There was no rest for the wicked, which meant my job was never over with. Spotting an email at the top, I opened it and scanned the contents before forwarding it to Seth. He would do a little research and let me know if it was something we shouldtake on. If so, we would gather the guys together and hit the road again.
My eyes locked with Rebekah’s as she turned and gave me a small wave. She had a dirt smear along her forehead as if you wiped it with the back of her hand. I gave her a wave back before turning back to clearing my inbox.
Before long, my watch buzzed, letting me know the timer was done. A little snooping around in her kitchen found some plates and set the table. Carrying the food and a glass of water for us both, I made sure everything was ready before I turned and called her into the house.
“Rebekah, darling, it’s time to come in and get washed up for dinner.”
“No, thanks, I’m okay right now.”
Well, this wasn’t going to go over well. It was clear that she had no intention of listening to me, but I also knew that she needed to eat. I had to tread lightly because I wasn’t dealing with Big Rebekah. I made my way over and dropped to my knees beside her.
“Now, Rebekah, you know that you need to eat something so you can continue to plant your flowers.”
“But if I don’t finish it today, the fairies won’t come.”
“Fairies?”
“Yes! The fairies who live in the neighborhood need somewhere to rest. So I’m building them a fairy garden.”
“Ah, I see. Do you think the fairies would be happy if you made yourself sick because you didn’t eat something to stay strong and couldn’t build their new favorite hangout spot?”
Watching the wheels turn in her eyes, I knew I had won the battle. It didn’t take much to convince her to see my side of things. As she opened her mouth to continue to argue, her stomach let out a loud grumble.
“See, even your belly says that it’s time to eat. Come take a break, and once you are done, you can come back and continue to work until it’s time to get washed up for bed.”
It was a risk talking to her like this, but she wasn’t in the headspace to make decisions on her own. I would be a horrible Daddy if I didn’t take care of her while she was vulnerable.
Hiding my laughter at her annoyed little huff, I offered my hand and helped her stand before we walked inside to get washed up. Rebekah skipped into the kitchen and dropped into the chair I pulled out for her.
“Hands all clean?”
“Yep! All clean. Want to see?” she offered, shoving her hands into my face before I could respond.
“I do see, thank you. Very good girl. Now, eat up.”
Rebekah grabbed her fork and dug in, letting out a small groan that had my pants tightening. Trying to discreetly adjust myself, I picked up my own fork and began to eat while enjoying the company of the precious Little girl sitting across from me.
CHAPTER 10
REBEKAH
Pinchingmyself until tears formed in the corner of my eyes, I looked over to where Beau had settled once again, across the yard, watching me play in the garden. I still couldn’t believe that he was sitting in my backyard watching me without any care in the world.
I had slipped easily into Middle space this morning, and now my mind was racing as I realized he was seeing me in this state. Big me was slowly making her presence known, and all she felt was embarrassment for my behavior while he was here.
Middle Bekah had never felt comfortable enough around people to come out and play, yet she didn’t hesitate to accept the invitation from Beau when he asked to bring over dinner. I didn’t have time to analyze my actions right now, though.
I needed to figure out how I was going to get out of this situation with a small part of my dignity intact. I knew that being a Middle was nothing to be ashamed about, but it wasn’t something I wanted my employer to know about me. That was personal and a sacred time for me that I normally kept from other people.
My mind kept trying to come up with every possible scenario to get me out of this, but nothing was coming to mind thatwouldn’t have me cringing on Monday morning. Sucking in a breath, I turned and faced Beau.
“Thank you for dinner,” I tried to muster with as much enthusiasm as possible.
“You’re welcome, Rebekah.”
“Why do you call me by my full name when everyone else calls me Bekah or some other shortened form of my name?”
“Because I’m not like everyone else.”
