I was admittedly thrown off by the speed at which everything was moving. Just this morning, I had been stressing over being able to afford bills, and now I was sitting at a fine dining restaurant, having lunch, after Emily and I had spent an exhausting amount of time clothes shopping on Sebastian Vascile’s dime. A small fortune worth of bags was currently sitting in the trunk of the Cadillac that the driver, who had informed me that his name was Curtis, had left with the valet. 

Emily had insisted I try some of the most expensive items on the menu, and when I protested, she had given a fake pout. Joel, with a cheeky grin, had leaned over to me and suggested that I just go along with it. 

So I did. 

It ended up being the best lunch that I had ever eaten. It seemed that even apart from K-pop groups, Emily and I never ran out things to talk about. She was an amiable little thing, with her big bright eyes. So much to say. So many things to tell me about. I’d been worried about us hitting it off, but halfway through lunch, I already felt like we were family. 

“You’re very pretty,” Emily said, reaching out to gently brush my hair with her fingers. 

“Thank you, Emily. You’re quite lovely yourself,” I said, playing with her braid. “Did you do your hair this morning?”

“Actually, it was Joel. He learned how to do it from a YouTube video. He always does nice things for me like that.”

I glanced at Joel, who appeared to blush, “It’s the least I can do for our little princess. We all want her to be happy.”

“Happy, but not spoiled,” Emily said, raising a finger as she appeared to quote someone, “Content, but not rotten. I still have to take care of myself and do my chores. The world does not wait on me. And I should never want it to.” 

“That is a great motto,” I said, “Who taught you that?”

“Uncle Seb,” Emily looked at me with those big blue eyes. “He said he used to be spoiled when he was younger. He got everything he wanted all the time, and it turned him into a jerk. He said it took a long time to dig out the rotten part inside him and become a good person.”

I nodded. Wise kiddo. Wise uncle. 

I was very curious to meet Sebastian Vascile. To learn what sort of person he was. To thank him for everything he had given me so far. I already adored his niece. 

“Well, Ms. Emily, shall we return home, or would you like dessert?” Joel asked. 

“Uhhh, definitely dessert!” Emily said. “If that’s alright with you, Joel.”

“Of course it is,” Joel nodded, before sticking a finger up to signal the waiter. 

I glanced across the table at the driver, Curtis, who was still devouring his steak. It was refreshing how casual everyone was. The help dining with the family in a fancy setting. You didn’t see that every day. 

After everyone ordered their dessert, and the waiter walked away, Joel turned to me. 

“So, what do you think, Ms. Evans? Are you ready to move in with us? To be a daily part of Ms. Emily’s life?” Joel asked. 

It took only a second of looking at Emily’s adorable face to realize that I would already do everything in my power to protect this little girl. 

I nodded, “I would like nothing more.”

“Yes!” Emily exclaimed, squeezing her hand into a triumphant fist.

“Excellent. That’s excellent,” Joel said. “We can show you your quarters when we get back. I’ll have movers bring the stuff from your apartment tonight. Unless you’d like to say goodbye personally?”

“Wow, you guys don’t waste time, huh?” I asked, looking back and forth between Joel and Emily. 

“I think you’ll love your room!” Exclaimed Emily. “It’s all turquoise. It’s like being in the ocean!”

“Well, uh, I can’t wait for you to show it to me,” I said, before taking a nervous sip of my water.