Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
The next morning, Phineas parked in front of the carriage house.
A whisper of movement at the window caught his attention.
Tiffanie was watching for him. Cheering at the thought she was eager to see him as well, he slid out of the car and walked to the front door, smiling as the wooden barrier opened.
“Hi!” Tiffanie said with a smile.
“Hi. Are you ready to go?” Phineas asked.
“Let me grab my purse,” she said and disappeared inside for a brief moment.
When she reappeared, Tiffanie carried a small purse and a larger tote. Fuzzy ears showed over the top of the canvas bag. Biff. She had trusted him enough to bring her stuffie. Each step they took together thrilled him and satisfied a need deep inside.
Phineas extended an arm to help her down the porch. She sent him a smile and whispered, “Thank you.”
“My pleasure, Princess. You’ve got a big choice to make when we get home. I’ve missed seeing a lot of movies. I have different possibilities for you to choose from.”
“Oh, can’t we decide together?”
“Of course. You may not even like the list I came up with to start our selection. Consider my lineup a launching spot,” he suggested, guiding her to the car.
“Okay. I couldn’t decide what to wear. Is this okay?” she asked, waving a hand at her comfortable clothing. The soft material wrapped around her, warm and cuddly.
“You look beautiful, Tiffanie.” Phineas stopped at the side of his vehicle and turned her to face him. “I’m glad to see you.”
Phineas drew her closer and kissed her lightly.
When Tiffanie responded eagerly Phineas deepened the kiss.
He swept his tongue along the seam of her lips.
To his delight, she rose onto her tiptoes to wrap her arms around his neck as she opened her mouth in a silent invitation.
Tasting her sweetness delighted him. She could be an addiction.
When he lifted his head several long minutes later, they stared into each other’s eyes. Phineas guessed that his shone with the same astonishment that he could see in hers. “Princess, I’m so glad we’ve met.”
An adorable pink blush colored her cheeks. Phineas smiled at the sweet woman in his arms. Please let her be okay. He pushed the intrusive thought out of his mind. Not today. He wouldn’t let anything distract him from cherishing her during their date.
“Ready to go check out my place?” he asked.
She nodded. “I can’t wait to find out if you have a traditional bachelor’s pad. Do you have dishes piled in the sink and laundry piled on the floor? Dust on every surface?”
Phineas laughed. “Now, I’m glad I picked everything up. Come on, Little girl. Movies are waiting to be viewed.” He opened the door and helped her inside. Leaning in, Phineas buckled her seatbelt.
“I can do that,” she whispered.
He kissed her lightly, resisting the temptation she presented to enjoy her more intensely. “Daddy’s job, Princess.”
“Do you want to be my Daddy?” she asked in the same hushed tone, as if she was afraid to ask too loudly.
“More than anything I’ve ever wanted in my life.”
Her eyes widened as she absorbed his answer. He brushed his mouth against hers again and forced himself to back away and close her door. Their gazes fused together as he rounded the hood to slide in behind the wheel.
Phineas reversed and headed down the driveway. He held his hand out for hers and squeezed her fingers when she accepted his invitation. The radio played softly to create some background music. The companionable silence between them felt good.
“Tell me about yourself, Tiffanie.”
She stiffened. “Do you want to know about my illness?”
“At some point when you’re ready to share that information with me. But now, I’d really love to hear about you. What were you like as a kid? Have you and Ivan always been close? Where did you go to school?” To his delight, her hand relaxed in his as she settled back in the seat.
“Wow! You have a lot of questions. Let’s see. Ivan has always protected me as my big brother. He takes his role seriously. Our mom died young. Ivan was the one who did all the things a mom would do. I remember him being scarlet red when I panicked at twelve after my first period started.”
“How old was he then?”
“Sixteen. He talked to a friend and asked to speak to his mom privately. She was amazing and shared everything he needed to know.”
“No wonder you trust him so much.” Phineas sent major kudos to Ivan. His initial evaluation of Ivan as having outstanding character was sealed into concrete. Nothing Ivan could do would convince Phineas otherwise after this.
“In an hour, we were standing in the checkout lane of the drugstore with boxes of feminine products, period pain relievers, a heating pad, and chocolate. That probably wasn’t what you were asking about,” Tiffanie said, obviously second-guessing this line of conversation.
“That tells me an immense amount about both of you and why you’re so close. I’m glad you have had his support.”
“Me too. On a lighter note, I studied interior design at the local university. I enjoy putting together the perfect space for people. My dad and Ivan got used to me switching around the furniture in all the rooms to try some new feng shui trend or whatever I happened to learn in class.”
“You’ll have to clue me in if my stuff violates the guidelines.”
“Oh, I learned pretty fast that hard and fast rules are the worst way to decorate. If the sunlight hits the TV during peak watching time, the energy flow doesn’t mean anything.”
“I can see that. What do you enjoy most about your talent?”
“I like creating a space where people can relax and escape,” she said. “If I’m not mistaken, I think that’s what you do with books. Match the right story with the person who needs it. How did you know to suggest Daddy books to me?”
“A wild guess. You drew my attention at the engagement party. Something in the back of my mind told me I should pay attention to you,” Phineas said.
“I’m glad you did.”
“Me too. Here we are. Welcome to my home. Let’s go inside.” He reluctantly pulled his hand free from hers to trigger the garage door and shift the car into park a few seconds later.
When she reached for the door handle, he wrapped his fingers around her slim thigh. “Daddy’s job. Let me help you out.”
She nodded and dropped her palm to her lap. “Okay.”
His heart noted the hope in her tone. She wanted this as much as he did. Could he really have found his Little? Phineas smiled at her. “Good girl.”
He rewarded her with another light kiss when he released her seatbelt and assisted her from the car. Pressing a hand against the small of her back, Phineas guided her inside. “I should probably take you through the front, but I don’t want you to feel like a guest.”
“I like that.”
As she entered his house, Tiffanie scanned the interior automatically with a trained eye.
Crossing his fingers that she wouldn’t find his home lacking, Phineas tried to see this space through her eyes.
In the large family room, a leather sectional with bright pillows and a soft blanket thrown over the back.
A huge ottoman in the center invited everyone to sit and put their feet up to stay for a while.
Colorful art decorated the walls without making the space appear fussy.
The open kitchen with a bowl of fruit on the large island looked clean, but not pristine.
“Do you cook?” she asked, surprised.
“I do. Nothing gourmet, but I enjoy preparing things I enjoy. Take-out food every day became monotonous when I was in my twenties.”
“Can I ask how old you are?”
“Of course. You can ask me anything. I’m thirty-one.”
“I’m twenty-seven,” she said.
“When’s your birthday, Little girl?”
“Next month. On the nineteenth.”
Phineas pulled out his phone and marked that on his calendar. “Thank you, Princess. Now I can plan something special for us.”
“Oh, you don’t have to do that.”
“Little girls need to have fun on their birthdays. Those are the rules.”
“Rules?” she echoed.
“You didn’t know Daddies have a handbook? How to Care for a Happy Little Girl.”
“That doesn’t exist!” she said, giggling to his delight.
“It should. Would you like the grand tour?”
“Yes, please.”