"Flour, sugar, eggs, and..." Lexi's small voice dragged the last word as she stopped in her tracks. She was trying to recite our shopping list by heart, before we got to our usual go-to grocery store.

I giggled at her and kissed the top of her head before helping her out. "And chocolate."

"Ugh!" She screamed. "How could I forget the chocolate?" She asked while dramatically dragging her hand down her face.

I couldn't help but giggle again.

Making our way to the grocery store for the second time this week, my daughter and I walked by L'Amour, which remained closed, much to our dismay.

I let out a disappointed sigh and found myself tightening my grip around Lexi's tiny hand.

"Mummy, there's a man inside!"

I stopped in my tracks as I looked through the glass doors, following Lexi's index finger that was pointing towards a man, who was indeed, inside the store.

He was crouched down packing some items inside cardboard boxes. I could see a standing electric mixer taking up one box alone, given its size. The box next to that one was still half empty, hence why he was packing it with smaller items. Kitchen ustensiles, from what I could see through the glass.

I felt disappointed again. I guess this view was just, making it more real. The bakery was really closing, forever.

"Mum?" I heard Lexi's voice, repeatedly calling for me.

"Yes, love?"

"Can we go inside and ask the man if he knows when they'll open again?"

"Honey... It doesn't seem like they'll open again." Looking at the disappointed expression on my daughter's face was heartbreaking. "He's packing some pretty important stuff. Stuff that he'd need if he were to keep the bakery open."

"Please?" She moved onto the begging now. With pouting lips and round blue eyes that matched mine, I obliged.

Who could say no to this adorable face?

With every bone in my body telling me that it was a bad idea to do this, I followed my daughter's instincts, and wishes. I took a couple of steps further, walking up to the entrance of the bakery and knocked on the glass door.

The man remained in his place after the first knock. I could see his back rising and then falling, while he probably sighed in annoyance.

Without moving an inch, he just responded out loud, his voice sounding thick like a thunder making itself known. "We're closed!"

I pursed my lips into a tight line and gave Lexi's hand a light, comforting squeeze.

"I'm sorry, Le-"

My daughter's hand interrupted my words as it turned into a fist and knocked on the glass door again. Her knocks sounded a bit more fierce and louder than my previous, polite one.

"Lexi!" I reprimanded her, but you know that they say - what's done is done. And this time it was no exception. Her action was done, and the consequences were coming.

The man got up, standing on his own two feet before turning on his heels and moving towards the door while always looking down. It was only when he opened the front door that he looked up.

And he looked just as surprised as I did when our eyes met.

It was him. It was Sébastien.

At the loss of better words, I chose not to acknowledge the fact that I knew him, and simply apologised for interrupting.

"I'm really sorry, sir. My daughter and I will be on our way now."

He looked so much different than what I've known him to look. Whenever he showed up at the restaurant for his meal, he always looked sharp. Always wearing well ironed suits that had clearly come out of a dry cleaners service. Always had a pressed white shirt that tightly hugged his body, resting underneath his jacket. And more often than not, a tie that matched the colour of the suit. And the shoes were, of course, designer shoes. Shiny and polished leather shoes. He gave off all the vibes of a big corporate lawyer that crapped money.

Today, however, he was wearing sneakers, and what looked like some old jeans, matching the loose white t-shirt he had on, that had some rock band's name written on the front. I wanted to read the letters but I didn't want to stare at his chest for too long, and averted my eyes to his blue ones.

"You're Melanie." He stated, sounding as if he almost couldn't believe it.

"I am."

"What are you doing here?"

"Again, I'm so sorry for disturbing you. My daughter wanted to ask a question, but we're just leaving so-"

"What'd you want to ask me?" He slightly bent down to talk to Lexi.

"I wanted to ask when is this bakery opening again?"

"Well, little one, it will not open again. It's closed forever."

Lexi's expression gave away everything that she was feeling and I wanted to wrap a transparent comfort blanket on top of her so it would shield her from any type of hurt.

"Okay." She said, not speaking her emotions. "Can I ask another question?"

"Sure."

"How do you know my mum?"

"Oh, that's easy." From his position, he looked up at me with a smile before looking at Lexi again. "I have lunch at the restaurant where she works."

"Can I ask you a question now?" Sébastien asked. She nodded and he crouched down to her level. "Did you come here on purpose?"

"No!" Lexi's giggles filled the empty, silent street, and I couldn't help but smile. "We're going to the grocery store to buy the ingredients for my mum's chocolate cake."

"Oh, that sounds amazing." The hint of surprise that lingered on his face didn't go by unnoticed.

"It is amazing, my mum makes the best chocolate cake in the whole world." Lexi's fingers fidgeted with the tip of her braid.

