The Art of Discipline: Dani’s Discovery (The Mockingbird Chronicles) (7 page)

“You?” Emma seemed surprised. “We never talked about how he disciplined you.”

“The letter then, he must have told you…”

“I’m not sure exactly what your letter said, Dani. The only thing he told me was that the old hairbrush was there if I had trouble working with you.”

“I don’t understand. Then how did you know about the corner, or the pillow?”

Emma laughed. “You think you’re the only one that’s ever been on the receiving end of that hairbrush?”

“Really?” Dani took another bite of chicken, suddenly seeing Emma in a whole new light. “What could you have possibly done to incur the wrath of Sean Ryan?”

Emma chuckled. “You’d be surprised. I was a rather hotheaded thing when I first started working for Sean. Thought I knew more than he did, and I learned quickly that wasn’t always the case.”

Dani rolled her eyes at the explanation. “That doesn’t sound like much.”

“Oh, it’s not.” Emma took a small bite of an egg roll. “Unless you happen to count yelling at your boss and calling him an old fool in front of a customer.”

Dani almost choked on her water. “You didn’t?”

“I did,” Emma admitted with a small blush. “And that, my dear, was the very first time I felt that hairbrush on my backside.”

“But not the last?” Dani asked with teasing blue eyes.

“Nope, not the last,” Emma answered with a sparkle of her own. “Now, you finish up. It’s almost bedtime for you.”

Dani scowled at the idea but managed to finish her dinner and then help Emma clear the table. She was just putting plates in the dishwasher, when a large yawn escaped.

Putting down the dishtowel, Emma put an arm around Dani’s waist and began to lead her to the bedroom. “Come on, you, time for bed.”

“I don’t wanna go to bed,” Dani whined.

“Well, you’re going anyway. You’ve had a very big day, Danielle.”

“But I’m not tired.”

“Uh-huh, sure you aren’t,” Emma responded as Dani yawned again.

Upon reaching the bedroom, Emma pulled down the covers before helping Dani crawl in. Tucking her in, Emma sat down next to her and took her hand. “Before you fall asleep, I want to talk to you.”

Dani shifted, looking down and playing with the bedspread with her free hand. “Talk about what, Emma?”

Emma smiled and used her fingers to tilt Dani’s chin until she caught her blue gaze. “I have a feeling this is not going to be a onetime incident, so I want to establish a few ground rules so you know what to expect next time.

“Next time?” Dani asked, instantly not liking the idea.

“Can you honestly tell me that I will never need to spank you again?”

Dani shook her head slowly as she dropped her eyes.

“That’s what I thought.” Emma squeezed Dani’s hand before continuing. “First, you will always have a nap or be sent to bed after a spanking. This is non-negotiable,” she added, seeing the blue eyes start to blaze. “Secondly, I will decide when you do and do not need to be spanked. I also decide how, when, and where you will be spanked.”

Dani resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “When, where, and how—I get it, you’re an adverb. Anything else?”

Emma narrowed her eyes at Dani’s sarcastic tone, but at the moment she chose to ignore it. “Yes, there will be additional consequences for your actions if you don’t comply with my rules.” Emma locked eyes with Dani once again, “And above all, Danielle, I want you to know that you can trust me. I won’t speak of this to anyone, unless you are okay with it, nor will I threaten you or embarrass you in front of others. This is between you and me. No one else needs to know about it.”

Dani tilted her head slightly, noticing Emma’s eyes soften with this last statement. “Emma?”

“Yes?”

“Not that you’re giving me much choice, but what if I think the punishment is unfair? I need some way of communicating that without making the situation worse.”

Emma studied Dani for a moment. “Tell you what. We’ll set up a code word, say, ‘mockingbird’. If you promise not to abuse it, I’ll promise to always stop and listen to your side of the story before making my final decision.”

“That seems fair,” Dani agreed as she shifted, trying to find a more comfortable position.

“I’ll always try to understand, Dani,” Emma responded honestly. “Now, you need anything? Water, last trip to the restroom?”

“Do I look like I’m six?”

Emma couldn’t help but chuckle. “I’m just trying to make you comfortable, Dani. Plus, after I send you to bed, I expect you to stay there.”

