Page 4 of Daddy’s Accidental Shy Little

"Did you fire Natalie?" he asked, sounding concerned as he spoke. Worried that he might be mad, especially based on the way he sounded, I took a deep breath and nodded, bracing myself for his reaction.

"Not exactly," I told him as I thought about the best way to explain it. "I asked her to do a drug test before the end of the work day today, and she didn't." He sounded even more confused as he spoke.

"Because a lot of employees are complaining about her proven drug usage at the workplace," I replied. "She's been smoking weed around the office and making a lot of people very uncomfortable. She even threatened to accuse me of sexual harassment when I requested that she do the drug test." Oscar sighed through the phone, and I could already see him shaking his head at me.

"God damn it, Paul," he groaned. "Please tell me you've already contacted Derek and submitted proof just in case she comes back at us because of all this." A smile spread across my face as I nodded in response.

"You know I did," I reassured him. "Derek already said that we have more than enough evidence to press charges against her. All we have to do is wait on the court orders." Oscar went silent for a moment, and I swore he disconnected on me for a moment.

"You better hope this works," he decided, sounding unsure as he spoke. "If I have to come out there and deal with this myself, I'm not going to be happy. We have too much at stake." I sighed as I considered this.

"I know," I reassured him. "Trust me, Derek already confirmed the case is as good as ours." Even though Oscar didn't sound convinced, he still hung up the phone, and I prepared to go into my home, ready to rest before Jenna's baby shower, which was coming up soon.

CHAPTER FIVE

Annabelle

"I'm so glad you made it!" Jenna declared as she threw open the door and pulled me in for a hug. "I was afraid you were going to cancel on me." I forced a smile and shook my head, trying to look as lively as ever as I spoke.

"Why would I do that?" I asked, my voice sounding as cheerful as humanly possible despite my exhaustion. "It's been too long since we've seen each other. I wouldn't miss this for the world." Looking around at the party around us, I frowned slightly in confusion.

The party-goers were all strange, and they didn't seem to fit together very well. Most of the women were around my age, and they all dressed up like giant toddlers. The men that accompanied them seemed normal enough, but I couldn't believe how they were acting towards the women as they made their way around the room.

"Are you okay?" Jenna asked as she stared at me. "You look a little green." Forcing my smile to remain in place, I turned my attention back to her.

"Oh, it's nothing," I reassured her. "Just not a fan of large crowds." When she didn't seem convinced by my statement, I turned my attention to her rounding belly. "So, did the doctor set the due date yet?" She beamed as she looked down at her belly.

"August," she replied, a hint of pride in her voice as she looked back up at me. "Matthew and I have been trying for a few years now, and I finally made it happen." Realizing that I had yet to meet Matthew, I looked around as I followed her over to the gift table to put up my gift.

"By the way, where is Matthew?" I asked, feeling a bit queasy as I set down my lesser gift among the more extravagant ones. "Is he going to make an appearance, or do I have to wait for another time?" At that moment, an older man, about fifteen years younger than my father, walked up to the two of us.

"Of course I am," he said as he wrapped an arm around Jenna's waist. "How could we possibly celebrate Jenna's pregnancy without me being here?" Seeing the confused look on my face as I stared at the man who had interrupted our conversation, Jenna smiled.

"Annabelle, this is Matthew," she told me, introducing me to her boyfriend. I winced as I stared at the man.

He reminded me a lot of the man who had helped me get home from the store yesterday when the crazy lady hit my car. He was tall and buff, and he had hints of gray in his hair as he stared at me. I vaguely remembered Jenna mentioning that he worked for Derek Lanberger, one of the most notorious lawyers in the city, and I found myself unable to look away from the mountain of a man who had impregnated my best friend.

Was there something Jenna wasn't telling me? Was she safe, happy, and in love with this man? Or was he forcing her to stay with him? Realizing I was being impolite, I smiled and offered him my hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," I said, and he shook my hand.

"It's about time that you came to see us," he said with a kind smile. "Jenna's missed you dearly." I was about to respond when I froze in terror, staring at the one person behind the two of them.

It was the man from the store. He was here in my friend's house, and he was staring right at me. Usually, I would have been calm. However, seeing the look on his face as he stared at me, I wanted to bury my head in the sand and disappear from this world.

His dark eyes locked with mine, and I whimpered as I stood there, feeling weak and vulnerable. What was he doing here? Was he a friend of Jenna's? Having noticed my obvious discomfort, Jenna frowned and offered me her arm.

"You don't look so good," she commented as she motioned towards the couch. "You should sit down. Would you like something to drink?" I forced a ghost of a smile as I nodded my head in agreement.

"I suppose I should have some water," I replied. "I need to take better care of my body. While Jenna sat down next to me, ensuring I was well, I saw Matthew turn and find himself face to face with the man.

"Ah, Paul!" he exclaimed joyfully. "I'm glad you made it. Come on in and have a seat. Our first game is about to begin." The man, Paul, nodded as he followed Matthew into the kitchen. As they walked past, I turned to look at Jenna, who was still smothering me.

"Who was that?" I asked, trying to hide my discomfort with genuine curiosity. She frowned as she watched Matthew and Paul make their way towards the kitchen.

"That's Paul, Matthew's friend," she informed me. "Paul started a marketing company with Matthew's brother, Oscar, so he's over here regularly." She then stopped and turned towards me. "Is something wrong?" Sighing, I realized that I should have known she would know I knew Paul sooner or later, and I lowered my gaze.

"I met him yesterday," I admitted, my cheeks burning red in embarrassment. "He had to give me a ride home from the store after some crazy idiot hit my car in the parking lot." Realization dawned on her, and Jenna nodded her head in response.