Total pages in book: 53
Estimated words: 49458 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 247(@200wpm)___ 198(@250wpm)___ 165(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 49458 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 247(@200wpm)___ 198(@250wpm)___ 165(@300wpm)
“Toys?”
“And games, coloring books, even a stuffie or two.”
“I should bring Tux in here to play.”
“Go get him. I think he’d love to see this place,” Zander said. “Walk!” he called after her as she ran toward the door.
“Sorry!” Walking as fast as she could, Essie returned quickly with Tux in her arms. She gave him a guided tour straight to the toy chest. “Let’s pick out a game to play with Daddy.”
After opening the lid, Essie quickly gave up trying to make the best choice. She closed her eyes and ran her fingers over the games neatly stacked on one side. “Say stop, Daddy.”
“Stop, Daddy?” he repeated with a smile in his voice.
“Daddy!” she scolded him as she continued to run her fingers across the boxes. “Just say stop.”
“Mmm, stop!”
Essie glanced down to see what he had chosen and crowed, “I love this board game!”
Soon, they were embroiled in a battle over who could make it to the finish line on the board before the other. Her Daddy’s car had so many kids inside, they were piled on top of each other in the back seat. She hadn’t laughed so hard in years.
“We’ll have to come back and play later, Little girl. Sara messaged me that dinner’s ready.”
“Oh, no. We can finish?”
“Of course. I have to support all those children with my winnings.”
Essie almost fell out of her chair laughing. Hanging out with her Daddy was the best. She was so lucky.
Chapter Thirteen
The fairy lights in the ballroom gave the room a magical glow. Essie, on the other hand, was not glowing in a delicate, beautiful way. She was sweating bullets. Of all the days for the air conditioner to break!
Essie blew her hair out of her eyes as she hooked the lights into place along the top of the walls. She chanted on repeat that she was almost done and refused to check how close she was to the corner where she’d begun. Her fingers fumbled, and she dropped the clip.
Slumping over the summit of the ladder, she peered at the floor. Great! Now she’d have to climb down and force herself back up. Her legs already trembled. Essie wasn’t sure she could muster the energy to scale the rungs again.
“You need to get off that ladder, right now,” a grumpy voice demanded.
“Hey! Hand me that clip,” Essie called as she glanced toward the sound. Her gaze locked onto Edmund. His expression wasn’t happy at all. “Oh, sorry. You probably can’t do that.”
“Even if I could, I wouldn’t. You shouldn’t be up on a ladder in the first place, Essie. And you’ve exhausted yourself. I’m going to go get your Daddy.”
“Go ahead. You can’t talk to him,” Essie sassed. She was past the point of even knowing what she said. She wanted to get done and go have a cold shower.
“Is that right?” Edmund said.
He sounded so pissed, and Essie added, “I don’t think you can tell him. Can you?” She gasped when he disappeared with a stern look.
“Why do I have the feeling I’m in trouble?” Essie asked herself and the empty room. When no one answered, she started the long trek down the steep incline.
When she reached the bottom, her legs wobbled. Essie decided it was time for a break. She sat on the parquet floor and rested her head in her hands. At least the air was cooler down here.
“Marmalade? What is wrong with you?” Zander’s voice sounded confused. “Did you get into the kitty nip?”
“Wow, those twinklers are fantastic,” Zander said, admiring the lighting. The moment he spotted her in a lump on the floor, he launched himself across the ballroom. “Essie!”
“Hi, Daddy. I’m resting.”
“Did you fall?”
“No. I climbed all the way down to get that clip.” She pointed at the naughty fastener and wrinkled her nose.
“Why are you on a ladder in this heat?” Zander asked.
“Today is hang-the-lights day on my calendar. Unfortunately, on the air conditioner’s schedule, someone had penciled in stop working and get boiling hot at the ceiling level.”
“Did you consider switching tasks around on your list?”
“That would probably make the entire globe stop spinning in the right direction,” she said, stretching out on the floor. Did he really need to keep hovering over her?
“All right. You’re done, Little girl. Stand up for Daddy.”
“I’ve got stuff to do.”
“And I’ve got a hand ready to spank a naughty Little girl.”
“You’re not very nice.”
“Come on. I’m taking you to my place,” Zander said.
She cringed away from the hand he reached out to tug Essie to her feet. “You have creepy crawlers there. I don’t do bugs.”
“Not anymore. The experts certified my house bedbug-free.”
“Nice.” Essie reached a hand toward him and pulled it back. “Is your house cool?”
“Yes, Little girl. My air-conditioning is working well.”
“Even better.” Essie let him pull her to her feet. She swayed slightly against him, feeling dizzy. “These lights look even better when the room spins. I should serve strong drinks.”