Page 42 of Their Little Helper

Keeping my voice low, I tried to be subtle enough not to draw attention to us. “You…you can use the colors too. Remember?”

He paused before letting out a long breath and nodding slowly. “You’re right. Okay. I’m yellow on moving in. I really do need to know more about you both before I shift to green.”

Papa seemed glad to get it out there, especially since Daddy was nodding and really paying attention. “There’s a part of me that would’ve loved to have woken up with you both this morning and to have whatever godawful chair Dally will drag into the house sitting in the living room. But that’s…I need a basic groundwork of facts to start from.”

Shifting to what seemed like work mode, Papa frowned and looked very thoughtful. “Favorite colors. Favorite foods. Jobs. Meeting the appropriate family. Those kinds of things to start.”

When we both nodded, his shoulders relaxed and he looked more at ease with the situation. “I need to know what foods to stock and how bills need to be managed. I’m…I’m very practical with a lot of things and we haven’t addressed those yet.”

Any of them.

Did we even know what kind of lawyer Papa was?

What did Daddy do for a living besides boss people around?

Would his family really like both of us?

What was Daddy’s favorite foods?

What food was Papa’s house manager guy making him eat that Papa hated?

Yes, we needed to learn how to take care of Papa first before Daddy could move us in with him. “I…I’m going to school online for business management and…and I’m working at a bar. I want…I want to own one someday.”

“That’s a wonderful goal. I can’t wait to hear about what you’re studying.” Papa smiled before his frown came back. “But please tell me you’re older than I’m starting to think.”

Daddy snickered. “Don’t. He’s sexy when he’s freaking out.”

Before I could decide which order to follow, Daddy’s brain shifted gears and he frowned too. “How do you talk to enough people to make that job work?”

Papa froze. “Yes, that had occurred to me as well.”

I could feel my face heating up but I sat up straighter and glared at both of them like I was at work, delivering my most used lines. “What’s your order? Don’t fuck with me. You start it and I’ll finish it.”

“Oh…” Daddy wiggled in his seat. “That’s sexy.”

Papa looked like he wanted to roll his eyes but he reached out and stroked my hand. “Is pretending to be someone else too stressful for you?”

Kind of.

“Sometimes? But I like the job even though it doesn’t always like me.” That was kind of frustrating but I wasn’t sure how to get around it. “I…I see it kind of like acting? Work me is gruff and stern, and I frown and I pretend to be confident.”

Then regular me collapsed in exhaustion when I got home.

It wasn’t a healthy system but it was the only one I had.

“We…” Papa sighed and turned to Daddy. “We get to step in and help manage this, correct? If he belongs to us, we don’t have to sit by and just let him stress himself out that badly?”

“Definitely.” Daddy nodded as he aimed his serious face at me. “We’re going to take care of our boy.”

Oh dear.

That was me.

How did he make that sound so scary?

12

SANTOS

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