✧
It's been three days since the theft at the shop. It's taken me a day or two to come to terms with what happened. It really shook me up the first day and I tried not to think about it. Of course my mum shut the shop for the time being, whilst the police tried to collect as much evidence as they could.
£200 was stolen from the register. That might not sound like a lot to most people but for us, it's an awful amount to lose. He didn't steal all of it–thanks to Declan–but it's still a big chunk of money that we can't really afford to replace.
We haven't had a chance to go back to the cafe because we had to check our income first, to see if we can actually afford to open this week.
It's been incredibly depressing sitting at home and feeling like this is all going to fall through. This is the last thing we needed and I can't believe someone would be so heartless to steal from a small business or any business alone.
This is our livelihood. Without this income we could say goodbye to the shop, even goodbye to our home. I don't even want to think about that outcome because I refuse to let it be a reality.
We've been wishing for a miracle for so long but I think our luck is running out. Not that we had any luck to begin with.
Whilst my mum has been doing her second job this week, I decide to pop to the cafe. I'm not intending to open the shop, but to get out of the house. As I walk from our house to the cafe, the weather is rather glorious despite my thunderlike emotions.
Why do bad things have to happen to good people?
I dig my keys out from my jacket pocket and shove them into the door. I wonder if anyone has popped by the last couple days and pondered why we're not open, not if they haven't already heard the local news.
Alex and River came to visit me as soon as they found out, I don't know why I didn't tell them at first. I was slightly embarrassed but they didn't see it like that, they wanted to make sure that I was okay.
Both of them came round with smiles and hugs, telling me and my mother that if we need anything at all then they're always there. I've never been more grateful for my friends, especially when Demi popped over with a bunch of flowers and a card.
All of them care and I know they'd do absolutely anything for me.
When I step into the cafe, I glance down at the mail that we've missed the last couple days. Most likely junk mail and bills. But one of the pieces of paper catches my attention because it's not in an envelope, it's on its own.
I pull it away from the other letters and glance down.
A number is scribbled onto the paper along with 'Call me - Declan'.
For a moment I'm stunned. When did Declan come back to the cafe?
It's not like I had his number before or anything so that I could call him or he could call me. But why would he? I'm nothing but a server to him and he's a customer to me. Although I replay what happened when he came into the cafe with that knife against my throat.
My heart flutters at the worry in his eye when he saw the cut against my collarbone. It's healing fairly well considering I can't feel it much, I have so many other things to be worrying about than a lousy graze.
I lock the door behind me and walk inside, there are cups and plates on the side that need washing. I didn't bother to do anything after the police and ambulance came, I wasn't in the right mind. But now that I've got some spare time, I should do something.
After thirty minutes of putting the cafe back together, I keep thinking back to the piece of paper with Declan's number on it.
I don't know why but I feel embarrassed to call him. To tell him that we can't open the shop right now because the money we lost was for the week and we can't afford to run until we can work out what next week will be looking like.
Ugh. All of this is a mess.
My hand leans onto the counter and I groan, running my other hand down my face. Why can't things be simple?
I chew on my lip as I walk towards the pile of letters and take the one with Declan's handwriting. I don't know how long I stare at it, as if it somehow is going to give me an answer.
After what feels like an eternity, I finally pull my phone from my pocket and draw out a sigh. It's probably just to check in, make sure that everything is okay. The conversation doesn't need to be any longer than it has to be.
My thumb hovers over the screen as I type in his number and then listen to it dial. I stare blankly at the wall, trying to ignore how fast my heart thumps in my chest. Why am I so damn nervous? I see this man nearly everyday but somehow a phone call is about to set me off.
"Hello?"
I part my lips but nothing falls from them. Say something, Luca.
"Hello?" He says again.
"Hi," I force out.
There is a quick pause. "Luca?"
"Hey, I saw your note. You said to call... this is me calling."
I close my eyes and cringe. God, I hate myself.
"How are you feeling?" He asks deeply.
"I'm okay, just been working things out with my mum. How are you?"
He clears his throat quietly. "Yeah, I'm fine. I popped by the cafe yesterday and I saw you weren't open, I was worried something else had happened."
Worried? I don't like the way my heart stammers at that word.
"No," I shake my head. "We just–"
I pause before I offload to this stranger. I mean he pretty much is a stranger, I know nothing about him besides his name. But I hate to admit that he makes me feel some type of way, his presence. All of it.
"You what?" Declan's voice brings me back into the conversation.
"Nothing."
"You can tell me, Luca."
Fuck. Why does my stomach clench at his determined voice?
Is he going to pity me when I tell him that we can't afford to keep the shop open right now? Because I'm already mortified as it is and I don't need anything else contributing towards it. I want to wallow in peace–and my mum. That's it.
I pinch the bridge of my nose and shut my eyes again. "The cafe hasn't been doing so well," I admit. "And with some of the money stolen from the register, we had to revalue the costs of actually opening. We really didn't need this, we're struggling as it is."
