“Do you have a Little girl or boy that you’re buying for?” Carri asked, hoping she did not offend him with the question, but needing to know if this instant attraction she felt was in vain. The last thing she wanted was to feel attraction for another man who was already spoken for.
The man set down the unicorn and looked at her with a solemn expression. “I don’t have a Little girl currently. That’sone of the reasons I’m here. I’m hoping to meet someone who might be interested in filling the position.”
Carri locked her knees to keep from falling to the floor and begging the man to think about taking her on as his Little girl. She did not know anything about him, not even his name, and after the last disaster of a relationship, she had promised her sisters not to get serious about a man until they had met and approved of him.
The man picked up a brown-and-ivory hedgehog and studied it before looking back to her again. “Which one is your favorite?”
Rooker St. James found himself impressed by the woman’s talent with yarn and intrigued by her shyness. He watched as she looked over the table before picking up a hedgehog similar to the one he held, but with a purple body and pink face.
“This one is my current favorite one, though the truth is I love them all,” she said with a small smile.
He was sure she was a Little from both her tone and the way she watched over her stock. Was she looking for a Daddy? For a man to take over and make decisions, both in the bedroom and out? Or would a man show up in the next few seconds and punch his lights out for making a pass at this sweet woman?
While he was here in his official capacity as the owner of a boutique store that catered to Littles, he was also hoping to meet a Little girl to make his own. Looking at all the small, colorful stuffed animals, he wondered if his customers would enjoy having access to such beautiful handmade toys. He would wait and see how she did over the next couple of days before heapproached her about a possible business deal to sell her little friends in his store.
“I’ll take that one.” He nodded at the small pink-and-purple hedgehog she held as he pulled out his wallet. “How much?”
The woman looked startled at his request. Was she not expecting anyone to buy her creations? Or was it him? Did she not want to sell him her favorite little critter? Was that why she froze like a deer in the headlights?
“And do you have a business card or website?”
She looked flustered and ready to run, but before she could make a move, a second woman, whose only differences in appearance from the yarn artist were her more business-like clothing and pixie hairstyle, joined the conversation.
“Here, Carri, I made these for you last night,” she said, handing the first woman a stack of business cards in a plastic holder.
“Oh. Thanks, Lottie.”
Carri took the holder and placed it on the table. Then she pulled one out and handed it to him. He glanced at the card and smiled.
Carri’s Critters. Carrigan Smith, creator.
Cute name for the business. He noted there was an email address, but no other personal information, and no website. She must be new to the business world to not have a website to refer customers to for future orders.
“The hedgehog is fifteen dollars,” she said softly as she focused on opening a bright yellow gift bag. She put the animal in the bag before looking up at him again. “Thank you for being my first customer.”
Rooker pulled out his wallet and extracted a twenty-dollar bill. Handing it over, he accepted the bag and his change with a smile. “Thank you, Carrigan Smith. I’m sure I’ll be seeing you again.”
The blush that rose to her cheeks delighted him. “I go by Carri. Have a good day.”
With one last smile, Rooker forced himself to walk away when what he really wanted to do was step around the table that separated them and give her a hug. He imagined taking her into his arms, and demanding she become his Little girl immediately. But that would get his face slapped, or worse.
Continuing his stroll around the room to check out the other vendors, he made note that the booths on either side of Carri’s were occupied by women who looked remarkably similar to the shy women who had captured his attention.
He stopped by several other booths and picked up business cards and information but did not purchase anything else. He would wait until later in the weekend to make further contact with those businesses. Maybe he would return to her booth and ask Carri Smith to join him for dinner once the vendor area closed for the evening.
Chapter Three
Carri tried not to stare as the man responsible for her first sale wandered away, but it was a challenge. She finally gave in, watching as he strolled through the room, checking out the other displays. Tall, dark, and yummy, everything she wanted in a man.
The fact that he appeared a good fifteen or more years older than her own twenty-five years was another plus in her book. She preferred older men, always had. Experience had taught her that they were not as self-absorbed and narcissistic as men her own age. If he were a straight Daddy in search of a Little girl, he would be her perfect unicorn.
“Carri!” Lottie touched her arm as she called her name, causing her to jump.
“What?” she cried as she twirled to face her sister.
“Always with your head in the clouds. I asked if you wanted to run to the restroom with me before the doors open for the day?”
“No, I’m good. I’ll go later if I need to,” Carri said as her gaze went back to the man carrying the bright yellow bag.
