Page 186 of Daddy's Naughty List

“Do you have any dreams of things you’d like to do in the future?”

“Go back to school. I had to drop out of high school for some family problems. I’d love to get my diploma. First, I need to get out of this apartment complex. I’ve got a new place all picked out. I just need to save up the money.”

“How’s that going?” he asked.

“Great. I’ll get there in a few months if I’m careful. That reminds me, what do I owe you for pizza and medicine?”

“Not a thing. You do need to take your medicine.” Rocky rose to his feet in a smooth display of toned coordination. He returned to sit back down with the bag from the pharmacy.

Opening it up, he pulled out a bag with her prescriptions. “Here’s the antibiotic. You’re supposed to take this four times a day. The pharmacist suggested two tonight. One now and another before bed. It doesn’t matter if they’re closer together than normal.”

“You really did talk to the pharmacist,” Melissa said in wonder.

“Of course. This other one is the pain medicine. Maybe take this before you go to bed? He cautioned against taking this and driving,” Rocky warned.

“I won’t take those. I get too loopy.”

“It’s not a bad idea to have in case you need it. I also got some over-the-counter painkillers. Take those now with your antibiotic. I brought you a treat for taking your medicine.”

Her eyes widened in surprise when he pulled out a bag of chocolate kisses in holiday colors. Instantly, her mouth watered. She hadn’t bought candy in a very long time.

“Pizza first. Then dessert,” Rocky told her.

She watched him open the pill containers and drop the right dose into her hand. Grateful she didn’t need to worry about anything, Melissa popped them into her mouth. Her arm was hurting more and more as the deadening meds wore off.

“How many stitches do you have, little girl? Or did he use glue?”

“The teeth marks were jagged, so he had to stitch them. I didn’t watch. They said I had seven in different places.”

“Ouch. I’m afraid that’s going to hurt. Let’s set your phone to remind you to take your medicine,” Rocky suggested, holding out his hand for her device.

“That’s a good idea.” She would have never thought of programming her phone to signal it was time to take her pills. Poking in the sack he’d gotten at the pharmacy, Melissa noticed he’d gotten several kinds of bandages and even some tape. She could use that for the trash bag showers.

“I can’t thank you enough for all of this. You’re going to think I’m a bunch of trouble and run the other way,” Melissa predicted.

“Not going to happen, little girl. We haven’t known each other long, but I agree with PLAYTIME. We’re a good match.”

“Thank you for helping me,” she whispered.

“It’s my absolute pleasure, Melissa. I’ve been looking for someone special to complete my life. I think I need to write PLAYTIME a thank-you note.”

Chapter Three

Rocky watched the slight figure devour two large slices of pizza before leaning back to rub her tummy. He didn’t need a detective license to know her normal meals were limited and was glad he’d ordered a large pizza. Devouring the whole pie would have been easy, but he limited himself to two slices as well so she’d have leftovers.

“Could you take tomorrow off?” he asked.

“No,” she said, shaking her head in horror. “I enjoy going to work. I don’t want to stay here for hours.”

“What else is that jerk doing?” Rocky felt his blood pressure spike in anger.

“It’s okay. He’s just here in the evenings. Well, on the weekends, too, I’m sure. I usually ask for additional shifts, so I’m out of the building. Or I go to the park if the weather is good.”

“What’s so bad about this apartment?” he asked.

A scurrying sound came from the kitchen. Then, a rhythmic banging like something was trying to open the cabinets. Rocky glanced at Melissa and froze at the fear etched into her features. As he watched, she scrambled up into a chair and hugged her knees to her chest.

“You don’t have a cat?” he guessed.

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