hair in the mirror, and check my makeup once more.

Perfect. There's a knock, and I rush out of my room, down the hall, and swing open the front door.

The sight of Shepherd Atwood takes my breath away.

"Um, wow," he breathes out. "You're stunning."

I smile up at him, and try to play it cool. "You're not so bad yourself." But he's even better than that. He's dressed to the nines, and his hair is gelled to perfection. I've never seen him look so good. He even smells like a million bucks. Such a contrast to the man who drinks his coffee on the front porch and yells at the children riding by on their bikes.

Much different.

His big hand engulfs mine as he takes it and leads me down to his truck. He opens the door for me, and for a second I'm nervous at the thought that this is a real date. It's not some fake thing I asked him to help me with. I thought for sure I wasn't ready to date, but now, with the wind in my hair, I'm hopeful.

He starts his engine and pulls away from our houses. It's go time. Whether I feel ready or not, I'm now officially on a date. The first date since Karl left me. And so far it's going better than anything Karl and I have ever done. Karl always sat in his car and honked his horn. I know it's so cliché of what a man shouldn't do, but I always agreed that he didn't need to get out of his car to come fetch me. However, having Shep come to my door, knocking, the anticipation brimming, it made it so much more.

I navigate for him, and before long we're at the hotel where the office party is being held.

"Um, before we go in, I should mention a few things," I say, turning in my seat to face him.

He studies me with his intense eyes. "What is it?"

"I should tell you a lot of the people I work with know about Karl. They're concerned about me."

"Concerned?"

I nod. "Yeah. They think I'm not moving on, and maybe before tonight I wasn't. I guess what I'm trying to say is I want to show everyone that I have moved on."

He gives me a genuine smile. "Have you moved on, though?"

I shrug. "How can anyone ever really know? I mean, if you had asked me last week if I'd be going on a date today, I'd have said no. Yet, here I am. I think moving on happens at a snail's pace that nobody ever really notices it until they're so far away from the place they were that they can't help but take notice." I laugh lightly. "Did that make any sense?"

He nods. "I think it made perfect sense. I've been trying not to move on from something as well. I've been stuck in this one spot, churning in circles, but tonight I'm hopeful. "

There's that word again. I smile at Shep and we exit his vehicle. When we enter the hotel, he places his hand at the small of my back, sending shivers cascading down my spine, as he leads me toward the ballroom.

Here goes nothing. I scan the room, and nerves take flight when I notice all my co-workers.

Shepherd gives me a soft smile and grabs my hand. It makes me feel a million times better.

And then, he dives right into mingling, shaking hands, and smiling at every person around. I know it's an act but damn can he work a crowd. My smile is genuine, my brown hair bouncing around my shoulders as I nod along with each conversation. He comes up with a story on the spot about how we met and I'm impressed.

"I'm her next-door neighbor, you see," he pulls me closer by my upper arm and puts his arm around my waist, "and when that jerk left her at the altar I couldn't help but try to comfort her. I went over with one of my breakup baskets and the rest is history."

"Breakup baskets?" Natalie, a co-worker asks. "How sweet." She does the whole swoony thing, and I seriously think she might faint if she's not careful.

Emmie's listening intently. She knows this whole thing is a sham, and she tries to catch Shepherd up. "Breakup basket? What exactly is that?"

I'm glad she asked, because I'm curious too.

Shepherd doesn't miss a beat. "I come from a big family. Four sisters and in high school, my dad taught me all about these. Chocolate, a box of movie theater butter popcorn, brownie mix, some great coffee, a soft blanket, some thick fuzzy socks, and a nice bouquet behind it all."

"Really?" Emmie is hanging on his every word, "what happened when you brought it over?"

Um, is she really asking this? She knows he's lying, yet she's enthralled by his captivating smile and mysterious eyes. Or maybe it's me who's enthralled.

Ok, it's definitely me.

"We watched some movies patented to make you cry your eyes out and I let her vent about what an ass that guy was." Shepherd winks at me.

Emmie's been joined by a few more of our other co-workers and they're all standing here with eyes wide. My boss, Mr. Richards, stalks over and breaks the silence. "Felicity. So glad you could make it. You look wonderful." His eyes linger on my breasts and I clear my throat to gain his attention.

"I feel wonderful," I say back.

Shepherd is right by my side, arm wrapping around my waist.

"Who's your guest?" He gestures at Shepherd and the two men lock eyes.

Somehow, I see a possessive streak come over Shepherd's face and I'm completely caught off guard. Is this still an act? He shakes my boss' hand and introduces himself.

"I'm Shepherd, Felicity's boyfriend."

Boyfriend? Did I miss something? We didn't agree on that.

"I didn't know Felicity was seeing anyone." Mr. Richards appears confused.

That makes two of us.

"I asked her to keep it quiet because I know she just left a bad relationship. I didn't want to seem like a rebound."

How is he coming up with this on the spot? He's still talking to my boss, but I'm not hearing any of it. His hand has migrated from the small of my back downward. The gentle touch is sending tingles throughout my whole body. Richards walks away, and I feel a tug on my side. Shepherd guides me toward the bar.

He grabs a bottle of bourbon from one of the shelves in a sly move. We rush down the hall, ending up in a small break room. He twists off the cap of the bourbon and swigs it straight from the bottle, then offers it to me. I take a swig and he pushes me up against the door, stepping forward as I step back with my mouth on the bottle.

The door closes, and he twists the lock. As soon as the bottle lowers from my mouth, his lips replace it and his hands are on my hips.