✧

"He wants to help us out?" My mother asks as she prepares herself for the day.

I hum from the dining room table. "Said something about a loan, about getting us back on our feet."

She glances over at me, her blue eyes glistening with concern. "I mean he was very kind when he helped you out when the cafe was robbed but we barely know him, Luca."

I suck in a breath and nod. "I know but I think he seems sincere. I understand that it's a lot of trust we'd need to put in him but at this rate, what other option do we have?"

"The bank isn't helpful at all," she mutters before turning back to the mirror and fixing her necklace in the reflection. "But it's something we'd need to discuss, I'd need to ask him a thousand questions before we ever got him involved with the business. It's ours, it's our livelihood."

"I know, mum." I agree. "But there isn't any harm in asking, is there? He said that he knows the cafe has so much potential and new ideas to help us thrive. I mean he comes in everyday in one of those expensive suits, it's obvious he's very tuned into business. It might be just what we need to get us out of this mess."

My mother hums as she walks towards me. "Well, let's have this conversation later, hmm? I'm late for work as it is and I know Jenny isn't the biggest fan of mine at the moment."

I feel my heart sink in my chest at her words. She's been so distracted with the cafe that she can barely focus on her second job and we need that income to stay afloat–for the time being.

"Sure," I nod as she leans down to kiss my cheek.

"If you're not okay with going in, Luca, we can just shut the shop?" She stares at me with the same blue eyes I have.

I shake my head. Even though the robbery from the cafe has left me with an awful sleeping pattern and slight fear it'll happen again, if we don't open up the shop, then we will be closed by the end of the month.

"I'm fine, it'll be fine."

She pursues her lips and studies me. "But for whatever reason you don't feel good or you're not up to it, just let me know and go home. I don't want you pressuring yourself to stay, you're still shaken up and I worry about your mental state."

"I said I'll be fine. Promise."

A loud sigh falls from her lips and she nods. "Okay, my boy. You're so brave and I love you."

"I love you too. Have a good day."

"You too, try and keep optimistic," she offers me a small smile. "Let me know if you need me to ask Demi to pop in and help."

My head shakes. "I'll be alright on my own."

I've definitely suffered long days by myself before, this won't be any different than usual.

"Alright, my love. I'll see you later."

"Bye," I wave her off as she leaves the front door.

I find myself staring at it for a few moments. Declan texted me yesterday and I still haven't got round to messaging him again. If he's as genuine as he says he is, then we're going to need some time to sit down and discuss everything to the smallest detail.

A part of me still doesn't understand why he'd want to help us but I guess the more time I spend with him, the more I'll understand. I just can't fathom why a stranger would want to help us, kindness in this world is rare.

Maybe I should stop dwelling and accept that not everyone is out to get us.

The silver lining that we've been waiting for this whole time. We just need to take the chance and do something before we lose the business altogether. I don't even want to know what it'll do to my mother if we get into that position.

I get to the cafe twenty minutes later and set up for the day. I walk to the front door and unlock it, twisting the sign around to say that we're open. Yesterday was the first day I worked at the cafe since the robbery and it's safe to say that it still has me a little shaken.

The police said they're still working on finding the thief but no doubt they've got bigger things to deal with than a couple hundred from a till.

When it reaches midday, I'm already run off my feet. With one of our coffee machines leaking and only another to make the drinks, it's been a tough day. Now worrying about something else that needs to be fixed and these machines aren't fixed. But that's another day's problem.

The bell above the door rings but I'm too busy trying to clean up the mess from the leaking machine that I barely have time to glance up. "Hi," I say below the counter. "I'll be with you in a second."

"No problem."

My eyes shoot wide as I glance up to find Declan towering over the counter. I stand up and dust down my hands on my apron. "Hey," I say, a little flustered.

Declan's dark eyes roam my entire face, something like concern settles on his features but I push out a smile anyway. "Hey," he responds. "First day back?"

I nod. "Yeah it is."

"How are you feeling about being back?"

My shoulders raise gently. "Don't really have time to think about how I'm feeling, the shop needs to go on."

His lips slant to the side. "I see," he nods. "Are you here alone?"

All I do is nod in response. His face morphs into a look of discomfort.

"We can't really afford to pay anyone else to help out right now," I scratch the back of my head awkwardly. I hate talking about our struggles but I know Declan already understands the fate of the shop, no point trying to sugarcoat it. "So it's just me at the moment. Would you like a drink?"

"Please," Declan nods and reaches for his wallet.

I get to making his drink, his usual. I try my hardest not to glance up as he watches me. For some reason his gaze feels a thousand times hotter than usual and I feel so exhausted, I don't even want him to look me in the eye to see my bags.

"Here you go," I say as I place his cup down on the counter.

Declan pays and tips as usual. At this point I just accept it because there is no point in arguing with him, he doesn't let me win.

"Have you had a chance to think about my proposal?"

