Total pages in book: 35
Estimated words: 33279 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 166(@200wpm)___ 133(@250wpm)___ 111(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 33279 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 166(@200wpm)___ 133(@250wpm)___ 111(@300wpm)
Before I can respond to her, she’s pushing me through the door.
Theo jogs around to the passenger side of his SUV and opens the car door before turning toward me and gently scooping me out of the wheelchair.
I gasp at the unexpected way he carries me to the car and settles me in the seat. He even pulls the seatbelt over me and secures it around me and the teddy bear before bopping me lightly on the nose with one finger. “Ready?”
He doesn’t wait for a response. He backs out, shuts the door, exchanges a few words with Kristen, and jogs back around to climb in his side.
I rub my temples.
“Does your head hurt, Little one?”
I nod. “It’s throbbing.”
“I’ll go through the pharmacy drive thru and pick up your prescription before we go home, okay?”
I look at him. “Theo, you’re being way too kind. I don’t know you at all, and I can’t repay you for all this. The reason I was running down the street in the rain is because I got fired this morning, and I was hurrying home to regroup so I could get a new job. I barely have enough money to pay my electric bill next week, let alone my rent.”
Once I start talking, I can’t stop. He needs to know I’m not rainbows and sunshine.
Theo’s brow is furrowed as he reaches over and takes my hand in his. “I’m so sorry, Little one. For the next few days, I want you to just relax and let me take care of you. We’ll get to know each other as we go along. I’ll help you iron out your problems, okay?”
I shake my head, which makes it hurt worse, causing me to wince. “You can’t fix my problems, Theo, and I can’t possibly take two days to convalesce. I need to find another job immediately.”
He frowns. “Layla, there’s no way you can run all over town applying for jobs with a concussion. It’s out of the question. Give me three days to show you that you’re not alone anymore. Can you do that?”
I stare at his profile. His idea is preposterous. He can’t possibly convince me that I’m somehow his perfect Little girl in three days. No one can do that. This isn’t a cheesy romance movie. It’s real life.
But my head is pounding, and my butt hurts to sit on, and I’m so tired. He’s right about one thing. I might be stubborn, but I can’t possibly go job searching this afternoon. I’m out of commission at least until my head stops hurting. Why shouldn’t I let him Daddy me for a few days?
“Layla?” He glances at me when he stops at a light. “Can you do that, Little one?”
I’ve forgotten he’s asked me a question. “Yes, Sir,” I murmur. I sigh and slink into the seat. He wins this battle because I’m in no shape to fight him any longer.
I close my eyes, and I’m drifting off when the car finally stops, jerking me awake. I sit up taller and look around as Theo jumps down from the driver’s side and comes around to help me.
My eyes nearly bug out of my head, and I clutch the stuffed bear tightly when he lifts me out of the car and turns around so I see his home. “Theo… I thought you were a realtor.”
He’s parked behind the house next to a detached garage with three bays. My eyes were closed, so I haven’t seen the front of the house, but the back is spectacular. There’s an outdoor kitchen, a pool, and a hot tub.
He chuckles as he uses a keypad to open a sliding glass door, which leads into a gleaming stainless-steel kitchen. His home looks like a model home, not a place where a human actually lives. I’d be afraid to walk on the floors for fear I’d mess up the lines in the carpet or leave footprints on the tile.
“I’m a good realtor,” he tells me. “Most of my properties are commercial listings. Not residential.”
I don’t know what that means in terms of income, but apparently in his case a lot.
Theo is very careful to cradle me without touching the abrasions on my butt. He even gently protects my bandaged elbows as he carries me through the house.
I’m breathless. His home is amazing. The living room is as impressive as the kitchen, and when we reach the staircase, I gasp. It’s the kind of stairs that wind up to the top floor in a foyer that looks like a movie set. As we ascend, I look around in shock.
“I’m sorry I don’t have a room fit for a Little girl right now. I’ll start working on one ASAP. In the meantime, you’ll have to settle for my guest room.” He uses his hip to open a door on the second floor, and hurries over to a queen-sized bed to pull back the covers.