CEO Needed A Last-Minute Wedding Date, Only One Available Was The Struggling Dad Who Fixed Her Roof
Pancakes and a Pretend Proposal
Sophia hobbled around her kitchen the next morning, making coffee and checking emails. The quarterly reports looked promising.
Parker Tech Solutions was growing steadily under her leadership. At thirty-two, she was one of the youngest female CEOs in the tech industry.
This fact filled her with pride and kept her awake at night. She was constantly pushing to prove herself.
The doorbell rang, and she limped over to answer it. She was surprised to find Noah Bennett standing there with a small girl half-hidden behind his legs.
“I’m sorry,” he said immediately. “Babysitter cancelled last minute, and I promised I’d finish your roof today. Emma will just sit quietly with her books.”
“You won’t even know she’s here.” The little girl peered up at Sophia with enormous blue eyes.
They were her father’s eyes, framed by dark curls. She clutched a worn backpack decorated with dinosaur stickers and a well-loved stuffed triceratops.
“Hi,” the child whispered. Something unexpected tugged at Sophia’s heart.
“Hello, Emma. Do you like chocolate chip pancakes? I was just about to make some.”
Emma’s eyes widened, and she looked up at her father questioningly. “We already had breakfast,” Noah began.
Sophia waved him off. “Nonsense. Growing children need second breakfasts. It’s scientific fact.”
She stepped back, opening the door wider. “You fix my roof, Mr. Bennett, and Emma and I will have a pancake party.”
Noah looked uncertain. “Are you sure? I don’t want to impose.”
“I’m positive. Besides, I twisted my ankle yesterday. Having someone to fetch things from high shelves would be helpful.”
That wasn’t entirely true, but something about the tired lines around Noah’s eyes made her want to help. The careful way Emma clung to her father’s hand moved her.
An hour later, Noah appeared from the roof. He saw his daughter sitting at a kitchen island, visible through the window.
She was giggling as Sophia demonstrated how to flip pancakes with dramatic flair. The CEO’s dark hair was pulled back in a casual ponytail.
She had traded yesterday’s power suit for yoga pants and a soft sweater. The sight made his chest tighten in a way it hadn’t in years.
“My daddy fixes everything,” Emma announced. She carefully poured chocolate chips into the pancake batter.
“He fixed Mrs. Wilson’s toilet and Mr. Garcia’s fence. And now your roof.”
Sophia smiled, helping steady the measuring cup. “Your daddy sounds very talented.”
Emma nodded solemnly. “He is. Mommy used to say he had magic hands.”
Sophia’s smile faltered slightly. “Your mommy sounds nice.”
“She’s in heaven. Daddy says she’s a star now.”
Emma stirred the batter with intense concentration. “Sometimes we look at the stars and try to find her.”
Sophia blinked rapidly, surprised by the sudden sting of tears. “That’s beautiful, Emma.”
“Do you have a mommy?” Emma asked innocently.
“I do, but she lives far away in Florida with my dad.” “Do you have kids?”
“No, I don’t.” “Why not? Don’t you like kids?”
Sophia laughed softly. “I do like kids. I just haven’t found the right time, I guess.”
Emma looked confused. “Daddy says there’s never a right time for important things. You just make time.”
From the mouths of babes, Sophia thought. She wondered when she’d stopped making time for anything beyond quarterly projections and product launches.
By the time Noah finished the repairs that afternoon, Emma had given Sophia a full makeover involving a lot of glitter. They’d built a pillow fort in the living room.
“I’m so sorry,” Noah said when he came inside. He surveyed the cheerful destruction of Sophia’s pristine home.
“Don’t be. I haven’t had this much fun in ages.”
Sophia emerged from the pillow fort with a tiara perched on her head. “Emma is delightful.”
“Still, we should clean up before we go,” he began, gathering scattered pillows.
“Leave it,” Sophia said, then paused. “Actually, I have a proposition for you.”
