Page 31 of Protecting Little Phoebe

“Well, that doesn’t mean that you don’t have any,” he told her solemnly. “What do you think Miss Price would make you do for taking part in the prank?”

“I think she might give me a cupcake!”

“Little girl,” he warned.

“I don’t know… timeout?”

“If you go into the preschool tomorrow that might be what you’re given to do. Unless you want to accept a punishment from me?”

“I can do that?”

“Hmm, you’re mine now so I will be giving you all of your punishments from now on. Unless you decide you no longer want that. However, you weren’t mine during this prank. So it’s up to you. Me or Miss Price or one of the other teachers, I guess.”

“Will you do it now?” she asked.

“In the morning.”

“Man, waiting sucks.”

“Sometimes it’s part of the punishment.”

“Well, that’s just evil,” she told him. “What would the punishment be if you gave it to me?”

He smiled. “It’s a mystery.”

“Nooo, I don’t like mysteries. Well, unless I’m reading one. A good murder mystery with a bit of romance thrown in is fun. The mystery of what punishment you’re getting isn’t fun.”

“What do you want to do, Little girl? I can take you to the Butterflies room after breakfast. Or you can be punished by me.”

“And then I have to go to the preschool?”

“You don’t have to go if you don’t want to. Would you like to spend the day with me instead?”

She nodded. “If that’s okay.”

“Sweetheart, there is nothing I would like more.”

She sat up and threw her arms around him, practically landing in his lap.

“And I want you to punish me. Well, I don’t want you to. But, you know, lesser of two evils and all that.”

“Something I’ve always wanted to hear,” he told her with fake seriousness. “That I am the lesser of two evils.”

“That’s me. I always try to be positive and give out compliments.” She gave him a toothy grin as he snorted.

“You’re going to keep an old man on his toes, aren’t you?”

“You’re not old.” She frowned at him. “You’re just… marinated.”

“Marinated?” What did that mean?

“Yeah, you’ve been marinating for a bit longer than other people. But now you’ve found me. Aren’t you lucky?”

Marinating wasn’t quite the description he would use but he did consider himself lucky. “Very lucky. Now, go to sleep.”

“Are you gonna sit here until I go to sleep?” she asked him, yawning.

“Yes.”

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