I nod and place a hand on my hip, leaning into the counter. "Yeah, I mean I think we'd need to discuss it more, especially with my mother. She's a bit weary."

He bows his head. "Completely understandable. I'd be happy to sit down with you both and discuss my side of things, we can go through any of your concerns or worries. I don't want you thinking this is some dodgy deal."

My lips curl to the side. "My mum is just extremely precious of this place."

"I could imagine," he says. "It's your business, I would be too."

I flick my eyes between his and tell myself not to focus on his handsome features right now, he just said he wants to help us out. If he's a business partner, there is no way I can be crushing on him and getting feelings in the way.

He's strictly off limits at that point.

"When could we get together to discuss?" Declan asks.

I hum softly. "You could come over tonight? My mum will be cooking, it might be nice for you to discuss it with us then."

Declan blinks once and I panic thinking I've said the wrong thing. Maybe I shouldn't have suggested that he come over to our house. Is that crossing business boundaries I don't know about?

"Or not–" my cheeks burn and I feel the heat prickle my face.

"As long as that's okay with you?"

All the moisture inside my mouth has evaporated. "I can text my mum but if it's too much, we can go somewhere else."

"Luca," he says and I forget to breathe. Fuck. Why does he have to say my name like that? "I'd love to come over."

I swallow down my dry throat. "Okay."

"What time?"

"Well I finish up here at six thirty, then I'll head home. Mum will be back from work then too."

Declan tilts his head slowly. "Your mum has another job?"

I purse my lips and nod. "Yeah, she does."

"I see," he straightens himself out and takes the cup.

He says that a lot. What exactly is he seeing?

"Okay, well I might pop out later but I can be back for six thirty and we can go from there?"

I nod. "Sure."

He flashes me a soft smile and I tell myself to focus on anything but that mouth, not that his eyes are any better for my sanity. "Alright, I'll leave you to it."

Then he backs away from the counter and sits in his usual spot at the back of the cafe. I attempt to get back to work but for some reason my eyes keep gravitating towards him–without permission.

I curse myself in my mind and that I need to get over whatever it is that I'm feeling.

He's here to help... not push you up against a wall and kiss you.

This makes me snort to myself. Like he'd ever do that. I'm getting ahead of myself.

✧

Declan picks me up at six thirty, on the dot. I half expected to walk back to my house but of course his sleek navy BMW is sitting outside on the curb. I don't know why I was so damn nervous to be sitting in the same car as him, probably because the space felt so small.

His car smells like fresh leather and cherries from his air freshener that hangs from the mirror. He's definitely the kind of man who gets his car cleaned and serviced every month, there isn't a fleck of dust on his Dashfield or anywhere for that matter.

I remain silent and force my eyes ahead because I can't bear a peek at him.

Not when he's got one hand on the wheel and where his shirt sleeve is pushed up, his veiny forearms are on display. I clench everything inside me because those hands could cause some serious damage.

My mind is telling me not to go crazy and take shallow breaths, the journey isn't far but this feels like we've been here for hours.

I direct him to my house and he parks outside.

We walk down the path and I turn back to Declan as he unrolls his sleeves and slides his blazer onto his thick, long arms. "Ermm..." I clear my throat as he glances at me. "Just so you know, we don't come from much. The house is small an–"

"Luca," he cuts over me. "It doesn't matter to me. I'm grateful that you've invited me for dinner, I don't care about anything else."

I slap my lips together and nod. "Okay."

My key presses into the door and I step inside. "Mum?" I call out.

"In the kitchen."

I allow Declan in after me and I shut the door behind him. He walks through our tiny house and into the kitchen where the dining table is. My mother glances over at us and the large male that occupies a lot of space, making everything seem smaller.

"Declan," her eyes soften as she steps away from the counter.

"Hazel," he nods at her. "So lovely to see you again. Thank you for inviting me over."

She waves him off. "Oh nonsense, as long as you like Shepherd's Pie, then that's all that matters."

Declan hums in approval. "It smells delicious."

I step to his side and tug off my jacket. "Let me take yours," I gesture to his blazer.

He peels it from his body and I try not to ogle his biceps as they ripple against his cotton shirt. I take his jacket and place it on the coat hanger with mine. When I return he's already sitting at the table, my mother yacking away about the recipe.

I grab a jug and fill it with water before taking down three cups and a handful of utensils for the drawer, making the table for my mother to serve up the food.

For the first half an hour whilst we eat dinner, we don't talk about business. I let my mother be in Declan's company before we start discussing the future of the cafe. "So Declan, where are you from?"

"I grew up in North London but then I moved to Farnborough and now I move between there and Dashfeld."

"Oh yes," my mother nods. The other side of town that is screaming Conservative. "How lovely. Do you like it there?"

Declan wipes his mouth with a napkin. "It's okay, I like coming down to Dashfield because it makes a nice change."

I find my brows creasing. A nice change to the poorer parts of town. Sure.

