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Five Days Later

"How's my sweet little niece doing?" Eva cooed at Lailah as she pressed a kiss onto her cheek.

Vanessa watched her sister happily play with her baby, but she knew that this was only the calm before the storm. She wasn't excited about possibly being scolded by her sister.

Eva carried Lailah to the couch and sat down. "You already know why I'm here, other than to see this sweet girl!" Eva tickled Lailah.

Vanessa turned her gaze away from her sister. She hated it when people raised their voice. It made her feel as if she did something terrible.

"Why haven't you been to the shop to see me? I mean, I know that you have work and Lailah, but I miss seeing you," And just like that, Vanessa released the breath she was holding in. Seeing Mason and having him call her pretty shook her up more than she realized. Eva never yelled at her.

"Are you doing okay?" Eva placed her hand on her shoulder.

She was going to tell her everything. It was always good to spill your feelings, instead of keeping them in. And she trusted that Eva was going to be kind.

"No," Vanessa whispered. "When I dropped Lailah to see Mason," She was scared. "H-he looked at me, he made me turn for him," She shook her head rapidly and wriggled her fingers. "He called me pretty!" She spat out softly and instantly covered her mouth.

She hated yelling. It didn't make her throat feel good and it was rude. But she did it. "I-i'm sorry," She apologized. "I didn't mean to yell, but, but he just made me feel so used. It messed with my head," She smoothed out her pants. "I went to the shop looking for you, but, but you weren't there. And then I ordered coffee, but my card fell from my hands and when I went to pick it up, my purse fell and so did my wallet,"

"Oh, I'm so sorry that happened. You are not some pawn he can use. You're a smart and crazy beautiful woman, pretty doesn't measure up to who you are," Eva encouraged her, which was sweet.

It felt nice to hear her sister compliment her. She never fished for love or compliments, but somehow God gave her the greatest encourager in the world. "Thank you," She whispered and hugged Eva tightly. "You're beautiful inside and out, my sweet sister," Her eyes filled with happy tears. She loved her sister so much.

"There's more to the story," Vanessa murmured. "It was too much for me to handle. I felt like a tea kettle, and I just began to cry. It was silly, but nothing was going my way and I was overwhelmed by what happened," Her feelings were valid. She knew it in her heart and God always reaffirmed it as well.

"I went to sit down and then a few minutes later, some foreign man came up to me with a drink. He asked if he could sit, and since I don't own the coffee shop, I said yes," She thought that he was kind, but she didn't know what he wanted with her. "He told me that he saw what happened and he wanted me to still have my coffee. He even got me a warm brownie," That was very sweet of the man, but she didn't understand why he would give her a brownie. Mason told her that they made her fat.

"He was very friendly, but then he got a phone call. He started to speak another language, fluently, it was either Spanish or Italian, I'm not sure, but he told me that he had to leave and he wanted to see me again." It surprised her when he said that. "I didn't know what to say, but he told me that he comes to the shop every day to get coffee and I could see him again," She didn't know if she wanted to see him again. He would probably snap and yell at her like Mason.

Eva plopped her legs onto Vanessa's body and squinted her eyes. "So that's why you've been avoiding the shop," She hummed. "Was he handsome? What is his name?"

Eva's curiosity was pleasant to Vanessa. Everything about her little sister was pleasant. "I didn't want to show up and see him. And yes, he was very handsome. He was the polar opposite of Mason, tan skin, dark eyes, salt and pepper hair," She was observant, though she was quiet. And the man was handsome for sure.

"Salt and pepper?" Eva asked.

She nodded. "Yes. He looked to be in his late forties or early fifties, I'm not sure. Another reason why I didn't want to see him. I don't mean to judge, but why would he want to talk to me?"

"He wanted to talk to you because you're a beautiful woman, and you're kind. If you decide to stop by the shop, I'll keep an eye out for you. I don't want you being swindled by another manipulative man. I have a taser and I'm not afraid to use it," Eva said protectively.

It touched her heart to know that Eva was protective of her. She knew how to defend herself, but having Eva on her side made things better. "I'll have to think about it. I don't want to be rude and never show up. He was very kind to get me coffee and a brownie, and Jesus said for us to love our neighbors, which means to be kind and not ignore their polite invitation to talk." She didn't want to make the man feel like an alien. "I don't want anyone to ever feel like their kindness is taken advantage of," She pondered.

"I may stop by tomorrow if you'll be there," She bit her tongue gently and waited for Eva's answer.

"If you feel uncomfortable, just blink at me three times and I'll come by and tase the man. I'm working the morning shift," Eva winked and messed with Lailah's hair.

Vanessa was going to be kind and she was going to be a neighbor. She didn't know if the man was new to the country and needed a friend, and though she was a little scared, she wanted to be a friend and help the man.

-

Every now and again, Lailah spent two hours with her grandparents to give Vanessa some time to check in on her company. She missed her, but it would only be for a little while.

She ran a financial advising company called, Grace by Grace: Financial Advising. She wanted people to know that there's always room for grace no matter the situation, and it seemed like finances were always a problem area for most people. So she offered a little grace and helped them bring order to their finances. In short, she loved her business.

"Miss Grace, we're all good for today. You've been such a great help, it makes sense, you know it's Grace by Grace?" Riley, the manager of Grace by Grace, joked.

Vanessa laughed and smiled. She liked Riley and she was always telling jokes. Some of them weren't funny, but since she was so sweet, Vanessa felt bad if she didn't laugh.

