Page 9 of Daddy's Little Worker
“Frankie,” Noah gently said, kneeling right in front of her.
CHAPTER 4
FRANKIE
She blinked several times, alarm filling her face as she looked at him. “Oh no, did I get stuck in my head and lose track of time? Did I not hear a question? I am so sorry. This never happens. I’m normally so much more professional.”
Lies.
It was all lies. She constantly got lost in her own thoughts, forgetting about everything around her.
“Shh, you’re okay,” he whispered. “You aren’t in trouble, but you did get zone out a little.”
She relaxed in the chair and took a deep breath. She needed to stop getting caught up in her head, but it wasn’t as bad as she thought it was going to be. Okay… it was but she didn’t want to make herself freak out over nothing. Everything was going to be okay.
“Does that happen a lot?” He cocked his head to the side. “You getting lost in your thoughts.”
Frankie looked away for several seconds before bringing her attention back to him. “Yes,” she whispered, not able to lie this time.
There was only so much lying Frankie could do it a day, and she was reaching her limit. How many times had she lied today? She didn’t know and that was a problem. She wasn’t going to be able to keep up with all her lies.
“While you are working or just while you are sitting and relaxing?” Noah asked.
“Mostly when I’m relaxed. At my other jobs, I didn’t space out while I was working,” she honestly replied.
She couldn’t afford to. Not when she needed to focus and make sure she didn’t break anything. It was exhausting, but she always did it and made sure she didn’t go off into her dreamland.
“Every once in a while is okay while you are working, but if it happening constantly will then become a problem,” he told her.
“I don’t daydream while I work.” She narrowed her eyes on him.
Why was he acting like she said she did? She didn’t. Frankie didn’t have the luxury to do it all the time. It only happened when she was relaxed or nothing much was happening around her.
“I wasn’t saying you were. I was just saying that if you do, some is okay,” Noah calmly said.
“Oh,” she whispered. “Sorry.”
“You’re okay. I know a lot has happened in the past couple of hours. Everything is going to be all right. We are going to get you through this paperwork, and then you can go back home and get some rest before you show up for work tomorrow,” he told her.
Frankie couldn’t help but smile. She had a job here. She had a job that would pay more than her last one. Maybe then she’d have some money to go toward something else besides her medicine and a couple of cheap staple ingredients.
“How about you fill out this paperwork while I go grab something from the kitchen,” Noah said. “It’s my dinner, actually. Do you want anything to eat?”
She shook her head. “No, thank you.”
But Frankie badly wanted the food. When was the last time she had a proper meal? Too long but she didn’t want to eat in front of Noah, not when her hands were shaking. If he saw that, he might ask what was going on.
“Are you sure you don’t want anything?” he asked. “It is free.”
Frankie looked away and took a deep breath in. He was tempting her with free food. She should say yes. When would she get a free meal again? This had never happened before, so the likelihood of it happening again was slim to none.
“We have sandwiches and salads. We also have other things the chef can make if you want something different. I bet we have some nuggies if you want them.” She smiled at her.
Nuggies soundedamazing, but she kept her mouth shut. She didn’t need to eat them. Frankie didn’t want to taste them and then not be able to have them again. They were a luxury for her.
“Are you sure you don’t want anything?” he asked.
Noah was still kneeling in front of her. Did his knees not hurt? Frankie didn’t think she’d have been able to get up after and walk properly if she’d been in that position for a while..
