Page 20 of Eloise's Daddies
“It’s a surprise.”
“I don’t like surprises,” I lie.
“Yes you do, sweet girl. Don’t lie to Papa.”
I sigh and kick my feet again, waiting excitedly.
When Daddy returns, Papa steps to the side, and my eyes bug out of my head. He’s holding a giant ice cream cone filled with vanilla ice cream and some kind of red swirl.
I clap my hands together. “Is that for me? Is it cherry?”
He sits facing me and hands a spoon to Papa. “It is cherry vanilla swirl, Baby girl. And it’s too much for one person. We’ll share it.”
“I thought they only had healthy treats on the island,” I say, licking my lips.
“They do. It’s non-fat frozen yogurt and the swirl is made with real cherries.”
It sounds like heaven.
I reach for the spoon in Daddy’s hand, but he pulls it out of reach. “Let Daddy do it.”
I sigh and reluctantly sit back.
It’s worth it though, because as soon as I resign myself to how this is going to go down, Daddy scoops up a bite and holds it to my lips. I moan around the flavor. It’s so delicious. Or maybe anything would taste delicious after two days of bottles only.
As an added bonus, both my Daddies feed me bites, which means in the end I’m pretty sure I got more than either of them. My tummy is happy and full, and I’m grinning from ear to ear as my Daddies lead me out of the zoo.
“Are you tired, sweet girl?” Papa asks. “We can go back to the cabin now, or if you’d like, we could go to Main Street and check out the shops.”
“I’m not too tired, Papa. That sounds fun.”
I close my eyes during the ride into town in the golf cart. It’s truly so beautiful here, and I love the feel of the warm breeze on my face. The temperature is perfect year-round.
I finally look around when I hear voices and realize we’re in the center of town. I didn’t pay close attention to the other businesses on Main Street the first time we came because I was preoccupied worrying about our visit to the clinic.
This time, I look all around. “There’s a toy store,” I point out. “Oh, and a library. Can we go to the library?”
Papa turns to face me from the passenger seat. He’s smiling. “You want to go to the library on vacation? Have we turned you into a studious reader?” he teases.
I shrug. “Felicity said they have a lot of cool books. Plus, Felicity said one of the girls who works there is Little. Her name is Lizzy, and she’s also been to Rawhide Ranch before.”
“Is that so? Well, let’s stop there then,” Daddy says as he pulls the golf cart into a parking spot.
Papa jumps down. “I wouldn’t mind picking up something to read for pleasure during downtime myself.”
Daddy unfastens me and swings me up in the air before setting me on my feet. “Do I need to put a harness on you, or can you stay where we can see you at all times?”
“I’ll stay next to you, Daddy. I promise.” I actually love the harness and the leash. I love how they make me feel, but Daddy and Papa know that. I can’t hide it. I’d kind of like to be able to pick out some books without them hovering quite so closely though.
When we step inside, a woman comes from behind the counter. “Hi there. I’m Ms. Whitman, the librarian here. You must be visiting.”
Daddy nods. “We are.” He extends a hand. “Rhodes Taft.”
Papa shakes her hand next. “Tiago Murray. And this Little girl is Eloise Grace.”
Ms. Whitman doesn’t look like any librarian I’ve ever seen. She has long brown hair that isn’t even in a bun. She doesn’t have glasses either. I giggle inside my head as she smiles at me. “Welcome, Eloise Grace.”
“Thank you. You can call me Eloise.”
