Chapter 15 Gilly
GILLY
I arrived at the worksite, which was the Pyles’ house.
It was in a nicer neighborhood that had taken me a while to get them to approve our proposal, so I wanted to baby this one and make sure we did a really good job, so I didn’t put anyone else on it.
This one was on me from start to finish.
I could handle it, but having to do it alone, because it was cheaper than adding extra labor cost, sucked.
I didn’t get paid by the hour like the rest of our crew did, so for smaller jobs like this, it was a no-brainer to handle them myself.
Mrs. Pyle opened the door and smiled. She’d been really nice to work with so far.
“Hi, Gilly, come on in.” We had already picked out our colors, but when we got to the dining room that we were painting, I showed her the swatch again just to be certain.
“It’s so pretty, and it’s going to look great in here. ”
“I think so too. It’s a great choice and one of my favorite colors.
” At least for interiors it was. The color was called Calm Sea and was a grayish blue that would look great in this room.
I started unpacking the tarps and got to work.
Within a few minutes of rolling paint on the wall, I got into the Zen of it.
This was the part I loved. Instant change, minimal effort—well, if you knew what you were doing, and I did.
The satisfaction of a job well done at the end was the best pat on the back.
As I worked, I thought about what Daddy Nate had said about buying the company from Uncle Clay.
Of course, he didn’t tell me anything I didn’t already know, but actually buying it wasn’t something I thought would be possible.
For several years, simply working with Uncle Clay and running the business had been enough, but would it continue to be enough? Was it now?
Did I even want the company and all of the responsibility that would mean?
How could I buy it if I did? Would I need a loan?
I didn’t have as much left from selling Grandpa’s house as I thought, but it might be enough.
The problem was that I didn’t have a great head for numbers and didn’t understand what it would take.
What was Bateman Painting even worth? I needed to talk to Daddy Nate about it more and not be embarrassed about that.
I trusted him and knew he wouldn’t make fun of me and was truly there to help.
What about my relationship with Nate? Some people might consider it unconventional, but I didn’t care about that.
We were happy together, and that was what mattered.
He sure had me thinking more about the future, though.
Would we keep seeing each other? Why did I worry when I knew Daddy cared about me?
All of these doubts were only my insecurities talking, and they needed to shut up.
I finished up the Pyle job and gave her instructions for what to watch for over the next twenty-four hours while the paint dried.
“After that, let me know if you find any issues, and I’ll come back and fix it.
” I didn’t think I’d need to with this one, but I often had to circle back for small fixes on a few of the other crews’ jobs, and time was money.
That was one of the places the books were silently bleeding out from—wasted time fixing other people’s mistakes.
If I bought the company, that was going to tighten up, and quick. There was no excuse for sloppy work.
At the end of the day, I headed over to Nate’s house, but Daddy wasn’t home yet. I shot him off a quick text to let him know I was here and to see what he wanted me to do.
NATE: Stay there and Daddy will bring home dinner.
ME: Yay! What R we havin?
NATE: What do you want—don’t say pizza.
ME: Darn.
He already knew me so well. That warmed my heart, but if I couldn’t have pizza, what did I want to eat? Hamburgers. Daddy might not want that, but what else was nearby?
ME: Chinese?
NATE: Sounds good. Eggrolls? What else?
ME: Yes. Honey chicken. Steamed dumplings? And rangoons.
He sent me a thumbs-up emoji. I felt like it was a good compromise between what I liked to eat most, which was finger foods, and the more grown-up food he liked. Plus, I liked the sweet honey sauce, and of course, it came with rice.
I sat on the hood of my old beat-up car, waiting and hoping it wouldn’t be too long.
I’d had the vehicle since high school, and I’d thought about getting a new one, but it was reliable, and I didn’t have to worry over every scratch and ding because there were already plenty.
Eventually, Daddy Nate pulled in beside me in the huge driveway, and when he got out, he handed me a key.
“I don’t want you to ever have to wait outside, so here’s a key to the house.
” Then he kissed the top of my head. That was something I’d started really loving that he did; it made my chest warm and fuzzy in the best of ways. “Let’s go eat.”
We walked through to the kitchen where Daddy sat the food on the table. I washed up and helped him get the plates and silverware out before we sat down.
I had stuff to talk about with him but wanted to wait until after we ate. Before I had a chance to get my thoughts in order, we finished eating, and he tugged my arm. “Come on, I want to show you something.”
I followed him upstairs, but instead of turning into the main bedroom, he pulled me to the front of the house and the smaller room that had a balcony over the front door.
The last of the day’s sunlight was still streaming in through the window and the balcony door; just enough to light the room.
“Whoa.” Daddy had started adding things to make a playroom.
Daddy had said I could keep toys here, and he’d helped me order a bunch of stuff, but I didn’t realize he meant to give me a whole room.
He’d mentioned a box to keep them in, but this one had my name on it over the bench with three drawers across the bottom and shelves on each side.
Looking closer, I could see several Ellie the Elephant books already up there.
“I started fixing up this room before, but I didn’t have a boy, so I didn’t know what I should put in it. But now that I do, I’ve finished it just for you. What do you think?”
Ellie the Elephant stuffies and her friends lined up along some of the shelves and a cozy rug was in the middle of the room.
Against one of the other walls, there was a video game console with two low rocker-style gaming chairs.
If I moved in with Daddy full-time, I could still play Fortnite with Rob.
Huh, I wonder if my sneaky Daddy already saw that coming?
Moving in?
Was I ready for that?
That was getting ahead of myself, especially considering Daddy and I hadn’t even talked about it, but I couldn’t help it.
I wanted to be with Daddy Nate all the time.
He was fun to talk to, smart, handsome, and I loved the way he took care of me.
It wasn’t about the gifts and toys, although that was nice, but it was more about how he wanted me to be relaxed and happy.
He made me feel loved, and our sexy times were great.
Who wouldn’t want to live with the perfect Daddy over being alone in a tiny bed every night? I missed Daddy’s arms when I was away.
There were also clothes hung up in the closet, and I peeked in the dresser drawers and found even more. “This is your space, Gilly. You can put your big clothes in my closet if you want and keep your Little wear in here. Whatever you want, just ask and it’s yours.”
“Thank you, Daddy.” I ran over and hugged him. “This is awesome. Can I change into some of my new stuff?”
“Of course you can, silly boy.” I scrambled out of my clothes and put on some comfy and soft overalls with an Ellie T-shirt and clean socks. “You’re adorable, little one.” He hugged me and kissed my head again. “Do you want to stay over tonight? You can take a bath and play with your tubby toys.”
“I’d like that, Daddy.”
“Me too. Daddy doesn’t sleep well when his boy’s not here.”
“Can we have sexy time and a Daddy-bottle first, then you can read me a story while I fall asleep?” I rattled off, but Daddy smiled.
“Absolutely, sweetheart. Daddy would love all of that. Why don’t you play while Daddy gets your bath ready.”
“Yay! Thanks, Daddy.” It was like all the bad from today was gone. I swear, Daddy was a giant eraser and knew how to make it all disappear. This was the perfect distraction from the perfect Daddy.