Page 5 of Daddy’s Accidental Surprise Little

Oscar

As much as I hated to admit it, I knew I had blown things with Charity as soon as she left the wedding. It was obvious that she felt very uncomfortable thanks to me bringing up her father, and, after seeing her run off the way she did, I knew that the chances of her actually wanting to see me again were incredibly slim. Cursing myself for having ruined everything, I went home early from the wedding and spent the rest of the weekend sulking. Come Monday morning, I was still in a bad mood, but I continued through my regular routine as I prepared to return to work.

Lakeshore Marketing was the city's number one marketing facility, and we did ads for almost every company in the city from Darling Realty to any number of restaurants throughout the area. We got plenty of business and didn't have very many competitors, making the company very profitable. We were everyone's go to, and I was proud to say that the business was still growing.

As I pulled up to the office, the first person I saw was Henry, my business partner. He was in his usual good mood, and he had a charismatic smile on his face as he approached the elevators. Seeing me standing there already, he waved at me.

"Good morning, Oscar," he said with an annoyingly cheerful voice. "How was your weekend?" Despite my annoyance, I gave him a gentle smile in response.

"It was great," I lied. "Xavier missed you at the wedding." Lowering his gaze, Henry shook his gaze.

"I'm going to have to make it up to Xavier," he admitted as he shuffled his feet. "After all, I had completely forgotten about that conference we were supposed to attend." Waving a hand dismissively in the air, I shook my head at him.

"Somebody had to go to the conference," I reminded him. "It was better you than me since I was the best man." Realizing that I was right, Henry shrugged and followed me to the elevator as we headed towards our offices.

"Did you meet anybody while you were at the wedding?" he asked, sounding genuinely curious. "I hear that weddings are some of the best places to meet women, especially a Daddy and Little wedding." Thinking back to Charity and how she had run off after I brought up her father, I lowered my gaze and shook my head.

"No, I didn't meet anybody," I lied. "I suppose I was too busy helping Xavier and Stephanie out with the wedding." Henry narrowed his eyes suspiciously at me as he looked me up and down, assessing my reaction in order to determine if I was lying or not.

"Have I ever told you that you are a terrible liar?" he asked suddenly, and I knew I had been caught. "In all honesty, you would have more luck at taking candy from a baby than you would pulling the wool over my eyes. What happened?" Realizing there was no way out of it, I shook my head.

"Do you remember Franklin Walton from Walton investments?" I asked. Immediately, Henry nodded.

"Of course, I do," he replied. "Say what you will about Frank, but he knew how to get the job done." Nodding in agreement, I continued.

"I met his daughter at the wedding," I informed him. "We started to hit it off, but, after I realized who she was, she took off, and I haven't seen her since." Henry winced as he shook his head.

"That doesn't surprise me," he admitted as he stared at the elevator doors. "From what I remember of old Frank, he was incredibly strict with his family, his daughter especially. Considering the fact that he recently passed, she may not have been ready to talk about him yet." Realizing he was right, I nodded in agreement.

"We didn't really talk about him," I continued. "She seemed upset whenever I realized who she was." Henry raised an eyebrow at me as he considered my response.

"What is she up to these days?" he asked, sounding genuinely curious. "Is she continuing with the family business? Or is she off doing something else completely?" I shrugged as I watched the number indicate what floor we were on change as we passed several floors.

"She said that she's going to go work for Derek today," I told him. "Apparently, old Frank had her studying law, and, now that he's gone, Derek has given her a position as a junior associate." Henry chuckled and shook his head as he stared at me and disbelief.

"You mean to tell me," he began as he stared at me, "that you know where she works and where she lives thanks to old Frank, and you're scared to go talk to her and apologize for what happened at the wedding." Frowning in confusion, I looked at him.

"But nothing happened at the wedding," I pointed out. Rolling his eyes, he pressed his hand against his face.

"She may not have wanted to talk about who she was," he reminded me. "Can you really blame her? Old Frank was a pill, and everybody knew it. Now that you know her secret, she must feel embarrassed." The realization dawned on me like the sun, and I shrugged, feeling lost.

"What should I do?" I asked. "I don't think she's a Little, and she saved me from an awkward situation with Jasmine, but I don't know what I should do in order to try to continue to get to know her." Sighing in exasperation, Henry shook his head.

"You are the densest man I have ever met," he commented as he peeked at me through his hand. "Go to her and ask her out." My frown deepened as I stared at him.

"Is it really that easy?" I asked. Scoffing, he nodded in response.

"Of course it is, you idiot," he replied. "School boys do it all the time, and the fact that you are acting like one is pathetic. Grow a pair and act like a Daddy or else nobody's ever going to take you seriously." It was at that moment I realized he was right, and I straightened my stance.

"You know what?" I asked as I started to smile. "You're right. I should just ask her out." As the elevator door opened, Henry stepped off the elevator, and I started to follow him. Before I could get through the door, he pushed me back through the doors. "What are you doing?" He chuckled as he shook his head at me.

"Sending you back in the elevator," he stated nonchalantly. "You have unfinished business outside of the office. Go ahead and take the day off if you need it. I can handle things here." Grateful for his help, I made my way back down to the lobby to go look for Charity and make things right.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Charity

The fact that Oscar had travelled clear across town to come visit me at work on my very first day was both romantic and slightly disturbing at the same time. I couldn't believe that he had taken the time to come see me, despite what happened at the wedding, but I was also touched at the fact that he had been worried about me all this time. Realizing that I had left things awkward between the two of us, I decided that the best thing I could do was at least give him a chance to explain himself. However when he showed up at the office he had more than just an explanation.