"No way." He got up again, his attention turned to me now. "Best chocolate cake in the world, uh?"

"Says my eight year old."

"Well, her opinion is the most important one, is it not?"

That, he was very much correct about. And hearing someone - not so much as a stranger, but as an acquaintance - say that out loud made me warm inside. His question brought a smile to my lips, and wordlessly, I just nodded.

"Look, I was just busy packing what's left of L'Amour." He pointed with his thumb behind him, to the counter that was covered in large bags of what I could only assume was flour and sugar. "I have plenty of baking ingredients that aren't gonna be put to use. If you want to, I'm more than happy to give them to you."

"That's very kind. Thank you."

He opened the door a little wider, indicating for us to walk inside. With Lexi's hand in mine, we stepped foot inside L'Amour, and Sébastien closed the door behind him.

Lexi rushed off to the corner booth, where we'd always sit whenever we came here. I remained in my place and so did Sébastien.

"I wasn't expecting to see you here." Was all I said, while my fingers unconsciously tightened around the strap of my tote bag, that hung on my shoulder.

"Well... the place isn't going to pack itself."

"Right." I said before adding. "I just... didn't think you were so involved in this bakery that you were going to pack it all yourself."

"Yeah..." He searched his brain for something clever to say. He clearly didn't want to further the subject and I wasn't going to push him either. "It's complicated."

"You've mentioned it." With my lips pressed into a thin line, I nodded.

Silence reigned between us and Sébastien shifted in his place, catching Lexi's attention. "Can I ask you another question?"

"Sure."

"Why do you want L'Amour to open again?"

"Because I like it here."

"I'm gonna need a little more than that."

"We come here all the time. And if L'Amour isn't open..." I couldn't help but giggle at my daughter's gestures, shoulders raised and holding her arms up, with flat open tiny hands. "Where are we gonna go?"

Sébastien seemed to enjoy it as much as I did, because he jerked his head in my direction to show me a cracked smile, and I couldn't help but notice a strand of blonde hair that fell down his forehead.

He turned back around to look at Lexi. "Why do you like coming to L'Amour so much?"

"Because they have the best cake."

"I thought your mum's cake was the best." Lexi shrugged and tried to conceal her giggles with her hand, but failed to do so.

"So, you're a fan of cake, uh?"

Lexi nodded in agreement, but refrained from speaking this time. She watched Sébastien intently, while he watched her too, his brain thinking of something I couldn't decipher.

"Okay." He held his hands up in surrender. "You win. L'Amour will open again."

What?

"What?" I echoed my own thoughts out loud. The question was fired out from my mouth like a bullet fired out from a gun. Quick and impossible to stop.

Lexi's smile grew three sizes, at least, and I couldn't help but smile as well, despite the initial shock and bewilderment.

Sébastien moved to that one box that was neatly kept by the counter and pulled out the large mixer, resting it on the marble counter, as if this huge settlement wasn't the spur of the moment decision that it was.

"Um..." I started. "Wha-How are you doing this?"

"I own the place." He stated it like it was no big deal to own the best bakery in a ten mile radius. He sounded breezy, relaxed.

"You own L'Amour?" I repeated his words, hoping to find some reason in them. I didn't.

"Yes."

I had so many questions. Which was fair, given the amount of brand new information I'd just gotten.

However, none of them left my mouth.

"Well, I better return you the ingredients then." He gave me a puzzled expression. "If you're opening again, you're gonna need them."

"Oh," He said in realisation of his last favour to me. "That's no problem. You can keep it. I can buy more once I reopen this place. That's not going to happen overnight."

In silence, I nodded in agreement and started bagging all of the goods he'd provided, until he stopped me.

"I have an idea, why don't you make your amazing chocolate cake here?"

"Here?"

"Yes. Power's still on and I still got the ovens set up."

Hearing Sébastien's suggestion, my daughter came running from her seat to where I was. "Can we, mummy? Please?" Her pleading eyes weren't easy to say no to.

"Sure!" I agreed. "If Mr. Martin says it's okay."

"Just call me Sébastien." He eyed me, and offered a warm smile.

"Can we just call you Seb?" Lexi asked, making her way behind the counter and inside the bakery's large kitchen, as if she knew her way around the hidden part of this place.

I chuckled at her question and shook my head in embarrassment - in a good way.

"I'm sorry about that, Sébastien."

"Non, non... Seb is more than okay."

Seb it is, then.  

* * *

 AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Seb and Mel's dynamic is changing, don't you think so too? Slowly but surely! ❤ And I just loved writing Seb interacting with Lexi! 

I really hope you're liking Plot Twist so far, as you know, this a special story for me. If you are, please vote and don't be shy and comment, letting me know your thoughts!

Xoxo, Mars