Next-Door Daddy

NEXT-DOOR DADDY SOPHIA BENT Copyright © 2022 by Sophia Bent All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. This book is a work of fiction. The characters, businesses, events, and places are used in a fictitious manner or product of imagination. Any similarity to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. https://www.sophiabent.com CONTENTS 1. Marilyn 2. Chris 3. Marilyn 4. Chris 5. Marilyn 6. Chris 7. Marilyn 8. Chris 9. Marilyn 10. Chris 11. Marilyn 12. Chris 13. Marilyn 14. Chris 15. Marilyn 16. Chris 17. Marilyn 18. Marilyn 19. Chris What to Read Next? Join My VIP Mailing List ONE MARILYN The roar of a diesel engine broke the morning quiet–my only coveted moment of peace in a day that promised to demand my usual high-octane performance. Reaching the window in time, I watched as the colossal shiny culprit backed up into the impossibly small space. Large moving trucks weren't common around here, especially next door. The metal monster barely fit into the driveway, but that wasn't my problem. On this typical sunny day in California, USA, I couldn’t wait to get outside and enjoy the heat. I finished the last of my coffee, brushed my teeth, and applied fresh lipstick. It was all so routine. I never thought about it anymore. What mattered was achieving the right look; one that announced that I, a high-powered lawyer specializing in civil suits, had arrived. I had no time for neighborhood pleasantries and Sunday BBQs anyway, so the new neighbor moving in had nothing to do with me. But, I must admit that as I backed my BMW out of the garage, I caught a glimpse of why my peace had been disturbed. Maybe just one barbecue wouldn’t hurt. He was kind of sexy, in a clumsy sort of way. I decided that his sandy blond, blue-eyed appeal more than made up for the disturbance. I was met with a mountain of paperwork at the office, but it was just another day at the grind. I viewed it as a testament to my success and dove right in, shutting out mundane conversations around the water cooler about weekend plans and sports news. I have got to get a better office, with much less traffic outside my door. I plowed through my work for the rest of the morning. The phone must have been ringing for a while, but I hadn’t noticed. “Marilyn, could you join us in the boardroom in fifteen, please?” Mr. Wright’s clipped voice resounded in my ear like a death sentence, and paranoia had me going through a long list of possible reasons for being summoned. Calm down. You’ve been busting your tail on your current caseloads, and you’re at the top of your game. Nobody in the entire company can push out work as well as you do. Just calm the hell down. I took a brisk walk to the ladies’ room to brace myself for whatever they threw at me–grateful for my ensemble choice today. The deep, burgundy-colored skirt, paired with a pearl-colored silk blouse, and finished off with a mile-high pair of Jimmy Choo’s that screamed “ballbuster.” With my ridiculously soft brown hair pulled back into a severe bun at my nape, I fancied that I looked more distinguished. A delicate silver bracelet and matching earrings set off my smokey gray eyes. Studying my twenty-six-year-old reflection in the ladies’ room, I managed a quick pep talk. You are a winner! You will become the youngest partner ever to get in. Now go get 'em, tigress! “Aah, Marilyn. Punctual as always, and perfectly poised at that. Please have a seat,” greeted Mr. Wright cheerfully, motioning for me to sit. All the partners were there. I felt like I was facing the firing squad but managed to remain calm. “You must know that we have been watching you mow through your cases with something akin to awe and wonder, Marilyn. You are a phenomenal asset to the company, and…well, we don’t know how you do it–” Chase Ferdinand gushed and then looked around the table for someone else to take over the blow I felt was coming. Although Chase was a senior partner, he never passed up an opportunity to hit on me shamelessly, and I looked forward to the day I could put him in his place. “Well, we are not a bunch of heartless slave drivers around here, Marilyn,” scoffed Eldric Luke Farthington, the Third CEO and wise sage of the company, trying to soften the blow. As always, I found the dark brown age spot on his left temple rather distracting. He spoke in his characteristic monotone while struggling to breathe, thanks to an advanced stage of emphysema. He must be what…80 years old by now? “We have decided that if you are going to insist on being our hottest rising star, we might as well safeguard our assets by hiring you a PA,” announced Farthington, beaming from ear to ear so that his face looked like a shar pei. The horror of having a shadow hovering over me was too much to bear. “While I appreciate your consideration and concern for my ability to handle my workload, I wish to respectfully decline the offer of assist–” I began but was cut off by that thorn in my side, my junior partner who leaped at every opportunity to take a dig at me: Cheryl Cranston. “You have misunderstood, my dear. It is done. You have a PA. He will be in on Monday,” she smirked. I wanted to slap that smug look off her face but composed myself as if this news had not fazed me in the least and simply responded, “In that case, I thank you for your consideration and will try to adapt to