Noah raised an eyebrow, and Sophia felt her cheeks warm. “A business proposition,” she clarified quickly.
“My cousin’s wedding is in two weeks, and I need a date.” Noah’s expression turned guarded.
“Miss Parker?” “Sophia, please. And before you say no, I’m willing to pay quite well.”
“Actually, you want to pay me to be your date?” His voice was carefully neutral.
Sophia caught the slight stiffening of his shoulders. “It’s not—I don’t mean it like that. It’s just…”
She sighed. “My ex will be there with his new girlfriend, who used to work for me.”
“The whole family knows about it and feels sorry for me. I told everyone I was bringing someone, and now I have no one.”
“It’s too late to back out.” “So you want to hire the handman to play boyfriend?”
There was a definite edge to his voice now. Sophia winced. “That sounds terrible when you put it that way.”
“How else should I put it?” Emma looked between them, sensing the tension.
“Daddy, are you mad?” Noah’s expression softened immediately.
He knelt beside his daughter. “No, princess. I just need to talk to Miss Parker about grown-up things.”
“Why don’t you pack up your crayons?” After Emma wandered off, Noah turned back to Sophia.
“Look, I appreciate you watching Emma today. But I’m not interested in being hired to pretend to be someone’s boyfriend.”
“I have a daughter who depends on me and a business I’m trying to build. I don’t have time for games.”
“It’s not a game,” Sophia said quietly. “It’s one evening.”
“You’d be helping me save face. I’d be paying you enough to cover a month’s worth of jobs. Win-win.”
Noah shook his head. “I may be struggling financially, but I still have my pride.”
As he gathered Emma’s things, Sophia felt a stab of shame. Of course he wouldn’t want to be treated like some escort service.
“What had she been thinking?” “I apologize,” she said as they headed for the door.
“That was insensitive of me. Thank you for fixing my roof.”
Noah paused, his hand on the doorknob. “For what it’s worth, anyone who makes you feel like you need to hire a date isn’t worth impressing.”
After they left, Sophia stood in her quiet house. She was surrounded by the remains of pillow forts and glitter makeup, feeling strangely emptier than before.
Three days later, Noah was replacing rotted porch boards at Mrs. Goldstein’s house. His phone rang with an unfamiliar number.
“Mr. Bennett, this is Marion from Little Explorer’s Daycare. There’s been a mix-up with Emma’s tuition payment. The check bounced.”
Noah closed his eyes, leaning against the porch railing. “There must be some mistake. I deposited a client payment yesterday.”
“I’m sorry, sir, but we’ve already run it twice. Until we receive payment, Emma won’t be able to attend starting Monday.”
After promising to resolve the issue, Noah called his bank. The client’s payment hadn’t cleared yet.
His account was overdrawn after the mortgage payment had processed early. He was $500 short.
No daycare meant no work, which meant no money. He was still calculating his options when his phone rang again.
“Sophia Parker. I have another proposition,” she said without preamble. “No dating involved.”
“I’m listening,” Noah replied cautiously. “My guest house needs renovations.”
“New kitchen, bathroom update, some structural repairs. I was planning to hire a contractor next month, but I thought perhaps you might be interested.”
“I’d pay a fair rate, of course.” Noah hesitated. “Why me? You could hire any number of established companies.”
There was a pause on the line. “Emma left her dinosaur here.”
“I thought maybe you could come by to discuss the project and pick it up.” Noah smiled despite himself.
The dinosaur was currently sitting on Emma’s bed. He’d seen it that morning.
He appreciated the gesture for what it was: an olive branch. “When would you want me to start?”
“Is tomorrow too soon?” By the following week, Noah had established a routine.
He’d drop Emma at daycare. The tuition was now paid after Sophia had advanced him part of the guest house payment.
He would work at Sophia’s all day. Then he would pick up Emma and bring her back to Sophia’s while he finished up.
