Chapter 5
Chapter Five
Tilly had to roll her lips over her teeth to keep from chattering on the three-minute drive to the restaurant. She was stunned that Lottie did not pepper her with a dozen questions, but her sister remained silent until the car was parked.
Then Lottie shifted in the driver’s seat and asked one question. “So, what do you know about this man, Carter McGee?”
Tilly took a breath and released it in a whoosh before speaking. That gave her just enough time to organize her thoughts.
“I know he’s a captain on the city police force. He says he’s a Daddy Dom looking for his Little girl. I know he kept that scary man from hurting me this morning as well as just now,” she said, pausing a moment before adding, “And I know I want to get to know him better.”
Lottie studied her for nearly a minute before she nodded once. “Just so you’re doing this because you want this for you and not because he says he’s interested and you don’t want to hurt him by saying no thanks.”
Carter walking up the side of the SUV behind Lottie pulled her attention for a moment. “I’m not. But I’m not going to commit to moving in with the man before the evening’s out, either. Give me a little credit, Lottie. I’m not Carri.”
Lottie gave her the look she’d perfected that said that she knew Tilly was edging around the truth. “I know you’re not Carri. But you are my baby sister and I worry about you. It’s my job as the oldest.”
“You’re five minutes older than me, dumbhead. Now let’s go get some dinner. I’m starving.”
Turning as she released her seatbelt, Tilly jumped when she found Carter standing on just on the other side. When Lottie opened her door, which automatically unlocked all the others, Carter opened Tilly’s with a smile.
“I was going to knock, but you two looked like you were having an intense discussion,” he said softly as he took her hand and helped her out of the car.
“We were, and yet we weren’t,” Tilly answered with a smile.
“Ah, one of those,” Carter said as he laced their fingers together. “Ready to eat?”
Tilly nodded as she tried to get her body to not burst into flames just because he was holding her hand. Lottie walked just ahead of them, glancing around as if she was looking for someone.
It wasn’t until they were seated at a booth at the back of the restaurant that her sister made Tilly want to crawl under the table and hide with her first question.
It was the same question she’d asked Rooker at lunch a few hours earlier.
Tilly would have to apologize to Carri for embarrassing her now that she was on the receiving end of Lottie’s interrogation of the new man in her life.
“So, Captain McGee, what are your intentions toward my sister?”
At least Carter did not take offense and walk out. He sat back and folded his hands over his menu. “My intentions toward Tilly are honorable, but frankly, they are between me and Tilly, and not any of your business.”
Tilly blinked and grinned at the audacity of the man to shut her sister down with just one sentence. She watched as Lottie floundered for nearly a minute.
Finally Lottie blinked and looked at her. “And you’re wanting to spend time with this man? Are you sure he won’t hurt you?”
“I’m sure I want to get to know Carter and find out if we’re compatible. Who knows, it may be that I’ll hurt him in the long run. But either way, I agree that it’s really none of your business.”
Lottie sucked in a breath and held it for several seconds before releasing it again. “Very well then, I’ll back off and let you two get to know one another. But I reserve the right to have another conversation with him at a later date.”
“As is your right as my sister. But next time Carri will be present so all the nosy sister questions can be asked at one time.”
“I can accept that. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I see someone,” Lottie said, grabbing her purse and slipping out of her seat. “Don’t go home without me, okay?”
“Okay,” Tilly agreed, even though she wasn’t sure Lottie heard her as she crossed the restaurant to where a trio of familiar-looking men stood talking with the hostess.
“And then there were two,” Tilly said as she turned her attention back to the man sitting across the table from her. “I guess we’re on our own, that is, if you still want to have dinner with me?”
“Of course I do,” Carter said with a smile. “I want to know all about you and your Little and how you became the maker of tutus and designer of dresses for Littles and their friends. I also want to answer any questions you have about me and my life and my Daddy Dom side.”
He knew his words sent her mind spinning as she sat back and let a breath whoosh out. As she was thinking, their waitress approached.
“Good evening, what can I get you to drink?”
Carter waited until Tilly asked for water, then nodded that he’d have the same.
He was pleased that she was not drinking alcohol or caffeine so late in the day, though he could not stop her if she did.
He wasn’t her Daddy. Yet. A status he hoped would change, if not tonight, then in the near future.
He'd spent a few minutes during the day looking around the internet and found Tilly’s website and other information, including the fact that she had a spotless record without even a parking ticket to her name.
Yes, he knew he was falling more and more into the stalker category, but it wasn’t his nature to spend time with a woman without at least knowing the basics of her background.
“What are you going to order?” he asked once the waitress left to get their waters.
“I don’t know. I’ve never been here before. What are you getting?”
Carter smiled at the uncertain, almost Little girl, tone in her voice. “If you want to feed your Little, I’d recommend the mac and cheese with bacon and a side of the raw veggie salad with ranch dressing for dipping.”
He did a fist pump in his mind when she nodded and said, “That sounds yummy. What are you having?”
“The fish and chips, I think.”
“That sounds good, too, but only if they have tartar sauce and ketchup to dunk.”
“Hmmm, I’ve never had tartar sauce. I usually get malt vinegar.”
He chuckled when Tilly made a face. “Too salty and pickley.”
“Are you all ready to order?” Their waitress was back with two glasses of water.
“Yes, I think we are. I’ll have the fish and chips with tartar sauce, malt vinegar and ketchup, and the lady will have the mac and cheese with bacon and the raw veggie plate with ranch dressing.”
“No,” Tilly contradicted. “Could I have Thousand Island dressing instead of ranch?”
“Sure, honey,” the waitress said with a smile as she changed the notation. “It will be a few minutes, but I’ll bring everything out when its ready.”
“Thank you,” Carter and Tilly said at the same time, laughing together as the waitress walked away.
“You’re a nice man,” Tilly said once they were alone again.
“It’s part of the job,” he said with a wink.
“No matter what you might think after watching television, most police officers are nice guys, at least the ones I work with. We sometimes get a bad rap, but we try not to go into every situation with guns blazing. Are you all right after your encounter with Bob? I know he frightened you.”
He watched Tilly shiver and then straighten up and take a breath. “He did scare me, but I won’t have nightmares about it. He’s just a sad, lonely man who needs some help.”
“I’m afraid he’s a little more than just sad and lonely. He’s been diagnosed with early-onset dementia, and that can sometimes make him suspicious of everyone, but he also doesn’t want to accept help. But enough talk about Bob. I want to know about you.”
“What do you want to know?” Tilly asked before taking a long drink of her water. By the time she set the glass down, it was half empty.
He made a note to keep an eye on her water intake during the next few days. If she was this thirsty now, she obviously had not drank enough during the day.
“I want to know everything. When you figured out you were a Little, how you got interested in designing and making clothes, what your Little is like, what you’re looking for in a Daddy. All of it. But let’s start with your favorite color. I’m guessing it’s not pink.”
Tilly giggled and looked down at the table as her face turned pink. “No, it’s not pink. Most pinks clash with my hair. My favorite color is purple, followed closely by yellow.”
“Yellow?”
“Soft yellow, like a buttercup. What’s your favorite color?”
Carter shrugged as he looked deep into her bright blue eyes. “I don’t think I have a favorite color, but right now, I’d say it’s cobalt blue.”
Tilly nodded just before she yawned widely. “Sorry, it’s been a long day.”
“Looks like you need to go right home and get to bed,” Carter said, wishing he could take her home with him and let her be Little for the evening before returning to the convention tomorrow for another day of adulting. But he knew it was still too early in their relationship to harbor such desires.
Not that that was stopping him.