In my current WIP (work-in-progress), a book that will be out this October titled, One Night With The Doctor, the heroine meets the hero’s father.  He’s also a doctor and a man many find intimidating.  But he reminds the heroine of someone from her past, and she feels comfortable with him right away.

Would this be believable to you?

The reason it works for me is because of the following two examples from my own life:

Example #1:

I worked all through high school as a waitress at a “tea room.”  I loved it there until a new manager was hired.  She was horrible.  She would yell and scream (yes, SCREAM and YELL) at the employees.  She never missed a chance to berate us in front of the customers, even if we were only delivering news that she’d told us to deliver (no, I’m sorry, we can’t substitue X for X without an additional change).   I intensely disliked this woman and left that job because of her.

Then, in my first year of college, I got a job working part-time in a bank.  Normally, I like pretty much everyone.  But there was something about my new supervisor that made it difficult for me to warm up to her.  She was always nice to me and my fellow employees all liked her so I knew it had to be my issue.  One day it hit me.  She looked like a younger version of my witchy manager from the tea room!   Once I made the connection, I was able to warm up to her and we actually became friends.

Example #2:

I began working for a woman (who was about my age) and even though a lot of my coworkers found it difficult to connect with her, I liked her instantly.  I joked with her, talked easily with her and felt comfortable with her.  Again, it took me a while but I finally realized she reminded me of another friend who had the same demeanor.  Although both women were shy–and were occasionally perceived as arrogant– they were really nice people when you got to know them.  I discovered I’d been responding to my new boss as if she was already my friend.

Have you ever had such experiences?  If you read about this in a book, would it be believable to you?

Let me know your thoughts and you’ll be entered to win your choice of a large-print copy of either The Christmas Proposition, If the Ring Fits or In Love With John Doe.  Winner will be posted on Sunday!