“Hello, Molly Moo. It’s very nice to meet you,” Travis said as he shook her leg.
Lottie giggled at his actions. “Is it okay if Molly sleeps in the bed with us?”
“Of course. I would never separate a Little from her stuffie. Now, how about we watch a movie and just relax for the rest of the evening?”
Lottie nodded as she wiggled back under the covers. “I’d like that, Daddy.”
Chapter Nine
The next day, Lottie arrived and was set up before Tilly and Carri arrived. When Rooker carried her sister to her table, Lottie was stunned to see a big bulky wrapping on her ankle and foot.
“Carri? What happened?” she asked her sister before turning to the man with her. “What did you do to my sister?”
Rooker did not answer until he had Carri settled in a chair with her leg resting on a box under her table.
Then he looked at her, his expression serious. “I didn’t do anything to your sister. She had an accident at the park yesterday and hurt her ankle. Since I have my own booth to run, and she should stay off her foot as much as possible, I’m asking the two of you to please help her as much as you can today.”
“Of course,” Lottie said.
She waited until Rooker left before hurrying to her sister. Kneeling beside her sister, she brushed a strand of hair out Carri’s face. “Why didn’t you call me last night?”
Carri looked at her with a tired smile. “Because you were on a date and I didn’t want to interrupt your fun. Plus, Rooker is a doctor and had everything under control. It’s just a sprained ankle, but he wants me to stay off of it as much as possible today.”
Lottie’s heart clenched at the realization that her job of mothering her sisters was over. Looking at Tilly and then back at Carri, she took a breath and acknowledged they were grown women and no longer needed her. Especially since it seemed they had both met men who were more than capable of stepping up and caring for them.
Taking a deep breath, she rose with a smile she hoped didn’t look at heartbroken as it felt. “Okay, let’s get your animals out and ready to be claimed.”
The Saturday crowd kept them just as busy as the previous day’s and by the end of it, all Lottie wanted was to get into her comfortable pajamas and crash in front of a Disney movie or two with Molly Moo before falling asleep to rest up for the last day of the convention.
She hoped Travis didn’t mind if she wasn’t as sparkling or interested in sex as she had been the night before.
Every time she glanced across the aisle, Travis seemed to be watching her. His gaze was intent, as if he were able to read her even from that far away and knew she needed a Daddy and not a sexual partner for the evening.
Just before lunch he popped over to buy more lollipops. “Can I Daddy you tonight? At my place?”
Lottie nodded. “That sounds wonderful, but I’ll have to get my bag from the hotel first.”
“We can figure that out tonight,” he said with a smile that had her body loosening and a warm start between her legs.
At the end of the day, Lottie frowned when she saw Carri packing up her booth. She looked done in, but there was still one more day to the convention.
“What are you doing?” she asked as she finished closing down her own booth.
“I’m done. I won’t be coming back tomorrow.”
“But…” Lottie wanted to argue, but understood. Her sister was in pain, exhausted, and needed to be home resting.
Lottie stepped back when Rooker stepped in and offered her a Little day of rest, movies, and snuggles. Lottie approved, not only of the man’s plan, but the man himself. Carri seemed to have found herself a good Daddy.
When Rooker offered to sell her crocheted critters at his store, Lottie had to break in before Carri could simply agree with her man.
“She’ll need to think about it. We’ll also need to see a contract that spells out the details, like sales price, your commission and so forth.”
Carri looked at her with a grateful expression before turning back to her new Daddy. “I’m sorry. She’s the business mind of the family. I’m just the critter maker.”
Rooker frowned, but did not comment on her derogatory statement. He then looked at Lottie as if he approved of her stepping in to protect her sister. “I’ll get back to you next week, Miss Business Mind. For now, though, I’m taking Carri home with me. Will you need help tomorrow afternoon getting everything packed up and out?”
Tilly answered as she looked around their expanded space. “Give me a call tomorrow afternoon, Carri. We should know by then if we need help or not.”
