Page 13 of Billionaire Daddies Next Door

Joanie

Giggling at my front door later that day cued me into the fact that there were a couple of little brats breaking into my house again. They didn’t seem too concerned by their father’s threats. I stood just inside my entryway so when they pushed the door open, I jumped out and scared them half to death. They screamed and knocked each other down while panicking.

I put my hands on my hips and tried to keep a straight face while staring down at them. “Maggie. Macey. Did you two learn nothing from your last break in? It’s a bad idea.”

Macey pulled herself up and wiped her forehead. “You scared us, Joanie! We were just coming to invite you over to our tea party!”

Maggie, identifiable by her freckle, used her sister’s dress to pull herself up and mimicked my pose with her hands on her hips. “Well? Are you coming?”

I’d spent the day working my butt off, covering for servers who hadn’t bothered to show up and my feet hurt. The last thing I wanted to do was trek across the field to their house. I didn’t want to run into their Dad or Uncle or Chase. I wanted to take a long, hot bath and melt.

“She’s going to say no. She’s no fun.” Macey crossed her arms over her chest and pouted. “It’s just one little tea party!”

Maggie blinked up at me, her big eyes filling with tears. “Nobody ever wants to have tea parties with us.”

I knew I was being scammed, but I couldn’t deny them their tea party when they looked so pitiful. “Fine! One tea party and then you leave me alone. Got it?”

Miraculously, they were both fine as soon as I agreed to do what they wanted. Their tears dried up and they were all grins as they grabbed my hand and tugged me out of my house so fast, I barely got my door closed.

Mack was sitting at the edge of the field, watching us. When we got closer, he started running and jumping in circles, showing just how happy he was. He knocked both girls over in his excitement and when I was bent over, helping the girls up, he tackled me from the side and then we were all down in a heap of bodies.

I groaned. “Mack, you’re a dick.”

He stuck his tongue in my ear and then tried to shove it up my left nostril. Feeling like his licking stick was moving too much, he laid across my chest and pinned my arms to my body. Once he was free to lick my face, he went for it.

The girls watched as I squirmed and screamed, but they were each giggling so hard they couldn’t stand up. It would’ve been adorable if it wasn’t me on the ground, getting licked to death. As it was, I groaned out their names until finally they tugged at Mack and he let me up. I jumped to my feet and used my shirt to wipe my face.

“That’s so gross! He licked my eyeball!” I shuddered and scowled at the giant dog. “That wasn’t a very good boy, Mack.”

He tilted his head at me and barked once, like he was responding. It was just too bad I couldn’t understand him.

Maggie gripped my hand and tugged. “Come on! It’s tea party time! If we’re late, we’ll miss the cucumber sandwiches.”

I hurried after them, frowning at the idea of little girls wanting cucumber sandwiches. I’d been forced into eating some pretty strange things while growing up with socialite parents, but I’d never been excited about anything other than pizza and candy. Even as an adult, I didn’t feel excited about a cucumber sandwich.

“Ms. Bell makes the best sandwiches. She came with us from our old house. She’s going to like you.” Macey stomped past the fire pit I’d sat around with her Dad and Smith. “Anyone who makes Daddy as grumpy as we do makes her happy.”

I grunted. “If your Dad’s grumpy, that’s not my fault.”

Maggie giggled. “Uncle Smith thinks it’s your fault. He said you wiggle under people’s skin. How do you do that? It sounds gross.”

Macey shrugged her tiny shoulders. “I don’t know. If it makes boys upset, it could be fun.”

I ground my teeth together. “I don’t wiggle my way under anyone’s skin.”

“Uncle Smith said you got under Uncle Chase’s skin. I bet it’s warm under there. Uncle Chase is always warm, like a big teddy bear.” Maggie grinned and elbowed her sister. “Like a big daddy bear!”

I couldn’t help smiling at them having fun at the expense of their dad’s name. I also couldn’t help finding them cute, despite their annoying antics. “Let’s just say I’m under no one’s skin and leave it at that.”

“Whatever you say.” Macey wiggled her eyebrows at her sister and nodded back at me. “Should we call you Aunt Joanie already?”

I choked just as an older woman with the most stunning updo I’d ever seen opened the side door of the massive house. I covered my mouth with one hand and patted my chest with the other, but it did nothing to soothe the shock the girls had just given me. I wasn’t ready to be an aunt. Were they crazy? I especially wasn’t ready to be an aunt in the way they were talking about.

“Well, goodness, honey. Get on in here and let me pour you a glass of water.” The woman’s hair really was a work of art. It reminded me of the classic beehives from so long ago. Her deep southern accent was instantly welcoming and I wondered where she’d been all my life. “I’m Mabelle. The girls call me Ms. Bell, but you just call me Mabelle, honey. Here. Take this.”

I accepted the crystal glass of water she handed me and downed the entire thing. Water dribbled down my chin and I wiped it away with the back of my hand, cringing immediately at how unkempt I must’ve looked. “Um. I’m so sorry to barge in. I’m Joanie from next door. The girls invited me over for a tea party.”

“You’re not barging, honey. I knew the girls were going to drag you back here, one way or another. These two are conniving when they set their minds to something. I’ve been their nanny since they were two and even at that age, they were already working out how to get their way. Slipperier than an oiled watermelon, these two.” Mabelle lovingly ruffled the girls’ hair and smiled. “It’s nice to meet another adult who doesn’t smell like sweat and grunt like a wild animal. Hopefully you’ll visit me often.”

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