Dani let out a long slow breath. “I’m fine, but I do have a request.” She paused for a moment, suddenly feeling shy. “Can you stay, please?”

Emma looked down at Dani, trying to decide what to say.

“Tonight, all this, it brought back a lot of memories. I just don’t want to be left alone,” Dani admitted.

Taken a little aback by Dani’s sudden confession, Emma quickly decided her next course of action. “Of course I can stay. Just let me get something a little more comfortable on, and I’ll lie down with you.”

Looking at Dani and then the dresser, Emma gained silent permission with a nod from Dani. Opening a drawer, Emma located a large t-shirt and disappeared into the bathroom, where she removed her jeans and sweater and donned the shirt like a nightgown. Returning to the bed, she pulled back the covers and slipped in next to Dani. It was a little awkward, but after a few moments, Dani found her spot. She curled up to Emma with her head comfortably on her upper chest, like a human pillow, and found herself lulled to sleep by the steady beating of Emma’s heart.

Chapter Four

Emma woke to the smell of something burning and the sound of swearing. Noticing Dani was no longer in bed with her, she made her way toward the noise and shook her head with laughter at the sight before her. Dani was covered in flour, as was the countertop and a good portion of the floor. There was smoke coming from the oven, and Emma was shocked the fire alarm hadn’t gone off yet. The top of the stove wasn’t in any better shape. She had no idea how many eggs Dani had tried to open, but at least half of them had landed on either the stovetop or the floor.

“Dani, what happened?” Emma asked as she opened the oven to remove the burnt lumps of dough.

“I wanted to make breakfast for us,” Dani cried.

“So you decided on a blackened theme?” Emma teased.

“No, I burned the biscuits, and then the bacon stuck to the pan, and I dropped the eggs.”

“Sounds about right,” Emma confirmed. “Tell you what, I’ll help you clean up this mess. Then we can get dressed, and you can take me out for breakfast.”

Surveying her kitchen, Dani started to chuckle. “I think that’s a better plan.”

“As well as safer,” Emma added.

* * *

Dani shifted again in the booth. “Are you sure we can’t take our breakfast to go?”

Emma shook her head. “No, we’re eating here, so you can stop asking.”

Dani crossed her arms over her chest and pouted as she winced. Her bottom was still sore, and Emma’s teasing and lack of sympathy wasn’t helping. Then again, since Emma put her bottom in this state, asking for sympathy was probably a little silly.

The women sat in silence, looking out the window by their booth. Each lost in her own thoughts, they were interrupted as the waitress put breakfast down on the table.

“Excuse me, but where’s the diet soda I asked for?” Dani asked the waitress before she could leave their table.

The waitress looked at Emma and then back to Dani. “I thought you wanted orange juice.”

“But I ordered diet soda,” Dani protested, looking pointedly at Emma.

“Don’t you think it’s a little early in the day for soda, Danielle?” Emma returned with a raised eyebrow.

Dani shifted. “The juice is fine,” she gave in, realizing that with her backside still tender, it was best not to argue at the moment.

The waitress nodded and left them to enjoy the meal.

“You know, just because you are the boss inside the store doesn’t mean you can boss me around in my personal life,” Dani quietly commented.

Emma sighed. “I’m not trying to boss you around, Dani. I care for you, and I’m just looking out for your best interest. After all, what would Uncle Sean say if you ordered a soda at breakfast?”

“I’m not six years old, Emma. I can decide what I eat and drink.”

“Dani, just what was the nature of the personal errand that Will ran for you?”

The question caught Dani off guard, and she shifted once again. “What does that matter? We’ve dealt with that already.”

“I know, but I want to know what was so important that you felt breaking the rules were necessary.”

Dani put her fork down and sat back against the booth. “I was out of soda, so I sent him to pick me up another case.” Green eyes sparkled, and Dani realized that the news wasn’t news to the redhead. “But you already knew that.”

Emma nodded. “From now on, no more soda with breakfast.”

Dani scowled. “Fine.”

* * *

Dani shifted from foot to foot. She was tired of standing, but the last thing she wanted to do was sit on the high stool that was behind the counter. It was another long day in the store, two hours into her shift, and they’d hardly had a customer all day.

After breakfast that morning, she and Emma returned to open. Emma had then retreated to her office to work on paperwork, leaving Dani behind the counter until Anna and Stevie showed up.

