CHAPTER FOUR

“Where are your parents?” he asked the girl. 

 Little Evie stared at the kind strange uncle with inquiry. Perhaps, because he had been generous to her, she considered sharing a little bit of himself with him. Although she remembered her mother’s warning to never engage with strangers however, it was also her mother who used to tell her that ‘sharing is caring, and caring means sharing’. This kind uncle had cared for her so she could only reciprocate by sharing. The little girl’s knowledge about how the world operates was rather still very limited. 

 “I only have my mama,” the girl answered. 

 Hearing this, Declan’s eyes narrowed. He understood immediately that the child was being raised singlehandedly by her mother. Having been raised by a single parent himself; he felt an immediate connection and responsibility towards the child. 

 “Are you still there, sir?” Nora’s voice suddenly broke through the atmosphere. Declan withdrew his gaze from the child and looked at the phone he had set aside during the moment of his distraction. 

 “Let’s continue the discussion later.” He ended the call and returned his gaze to the child. 

 “Where is she?” he asked, his voice a tone softer than usual.

 After a brief moment of struggle, Evie lifted her small hand out of the jacket and pointed. He followed the direction of her finger and all he saw was the stretch after the counter. A passage that most likely led to some other part of the restaurant. 

 “She’s in there?” he raised a questioning brow and she nodded in affirmation. 

 “Will you bring me to her?” Just to be sure that there was someone in there who is responsible for the child, Declan decided to check that out by himself. The child nodded and she climbed down from the chair. She signaled to him to show his hand and when he did, she curled her tiny fingers around one of his fingers. It was quite a comical display for him. She pulled him along to the corner and walked into a room. It occurred to him that her steps were practiced, she must have been in the restaurant often. His steps halted when the girl stopped walking. It was then that he caught sight of the person in the room.

 Her back was turned to him, her hands worked swiftly as she bent down to clear the dishes from the dishwasher before arranging them neatly on the counter-top. His eyes glanced over her in a quick movement. She had the same dark hair as her daughter, the curls of her hair were twisted up in a messy bun. The several strands of hair that came loose lay messy – not rough against the sides of her face and the back of her neck. The strands were dampened by her sweat, defining the curls at their ends. She wore a plain black shirt with the sleeves pushed up to her elbow, paired with white-washed denim jeans, and an apron over her clothes. From what it seems, she most likely worked in the restaurant alone. 

 He was still watching her when the little girl’s voice rang out. 

 “Mama.”

 Elise stopped and turned around immediately at the sound of her daughter’s voice. An evident smile played on her lips, only for the smile to disappear in an instant. Her gaze pulled away from her daughter’s and fell on the third party. Her eyes immediately became guarded. 

 “Evie.” She called out softly. Her hand reached out to her daughter and drew her back, stepping into the space between the child and the man. Her eyes never left the man as she did this. She quickly noticed that the child was dressed in his jacket. However, seeing that he held no ill intention towards her daughter, her worry was dispelled by a notable amount. 

 “Do you need something?” she directed her question to the man. She gave him a quick look over and immediately knew that he was not one to be trifled with. “I am sorry, the rain is heavy, I assumed we won’t receive customers.” She immediately apologized for her negligence. 

 “She was cold,” Declan curtly uttered. 

 For a split second, Elise was briefly stunned by the depth of his low voice. It had a commanding effect that made people quiver involuntarily. By the time the words registered in her heart, her gaze moved away from the man to her daughter who was currently in an oversized jacket. The child’s head was still slightly damp. It was then that she understood. The little girl probably stepped into the rain when she was not looking and ended up in the cold. Feeling a sense of failure and exhaustion, she could not help but pull the little girl into her embrace 

 “Oh, thank you,” she said with a tone of gratitude. 

 “You’re welcome” 

 “Is there something I can get you?” She asked politely, then cleaned her hands with a napkin and led him out of the kitchen.

 At first, his response would have been that he needed nothing. However, for some reason, he glanced back at her, studying her face closely and a little bit longer than he usually will. “Let me see what you have,” he finally uttered. 

 “Please sit,” she gestured. When he was properly settled in the chair, she brought the menu to him and began explaining. “Usually, our steak sells the most here, it has great reviews and I’ll recommend it. However, I didn’t prepare any because of the storm. I don’t want it to go to waste. The other stuff I can recommend is the honey garlic chicken. It should be ready in fifteen. These two are our most sought dishes. You can also check the menu for anything else that catches your eyes…”

 Declan listened patiently, his eyes calmly following as the words left her lips. To speak truthfully, it was more like he was watching her – so intently that one might wonder if he was entranced by her. Of course, he would not describe himself as being entranced. He shifted his gaze from her face and stared at the menu. 

 He tapped softly, “I’ll have the–”

 “Mama…” Evie’s childish voice suddenly rang out. 

 The man and the woman turned around at the sound of her voice, and at that moment, the child swayed, her small body hitting the floor before anyone could grasp what was happening. The menu dropped to the ground and Elise lunged forward.

 “EVIE!”