“Emly!”
Maybe it’s not such a hot idea that she trusts me, but it makes my job easier as I pass by shops, looking for Seth.
“Where’s your daddy, pumpkin?”
She points farther down, but the only thing left is the daycare. Did she just fucking run out of there? Was she in daycare and escaped like some prisoner of Alcatraz?
“Tsk, pumpkin. I don’t think you’re supposed to be out here.”
What kind of facility was this that made it easy for kids to run out? In fact, I plan to have a word with the manager. How many other kids get out and get lost? It’s a wonder the dump is still open and not shut down by the state.
I open the door to Penny’s and utter chaos. It’s loud with music and screaming kids. One person is behind the counter, while others are making sure the kids don’t kill themselves. It must be exhausting keeping kids alive.
The whole area is blocked off with the counter and a locked gate.
That little escape artist.
“Did you escape, pumpkin? Aren’t you clever? I stand by the leash thing. No wonder your dad’s always twitchy.”
“Can I help you?” asks the young man with blond hair the color of mine, and his eyes are bluish gray, looking up at me. He doesn’t seem older than eighteen, but what the hell do I know? Then his eyes ping to Emily and widen. “Thank god! Your dad is freakin’, girl.”
“I assume you know this hellcat?”
The young man snorts a laugh. “We’re all familiar with little Em around here, since her daddy owns the place.”
I raise my brows and look around the facility, seeing it in a different light. It’s vibrant and stimulating.
“How’d she get out?” I ask.
He rolls his eyes and reaches for her. I hand her to him, and he sets her down before she runs off to play with her friends. “She does that, but I don’t know how. It’s like she knows when we’re not looking. I swear, she plans out her escapes.”
I chuckle, thoroughly believing him.
I almost feel sorry for Seth when she becomes a teen and sneaks out of the house to hang out with her boyfriend or girlfriend.
“Emily!” I look up in time to see Seth sweep Emily into his arms and hold her close. “Thank god! You need to stop running off, sweetheart. One of these days, your old dad is going to have a heart attack.”
The little girl grabs his face and kisses his cheek as if running away were the most natural thing in the world. Seth sets her down, and she runs off again. That’s when he realizes I’m standing there.
His brows sit low on his eyes, but he doesn’t appear mad, only curious.
“What are you doing here?”
I shrug and shove my hands into my slacks. “Just want to see what all the hubbub is about, and I suddenly remembered why I never want kids.”
He rolls his eyes so hard, I wonder if they’ll get stuck in his head. “Can you even be serious for one second?”
“This man brought in Emily. He found her outside,” said the young man.
Those thick eyebrows that were so low now shoot straight up as he takes me in. “Oh, well… I suppose a thank you is in order. I owe you.”
I wink and rub the scruff on my chin. “Yes, I’m sure I can think of some sort of repayment.” Before he can retort or complain, I say with a wave of my hand around the daycare, “This is yours?”
He looks around the facility before his eyes land back on mine. “Yes, I have four of them.”
“Well done. Leashes,” I remind him. “Or perhaps an electrical fence. Clearly, what you have here isn’t working.”
“You’re so weird. Em is a… special case. Anyway, thanks for bringing her back safely.”
