"So it truly was Sebastian Croft." Adele asked, still with that tone of incredulity when Angelica had called her earlier this morning to inform her about her accidental run-in with Sebastian.
"It was him." Angelica affirmed. "For a moment, I almost thought I had conjured him from my imagination." And she had the article she had recently read about him to blame for that. She placed a warm cup of milk in front of Jewelyn before returning to flip the pancakes on the pan.
"I still can't believe he's here. How could you not know who the groom was? I think you should have known. If you had done your due diligence then maybe you'd have—"
"Not taken the job?" Angelica glanced over her shoulder to Adele, who was stuffing a forkful of pancakes in her mouth across the island.
"Yes," Adele mumbled with a mouthful of food.
Angelica sighed as she placed another pancake on Adele's stack. "Maybe I would have, or maybe I wouldn't have."
"What do you mean?"
"That maybe I wouldn't have given it up over a man, who never cared or bothered about me." A man who never loved her and completely broke her.
She glanced towards Jewelyn who was neck deep feasting on her dinner of blueberry pancakes — her absolute favorite.
"He never for once cared, not even after I left. If he did, maybe he'd have—" she looked towards her daughter again as she trailed off.
She softly hissed and sighed. "I have no reason to care. And need I remind you whose wedding I'm planning? It's Miranda Priestly's wedding! And her fiance is..." She paused and sighed again. "That's not the kind of gig you pass up for something trivial."
Something trivial. Adele mused. She wondered when anything about Sebastian became trivial. She had watched Angelica these past four years, treat everything about Sebastian anything but trivial.
She might have successfully stayed away, but she had seen the secret pine and yearn for his presence in their daughter's life. So, since when did he become trivial?
"Are you by chance saying you're going to continue with the job?"
"Mummy, I want more honey." Jewelyn's shrilly cute voice demanded.
"Okay, sweetface." Angelica poured more honey over her pancakes while Adele added more strawberries to her plate.
"I'm not going to give this up. Not for Sebastian or anybody."
"And what about Jewelyn?" Adele asked and they both glanced at the little girl, who couldn't be more unperturbed about what was going on around her.
"What about her?" Angelica softly asked.
"Are you now ready to let him know about her? Because that's what's going to happen when you continue with this job. And let's not talk about how his presence is going to make you feel."
"His presence means nothing to me." She stoutly declared, while Adele watched the quick flittings of her lashes and the quick squeeze of her jaws.
Adele looked at her through raised brows. "If it didn't, you wouldn't be as flustered as you are now."
"I'm not..." Angelica tried to refute, but for some reasons she couldn't.
As Angelica settled on a stool beside her with her plate of pancakes, Adele peered at her and the lines quickly forming on Angelica's face were evidence of the fear and emotions she had been keeping at bay.
"My candid advice would be for you to sit this one out and avoid him by all means necessary." Adele advised.
Angelica slowly lifted her gaze to her. "I am not doing that, Adele, and you know it." She softly said with certainty, attempting to push away the series of emotions trying to crawl their way into her heart.
"And I am not saying you should. I just..." Adele sighed, not knowing how to put her thoughts into words. "Angelica, do you know what keeping this deal actually means now?" She asked and, waiting for no reply, she continued.
"This means you get to see him more often. Talk to him. Be around him. Have you really thought about this? I am just concerned about how lightly you are taking this. How easy you make it seem to be but believe you me, it's not. And..."
She sighed as her eyes drifted to Jewelyn. Angelica did too, her eyes settling on her daughter. She stared at her for the longest time before her eyes slowly fluttered close, her head dropping with a sigh.
Her certainty began to wane as Adele's words slowly began to sink in. Hell, her heart still beat erratically like when she first saw him. She couldn't even deny how he made her feel. But that was not even her problem now.
What would happen if he discovered their daughter?
"I...I don't...I don't know, Adele. I'm confused. What should I do?" Her voice quavered. Staring at the little girl in front of them, Adele gave her hand a squeeze.
"Mummy, Aunty Addy, can I go play in my room now?" Jewelyn's sweet little voice came asking.
Both pleased and surprised to see her plate empty, Angelica nodded. "Yes, but after you give mummy a kiss."
Gingerly slipping off her seat, she hurried towards Angelica. Her small little form settled beautifully into Angelica's arms, bringing warmth and comfort into her soul.
She relished the sweet smell of rose in her hair that brought relief into her heart and also reminded her why she had to stay strong.
A peck dropped on her cheek which she quickly returned with a load of love. "Love you, baby."
"Love you too, mummy." Jewelyn replied with an infectious smile before pulling away.
"Say good night to Aunty Adele." She instructed and the girl readily darted towards her open arms.
"Good night, Aunty Addy. Good night, mummy."
"Good night, sweet face." Adele kissed her hair and pulled away, and like a jet, she bolted up the flight of stairs, leaving Angelica to watch her with amusement. Then suddenly her brows creased as she turned to Adele.
"I don't know what she's excited to do upstairs, but I think something is up." Angelica said with suspicion.
"Oh, something is." Adele smirked.
"What is it?"
"It's supposed to be a secret. I'll let her surprise you, and about Sebastian, I think you should do what's best for you."