Page 6 of Daddy’s Accidental Shy Little

"Thanks for the offer, but I might need some time to consider it," she decided. "I still have to worry about my school work and getting my father moved in." Seeing her concerns as fair, I shrugged.

"That's fine," I told her. If you want, you can start Monday, and I'll allow you paid time off so that you can handle anything that happens." Across the room, Natalie looked hurt and betrayed as she seemed to overhear everything. "In fact, if you start on Monday, I might have a way of helping you out."

CHAPTER SEVEN

Annabelle

The job offer seemed too good to pass up, especially since the insurance company was trying to charge me out of pocket for the lady hitting my parked vehicle, so I gladly took it. Jenna seemed thrilled and still tried to get me to go on the double date, but I convinced her to drop it. After all, he was my new boss, and the last thing I wanted was to mess things up before I even got to start the job.

Much to my surprise, Paul was rather generous about everything he did, and, by the end of the weekend, he had done more than help me with getting Father's stuff to storage. He had me set up with a rental car to help me get around until my car was fixed, got everything to storage for my father, helped me adjust a work schedule so I could still attend class, and offered to help me pay my deductible to help get my car fixed. Even though we had only just met, he did it all without any expectations, too. Or so he claimed.

In all honesty, I felt guilty, almost as if I had been taking advantage of him the entire weekend, and I didn't know how to thank him. Although Jenna had tried pushing us together the whole time we were at the baby shower, he didn't seem interested in me at all, so I knew that, even if I was interested in him, it wasn't an option. So, instead, I focused more on making sure I came to work on time the following Monday.

When Monday morning finally came, I got up over two hours before I had to be at work. I hurried around the house to get everything done that I needed to start work. Thankfully, school wouldn't start up again until August, so I could work as many hours as I needed to over the next two months. Once I had dressed and made coffee, I hurried to the new rental Paul had helped me with, and I started towards work, my heart beating the whole time I was on the way.

I wondered why he had been so generous ever since we met. Even when I was a stranger, he had looked after me, and I couldn't figure out why. Things didn't make any more sense when Jenna introduced us, and he started acting even nicer towards me.

Men weren't nice to me. They tolerated my existence and only acknowledged me when they had to, but they were never actually nice to me. The worst part was, no matter how much I tried, I could never figure out if it were because of my plain appearance or because I, unlike other women my age, preferred to keep my body covered no matter what. Either way, it didn't seem to matter.

I was used to the cold treatment, and I preferred to stay away from them anyways. The best way to avoid getting hurt by someone was not to let them get close to you in the first place. That's why, when it came to the blind dates Jenna was always trying to set me up on, I never got my hopes up.

Arriving at the address Paul had given me, I found myself amazed at how, even though the building looked small on the outside, the office itself was rather big and spacious. Realizing that I would like this job more than I suspected, I quickly made my way inside.

"Ah, Annabelle, good morning," said Paul, who was sitting in one of the many chairs in the lobby. "I was hoping you would arrive early." Confused by how he was acting, I tried not to sound disappointed or creeped out.

"I left early to make sure I found the place before I had to be here," I admitted as I tried to cover the blush that threatened to burn my cheeks.

For some reason, ever since Jenna told me that she was trying to get us together, I had become more self-conscious and aware anytime I was around him. Even though he was my new boss, I couldn't help but feel even more indebted to him just by standing in his presence. This man had been nothing but kind to me, and I knew I owed him everything thanks to the events of the weekend. Paul smiled as he motioned for me to follow him.

"This way, please," he told me, and I nodded as I followed him.

He led me down the hall and towards a set of rooms that varied from conference rooms to private offices, and he stopped outside one of them. Pulling out his keys, he unlocked the door and entered, and I hesitated outside the door, taking in the surroundings. After seeing the way he beckoned me forward, I stepped inside, my heart fluttering between my chest and stomach.

The office seemed perfectly normal and natural, almost like it was part of the set of every sitcom about working in an office, but it had a professional elegance to it. It was the kind of thing that I expected to see in a lawyer's office or a doctor's office, yet it was perfect for someone like Paul. As soon as the door closed behind me, Paul stood behind his desk.

"Thank you for accepting the job," he began as he rummaged around his desk, seeming to look for something. "You have no idea what it means to my partner and me." Frowning, I tilted my head at him.

"Partner?" I asked, and he glanced up briefly before nodding in response.

"Yes, my business partner, Oscar," he continued. "He's been on vacation for the last week, and he was worried that losing our receptionist would be a problem. I appreciate the fact that you made it easier on us." A blush crept into my cheeks.

"I'm just sorry that Jenna made everything so awkward for you," I told him, the words gushing from my mouth before I could even fully process them. "Especially since she's been trying to get us together from the start." He paused as he looked up at me, and I wondered if I ruined things by bringing her up to him.

"You knew about that?" he asked as he watched me closely. Confusion washed over me as I realized that I hadn't made things awkward as I thought. Instead, I had broken some form of barrier between the two of us and opened up a whole new world.

"Yes," I drawled out, still a bit confused as I processed this. "She told me about it at the baby shower." He nodded as he sat down at his desk, and I realized that he seemed calm for someone in his position.

"And how do you feel about it?" he finally asked me."Her intentions to get us together, that is." After thinking it over, I shrugged.

"Honestly, I don't know," I admitted. He gave me a gentle smile as he stared at me from across the room.

"Would you like to test it out?" he asked, and I finally realized why he was so calm.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Paul

I don't know what had come over me, but now that I had said it, there was no taking it back. I had to stand by what I had said and accept the consequences, no matter what they were. I stood there, holding my breath as she stared at me, looking both confused and concerned as she stared at me. After a moment, she finally tilted her head at me, looking puzzled as she spoke.