Page 65 of His Temporary Assistant

But that didn’t mean I intended to throw all caution to the wind. She would finish her work here on Friday, and we would go our separate ways.

Thank God Luna had been the cold water I needed before it was too late.

I forced a smile. “She’s worth more than I could ever give.”

Eleven

Card of The Day: Embrace: Page of Swords | Release: Five of Swords

Between being caught trying to take a photo of Preston, my crystal going haywire, him kissing the hades out of me, and then being interrupted by Stacey, I’d had entirely too much stimulation for an afternoon.

Never mind the secret plans he wouldn’t tell me about. Which should not matter, except he’d just had his tongue in my mouth—again—and I guess I’d liked it.

Fine, no guessing required.

Since my energy levels were near the basement, I took a quick trip downstairs to suck in some sunshine and walk around the park across from Preston’s office. I slipped off my heels and let the grass and the earth seep into my skin.

I wasn’t an empath, but any woman would need a little recharge after that much emotional turmoil. Add in my own chaotic energy thanks to being in PMS’s vicinity, and yeah, I needed a break.

“Whatcha doing?”

I blinked out of my minor cleansing bubble and looked down at the little girl. She couldn’t have been more than six years old. “Hey there. Where’s your mom? Or dad? Or…” I glanced around.

The girl’s dark hair was scraped back into a messy tail, and she had a smudge of some kind of fruit on her face. She craned her neck up to meet my gaze. “Can I try?”

Desperately, I looked around for someone who belonged to her. “What?”

“The thing with your toes. Does it feel good?” She plopped on her butt and pulled off her sandals.

I clenched my toes into the grass. “Um, yeah, sure.”

“Just watch for doggie doo. Sometimes people don’t pick up after their dogs.” The little girl’s voice was matter of fact. “I always remember though. Even if it’s gross, my dad says you gotta take responsa-reponsa—”

“Responsibility?”

“Yeah, that’s the one. Responsibility for yourself and that includes your doggies. I have a doggie. His name is Bosco.”

Do you have a daddy? That was the part I needed to know.

I crouched down to meet the girl on her level. “Are Bosco and maybe your dad around?”

“Oh, yeah.” She pointed to a man chasing a multi-colored mutt of unknown origin with its leash dragging behind. “I got tired of chasing Bosco. He gets away a lot.” She stood up and put her hands on her hips. “My dad is a mess. Grass feels nice though.”

I stood back up and held out my hand to the girl. “Let’s go help him.”

She looked back at her shoes.

“They’ll be fine with mine. We’ll just mind the dog bombs.”

She laughed then took my hand. “You’re kinda funny.”

“I’ve heard that many times. What’s your name, kiddo?”

“Penelope, but my dad calls me Poppy.” She smiled. “I secretly like it, but tell him I don’t.”

“Gotta say I enjoy Poppy. It’s one of my favorite flowers.”

“Me too!”

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