Page 28 of Lilly's Little Labor Day

He opened the middle drawer on his desk, retrieved an object, and slid it across the glossy, polished desktop.

Lilly’s eyes lit up. “Peanut butter cups! My favorite! Thank you, Sir.”

Master Derek smiled. “I read your application and the questionnaire you filled out. I bought them especially for you.”

She eagerly reached for them but then stopped. She slowly brought her eyes up to meet his. “May I have one, Sir?”

He nodded. “Yes, Lilly. And I’m proud of you for asking. That’s a good girl.”

She squealed with delight and then tore into the package.

“But only one,” he said. “It’s close to suppertime. I’d hate to spoil it.”

“Yes, Sir,” she said, already shoving a bite of chocolate and peanut butter into her mouth.

He gave her a few moments to enjoy the sweet treat before he continued the conversation.

“We need to decide which program will best fit you. According to your answers in our question packet, you could be in our Caterpillars or with the Butterflies.”

“What’s the difference, Sir?” She popped the last morsel of candy into her mouth and ate it while listening intently to Master Derek.

“Caterpillars are in the nursery. Butterflies are Littles who identify as preschoolers.”

Lilly blushed slightly. Master Derek’s lips twitched as if he found the Little’s bashfulness quite cute. He reached back into his desk, retrieved a file, and then laid it before him. Opening it, he glanced over the information.

“It seems you need diapers sometimes.”

She blushed even harder.

He directed a reassuring smile her way. “Don’t be embarrassed, darlin’. We have plenty of Littles here who cannot handle Big kid underwear. Everyone in the Caterpillars fits this category. There are some in the preschool room, as well. Some are fluid—Big kid underwear at times, diapers or pull-ups at other times.”

Lilly nodded but still kept her eyes cast down.

“You’ll be with Nanny J. She’ll love you. She’s always eager to welcome another Little.”

A warmth suffused inside Lilly. The thought of being cared for by a sweet Nanny put her at ease. Of course, she’d rather have a Daddy.

A forever Daddy.

But a Nanny was exciting, too.

As if reading her mind, Master Derek continued, “I know the big question on your mind is if you will meet a Daddy and when this might occur. Rest assured, I take my matchmaking duties very seriously. But sometimes it can take time. I will not pair you with anyone I do not believe to be a good fit. Your happiness—and the happiness of the prospective Daddy—is of utmost importance. So, I won’t rush anything.

“But as it turns out, I have a guest arriving later today who I believe might be a good fit. Simply based upon his casefile and a few video calls. If I still believe this to be the case upon meeting him in person, I’ll introduce you two. Maybe as soon as tomorrow or the next day.”

Lilly couldn’t hide her astonishment. Would she really meet her Daddy that quickly?

She reminded herself she was possibly meeting a Daddy. That was different than meeting her Daddy. It might be a situation where she had to “try out” a few before she found the one.

If she ever found him.

But still—the possibility thrilled her.

Perhaps this was exactly what she needed to finally move on. A week from now, she suspected, and she will have forgotten all about Edward.

Maybe.

Maybe that wasn’t even possible.

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