Dani tried to tune out the incessant talking of her two co-workers and was trying to concentrate on her laptop when she suddenly heard a loud slap. Dani’s head popped up at the noise only to see Anna giggling. The raven-haired woman was pinned over one of the tables as her partner swatted her a second time with a large hardcover book.

Stevie let Anna up, after which she swatted Stevie playfully on the arm as they both giggled. Anna then noticed that Dani was watching them and blushed slightly, playfully pushing Stevie away. Stevie turned as well, giving Dani a grin and a wink.

Dani chewed on her lip for a moment before her eyes quickly returned to her computer screen. Not that she was reading anything there; it was just a convenient place to hide. Wishing again that she could sit so that she could further hide behind the screen, she glanced at the clock. She was never going to make another four hours of this.

She managed another fifteen minutes of shifting and avoiding looking at either Stevie or Anna before she gave up and headed to Emma’s office. Knocking softly on the open door, she was met with green eyes and a smile. “Hey, Danielle, what’s up?”

“Ah, I was just wondering. It’s pretty slow. Would it be okay if I went upstairs for a while?”

Emma furrowed her brow in concern. “You okay? Sick?”

Dani shifted from one foot to the other. She didn’t want to lie, but the excuse was almost too convenient. “I’m a little tired. Might want to lie down for a bit.”

Emma stood and crossed the room, putting the back of her hand on Dani’s cheek. “You’re not warm, but go ahead. I’ll come check on you in a little bit.”

“You don’t need to do that. I’m sure I’ll be fine. Just wanna rest for a while.”

Emma nodded, giving her the permission she needed, to which Dani smiled in thanks, before heading up to her apartment. Once safely inside, though, her smile widened. “Nice,” she praised herself as she quickly walked across to the kitchen and opened a fresh can of diet soda.

It seemed as soon as Dani left the store, it suddenly got busy. Emma was forced out of her office to help run the register, while Anna and Stevie helped various customers. It was almost three hours later before things slowed again mid-afternoon, and Emma hadn’t even had lunch yet. Deciding a break was in order, she left the store, with the intention of checking on Dani and grabbing something to eat.

Heading to Dani’s first, she knocked on the door gently without getting an answer. Figuring Dani was sleeping, she slipped her key into the door and let herself in. The main room was deserted, so Emma headed to the bedroom. Finding that room also empty, she just was about to go check to see if Dani’s keys and purse were gone when she heard a loud yell.

“Sparrow, damn it, look behind you!” Dani’s voice suddenly rang out. “Gunner57, no, to the left… your other left,” Dani continued.

Thoroughly confused, Emma followed the noise only to discover Dani in her uncle’s study, fully engrossed in some sort of multi-player online game. Dani had her back to the door, with her laptop propped up on one of the built-in shelves. No doubt so she could stand and still access it. She was wearing headphones with a mouthpiece and was yelling various commands at the screen.

The real surprise, though, was the state of the room itself. Emma counted three empty soda cans, a half-consumed bag of chocolate chip cookies, two different bags of chips, one which had been knocked to the ground and kicked halfway across it, as well as a bowl of popcorn, some of which was also decorating the floor. Shaking her head at the parts of the mess she could actually identify, Emma took a deep breath. “Danielle Elizabeth Ryan!”

Dani’s back stiffened at the sound of her full name, and she slowly pulled the headphones off as she turned to face Emma’s flaming green eyes.

“Shut that off, this instant,” Emma commanded.

Dani swallowed hard as she moved to close the laptop. “Emma,” she started to explain, but Emma shook her head, forbidding Dani to say another word.

“You don’t look very sick to me.”

“I never said I was sick,” Dani replied, “just that—”

“You led me to believe that you weren’t feeling well. It’s the same thing, Danielle.”

“Do you need me to come back down to the store? Did it pick up?” Dani asked.

Emma shook her head. “You’re done with work today. It’s obvious you don’t want to be there anyway.” Emma paused, staring down Dani for a moment before she held out a hand. “Give me the laptop.”

“What? I need it. You can’t just take it. My work.”

“You didn’t look like you were working to me.”

“I was just taking a break,” Dani tried to defend herself.