Page 23 of Gene

“Really?” she whispered.

“Yes, Little One. So proud.”

She leaned into him again and rested her face on his chest. His steady heartbeat helped calm her racing one.

“I’ve got to go back to work,” she whispered.

“No, you’re going to go home.”

Pulling away from him again, she shook her head. “I’ve got work to do.”

“You had a couple more boxes to package up. I bet Nolan has taken care of that. Go home and get some rest, okay?”

“No, I should do my work.”

“Little One, it’s okay. We all help each other out. The other day, I know you did some extra work at the fields because Eddie needed to take one of his kids to the doctor,” Daddy pointed out. “We all help each other. Don’t worry about it.”

Sammi didn’t like it.

“Go home. Do you want me to drive you?” he asked.

“No, I need to walk to clear my head,” she whispered.

“I don’t know if I like you walking all by yourself.”

“I’ve done it all my life on and off even with my car. Nothing bad has happened, and nothing bad will happen. I watch my surroundings,” she pointed out.

Not all the time, but still, nothing had ever happened. She needed to be careful with Deccan and his men. Were they ever going to approach her? She didn’t know, and Sammi didn’t want to think about it too much.

“I can drop you off in a couple of minutes,” Daddy suggested. “I just have something I need to get done first.”

“No, it’s okay. I want to walk. I promise to make sure I am vigilant and look at my surroundings.”

He sighed. “I don’t like it.”

“But you’re going to deal with it?”

“Just this one time. Don’t get used to it.” He tapped her nose.

Smiling, she got off Daddy’s lap, and he helped her put her pants back on.

“If you feel different, out of sorts, upset, moody, depressed, or anything different, you call me immediately. Understood?”

“Yeah, I understand.”

“Good girl.” He tapped her bottom.

She whined and rubbed the spot he’d just made sore again.

“Ah, no rubbing. Now, I want you to text me when you get home so I know you got there safely. If you don’t, I’ll come find you.”

“Okay, I will. I’ll see you later.”

Sammi walked out of his office and toward the main road. It was getting colder each day, which made her walk seem so much farther. Was she going to be able to keep this up? Was she going to have to get a cab to take her to work every morning? What would Daddy think? She had lied to him about her car.

“Sammi.” Nolan tipped his head. “Going home?”

“Yes, I am. Gene told me I should,” she replied.

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