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Scarlett.
Chapter Twelve
Chad
The next morning, Bella and I were at the restaurant at seven o'clock sharp. Scarlett was already there in her chef's getup. Was it bizarre that I found her incredibly sexy wearing those oversized white shirts and pants?
Bella was ecstatic. "Look, Dad! I told you she's a real chef."
Scarlett did a full turn, and I realized she'd only dressed up for my daughter's benefit. Did this woman know how incredibly difficult she was making it for me to resist her? Not that I’d been doing a great job anyway.
“Ready to start, Bella?” Scarlett asked.
"But I don't have a uniform," she replied.
"Doesn't matter. I have something for you."
Scarlett took out an apron. It was fucking huge for my daughter, but she said, "I can tie it so it fits you perfectly."
"Okay," Bella said. "Can you please do it now?"
"What did we rehearse this morning?" I asked.
"Oh, yes." She looked up at Scarlett and said, "Thank you so much for teaching me how to bake a pie. It means a lot to me."
Scarlett rolled her shoulders back, and her gaze softened instantly. "It's my pleasure. Turn around and I’ll tie the apron. I’ll also put the cap on you, if that's okay, so we don't get any flour in your hair."
"Yes, yes, yes," Bella said. "No flour."
I watched them with a knot in my throat. After Scarlett finished tying the apron, she grabbed a cap, then handed it to me.
"Do you want to put it on her?" she asked.
"Sure."
It was easy because Bella had pigtails again today, so I couldn't mess it up too much.
"I brought some hair clips with me,” Scarlett said. “The cap will be too big otherwise.”
She handed them to me and startled lightly when our fingers touched. A current shot through me at the contact, and I immediately glanced at her. Had she felt it too? By the way she quickly looked away, I was betting that she did.
I secured the bonnet on Bella's head with the clips and then straightened up.
My daughter looked up at me. "You can leave now, Daddy. I can stay with Scarlett."
“You’re kicking me out?”
Bella shrugged. "So Scarlett and I can have fun."
"And I'm the fun police?" I teased.
She exchanged a glance with Scarlett, and they both started to laugh. Then Scarlett leaned in to Bella. "Tell me the truth. Is he usually the fun police?"
"Sometimes," Bella whispered.
"Hey, I can hear you," I replied. "And I'm staying. I'll need to drop you off at school, remember?"
"Oh. Right," Bella said, and she genuinely looked sad. She'd enjoyed kindergarten much more than school. I'd asked around and found out that it was a normal reaction with kids. But overall, her teachers said she was adjusting well.
