✧

It's been two days since I went to visit Luca at the cafe. I meant what I said. I've been going to Chessman's for months now, day in, day out and they've shown me nothing but kindness there. My dad wants me to invest in something, well maybe this is my perfect opportunity to help with their business and get it back on its feet.

Luca hasn't contacted me since and I presume he's still thinking about my offer. I realise that it's not a decision you make overnight and we'll need to sit down and discuss everything properly in person but it is something I'm highly interested in.

I've seen the town of Dashfield and a place like Chessman's could really liven up the place if it has the right marketing and aesthetic. Yet I understand that they can barely afford the mortgage on the place, let alone attempt to do it up.

But I see Luca work his ass off nearly everyday and his mother is incredibly kind. I think they both deserve some recognition for their hard work and for making such a great cup of coffee.

After spending a day with my lawyers, I head over to my parents house.

My father won't be home because he should be at work and I like to go and visit my mother because I rarely see her when he's around. He ruins everything and I miss her. The only thing I value about my father is the soft spot he has for her.

He will go to the ends of this earth to make her happy. Shame he couldn't say the same about his two sons.

As I knock on the door of their field side mansion, I wait patiently for the door to open. There stands my beautiful mother with her dark shoulder length hair and golden brown eyes. Her face lights up when she sees me and she draws me in for a hug.

"Oh Declan," she says into my ear. "It's so good to see you."

"You too mum," I return the embrace.

She welcomes me into the house and I will never get over this place. We didn't grow up here, they moved to this house when me and Nick were old enough to move out. It has nine bedrooms and none of them are used apart from one.

My dad just likes to flash off his money at any chance he can get.

"What would you like to drink?" She asks as we enter the kitchen that could be the size of a football pitch.

I shake my head. "I'm good, thanks. How have you been?"

She hums and perches on one of her precious leather stools. "All fine, you spoken to your father lately?"

"Yeah," I nod. "I went to visit him the other day at work."

"About what?"

"He wants me to invest, didn't he tell you?"

My mother glances up at the ceiling and then nods her head. "Oh yes, he's always up for challenging you." She flashes me a grin. "He should be home any minute."

I feel my eyes widen in shock. Shit. The reason I came over at this time was to avoid him. It's three o'clock in the afternoon and I know how much he loves staying at the office late because he's a weird being like that.

"Why isn't he at work?"

"He said he wasn't feeling too great," she pushes off the stool and walks towards the fridge, removing a jug of mineral water. "So he said he would sleep it off and see how he feels later."

I open my mouth to speak but I can hear the front door crack open. Brilliant.

Footsteps click against the floor and I glance over my shoulder to find my father walking into the kitchen. His eyes fall upon mine and we're both shocked as each other. Yeah, I really should leave before we start a war.

"Declan," he greets me with a twang of disappointment.

My shoulders push back as I stare at him. "Father."

"What are you doing here?"

I straighten out my jacket. "Wanted to visit mum and see how she was doing."

His hazel eyes gleam in my direction. "How kind of you."

Now the next question is, how do I get out of here immediately? I pretend to check my watch for the time and shuffle around the counter. "Right well," I clear my throat. "I better go, I've got places to be."

"But you just got here." My mother's face falls slack and I feel like a horrible son.

"Yeah, you see I have things I need to do for that investment I was tell–"

"Investment?" My father takes two steps closer towards me.

I glance at him. Fuck. I should have kept my mouth shut.

"What investment?"

My eyes level with his and I suck in a breath. Maybe if I tell him my plans, he'll back off and leave me alone. I don't want to be summoned to his office again like a naughty school kid, sometimes I think he refuses to accept that I'm thirty-three years old.

"I've decided to help invest in a cafe down in Dashfield. It's a family run business that needs a lot of care and attention and I think I can bring it back on its feet and turn over the profits with ease." I say as confidently as possible.

He stares back at me dumbfounded but then he laughs sourly. "A cafe?"

"That's what I said, yes."

I watch as his eyes begins to analyse me and I wish I could smack that stupid smug smile off his lips. "You're not going to make much money doing that."

"Maybe not in your eyes," I say with a low tone. "But it feels like the right thing to do."

He nods at me once after a few long, painful seconds. "I wish you luck, Declan."

Which pretty much means–I can't wait to see you fail.

I grind my teeth down into my jaw but flash him a smile in response instead. I turn to my mum before giving her a kiss on the cheek. "I'll call you in the week to catch up," I tell her.

There is no way I'm coming back here if he's going to ridicule my decisions. He wanted me to invest in something, what I decide to invest in is my business. Not his. If he wanted me to go down a specific route, he should have been clearer.

When I leave their house and get back into my car, I sit for a moment before plucking my phone from my pocket. My thumbs hover over my last chat with Luca and I quickly punch out a message.

Declan: Hey, any more thoughts on what we discussed the other day?

I don't expect him to reply straight away but when my phone buzzes as I turn on the engine, I rush to read the message.

