Page 1 of Daddy’s Accidental Shy Little

CHAPTER ONE

Annabelle

“Is there anything I can get you?” the waitress asked as she approached my table. Having made her wait for almost half an hour already, I felt guilty for wasting her time and nodded as I looked back down at the menu.

“Yes, I think I’m ready to order,” I told her. “Can I get the Reuben with extra sauerkraut, fries, and a Caesar salad?" She nodded as she jotted down the order.

"Would you like some more water as well?" she asked, nodding towards my empty cup. I thought for a moment before shaking my head.

"I would like a Dr. Pepper, please," I requested. As soon as she jotted down the order, she took the two menus, not even reacting as she took them, and made her way back to the kitchen, leaving me alone at the diner table meant for two.

In all honesty, I hadn’t wanted to come here in the first place. While I loved this diner and came as often as I could, I had better things to do than waste my precious time meeting some stranger I didn’t know when I had so much work to do today. Even though it was my day off, I was in the middle of helping Father move into the nursing home, where he would receive the care and attention he needed after his stroke. Right now, he had everything he was allowed in the nursing home, but I still had to move the rest of his stuff into storage, where it would remain until I was no longer restricted to the tiny space that composed my apartment.

Initially, I had moved out because I needed to move closer to the college I was attending. I grew up in a small town that barely had a convenience store, a gas station, and a library. Everything else was at least half an hour away, but the one thing it seemed to lack was a decent college with a credible nursing program. So, rather than having to travel three hours each day between school and home, Father insisted that I move to the city and get a place of my own.

When I got the call from the hospital, telling me that Father was in intensive care after having a stroke, I left work immediately. I drove like a maniac until I pulled up to the hospital, desperate to see for myself that he was alive. He was awake and responsive, but after conversing with the doctors, I was advised to either move back and care for him or move him into a nursing home. They said there was a state-of-the-art nursing home in the same city I was living in and even recommended that I look into it.

It wasn’t even the fact that I was refusing to quit school and go back home. I had already started to call the school to drop out when Father called me over and, while his voice quivered and his words slurred, he rebuked me for trying to do something so brash and foolish. After insisting that I don’t throw my life away and wasting my time on him, he volunteered to go to the nursing home the doctor recommended and asked me to handle everything.

That’s what I had been in the middle of doing when Jenna, an old friend of mine from high school, called and said that her brother had been asking about me and wanted to meet up when they visited the city that same day. I initially tried to turn her down, especially since I had only seen him briefly at our high school graduation, but she insisted on me giving him a chance. So, after agreeing to meet him for lunch at my favorite diner, Jenna hung up the phone, and I started to plan around the inconvenient date.

I was uncomfortable dating, especially since everyone always seemed to dislike me. I was considered plain and ordinary, but I wasn’t ugly. I was short and thin, and my breasts were larger than most. However, since I preferred not to waste my time on fancy clothing or makeup, I was always wearing the plainest of clothing that hid the curves of my body. My long, blonde hair was luscious and matched my emerald eyes, but my plain appearance seemed to cancel out my natural beauty.

The waitress finally returned, carrying my order as she approached the table. She placed the plate of food down with a practiced hand, and the glass of Dr. Pepper followed behind it. As soon as everything was on the table, she offered me the bill and disappeared into the kitchen once more, confirming that I may very well always be alone.

The food lost all flavor as depression set in, and the joy I always felt when I visited this place fled me as I went through the meaningless task of eating. Every bite grew heavy and threatened to suffocate me while I tried not to choke. Finally, the food was gone, and I paid my bill and left the diner just as my phone started to ring.

“Hello?” I asked, wondering if it was the workers I had hired to help me move everything or Father, who was always wanting anything but the mushy food they served at his new home. Instead, it was Jenna.

“Hey, so I hate to say it, but Kyle canceled on you,” she told me. “His ex got in contact with him, and they’re going to get back together.” My mind was numb as I made my way over to the car.

“I’m not worried about it,” I reassured her, climbing into the front seat of the car. “I was just about to call you, anyway. I wasn’t going to be able to make it anyways.” She went silent for a moment, but she sounded a bit happier when she finally responded.

“Well, that’s okay,” she reassured me, ignoring the blank tone behind my words. “Anyways, I have a friend who lives in the city who’s looking for a date. Do you want me to set you up?” I groaned as I shook my head.

“I don’t know,” I said, feeling uncertain as I spoke. “I think I would rather get my stuff done rather than go on another blind date.” She grew insistent as she spoke.

"Nonsense," she protested. "You'll love him. Trust me."

CHAPTER TWO

Paul

The workday had been rather dull, and I was getting tired of how time seemed to slow to a complete halt as I continued my work. Thanks to Oscar deciding to take some vacation time to go camping with Charity, I was left to handle the marketing campaign on my own for our client. We had a week to complete the campaign and present it to the client, I was facing a severe creativity block, and time had become a secondary enemy. Pacing through the room to get rid of the restlessness that was building inside me, I started to hum my favorite tune to help me think clearer.

It was impossible to tell if it was because I was washed up and starting to fall apart thanks to the many years of creative frenzies that had made our marketing company so successful or if it was because of Natalie. Our new receptionist was a handful. I was looking for a way to let her go without causing a legal battle. She was a natural disaster waiting to happen.

For whatever reason, she had set her sights on me, and she was always trying to convince me to go out with her for drinks or dinner. She was always pressing her curvy body to me, tempting me in every way a woman could, but I refused to budge. Now, she was getting more restless and threatened to take a turn for the worse at any second.

The tiny knock on my door startled me, and I turned just in time to watch the door handle start to turn, catching as soon as the lock prevented it from working. The door handle jiggled violently now, and a sharp, insistent set of knocks accompanied it. Before I could reach the door, I heard Natalie’s voice call out to me, sounding crazed and wild like that of a feral animal.

“Paul?” she called out, calling me by my first name rather than my last like I had requested countless times. “Paul, it’s me. Open the door, please.” I groaned as I made my way across the office and opened the door.

Natalie’s unnaturally blonde hair was tied back in a bun, and her shiny blue eyes were red-rimmed and panicked as she breezed her way into my office. Searching the office for any sign of whatever suspicious activity she seemed to believe was going on, she turned and looked me up and down, her ruby red nails tapping impatiently against her perfectly, clearly unnatural tanned skin. Everything about her seemed fake, right down to her puffy lips that made her look like she had an allergic reaction rather than pouting.

“What were you doing in here?” she asked, her voice as sweet as honey and cold as ice. “Why was the door locked?” Raising an impatient eyebrow at her disturbingly undeserved behavior, I shook my head.

“First of all, I don’t have to answer that,” I told her, my tone calm and collected despite my annoyance. “I am your boss, and I don’t have to justify myself to you.” She rolled her eyes at me as she closed the space between us, and I knew she was about to start our usual exchange.