I know she’s distracting me from my fears, and that’s okay. I need to focus on something other than the possibility of Mace being in danger.
I swallow. “I don’t know her well yet. I’ve never let her out. Everything I know is from the internet and reading romance novels.”
She giggles. “Romance novels will make you swoon.”
Smiling, I nod. “Yeah. They do.”
“Do you want to ask me some questions? I don’t mind. Sometimes, it helps to realize you’re not alone.”
That’s so kind of her, and I have a million questions.
“It can be easier to have a girlfriend to talk to than just a Daddy.” She scrunches up her nose. “I mean, Daddies are men. They don’t always understand.”
I already love June. “How often do you, uh, spend time being Little?”
“Most of the time. I prefer to stay in that headspace. The only time I usually let my adult out is when I’m working.”
“You work?”
“Well, from home. I teach English, mostly to students in Japan. We have online classes.”
“Oh, wow. That sounds exciting.”
“It’s fun. I enjoy it. No pressure. Since I no longer have to worry about paying rent or keeping the heat on in my apartment, I’m far less stressed. I teach because I enjoy it. What do you do?”
“I just graduated. I have an early childhood education degree. I was in the process of interviewing at various places. I guess a job in Indianapolis is no longer practical.”
“So, you like to work with kids. Me, too.” She grins.
I shrug. “I guess it’s fun for me. My dad says…” I look down at our combined hands and take a deep breath, “…said… He said I like to play with children because I never really was one. He always said I was born an adult. Maybe I got it backward and started out old, and now I’m getting younger.”
June is still smiling. “That makes sense. Maybe that’s why you have a Little side. If you bring her out, you get to do all the things you didn’t when you were younger.”
“It’s kind of silly. It’s not like I couldn’t do what other kids were doing. I just didn’t. I think it was partly because it was just me and my dad.”
“Where was your mom?” she asks gently.
“She died when I was five. A fluke aneurysm. I only have fleeting memories of her.”
“I’m so sorry. And now your dad…”
I pull my hands free from hers to dab at the tears leaking from my eyes.
“I didn’t mean to make you cry.”
I shake my head. “You didn’t. I mean, I cry all the time at the moment. It’s like I’m raw and not fully grasping what’s happened.”
“Well, you have Mace now, and us. We’ll be your family. Wait until you meet Cannon and his Little girl, Eloise. She’s your age. You’re going to love her. They live across the hall from you.”
After one more sniffle, I try to shake off the sadness. It’s not doing me any good. I want to forget and enjoy my time with June. “Thank you for being so kind.”
“Oh, girl, Littles are, by and large, kind people. You’ll see.”
“I’ve never known anyone who was Little before.”
She holds up a finger. “Or… You didn’t know they were Little.”
“True.”
