Page 32 of Big Daddy Firemen

“My Daddy will let me get away with anything!” Mindy countered.

“Is that so?” A new voice spoke up.

Some of the Littles gasped. Everyone turned to see Austin standing in the doorway, shaking his head but wearing an amused smile.

The Littles snapped to attention. Janie voiced what they were all thinking. “Uh-oh.”

Austin pushed off the doorjamb and moved deeper into the room. “The meeting is over. Your Daddies are all talking, but you don’t have long. I’d say about five minutes. If I were y’all, I’d get this mess cleaned up.”

“Yes, Sir!” the Littles responded in unison.

It was a flurry of activity as they rushed to get things squared away. Even Daisy joined in, though she hadn’t helped make the mess.

They were just finishing when Joe and Doc walked in.

“Looks like you all played with Nerf guns,” Joe noted with a smile, seeing the toys that were still strewn about.

There wasn’t any sign of the forts they’d erected, and all the Littles looked rather relieved to have cleaned up in time. They looked at Austin, as if waiting for him to tell on them, but instead he just grinned and said, “I bet they had a good time.”

Daisy heard a couple of Littles breathe sighs of relief.

“Thanks for watching them,” Doc said to Daisy.

“Anytime,” she told him.

“Did they give you any trouble?” Joe inquired. “I told my Mindy to be on her best behavior or I’d redden that little booty of hers.”

Daisy waved it off. “She was a perfect angel.”

Her eyes darted beyond Joe to where Mindy stood.

The Little mouthed, “Thank you,” and grinned.

Daisy recognized the gratitude with a slight nod. She forgot all about the Littles’ shenanigans when she felt someone take hold of her hand. She looked beside her to see Austin there.

“You ready, honey?” he asked.

A giggle escaped her throat before she could suppress it. His touch was electric.

“Ready,” she said.

“Goodbye, Daisy!” Alyssa called out. “Come back and play with us sometime!”

“Yeah,” Grace agreed. “We can meet you on the playground if you want.”

Daisy waved to them and left with Austin.

Still holding his hand.

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

“Littles are… something,” Daisy told Austin as they walked into the firehouse.

“That’s one way to describe them,” the firefighter said.

She stopped walking ahead and turned around to face him as he approached. “I didn’t do a very good job at watching them.”

“Now darlin’,” Austin said. “You’re being too hard on yourself. You’d never played babysitter to a group like that before. I’m sorry if we put you in an awkward spot.” He chuckled and shook his head. “Now that I think about it, Belinda is older than you are. In real life, or whatever you call it. But in Little life…” He shrugged.

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