Chapter Fourteen

The rest of that evening passed uneventfully.

Taylor fell asleep early, a testament to just how exhausted she was from the harrowing events of the last two days and…well, just her hard life.

She awoke the following morning feeling refreshed and ready to explore the ship.

"I want you to eat a good breakfast," Ireneo told her.

A huge spread was laid out in their spacious suite. There was plenty of fresh tropical fruit as well as French toast, sausage, bacon, and eggs. There was a sippy cup of juice, too, waiting for her. She was almost finished with it when she realized it no doubt held the medicine Dr. Kirk had given them yesterday.

Oh great!

There wasn't anything she could do about that now.

Nor was there anything she could do about the embarrassment she felt regarding how quickly she'd eaten. And how much she'd eaten. She supposed she was compensating for all those times she'd gone hungry. There had been too many days when she'd picked between rent and eating. Or deodorant or eating. Or subway fare to get her around town while she hunted jobs. Or she just simply didn't have enough money to spend on anything—be it food, rent, toiletries, or transportation.

Ireneo noticed how much she'd eaten, but he didn't seem to mind. In fact, he was smiling when he said, "You may go play with the other Littles, but I want you to stop at ten this morning and have a snack."

"I just had a big breakfast."

"You're a hungry girl."

"I'll be a fat girl if I keep eating like this."

His smiled morphed into something far more serious. "Speak that way again and see how your bottom feels."

She received the message loud and clear and wisely kept her mouth shut, only saying a demure, "Yes, sir."

"What will you be doing today?" he asked, striking a lighter tone as he looked at her from across the table.

The glass doors that led to a balcony that overlooked the deck—and ultimately the ocean—was open, letting in a salty breeze. Already the air was warmer than it had been back in New York, though it wasn't quite balmy yet.

"I'm meeting up with Nelly. She said there are some other Littles on the ship and they want to play."

"That sounds like a lovely day," he said. "Speaking of other Littles, I bet one of them is Daisy. You'll meet her soon. We have an appointment with her in fifteen minutes."

"Is it another doctor's appointment, sir?" Taylor asked with a start.

The king chuckled. "No, little one. Daisy is not a doctor. You'll see. Let's just get those sticky, syrupy fingers and that mouth cleaned up. Then I'll get some clothes on you and we'll go meet her."

That's exactly what they did.

Fifteen minutes later, they were walking into a toy store in one of the ship's shopping areas.

"This is amazing! Ooh, look at that!" Daisy said, grabbing Ireneo's hand and tugging him toward a big toy replica of the Little Star ship. "I bet it really floats!"

"It does," a new voice said. "I made it myself."

Taylor and Ireneo turned to see a young woman—probably about the same age as Taylor, in her early twenties—standing near the store's checkout counter. She wore a pink babydoll dress that didn't quite cover her diaper.

"You made this?" Taylor said in disbelief. It was an impressive feat. The woman was clearly talented.

"Uh-huh. With a 3-D printer." She stepped closer. "My name is Daisy Mae. How are you?"

"I'm good. My name is Taylor."

"And I've already met King Ireneo," Daisy said. "His island is the coolest! Have you been there yet?"

"No. But that's where we're headed," Taylor said.

"Little Daisy owns this shop, and she makes all the toys you see here," Ireneo explained. "She's only on the ship part-time, though. Her Daddy operates Little Star Farms. They divide their time between there and here."

"Wow, that sounds really cool," Taylor said. "I don't know how you make all this stuff. It's amazing."

"Thank you," Daisy said sheepishly. "I'm always coming up with designs."

"Look around. Get whatever you wish. Every Little needs toys and you will have as many as you desire," Ireneo said.

Taylor was in awe. She didn't know how to respond. This was like a dream come true! She'd longed for toys for so long, but of course she never had any money for silly things like that. Every penny she'd ever scraped out was spent on simply living, until she'd bought that stuffie a few days back.

She took her time perusing the shelves. Five minutes later, she said giggling, "I can't decide! It's all so wonderful. I love the ship. But those dolls and the dream house. And—"

"Then we'll take everything," Ireneo said, in a very matter-of-fact tone, to Daisy.

"Eh, pardon?" Daisy said.

"I'm buying the whole store," Ireneo said, pulling out his credit card and handing it to the proprietor. "And add twenty percent to the bill as a tip. You've worked hard." He looked around and smiled in satisfaction before adding, "I'll have my men come and pack it all up and move it."

Neither of the women could believe what had just happened.

But neither were used to being in the presence of royalty, either.