Heart Song Anthology, Carolyn Faulkner [simple ebook reader .TXT] 📗

are naughty. I will also punish you when you are a big girl. The same as when you are little.” He kissed the top of her head before he let her up. “I will let you think about it this week. I will want an answer by then. Is that reasonable?”

Mindy nibbled on her bottom lip. She wanted this so badly. She nodded her head and Ike stood, leading her back to the table and the dessert. They spent the last half hour telling funny stories about themselves when they were younger and enjoying the cake, when suddenly Mindy looked up at the clock.

“Oh my God!” Panicked, she stood and looked around for her coat. “I have to leave. Peanut must think I have abandoned her.” The thought of the strange man breaking in and hurting her cat or Pooky shook her to her core. She quickly put her coat on and looked wildly for her purse.

“Mindy, what is wrong? I have never seen you like this.”

Just then Sally walked in with the two waiters who finished cleaning up the table and left. Sally stayed behind and looked at Mindy with concern. “Did you tell him what happened?”

Mindy shook her head, her eyes begging her friend to not say another word, but Sally was too worried about her friend to heed her warning. She turned to Ike. “Mindy lives in a bad neighborhood. There are drug dealers on the corner and one of them scared her tonight.” She heard Mindy moan.

“Please, Sally, enough. I was not frightened, just shaken a little.”

Ike looked at her. She was frightened of something. He nodded to Sally to leave, but before she got to the door he stopped her. “Please come back and talk to me after I have taken care of this, Sally.”

Sally nodded sadly and closed the door firmly behind her.

“Mindy, come here please. Come sit on Daddy’s lap and talk to me.” He saw the tears forming in her eyes. Something was very wrong.

She slowly walked to him and sat on his good leg.

“Now tell me what happened and don’t leave anything out. Then I want an explanation as to why you didn’t tell me the truth when I asked you earlier.” He covered her hands with one of his large strong hands. The other wrapped around her waist as he waited patiently for her to begin.

Her lip trembled as she gathered her courage.

“Sally is right, I live in a bad neighborhood.” She looked up at him to gauge his mood. “There is a drug dealer on the corner and prostitutes a couple blocks down, but I hurry in and lock the door. They never bothered me before. Tonight, I was late leaving and there was another man in a new SUV. He was the one that called to me and pounded on my car window as I hurried to leave. I am afraid he will hurt Peanut and Pooky. I have to get back and protect them!” She wailed the last sentence.

Ike felt her tears burn his skin like fire as they landed on his hand. Anger at someone trying to hurt his little Mindy felt like bile in his throat. He took a minute to calm down before he asked her, “Why didn’t you tell me, little one?”

“I didn’t want you to know how poor I am. I can’t afford to live anywhere else. I am paying my gram’s hospital bills. I thought you wouldn’t want me.”

Ike briefly stiffened at her words, before he lifted her off his lap and stood her in front of him, between his legs. He lifted her face to look at him. “I don’t really know how to take that, little one. Have I ever given you any indication I was a snob? That you wouldn’t trust me with such basic information, and doubt me, cuts deep, that you think so poorly of my character. I know we don’t know one another very well, but Mindy, you should know me better than that. Have you ever seen me treat anyone with anything but respect, no matter if they are the janitor or laundry lady or doctor?” She had hurt him badly, but he had to protect her first. He would sort the rest out later.

Mindy turned her head and stared at the floor. She couldn’t look at the pain she’d caused him with her stupidity. She was the snob. She shook her head sadly as he reached for the phone.

“Yeah, Shaun, I know it’s late, but I need a favor. Can you come to the hospital? Thanks man, I owe you one.”

“Shaun will come and take you home to pick up some clothes and your pet and Pooky. Then he will take you to my penthouse. I will call my housekeeper after you leave. She will get you settled. You need to get some sleep. I will see you tomorrow. Shaun can pick you up and bring you to work tomorrow morning. I want you to think if you want this or not. From where I am sitting, I am not sure I am the right man for you, since you didn’t trust me enough to share such an important danger. I will give you a week to decide if this is what you really want. If you say yes, I am going to punish you severely for lying to me and not telling me you were in a dangerous situation. If you don’t want this, I will consider it no harm, no foul. I will pay your grandmother’s hospital bills and see to it you get a place in a better neighborhood.”

Mindy shook her head. “I can’t take anything from you, sir.”

“You have helped me recover, and while I know it is your job, you have done an excellent job putting up with me at my worst. I can and will pay for your gram’s hospital bills and move you where I won’t have to worry about you.”

“But why would you help me?