"I'm glad I could help, Riley." She put away her computer and walked to the door. "Don't hesitate to call me if you need any more help," She loved her job, though it wasn't much of a job. It was more like a hobby.

She walked out of the office and to her car. It was time to stop by A Cuppa to see her favorite sister and possibly the nice foreign man.

It would be okay. She was a little scared. She got nervous around new people, but she wasn't even sure if the man would be in the shop.

She took a deep breath and opened the door to A Cuppa.

Eva waved at her as she walked in and jumped over the counter to meet her.

Vanessa clutched her chest after seeing her sister jump. She could've slipped and hurt herself.

"It's nice seeing you here again," Eva hugged her and led her to the counter. "Order something, I'm paying!"

Vanessa laughed lightly and kissed her cheek. "You nearly gave me a heart attack with that stunt," She whispered.

Eva shook her head and walked behind the counter. "I'm sorry," She said sincerely and then typed something on the screen. She looked around the shop and leaned over the counter. "Do you see him?"

"I'm not sure, I haven't looked yet," Vanessa admitted and then looked at the menu. She was in no rush to see if the man was in yet. "I'd like to have something warm, it's getting to be chilly outside," She wasn't sure what to get. "Just surprise me, please," She looked around and noticed that her favorite spot was empty.

It made her heart happy. It was something simple, yet perfect. "I-i'm going to sit now," She told her sister before hurrying to the table by the window.

She placed her purse on the chair and checked her phone for any messages from her parents.

"Ooh!" She sighed in delight at the video message from her parents. It was her sweet Lailah playing with her parent's puppy.

Two of God's greatest creations. Dogs and babies. It made her so happy.

"You came. Una vera delizia," (A true delight)

It was him. Oh, God. She didn't want to look away from her baby's video, but she wasn't going to be rude. He hadn't done anything mean to her.

She placed her phone under her leg and turned to the direction his voice came from. "Um, I did,"

He smiled kindly. "May I sit?"

She looked at the chair and moved her purse. "Oh, I'm sorry." She looked over to her sister, but she was taking an order so she didn't notice her. She was nervous.

"It's very nice to see you again," He took a seat. "How are you?"

She wanted to be kind. She really did. But it had been a while since she talked to a man other than her brother and father. "I'm fine," She answered.

She hoped that she didn't sound mean. It was just that his personality was different from Mason's, he seemed genuine, but now she knew that looks and observations can be deceiving.

She wanted to apologize to the man now, she was passing judgment without even knowing his name!

"That's wonderful. Did you enjoy the brownie?" His accent was romantic, but she didn't want to be swayed by small things.

"Yes, thank you for it." She said and looked up.

He was looking at her, but she wasn't sure if it was a bad stare. He wasn't making her uncomfortable like Mason. No, Mason looked at her as if she was meat and he was a starving animal. His stare was disrespectful, but this man's stare was kind of nice.

His eyes held wonder and intrigue.

"I'm glad you liked it. Will I be able to see you again?" He asked with a sense of urgency in his tone.

"I don't know," She answered honestly. It was hard for her to talk to him. She wanted to, but it just didn't work.

He didn't look upset by her answer. Instead, he smiled. "Well, just as I said before, I stop by every day at this time. I would enjoy seeing you," He looked at his fancy watch and his smile faltered. "Perché il tempo deve sempre raggiungermi?" (Why must time always catch up with me?)

"I have to go, cara. Though it was a short moment, thank you for your time," He picked up his briefcase and walked to the counter, and grabbed his coffee.

The man walked to the door and locked eyes with Vanessa. "Alla prossima, cara." (Until next time, dear.)

She twinkled her fingers to wave goodbye. She had no clue what he said, she hoped that it was something nice. Nothing is crazier than possibly getting insulted in a foreign language.

"Did he come in yet?" Eva asked while holding a drink and cookie for Vanessa.

Vanessa looked at the door and then looked at Eva. "He just left,"

Eva's eyes widened and she sat down in the empty chair. "What? How did I miss that?" She asked incredulously.

"I-i tried to get your attention, but you were busy," Vanessa explained. "I'm sorry,"

Eva sighed and took a gulp from the drink she was still holding. "You don't have to apologize. Maybe I saw him but I just didn't know. What does he look like again?" She handed the drink to Vanessa who took it happily.

"He's tall, very tall. He's a little lighter than you, he's foreign," Vanessa went down the mental list she made, but Eva shrugged. "Handsome," She whispered.

"I think I would've noticed him. I guess that Britney took his order," Eva smirked. "So, will you see him again? I mean, I'm sure that he asked," Her tone held a teasing underlay.

Vanessa opened the cookie bag and took a small bite. "I don't know." She said for what felt like the hundredth time. "I'm scared,"

She looked out the window and watched people pass by. She prayed that those people weren't living in fear as she was. She didn't want to, it was just after everything that happened with Mason, it was hard for her not to be afraid.

-

Authors Note

Y'all, Mason is like a disease or something. Vanessa has been divorced from him for three years and she's still dealing with the side effects of being with him. I'm the writer and I'm just sick of Mason's crap, but we need his crap to have a storyline....

With that being said, next chapter is gonna be good. Whether it means good drama or good romance...we shall see.

I can't wait for everyone to see Reid's character, speaking of Reid, well I'll save that for later.

I hope you enjoyed the chapter and see you Friday


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