Page 1 of And Then There Was Us (And The There Was 2)

I’d needed a job and found myself applying at Lyrics, an intimate jazz bar in the heart of the city. My goal was simple—earn enough money so my ailing father didn’t have to worry about anything.

What hadn’t been in my plans was instantly being attracted to Bishop, my new boss and the resident bartender.

The attraction was insane, and the chemistry was off the charts between us. And the obsession he threw my way should have frightened me, but instead it made me want him even more.

He was protective, making me feel as if I were the only woman in the world for him. And after a heated night of passionate abandon, I realized he ruined me for all other men. It was the single most incredible experience of my life.

He said—vowed—he’d never let me go, that I was meant to be his… that it was meant to be between us.

And when I all but snuck out of his bed while he still slept, doing the Walk of Shame, I worried things could never work between us.

What I knew for certain was the one-night stand I just had with my boss was something I wanted to experience over and over again.

Because I realized I’d already fallen in love with Bishop.

But life was full of conflict, and mine especially was chaos. Sometimes that was too much for anyone to take on, even for a man who said I was meant to be his.

1

Korrie

“This is bullshit.”

I held in my grin as my dad threw his first hissy fit.

“I don’t like my daughter having to pick up the slack on my account.”

I rolled my eyes but held in my humor, because I knew it would just frustrate him more. But I was happy to see this side of him. It sure as hell beat him being too sick to give me a hard time. “We don’t have any other options, Dad. Besides, it’s not like I’m getting shipped off to war. I’m legit just getting another job.” I stared down at my father, who sat in his old, worn, dark leather recliner he refused to get rid of. He said he broke it in just the way he liked it, and that was that.

He had a plaid blanket thrown over his legs, one I made in my senior year of high school in home economics. That was also showing its age. It was faded and frayed, and definitely had seen better days. But he refused to get rid of that as well, saying it held too many fond memories and had sentimental value.

“I’ll go back to work,” he said stubbornly, shaking his head as he looked up at me with his tired eyes that had perpetual laugh lines around them. That was a part of him I loved the most. I remembered how he’d always been smiling, laughing, and now that proof was permanently etched on his face.

My own sentimentality was something I wore proudly.

He’d always been so happy back in the day. And I used past tense because he was sick, his autoimmune disease wracking his body like a storm that wouldn’t ease up. And this current time left him unable to work, which I knew really bothered him.

My father was a proud man, the old-school type who felt he should be the provider.

It was my turn to take care of him now.

So that’s where me cutting back on classes at the community college and picking up another job came in, much to his disapproval.

“I don’t like the idea of you not finishing school.”

I rolled my eyes again and leaned down to fix the blanket on his lap, which he’d just about thrown off so he could stand.

“Dad, I’m not stopping college forever. I’m simply taking off a year so I can save enough money to make a nice nest egg. It's a little speed bump in life, that’s all.” I looked into his dark-brown eyes. “It’s really not a big deal. And given the fact that I was only going part-time to begin with, it’s really not like I’m going to fall too far behind.” I gave him a smile, one I hoped reached my eyes.

He grumbled something under his breath, and I did chuckle then.

“Besides, if the roles were reversed, you can’t tell me you wouldn’t do everything in your power to make sure I was able to rest and heal, which is exactly what you need.”

I didn’t tell him we needed me to get this job. His medical bills were rising, and the cost for his prescriptions was outrageous. And this was the only place that had called back for an interview.

I crossed my arms over my chest and waited for him to try to argue with me on my points. He knew I was right, even if he was stubborn.

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