Page 69 of Finding Little Fiera

“Good, now let’s get this over with.”

Laura and her friends were sitting on benches outside Master Derek’s office. Laura’s Daddy was there, too, though he didn’t look very happy.

Fiera tried not to imagine all the awful things that could happen next. She’d overheard some girls talking the day before about Master Derek’s paddle. They said it was really big, and Master Derek paddled really hard. She glanced up at her Daddy. Surely he wouldn’t let someone else spank her, right?

She wished Sadie, Wren, and Daisy were there as well. They’d know if what those girls said was true. This would be so much easier with her friends by her side. Then it would be three against Laura and her four friends instead of one.

Master Mace led Fiera to the only bench still available. She started to scoot past him to sit down, but he scooped her up and placed her on his lap. She’d never felt so safe and protected in her life. When she rested her head on his chest, he began to hum the tune she’d become so fond of.

“Daddy?” she whispered so softly she wasn’t even positive she’d actually spoken. But when his head bent closer to hers and he whispered, “I’m here,” she knew he’d not only heard her, but he had her.

“That song, the one you hum? Does it have words?”

He didn’t answer immediately, as if the question caught him by surprise. She wondered if she shouldn’t have asked him or at least not asked him when she was sure his mind was alreadyon trying to figure out how to get out of yet another mess she’d gotten them into. Clutching his shirt a little tighter, she shook her head against his chest.

“Never mind…” she began at the same time he said, “I Cross My Heart.”

What?

His head lowered even further so that his lips brushed against the shell of her ear. As he began to hum again, the vibration had tingles shooting throughout her entire body. When he began to sing, the rich tone of his voice poured over her like melted chocolate and had her fingers relaxing their clutch on his shirt. But when the words made their way into her heart, tears filled her eyes.

She tilted her head back when the last word floated away. The pad of his thumb brushed across her damp cheek.

“Do you really mean that, Daddy? The words you sang?”

“I’ve never meant anything more, babygirl. You can count on every single one of those words being true.”

She snuggled deeper into her Daddy’s arms, knowing he did. This vacation hadn’t been anything like what she’d thought it would be, but at least she was leaving with a new Daddy. And not just any Daddy. Master Mace was the best Daddy in the world.

Everyone jumped when the wide double doors of Master Derek’s office swung open. He stood in the doorway, and to say he didn’t look happy was the biggest understatement of the year.

Derek stood to the side. “If everyone will step into my office, we have a lot to discuss.” He turned as if to walk back into his office. Looking back, he pointed at the girls who had been sitting with Laura. “On second thought, Miss Tate, you go in. You ladies stay here. I’ll speak with you separately.”

Laura looked back at her “gang” before turning to follow Master Derek along with the others. To say Laura’s friends looked squeamish was another understatement.

Despite her Daddy’s assurances, Fiera suddenly didn’t feel so good herself. She pressed her hand over her mouth. If she threw up, it wouldn’t be a surprise. The last time she felt this way had been after her final conversation with Erwin the Vermin. But everything would be okay. Her Daddy had said so. Comforted by that thought, she wiggled off Master Mace’s lap.

Once on her feet, her Daddy’s strong hands held her in place, making sure she had her balance before those same hands turned her around to face him. She was eye level, even though she was standing, and he was still seated. “Listen to me, firefly. This is going to be okay. I promise. You did nothing wrong. Master Derek is a fair man, and he’s been doing this a long time. I will be right beside you the entire time. You have a Daddy now, and I will take care of you.”

Fiera knew he spoke the truth when he traced the letter “X” across the front of her t-shirt where her heart beat beneath the thin cotton. Finding someone who would put her first and take care of her for a long, long time was a new and comforting experience. A calmness filled her. She didn’t have to worry. She was telling the truth, and she had the best Daddy in the world. More importantly, she knew Mace believed her.

She placed her hand over his heart and whispered, “I cross my heart, too, Daddy. Together we can…”

“Come through any storm,” he said when she became too choked up to continue. “Don’t worry, little firefly, Daddy’s got you.”

He took her hand in his, and they entered Master Derek’s door together. Fiera was once again struck by Master Derek’s office. She’d been in her principal’s office back in Wilder with many students over the years. This office had the same feel, only Master Derek was much, much scarier than any principal she’d ever worked with.

Being the nice man she knew him to be didn’t make him any less frightening. Master Gavin stood behind Master Derek’s desk. She tried to figure out how things were going to go from Master Gavin’s expression, but his look was unreadable.

Glancing around the rest of the office, Fiera almost tripped when she saw Sadie, Wren, and Daisy seated on the couch along the wall. They smiled at her, which made her feel better. But it also confused the heck out of her.

What were they doing there? They must have come straight to Master Derek’s office after the art show. Were they the reason Master Derek had called the rest of them here?

She would have to wait until later to ask because Master Derek was talking again. And since she didn’t have her hearing aids, she had to look at him to make sure she didn’t miss anything.

“Mace, if you and Fiera will sit here,” Master Derek said, indicating two leather chairs in front of his desk. “And, James, if you and Laura will take the other two seats.”

“I apologize for the delay in getting started,” Master Derek said. “I had some things that needed looking at before we began. We’ll get to the art tent event in a few minutes. There are other things I want to discuss first. Now, as I understand it, Miss Sharpe, you and Miss Tate have had a hard time getting along almost from the beginning of camp. Miss Tate, would you like to explain that to me?”