Page 22 of Magic and Mayhem

Yay.

“Thank you.” Couldn’t say it yet. Couldn’t say it yet.

Daddy laughed. “I can almost hear your thoughts.”

Oh, I hoped not.

We needed at least one full date before I could see if he knew about dragons.

“Come on. Before you distract me again.” He kept saying I was distracting, but he was the one who was doing the kissing. “Naughty boy.”

“I’m just getting my good boy rewards.” I wasn’t going to agree to being naughty until I knew if there were good consequences for that or bad ones.

Or painful ones with very happy endings.

Yep, more information was required.

“Come on. I have to show off my date so everyone knows how special you are.” Daddy was smiling but he sounded like he knew what he was talking about.

I kind of thought I should double-check that, though.

Just in case.

So as we walked out the door—with me even remembering to lock it before Daddy said anything—I took Daddy’s hand and gave him a big smile.

“That’s not suspicious at all.”

He was so silly.

“I’m just going to be helpful.” That wasn’t suspicious. “I wanted to make sure you knew you were very smart about the people in town being…excited for happy things.”

Yes, they were just excited.

“And new things like relationships.”

Yes, that was a good way to explain it to him.

Daddy sighed when we got to his car, but he tugged me close again and leaned against it, so I didn’t think I needed to be worried. “I have learned a few interesting things about the locals, cutie. One of the big ones is that gossip spreads like wildfire and my boss can’t keep his mouth shut to save a life.”

Since Daddy wasn’t wrong, I just shrugged.

That seemed nicer than saying he was right.

He chuckled and kissed my nose. “I had no intentions of hiding my interest in you and I wanted to make sure our seeing each other wouldn’t…well, it wouldn’t cause any problems. So I knew what would happen when I told him about going out on a date with the smartest, most creative man I’ve ever met.”

I had the smartest Daddy.

“And the cutest little.” It was my turn to kiss his nose and make him laugh. “Don’t forget.”

“Hmm.” He gave me a kind of suspicious and kind of curious look. “I don’t know. I haven’t seen you very little yet, just regular everyday kind of little but still in a very good, grown-up way.”

Oh, he really was smart.

He knew I was a good grown-up.

He knew I was smart.

He knew right away I was a good businessperson.

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