Series: Paige Michaels
Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 45693 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 228(@200wpm)___ 183(@250wpm)___ 152(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45693 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 228(@200wpm)___ 183(@250wpm)___ 152(@300wpm)
Maya still had a death grip on Deke’s hand. He was starting to recognize that as a sign that she was overwhelmed. He needed to be mindful of the fact that she was shyer than other Littles.
Wrapping an arm around her, he kept her close to his side.
Maya surprised him, though. “Gumballs?”
Rose pushed out her bottom lip in a fake frown. “Poop. You told her,” she said to Deke.
Deke chuckled. “I mentioned that Adam owned a gumball factory, yes.”
“I didn’t know you would bring me some, so that’s a surprise,” Maya said. “And I’m so excited because I was just asking Da…Deke if we could get some gumballs from you someday.”
“Oh, good.” Rose looked pleased. She pulled out the chair next to her. “Sit. We can chat while our Daddies go get us cupcakes.”
Deke tipped Maya’s head back and gave her a quick kiss. “Will that be okay, Precious Girl?”
“Yes, Daddy,” she whispered.
Chapter Thirteen
Maya pasted on her bravest face and took a seat next to Rose as her Daddy and Adam headed for the line at the counter.
“I’m sorry. I can be kind of overwhelming when I get excited,” Rose said as soon as they were alone. “I’ve been looking forward to meeting you, and I shouldn’t have assumed you were Little. That was rude. It’s just that I’ve known Deke a while. I don’t figure he would be in a serious relationship with someone vanilla.”
Maya smiled politely. “It’s okay. You’re right. I’m Little. And thank you for the gumballs. That was really thoughtful.”
Rose grinned. “You’re welcome. Deke said you came in one night after Stuff-It closed and made a tiger. I hope that was fun.”
“Yes. She’s so soft and cute.”
“What did you name her?”
“Princess.”
“I love it. Princess is a great name for a tigress.”
Ellie suddenly bounded up to them and leaned her elbows on the table. “Sigh…” she said dramatically. “I wish I could just be a customer and sit and eat cupcakes with everyone.”
Maya giggled, feeling more comfortable by the minute.
Rose laughed, too.
Ellie pushed to standing again. “I’m going to have a Littles night soon. I’m going to close the shop early and invite all my friends to come so I can enjoy some downtime stuffing my face with cupcakes without having to worry about working the cash register. Will you both come?”
Maya nodded. It sounded like fun, but she’d have to be really brave to do something like that. There were a lot of Littles living in this town, and Ellie knew all of them. If she was planning a Littles party, there was no telling how many people would come.
Ellie tapped her lips. “We should have the Daddies drop everyone off so we can really let loose and enjoy ourselves without worrying about the repercussions until they pick everyone up.”
“That sounds like so much fun,” Rose said. “I’ll need to make sure I get off work early that night.”
“I could try,” Maya hedged. The thought of Deke dropping her off and picking her back up later made her chest tighten, but maybe a night of laughter and cupcakes with a bunch of Littles would help bring her out of her shell. She really needed to make an effort to be more social. If she insisted on spending all her time alone with her Daddy not leaving the house, he would grow bored.
“I’ll have to talk to my Daddy first. I’m pretty shy, and we’re so busy right now at the restaurant. I might not be able to get off,” Maya warned, giving herself some wiggle room.
“Of course,” Ellie said immediately and sighed. “There are so many wonderful stores here in this strip center that we’re all being deluged with customers. That’s not a bad thing, of course, but it is a challenge.”
“Maybe we should have a party in a few weeks?” Rose asked. “By then, I hope to have a couple more employees. I’d love to find someone trustworthy who could give Deke and me a break and serve as a stand-in manager.”
“Who’s at the store today?” Maya blurted.
“I have some awesome employees who can work together for a few hours to handle just about anything. Two are there today, so I felt comfortable in coming to have a cupcake break,” Rose shared. “I just need more.”
“I’m going to wave a magic wand and make everything come together with perfect harmony!” Ellie declared and swept a hand through the air.
“Ellie? We need you.”
The bakery owner popped to her feet and responded to that request immediately. Maya looked at Rose and smiled. “Ellie probably has a dozen people standing in line to work here. It feels like home.”
“I think Ellie does that for all her clients. But… Littles most of all love being here with her and the rest of the staff,” Rose said.
“Cupcakes,” Deke announced, holding a tray with two cupcakes and two ice-cold glasses of milk.