“What? Why would that affect my enjoyment of my job? I love it here,” Coco rushed to assure her.
“We’re glad to hear that. Talking about jobs, Sofia…. Could we give Coco an advance on her first paycheck? She’s low on funds,” Isabella requested.
“Of course. Will two hundred help or do you need more?” Sofia asked.
Coco looked back and forth between the two women. While they looked so similar, they had such distinct personalities. She had zero difficulty telling them apart. Sofia was quiet and dressed professionally under her white doctor’s coat. She always wore glasses and always had her nose buried in the latest research or a patient’s file. On the other hand, Isabella loved bright colors and trendy outfits. Her personality matched her attire—bubbly and outgoing. Coco thought the world of both women.
“That’s incredible, Sofia. But you don’t have to do that. I can make it for another week until payday,” Coco rushed to assure her.
“She needs it, Sofia,” Isabella told her sister quietly.
“Done. Stop by my office on your way out and pick it up,” Sofia told her. “Never hesitate to ask if you need help. We work together around here. Like Isabella and her coffee request. Okay?”
“Thanks, Sofia. Isabella.”
“Our pleasure. Now, what do you know about Daddies?” Isabella asked.
Coco’s face heated with embarrassment. “I’ve just heard the term,” she answered, trying to dodge the question. Curiosityoverwhelmed her self-consciousness. “How did you find your Daddy?”
“Our Daddy created a dating app. The program works. It matched us. It’s called PLAYTIME in capital letters,” Isabella said. Coco could hear the pride in her voice about her Daddy’s skills.
“Did I hear you talking about PLAYTIME?” a deep voice asked from the doorway.
“Daddy!” The twins cheered in perfect harmony as they darted toward the door. He wrapped an arm around each of them, hugging both women to him.
Seeing the trio together, Coco had to smile. They were perfect together. She could feel the love among all of them.PLAYTIME, hmmm.She needed to check it out.
Not wishing to be a third, oops, fourth wheel, Coco backed up toward the door to the reception area. She wasn’t sure whether she should leave or stay.
“Hi, Coco! These two haven’t run you off yet, huh?” Noah asked over their heads as they snuggled close.
She paused and met his gaze. “Of course not. I should pay them to work here,” Coco said.
“Not on your life.” Sofia challenged that statement, stepping slightly away from her Daddy. “Coco, would you welcome the next dog and cat patients into the exam rooms? I’ll be there in a few.”
“Of course.” Coco continued through the door. Leave it to Sofia to give her a graceful way to help her.
For the rest of the day, Coco reminded herself of the name of the app. Could it really be that easy to find a Daddy? In all the books she’d read, Littles ran into their Daddies in random places. She’d tried to keep her eyes open in case her Daddy showed up, but no one had approached her with that Daddyvibe. Or at least no one interested in her had appeared on her radar.
When Coco got back to her rented room in a big, old house, she grabbed some leftovers from the fridge for dinner and searched on her phone. Spotting the PLAYTIME app, she downloaded it and filled out the questionnaire. Taking her time, Coco tried to be as honest as possible. She didn’t want the program to match her with someone expecting a waif of a Little girl or someone breathtakingly beautiful. She was simply Coco—a girl who loved animals.
After pressing the submit button, she cuddled on the couch with her stuffed teddy bear, Zelda. She watched one of her favorite movies to distract herself but couldn’t focus on the TV. Her gaze returned over and over to her phone screen. If her Daddy had applied to find his Little wouldn’t PLAYTIME match them quickly?
Coco pulled up the program and reread the information.
Because of thecomplicity of relationships, the matching process could be rapid or delayed. PLAYTIME can’t guarantee a match for Littles or Mommies and Daddies. Its purpose is to findyourDaddy, Mommy, or Little—notaDaddy, Mommy, or Little. An instant match is unlikely. Remember, PLAYTIME will notify you when your match is found.
Despite those instructions tobe patient, Coco woke up to check her phone throughout the night. When dawn rolled around, she dragged herself out of bed. She hated that PLAYTIME was having a tough time matching her with someone. With her spirits dragging, Coco dressed in her regular scrubs. Why couldn’t she be one of the Littles who found a Daddy quickly?
Thank goodness, the schedule was packed with appointments and seemed to speed past. When she got back to her car, Coco checked her phone. No match yet. “Yet! Remember, the program said it might take a while. You can’t rush perfection,” Coco announced to the empty space in the car. Her pep talk mellowed her despair, but didn’t erase it.
Forcing herself to move, Coco started her car. The low-fuel warning lit up on her dash. Thankful for the cash Sofia had loaned her, Coco stopped at a gas station to fill up. As she pumped her gas, she spotted a fast-food Mexican place half a block away.
“You can’t be depressed and eat tacos,” she said out loud, talking to herself.
“That’s for sure, sweet pea,” an older woman across the pumps from her agreed. “Now I want tacos.”
“Oops, sorry. I didn’t mean to annotate… announce that,” she apologized, feeling foolish.
