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)
She darted back to him and flung her arms around his waist to give him a hug. Zale closed his eyes, trying to memorize the sensation of her body against his as he rubbed his hands up and down her back to reassure her. He hugged her close one more time before setting her away from him.
“We have to go, kitten. Before I forget to tell you, there’s money in an envelope in the top of the chest. Use whatever you need.” He pulled the drawer open and withdrew a thick envelope to show her where it was before returning it. “I don’t know how long I’ll be away. You may need to shop or have other expenses.”
He held his hand up to stop her protest. “No arguments. I’m counting on you to let me take care of you while I’m deployed.” When she nodded, he walked forward to pat her on the bottom. “Go grab your bag.”
She hurried ahead as they walked down the hall to grab it from the wall next to the door leading into the garage. “I’ve got it.”
“Do you have your phone?”
“Crap!” She raced down the hall to the bathroom and returned, waving it.
When she stopped in her tracks, Zale asked, “What’s wrong, kitten?”
“I don’t have any pictures of us. Can we take one? Is there time?”
“Of course. Here. Hand your phone to me. I have longer arms.” Zale wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close. “Smile!”
After taking a few photos, he drew her in for another kiss. He took a few pictures, hoping to capture a few more shots for her of them kissing. That would be a good surprise for her to find later. Hopefully, he had the camera facing the right direction.
He handed her back the phone and ushered her into the Jeep. He didn’t tell her that no one had ever driven his baby. Knowing Pippa, she was already worried about driving by herself. Zale cursed himself. He should have taken her out to drive around. They needed more time together before he deployed.
“Explore the house, kitten. There is nothing off limits for you,” Zale reminded her. He wanted her to settle in fully at home.
“Okay, Daddy.”
He could tell she was trying to sound positive. His brave little girl. “Good girl.”
The trip to the base took such an incredibly short time. He held her hand the whole way, needing to be in contact with her. Zale stole a couple more kisses before he grabbed his pack from the back and headed inside. He looked back and waved as she stood slumped against his Jeep. She was so alone. His job had never seemed harder. Squaring his shoulders, Zale walked into the building where the team gathered before a mission.
Keep her safe. Please.
CHAPTER 13
Three days. She crossed through another date in her diary. She needed some way to keep track of the days accurately, because it already seemed like he’d left a week ago—or more. Marking an X gave her something to do and kept her from losing hope. The worst was not knowing how long Zale would be gone.
She talked to Aspen every day. Her friend had shared they’d been gone once for three weeks. Three weeks.
Grabbing her phone, she looked at the pictures for the thousandth time. As she stared at her daddy’s handsome face, her phone rang, and Pippa jumped straight up as she fumbled to answer the device. Her heart beat like a wild creature.
“Hello?”
“Pippa? This is the base daycare. Your clearance came through. Would you like to start tomorrow?”
“Oh, hi, Mrs. Gerald. I hoped I’d hear from you soon. Yes, I’m available to start tomorrow,” Pippa assured her.
“Perfect. Follow the dress code, please. I’ve given them your name at the front gate. If you have any problems, have them call me for clearance. I’ll make sure you have time to go to the human relations office to get your badge and sign any last-minute paperwork,” the kind woman told her.
“What time should I be there?” Pippa asked eagerly.
“As we discussed, the first shift begins at five-thirty and the second shift at nine. Come at eight tomorrow. That’s when the HR office opens. I’ll go over what your regular hours will be for the next week.”
“I’ll be there at eight,” Pippa promised, jotting down the time.
“Do you remember where the daycare is?” Anne Gerald, her new boss, asked.
When Pippa hesitated, she recited the directions. Pippa jotted down L, S, R, R, as she announced a series of turns. Left, Straight, Right, Right. Pippa was confident that she could find her way now. “Got it. I’ll see you at eight.”
The moment she disconnected the call, Pippa’s first thought was to tell her daddy. Her shoulders slumped for a second when she realized she couldn’t do that. Pippa texted Aspen instead.