Until the Last Breath

And me…well, I shared a two-bedroom apartment with a roommate. I drove a black 1999 2-door Beetle that didn’t have a functioning radio and was in dire need of a paint job, and I didn’t have a boyfriend or men chasing after me.

Not that I was ugly or anything, I just wasn’t very involved with the dating life. The fast zone wasn’t really my place.

But one night…it all changed, and I was no longer a stranger to Max.

Eugene called me back to his office with a sullen look on his face. And the words he shared were not words I wanted to hear.

“We just can’t afford two full-time bartenders right now. You said you don’t want to be a waiter and there are no other positions. I’m sorry, Shannon, but I have to let you go.”

I argued with Eugene for ten minutes straight but, eventually, I gave up and stormed out of his office, on the verge of tears. There was no point in arguing or even crying. First thing the next morning, I was determined to go job hunting. I couldn’t be without one. Despite Tessa being in college now, we still needed money.

I entered the backroom and yanked down my leather jacket, scowling as I spotted Max sitting in the corner with one of the waitresses on his lap. She giggled, ran her hand down his chest, but his eyes were on me, one brow cocked.

I kept my eyes on him, tugging on my jacket and watching as he dismissed himself from the girl and walked my way.

“Hey.” His voice was sin. Pure sin. If I weren’t so pissed at him, I would have begged him to talk more.

I ignored him, going for my locker and taking out my belongings. I felt him watching me as I stuffed my bag angrily, then he turned on his heels, entering Eugene’s office and closing the door behind him.

After pulling out my keys from my satchel, I stormed for the exit and rushed across the parking lot to get to my car. As I tried to get the piece of shit to start, I heard someone yelling my name.

Max was jogging across the parking lot and coming in my direction. When he met up to my car, he smiled down at me, his honey-colored eyes flashing from the streetlights.

I flared my nostrils, eyebrows furrowed, and rolled my window down. “What the hell do you want, job thief?”

He blinked, stunned. “Job thief? Why do you call me that?”

I clutched the wheel, ignoring that faint smirk and small gleam in his eyes. “What do you want?”

“Just a word.”

“Well?” My eyebrows lifted and I waved an impatient hand before sitting back against my seat and folding my arms.

“I heard Eugene was letting you go and, uh…” he scratched the top of his head, “well, I told him that if you go, it would be a really stupid move. He didn’t take my statement lightly, of course. You know how that asshole is. I thought he would end up firing my ass, but instead I made him think it over and he’s offering you your job back. In return I will work less hours. Makes it fair for everyone.”

I stared up at him, dumbfounded. And here I was thinking he was going to try and get my number and then brag about it later. “Wait—what?”

“You’re not fired,” he said, laughing.

“What do you mean I’m not fired? He just told me I was—wait, why are you even helping me?”

Max pressed a hand on my car, leaning forward. “Because I know every single female employee in Capri, except you. Since I’ve been here, I’ve never gotten a word from you.”

“So what?”

He passed a crooked smile. “Okay, maybe a part of it is also because Eugene is my uncle-in-law and I told him it would be really foolish to let someone like you go. I mean, you work hard. You have fun. You’re really good at what you do—hell, I think you get the most appreciation for your drinks. People love you. You’re a necessity here and this is my father’s business. He’d hate to see it go down because of a dumb mistake like this one. He’d also hate to hear that I’m jobless in a new city while in school, all because my uncle wanted to be an idiot. So, Shannon, you are not fired.”

My breathing stifled a moment. For one, Max was leaning against my beat-up car, arm flexed, and body toned beneath a black muscle tank, and two, I wasn’t fired! I’d never felt so relieved in all my life.

Max cocked a brow, probably confused by my silence and blank stare. “That is, unless you don’t want to work here anymore…” His voice was not as confident as before.

“No—no,” I quickly defended my silence. “Trust me, I do. I need this job. So much more than you think. I’m just…just shocked is all.”