are you supposed to pick Lulu up?”
I say, “In ten minutes.”
“Then you’d best get going. But first, my rules.” Sitting on the bed, he pulls me down onto his lap.
I wrap my arms around his neck, pouting. “What rules?”
His eyes search mine. “You really think I’d let my baby girl out on the town without laying down the rules first?”
His protective nature causes a warmth to spread over my chest. I ask, “What are your rules, Daddy?”
He says, “No drinking too much. No dancing too close with strange men.”
I assure him, “I’m just going to dance with Lulu. We have so much fun, just the two of us. And she won’t give a man the time of day—you don’t have to worry about her.”
“I’m not finished,” he says, giving me his daddy tone. “You keep your phone on you and answer me if I call you.”
I agree to his requests, but I have to sass back a little—it’s in my nature. “I’ll be fine. I went out before we dated, and I can take care of myself—I’m a big girl.”
He stares back, not a hint of joking in his eyes. “A big girl who’s going to find herself over Daddy’s lap with her panties around her ankles if she doesn’t answer my calls.”
The panties he speaks of suddenly feel damp. My throat feels tight. I clear it with a cough, squeezing my thighs together. “I’ll be good. I promise.”
“Just answer my call so I know you’re safe. And keep the driver outside the club till you’re ready to go. And—”
I put my hand on his chest. “Don’t drink too much. I got it, Daddy.”
He says, “It’s just that I care about you and I want you to be safe. If anything ever happened to you...”
I say, “It won’t. I’m a very safe, grown woman.”
He places a gentle kiss on my cheek. “And you’re my little girl.”
I melt, suddenly not wanting to leave at all.
He stands me up and gives my bottom a pat. “You’d best get going. Lulu will be waiting for you.”
When I pull up to my old building, she’s waiting outside. Her long red hair tumbles over her shoulders, whipping in the wind. She wears a short turquoise shimmery dress with long sleeves and heels, making her already long legs look positively endless. A huge bright pink purse hangs from her arm.
She climbs into the backseat of the car. “It’s about time. I’ve been waiting for hours.”
I say, “I’m five minutes late.”
“Well, it felt like ages. I’m just so excited.” She bounces in her seat, clapping her hands.
Her excitement is contagious. “Me too. Where do you want to go first?”
She presses her hand against her flat stomach. “I’m starving. That pizza did nothing for me. After moving all those boxes, I could eat a horse. Where should we go?”
“It depends on what you’re in the mood for. You can fulfill any craving now that you live in the city.”
She gives a dramatic pause, thinking it over. “Hmm... how about a hotdog from the cart?”
I laugh. “You’re dressed impeccably, we have our own driver, we can go anyplace you want, and you want a hotdog? From a cart?”
She shrugs. “I have simple tastes.”
“Sounds delicious. Let’s go.” I tell the driver our request.
We eat hotdogs and drink sodas in the park like a couple of teenagers. She has me laughing so hard, I snort diet cola up my nose and have to beg the man at the cart for a dozen napkins to mop it up. When I recover, I say, “I’ve missed you, Lulu.”
“I’ve missed you too. I’m so glad we’ll be in the city together. But when you eventually marry this Bachman character, will I still be allowed to see you? Aren’t there like, rules against it?”
“We haven’t talked about marriage. I wouldn’t make an assumption. And even if, of course we’d still be able to see one another. Remember Charlotte Greene from back home? She married a Bachman and I still see her all the time.”
She says, “But it won’t be the same, will it?”
“I don’t know. But you’ll make other friends here. And besides, who knows? Maybe you’ll fall for a Bachman guy yourself,” I tease.
She looks at me as if I’m crazy, her red brows knitting into one. “Do you know me? I could never let a guy tell me what to do.”
I shrug, “It’s not so bad. There are perks to having a guy look after you, you know.”
She licks a drop of mustard