Page 51 of Until Daddy

“So, how are things with that large hunk of a man who picked you up last weekend?” Margaret grinned, displaying dimples on both sides of her face.

Carissa had started her new shift at the hospital, and it had been a few days since she’d been able to make it to the shelter. She should have known Margaret would want to know all about Jamison.

“Things are going okay.” She downplayed the entirety of their relationship.

The truth? Everything was going perfectly. Too perfectly.

Jamison had slowly eased his way into her life, taking over parts of her world that she’d never considered penetrable before. He wasn’t overbearing, or too stubborn. He was strict, and hell, she liked that about him. She put up a good front but he saw through that right away. If he said she was getting a spanking, she got a spanking. There was no wiggle room, no backing out, no forgetting because he got busy. The man’s focus on her was uncanny.

He’d bought her a Keurig! After the second time he’d come over to her apartment to find coffee burning away in the carafe, he’d gone out and bought one for her, along with a six-month supply of k-cups because he knew she wouldn’t go out for more. Then he’d applied her hairbrush to her bare bottom for not being more careful with her electrical appliances. He’d made a whole connection between overheating the pot and overheating her ass. It had been clever, and if she hadn’t been wiggling and crying from the sting of the damn brush, she may have appreciated it a bit more.

Groceries were delivered to her apartment. She filled her virtual cart and set the order, but he went in afterward and pulled out the garbage, replacing the items with more veggies. The first time he did it, she’d thrown a fit on the phone with him. But the sound belting she received that night for it taught her never to do that again. If Daddy said she had to have a green veggie with every meal, she was going to be eating a green veggie with every meal. But she still snuck in a box of Ho Hos before the cut off time for the order.

Margaret laughed. “Okay? I saw the way his eyes devoured you. That man has it bad for you. I’d say okay passed a long time ago.”

“What do you mean?” Carissa followed Margaret down the hall to the clinic. Jamison’s stare was intense, there was no denying that, but that was just his normal way of looking. Right?

“I mean that men who feelokayabout a girl don’t look at them the way he looks at you. He watched you like you were some goddess moving around, like you’d entranced him. And,” Margaret continued while unlocking the clinic door, “letting you stay to help Joyce? I mean, he didn’t let you stay, you would have anyway, but he insisted. He didn’t even give it a second thought that it would make you two late for whatever you had going on. I’ve seen plenty of men come and go from around here, annoyed their girlfriend or wife was putting volunteering in the way of their reservation at some hoity toity restaurant or late for a meeting. He didn’t give it a second thought. This was important to you, and it made it important to him.”

“You got all that from a few minutes with him?” Carissa tried to brush it off. Because it couldn’t be that deep. If it was that deep, if his feelings ran that hot for her, she’d start letting the idea of not calling it quits after the month start seeping in. And she’d been doing her damnedest to block that thought. Even if she stayed up at night remembering how warm his lips were on hers, and wishing he’d spent the night with her. Even while she’d missed her elevator stop at work the day before because she’d started daydreaming about him, she didn’t allow the thought of forever enter her mind.

“No, I got that from the first second he saw you walk out of that classroom. You better hold on, because I don’t think this one’s going to let you just walk away.”

“I don’t just walk away from men.” Carissa found herself getting a little more defensive.

“No, it’s more like a run, but not with him. Don’t get upset. It’s a good thing, and I know you have a good reason to get rid of all the rotten ones in the bunch. But this one isn’t rotten. That’s what I’m saying.”

“So now he’s produce?”

Margaret laughed. “Joke all you want. Now, not to change the subject by changing the subject, but I wanted to tell you that I’ve got some bad news about the offer to buy out the shelter.”

Carissa tensed. It was the one topic Jamison and she had both avoided after the night with his father. Jamison promised he’d take care of it and every time she tried to broach the subject, he firmly told her to drop it.

“They’re still pursuing it?” Carissa went about pulling out an inventory list from the cabinet and busied herself with the work. The clinic was technically closed, and the full-time nurse had gone home for the evening. It was Carissa’s job to be sure they were well stocked for the next day and see any emergencies that couldn’t wait for the next morning.

“It looks like the city is starting to get on their side. We got a letter discussing Imminent Domain.”

Carissa dropped the clipboard but quickly picked it back up. “How can a hotel be more important than this place?” she asked.

“We aren’t a government shelter. We’re private, so we aren’t protected as much, and since the city has shelters, they don’t feel we are necessary.”

“But those shelters are being strangled by all the red tape, lack of funds, and corruption that comes along with the government funding.”

“I agree. That’s why my grandparents opened this place.” Margaret hopped up on the exam table. “We’re getting a protest together, to fight against the city council. We’re hoping to get a few newspapers and TV stations to come to a rally, force the issue onto the public.”

“That’s a great idea. Just tell me when and where.”

“Next Friday. 1 p.m. in front of Croft Enterprises.”

“Count me in.” Carissa turned back to the inventory. It was going to be a very interesting conversation with Jamison when he came over that evening. Though maybe not telling him would be better. Her stomach sank just thinking about his reaction—his rejection.

“Excellent. I knew we’d be able to count on you.”

“Of course. This place can’t just go away.”

Margaret hopped off the table and squeezed Carissa’s shoulder. “It won’t. I’ll let you finish up. I’m sure your man will be looking forward to seeing you tonight.”

Carissa blushed at the suggestive tone in her voice and faced the cabinet.

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