"This was delicious," Declan praises my mother. "Thank you so much."

Her smile grows at his compliments. "Well thank you, I have been perfecting it for some time."

I take the plates and let my mother rest, I rinse them off in the sink and tell myself I'll come back to them later because we can't afford a dishwasher. Right now I want to hear Declan's proposal for the cafe. I know my mum has been dying to hear all about it since I said he'd be popping over.

"So Declan, Luca says you're willing to help with the cafe?"

"Yes," he says confidently. "After what happened at the cafe last week, Luca informed me of the future of your business. I think it has so much potential and I realise that money can be an issue at a time like this, with the cost of living rising. But I really believe we can get it back on its feet, see it perform like never before."

My mother leans back in her chair. "How?"

"Well," he presses his elbows into the table. "For a starter I'm willing to give you guys a loan, not a massive loan before you start panicking. But enough to see you through with the mortgage payments, with anything that needs fixing. Enough to redecorate, market and sell the cafe more than ever before."

She blinks rapidly at us. "But why?"

Declan clears his throat. "Well, I've been to your cafe many times. Luca can vouch for that," he glances at me and I smile. "But you make great coffee, better than any other place in this whole town. You're a family run business, Luca is incredibly welcoming and even though I can tell he's tired, he still gives his best."

My mother glances at me and reaches across the table to take my hand in hers. We both know it's true, even if I'm worked off my feet I still put in stupid amounts of effort into my customer service. It's the least I can do for paying customers.

"In no way am I saying that you should sign anything over to me, the business and building will remain in your name," he says, focusing on my mother again. "We can bring in my lawyers and my solicitors to put you at ease. But I see such great things for this cafe, give it a bit of TLC that it needs."

"You can say that again," my mother chuckles gently. "I've wanted to redecorate for the longest time but we don't have the funds or the time to do it."

Declan nods at her. "Well along with decorating, you could bring in locally sourced food, loyalty cards, you could even dedicate nights to spoken word or open mic nights. I realise how popular those have been getting recently."

My mum moves forward and perches her head on her fist, intrigued with Declan's words. "I think in six months we could get the cafe thriving again, better than you've ever seen. Of course, any ideas you want to put forward will be a priority but I'm only speaking from experience of being in the business industry."

"And what jobs have you had before... if you don't mind me asking?"

"Not at all," he smiles. "I made my own insurance company, I was the CEO but when it was time I sold it on. I've dabbled in smaller projects on and off since I was eighteen, I've always slyly been into sales and turning over profits by executing a shop or a brand to my best ability. I really think we could put Chessman's on the map if we do this correctly."

My mum glances from Declan to me and I can tell she's slightly overwhelmed.

"You guys don't have to make any decisions now," Declan says. "But it's up to you on how you want to do this. We can sit down with a lawyer and a solicitor. We can do everything in your favour and on your terms."

I hear my mum sniffle and I squeeze her hand. "I'm just–" her throat clenches. "In shock to be honest."

My chair shuffles closer to her and I wrap an arm around her shoulders. I see tears build in her lash line and my heart lurches. I know she's crying because she's overwhelmed but it's a horrible sight to see.

I flick my gaze back to Declan and he's watching us with a soft expression.

"This is just so kind of you, Declan," she whispers. "Good things never happen to people like us. And we've really needed the help for sometime now."

My throat tightens at her words. Sometime now is an understatement.

I can barely look at Declan because I don't want to set myself off.

"Again, think about it. The offer will still stand for as long as you need it."

My mother stands from the chair and grabs a tissue to dab her eyes, I look in Declan's direction and he's staring back at me. "Thank you," I tell him.

"Don't thank me," he shakes his head. "I would love to help, as long as you'd let me get on board and bring back your cafe which I know will soar in a world like this."

Declan leaves shortly after and I wave him goodbye from the door, my mother behind me.

"I wasn't expecting that," she comments. "He's a lovely man."

"Lovely indeed," I murmur.

After I shut the door and we walk to the living room, my mother stares at the wall. "But obviously this isn't going to happen tomorrow and there still needs to be a lot more to discuss."

"Agreed, but it's a start. We need this mum, he might be the one to get us out of this mess."

Then she's hugging me, sobbing into my shoulder. "We've been waiting for a miracle for so long."

I close my eyes and pray in my heart that Declan is our miracle.

✧

Read the rest of the book, bonus chapters and the first 19 chapters of the third book in the series over on Patreon!

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Author's Note

Awwww Hazel getting upset and saying good things don't happen to people like them🥺

Also I adore how Declan carries himself, Luca being worried about Declan seeing their house but he doesn't care because that stuff doesn't phase him🥰

What did you guys think of this chapter?👉🏼👉🏼👉🏼

I can't wait for some alone time between Declan and Luca. This book is going to be much spicer than River and Alex, so watch out for it. I can't wait to show you guys!🥵😉

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