Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 44932 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 225(@200wpm)___ 180(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 44932 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 225(@200wpm)___ 180(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
Catching sight of the clock, she dashed to the bathroom to wash her face and get ready for Aspen to arrive with pizza. With her tears erased, Pippa fixed herself a soft drink and relaxed by coloring. She left Zale’s picture in the book alone. He’d come back to do that one himself.
Pippa yawned as she closed the door. She’d stared after Aspen’s truck until the taillights had disappeared. They’d had so much fun hanging out and had already made plans for Pippa to visit Aspen and Jerico’s house next. She crossed her fingers, hoping that Zale would be home by then.
She took a shower and did all the things: hair washed, legs and armpits shaved. Putting on one of Zale’s T-shirts, she climbed into bed on his side and inhaled. His familiar scent filled her senses. Comforted, she hugged Toothie to her chest and fell asleep.
A noise made her stiffen. She peered into the darkness. Why hadn’t she left a light on? When she failed to pinpoint the direction it came from, Pippa forced herself out of bed and crept down the hallway. It seemed to be outside the kitchen.
Staying in the darkest shadows, she debated whether to look out the window. Hearing the noise again, she slowly opened the blinds a small amount and peeked out. Nothing. The patio outside the door seemed completely empty. She sagged against the wall, considering how silly she was to have thought someone was out there.
“Ahhh!”
Pippa backpedaled away from the window as the two glowing eyes popped up in front of her. Obviously as frightened as she was, the raccoon fled, knocking over Zale’s charcoal tub for his grill as he shot into the darkness. As she pressed her hand to her beating heart, Pippa realized the forager had targeted it as a potential food source—like a trashcan. She laughed at herself.
Deciding not to right the container until it was light outside in case the varmint was still out there, Pippa headed back to bed. This time, she left the light on in the bathroom. She wasn’t going to freak out in the dark again.
After climbing into bed, she pulled the covers up to her nose and closed her eyes. Sleep evaded her as her brain whirled inside her head. All she wanted was for Zale to come home. Please, Daddy.
She tossed and turned for hours, but did wake up to the alarm clock blaring. She must have gotten back to sleep finally. Thankful she’d stocked the house with a caffeine source, Pippa downed a cola and some peanut butter toast before heading to work. She was excited about spending time with kids again and hoped she’d make a good impression.
Pippa pulled into the base and showed her documentation. The guard on duty sent her directly to the personnel office to get her badge. She was very careful to follow his directions. Those guards looked stern. Were they daddies?
She laughed at herself as she parked the car. Leave it to her to suspect a lot of men were daddies now after she’d found Zale. There couldn’t be too many around.
An hour later, she’d signed a bunch of forms and watched a couple of mandated training tapes. When they declared she had finished everything they required for a new hire, Pippa took her new badge, sporting a fairly pleasant picture of her and drove to the daycare. As she walked in the door, employees and a few parents checking on their kids greeted her. She could tell this would be a good place.
CHAPTER 14
She’d forgotten how tired running after three-year-olds made you. Maybe as a teenager working for her mother, Pippa had enjoyed unlimited energy. Today, she felt every day of the twenty-four years she’d been on Earth.
That exhaustion balanced with the ache in her cheeks from smiling so much. She loved that the parents stopped by to have lunch with or check on their children during the day. Everyone had welcomed her and helped Pippa get acclimated to the schedule.
While she didn’t feel like an experienced employee yet, Pippa knew she would pick up all the nuances of the job as she learned more about the kids and the staff. The woman in charge of the toddler room was so kind. Pippa hoped she’d get to stay there permanently.
Climbing into her car, she tried to anticipate what would happen tomorrow in the baby room. She liked babies. Would she rather have charges who thrived on bottles, fresh diapers, and being held? Pippa decided not to make her final decision until she’d tried all the positions.
She drove out of the base as she considered the pluses and negatives of all the rooms. So deep in thought, Pippa didn’t realize she’d made a wrong turn until she noticed how different everything appeared. Realizing she should have turned on her navigation program, Pippa pulled into a parking lot to reorient herself.