AllFreeNovel
Share Us
CHAPTER TEN
Nathan
"Wait up, Nathan!" yelled Paul as he raced to catch up to me. As I turned to force a grin at him, a heavy groan escaped me.
Paul was the most annoying person in the office, and everyone used to blame it on me until he started opening up to the rest of us. He was a cocky son of a gun, and I didn't like him all that much. He flashed me a sly look as soon as he caught up to me.
"Is what they say true?" he asked us, fixing his gaze on me. "Did you really end up dating the woman you rescued on Saturday?" Even while I wanted to put all suspicions to rest, I knew that verifying it was someone like Paul was a death wish. He lived for the drama, and he would never let anyone forget that I was the only one who walked away with a new Little at the end of the night.
I knew I should have just gone away and not bothered looking back, but I didn't want to be thought impolite. The more I thought about it, the more difficult it got to choose the best course of action. After a while, I shrugged and turned to face him.
"Honestly, I don't feel comfortable telling you," I said, crossing my arms. "I'd want to remind you that my personal business is my own business, and I'd really like some privacy in my life." He immediately flung back his head and laughed mockingly at me.
"Do you honestly believe there is such a thing as privacy here in the sheriff station?" he questioned, surprised. "You're much more naive than I thought. I'm not sure what else to tell you at this point, but it's better to come clean and just refute the rumors rather than letting them circulate, since else everyone will start assuming the worst about you." I examined this for a few moments before understanding he was actually offering me a helpful clue.
It wasn't even that he was prying into my personal business right now; it was him trying to warn me that there were some dangerous rumors floating around the office. I knew I should thank him for looking out for me, even if we never really saw eye to eye in the first place, but as I looked him in the eyes, I realized that even he couldn't be trusted, despite the fact that he had warned me about everything going on.
As much as I hated to admit it, there was no true honor in the sheriff's department. While Paul had missed the cut off by several years, he was still a beginner and liked to pretend that he was in his twenties rather than his forties. It was much safer to leave him alone and let him believe he was big and tough than to teach him the truth at this point. If anything, life would be the ones to teach him how things truly worked.
"I'll keep that in mind," I said as I walked towards the door. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a lot of work to do." He didn't leave me alone; instead, he followed me out to the parking lot and all the way to my car.
"So you're not going to answer my question?" he questioned, seeming slightly irritated as he spoke. "I could help you clear up a lot of the office rumors." I shook my head once more as I unlocked the car door.
"As much as I appreciate your care, my answer is still no," I told him, my voice stern. "I can handle my own difficulties, and I don't need some newbie like you getting in my way and making things worse for me." Paul looked insulted as he placed his palm on his chest.
"Whatever you say," he said after a time, his voice excessively charming as he talked. "I just thought I should tell you about everything that's going on in the workplace, but since you don't seem to care, I guess I'll let it go. Have a fantastic rest of your day." As he walked back into the office, I felt a wave of perplexity wash over me.
Was there something he wasn't telling me, or was he simply attempting to get under my skin? At this time, Paul was the furthest thing from my thoughts, and all I wanted to do was go home to Georgia, who would be off work any minute now.
As soon as I arrived at the apartment, I intended to go up to Georgia's apartment and surprise her by making dinner. She wasn't supposed to be off for several hours, and I knew how tired she could be whenever she got off work late at night. However, as soon as I reached the door, I could hear some money moving around inside and became curious, wondering if someone had broken in and was planning on hurting her.
I cautiously unlocked the door with the spare key she had given me and threw it open, ready to face whatever menace was on the other side. Georgia, much to my surprise, was standing in the kitchen over a boiling pot of spaghetti, and she looked terrified as she stared at me in amazement and dismay. After seeing her, I put my palm to my chest, attempting to calm myself down while I stared at her.
"What are you doing here so early?" I asked, unable to suppress my interest. "I thought you weren't going to be home for several hours." She just stared silently the pot on the stove, as if she was recovering from her astonishment.
"I got off work early today, so I thought I'd come home and make supper for you," she replied as I closed and locked the door behind me, not wanting any more surprises. "I wasn't sure what time you'd be off, so I figured, since I was already here, I'd start making pasta." I felt my stomach twist as I looked down at the shambles on the stove top.
Even though spaghetti was considered one of the easiest things to cook and even Littles understood how to make it, she was clearly one of the ones who didn't know how to do it. Water had repeatedly boiled over onto the stovetop, leaving charred splatters in its wake, while the meat in the other pan was almost burnt to a crisp. Nothing seemed edible at this point, and I winced as I gazed about at the chaos.
"May I make a suggestion?" I inquired as I turned to face her. "What are your thoughts on ordering pizza and having a movie night? I'll let you stay up later if you want." She looked a little dismayed as she looked back at the mess she had made.
"You don't like it, do you?" She asked, turning to face me, her lower lip twitching as she threatened to cry. I immediately shook my head in response and attempted to defuse the situation before she began crying.
"Oh, it's not that at all," I comforted her. "I just think you deserve a special treat after everything you've been through today." She paused for a bit before nodding her head in agreement with my offer.
"I want to watch Frozen," she remarked as she walked over to the couch. "Can I sing along to every song?"
Georgia and Nathan are together and, on their way, to Happily Ever After, but their story still isn’t finished. Click here to receive the epilogue for FREE to know what happens to them next!
I hope you enjoyed this nineteenth book in the Sheriff Daddy's Little Girl Series, and thank you for reading. Didn’t you think Georgia and Nathan were fated for each other? Their love is stronger than any force in the world!
Poor Paul is feeling like he’s not caught up to any of the other sheriffs. Finger’s crossed that he is able to finally find his true love Little and happiness at last.
