Page 14 of Daddy's Naughty List

“Like this?” She moved the seat several inches and repositioned her mirrors.

“Perfect.” Once she was settled, he strode around the hood and climbed into the passenger seat. “Are you ready?”

“I’m so nervous, but…” Her chest expanded with a deep breath, and she put her foot on the brake before pressing the starter button. “I think I can do this.”

“I know you can.” After making sure her seatbelt was fastened, he took care of his own. “And you even have a backup camera, plus lane keeping, and all the fancy doodads to help you.”

“That’s a relief.” She straightened her shoulders and put the truck into reverse, then backed from the spot. Slowly, she drove across the parking lot, then stopped at the road. “Here goes nothing.”

Fingers tight on the wheel, she signaled her turn, then looked both ways before exiting the parking lot. Within moments, she accelerated to match the speed limit.

“You’re doing really well,” he murmured after she’d gone a few miles. “Still nervous?”

“A little.” She glanced at him quickly, then smiled as she focused on the road. “But I like driving your truck. It’s nice to be up so high because I can see more.”

“I bet you’re ready to take your driving test.”

“Not quite.” Her smile faded and she shrugged. “I can’t… I mean, I need more practice with the maneuverability part.”

“Good save, sweetheart.” He reached over the console and squeezed her knee. “I’m proud of you for catching yourself.”

“Thank you, Sir.”

Susan

Kendra’s delighted reaction to Susan’s party plans felt wonderful, but it could never compare to Walt’s praise. Her knee tingled from his touch, and giddy warmth filled her from head to toe.

She was even driving his huge truck, and her nerves faded more with each mile, until she found herself wanting to drive all the way to…

Well, somewhere. Susan couldn’t imagine driving three days to Disney World. It was one thing to see it on a map, and something else entirely to actually do it. Maybe it would be better to take a plane.

Disneyland in California was much closer, but she definitely wasn’t ready for Los Angeles traffic.

“What are you thinking about?” Walt asked, surprising her.

“Driving to Disney World. It’s just so far.”

“Well, one benefit to driving is that you’d get to see all sorts of things on the way, but it’s probably cheaper to fly.”

“I thought flying was expensive.”

“It can be, but after you pay for gas, food, and at least two nights at a hotel…” He chuckled softly, then added, “Don’t forget the extra vacation days.”

“Yes, Sir. I did forget that.” She sighed and slowed, then signaled her turn into the Caroline’s parking lot. “I’ll need to save for the trip, but I think I want to fly.”

“Good choice.” He pointed at a spot some distance from the entrance. “I want you to back into that parking place. Let’s see how you do.”

“I’m good at backing.” She lined up and slowly eased the truck into the parking spot. “I just need to practice parallel parking.”

To her surprise, the c-word didn’t even try to come out, and she silently thanked Walt for helping her learn a different mindset. She’d spent too long using the c-word for everything she didn’t know how to do, and it wasn’t correct.

In fact, she could only think of one thing she’d never be able to do. It was fun to imagine, but morphing into a big cat—like in theMinette Moreauparanormal romances Dr. Lopez used to teach Susan to read—was a definite can’t.

Well, not in real life anyway. She could always dream about being a beautiful white tiger with blue eyes, a mystical snow leopard, or a fierce jaguar. Susan laughed inwardly, remembering how hard reading had been until she found stories she couldn’t wait to devour.

Thinking of her books reminded her to finish reading her newGolden AngelandStella Moorebooks. They wrote the best Daddies.

“You’ll get it,” he promised. “Heck, I failed it twice when I was a teenager, until the woman who administered my driving test finally took pity on me and taught me a trick.”

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