Luca: Hey, I need to run it by my mother first because obviously it's a big commitment and we really need to think about this

Declan: Of course, take as much time as you need.

Later on in the afternoon I head over to Nick's house because I like spending time with my niece. She's the first to greet me as I walk through the door, running into my arms and giving me a big hug.

"Hello to you too, trouble," I chuckle into her tiny body.

She pulls back and grips onto my shoulders with her little hands. "Are you staying for dinner?"

"Yeah, I am."

"Yay!" She jumps up and down and rushes back to the kitchen.

I shut the door behind me and find my brother cooking something that smells beyond delicious. "Hey," I nod at him.

Nick wipes his hands down his apron. "Hey," he says in response. "DInner?"

"Please," I say sitting on the stool opposite him as he cooks.

He glances over at me. "You look stressed."

I wave him off. "He's not even worth talking about."

"Ah," he says, instantly realising who I'm referring to.

"Uncle Declan, look!" Elodie rushes to my side and flashes me a pink dinosaur. "Look what daddy bought me today."

I lean forward to touch the softness of the toy. "Cute, did he treat you?"

She flashes me a grin before running off. I turn back to Nick who is wiping a hand across his forehead. "You spoil that girl," I tell him.

"Yeah well, when she's having a temper tantrum in the middle of the supermarket, the only option is to buy the damn dinosaur."

A laugh passes my lips. "Rough day?"

"You could say that."

I hop off the stool and walk towards his alcohol cupboard and pour us both a drink. I shove it in his direction and he sighs in relief. "Thank you," he mumbles before raising it to his lips and taking a large gulp. "Tell me about your day."

The glass rolls around in my hand as I glance over my shoulder to find Elodie playing with her new toy on the sofa, some kids program plays on the TV with an incredibly annoying theme song.

"I want to invest in a cafe, more to help out the owners who are struggling."

Nick's eyebrows raise. "That cafe you go to all the time?"

"Yeah," I nod. "It's not doing so well at the moment and I offered to help out, bring in the profits again."

His lip curls into a knowing smile. "The guy who makes the best coffee in town, huh?"

I roll my eyes. "Why do you always pick up on the smallest of things?"

"Because it's obvious you go there to see this mystery man with magical hands that makes amazing coffees," he smirks in my direction. "You wouldn't keep going there if there wasn't a real reason to."

"Shut up," I grumble and raise the glass to my lips.

The sweetness of the alcohol coating my tongue. God. So fucking needed today.

"I bet you flirt with him."

"I don't flirt," I scowl.

Nick stops moving the stir fry around in the pan and looks up at me. "Declan, you could flirt with a lamp post."

"They need my help," I reiterate. "And I want to do something that isn't insurance or stocks and shares. That shit is boring, I want to try something new. I think I could really turn around their future."

"And take their money?"

I recoil from his words. "I'd never take their money. If the cafe does well then yes, it would be fair to get a share of the profits but I'm not doing it to take them for everything they have."

"Dad definitely expects you to do that."

"Yeah, well... we're different people." I cover my mouth with my drink again. "He's a spineless wanker and I actually see potential. I would never take away someone's hard earned business."

Nick hums and begins to plate up dinner. "Well, if anyone can pull it off, it's you."

"He hasn't even agreed yet."

"Why?"

I shrug. "I guess it's something they need to discuss, it's a big decision to make and I get that they probably don't trust me right now. So I plan on setting down all the facts, proving to them that this will not affect them financially."

Nick hands me a bowl of the noodles and I thank him. "Els, dinner."

"Coming!" She runs across the room.

I lean down and hoist her up onto the stool. She hums loudly as Nick gives her a tiny bowl with a fork. "Thanks, daddy."

"You're welcome, pumpkin."

"How's nanny hunting going?" I ask as I twist my fork around the food.

Nick grunts and sits beside his daughter. "Not well."

I snort quietly. "You're too picky, you need to lower your standards."

"My standards are always going to be ridiculously high when it comes to Elodie."

"You've made her high maintenance," I comment.

Nick's eyebrow raises in my direction. "As she should be."

"What does high maintenance mean?" Elodie asks sweetly.

"It means that you don't take less than you deserve." Nick tells her with a wink. "Only the best for you, my girl."

Elodie giggles and stuffs her face with the noodles and vegetables mixed together.

My eyes roll. "God help you when she's a teenager."

I watch as Nick grimaces at the idea. "Yeah, she's going to drive me insane."

Elodie glances between us and I ruffle her hair gently. "You're going to put your father into an old people's home very early, do you know that?"

She laughs again. "But you're older than daddy!"

Now it's Nick's turn to laugh. "You're right, pumpkin, he is. He'll be the one going to the old folks home first."

I look at Nick and he's flashing me a grin. They're so alike it's uncanny. But at least she's damn cute.

✧

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Author's Note

Can anyone guess what the third book is going to be about?? ITS ALL IN THE TEXT😉

And Declan's dad strikes again!

I love this chapter and getting to know Nick and Elodie better. I feel awful Declan's mum but she's married to a monster so...😒

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