Declan stays silent for a moment and a part of me wishes I never said anything at all.
Sob story. That's what he's thinking.
"I had no idea, Luca," he breathes out after a few seconds. "I'm sorry about that."
I pull back one of the chairs from the table and sink myself into it. "You don't need to apologise, it's not your fault. The cost of living is rising, people aren't going out to grab coffee as much. It was inevitable but it seems that it's likely to be sooner than we realise."
"Are you at the cafe now?" He asks.
My lips press together and I hum gently.
"Mind if I pop by? We can talk about it in person."
I feel my eyes widen subtly. "Oh," I mumble. "You don't have to do that, you're probably busy and me and my mum will find a way to fix this mess. Don't you worry about that, I don't need to take up any more of your time."
"Luca," he states.
My eyes are glued to the wall at the sound of his strong voice. It's so intense it has me shivering into the chair.
"Yes?"
"I'm already on my way over."
I feel my chest stiffen at his statement. I don't even know what to say right now.
My tongue extends and I lick across my bottom lip. "Alright," I say quietly. "But really, it isn't necessary."
"I'll see you in fifteen minutes."
Then the line goes dead. I pull my phone away from my ear and stare at it as if it's an alien or I was talking to an alien. Because, what the fuck was that phonecall?
I don't understand why he'd want to come over here and discuss the situation of the cafe with him... unless he thinks it's open today and he can sit in the corner and do his work.
That's what I don't get, surely he has a job he needs to work on. It's a Thursday morning. What else would he be doing right about now?
I drag myself from the chair and begin to clean the cafe and sort through the letters. I wipe down the counters and replace some stock from the backroom. A knock at the door startles me and I glance through the glass to find Declan's tall figure standing there.
My hands brush against my hoodie and I unlock the door. Today Declan isn't wearing his usual tailored suit, instead he's wearing a sweatshirt with casual pants and crisp white trainers. I've never seen him this relaxed but it looks good on him.
I bet anything looks good on him–and off of him.
The tip of my tongue burns as I bite down at that thought, especially when he's standing directly in front of me. I open the door and he smiles at me. "Hi," I let him in. "We're not open by the way, I was just tidying up the cafe."
Declan nods and steps inside. "That's what I thought on the phone."
I nod my head and walk towards the table with cleaning supplies on it. "Honestly, Declan. You really didn't need to come over, there isn't anything we can do regarding the cafe and now it's a matter of time."
"What if I helped you get your cafe back on its feet?"
My head whips over my shoulder to glance at him, his arms are crossed over his chest loosely and his thumb is resting on his bottom lip. I wish he wasn't so damn good looking that I could pay attention to what he says for longer than a second without getting distracted by those dark features.
"W-Why would you do that?"
"Because I'd like to help."
I feel my brows pinch together at his words. For a moment I glance to the wall and then back to his eyes. "I don't understand," I shake my head. "How and why?"
Declan drops his arms from his chest and clears his throat. "Well I feel like this cafe has a lot of potential in a town like this and I get what you're saying, with the cost of living. But what if we worked together and I helped you out with new and fresh ideas to get the liveliness of the cafe back on the market. You could invest in new food, do deals, even add some quirky touches to make it aesthetically pleasing for people who love to take pictures and share where they're at."
For a second I have to press my hand into the back of the chair to stabilise myself. "Declan," I start. "That's all well and good but we don't have enough money to even pay ourselves, let alone find money to make this place better. We're working with what we've got right now."
He stares back at me and I feel like a spotlight under his gaze. "I appreciate you wanting to help, I really do. But right now, we need to focus on surviving."
I don't like the way his expression twists into a look of sympathy. This is why I didn't want to open up because I don't want anyone looking at me like that.
Declan pushes off the floor and walks towards me and then perches himself on the chair by the table. I glance down and follow his lead, sitting opposite him. "You need a loan."
"Bank refuses to give us one," I mutter under my breath. "Whatever you're going to suggest, my mother has done it all. If we don't make enough to pay the remainder of the mortgage, we can say goodbye to this business by the end of the year."
He stares at me with that hard look and I sink into the chair. "What about if we work together–"
"Declan–"
"—but instead of getting the loan from the bank, I give you the loan."
I'm blinking rapidly. So rapidly I might fly away.
"What?" I choke out. "You can't be serious?"
Declan nods. "I'm being deadly serious."
"I don't understand why..." my head begins to spin.
This conversation is far too much for me right now and I don't understand how I got in this situation.
"Am I not allowed to do something nice like help out a family business to get back on their feet?"
I'm staring him directly in the eye with a look of sheer confusion. "But you don't even know us."
"Yet."
I press a hand to my head and rest my elbow on the table. "Declan, this is a lot to process."
"I get that," he nods. "But think about it. I've got spare time on my hands, I'd like nothing more than to help your business thrive again. Especially when you make the best cup of coffee."
My lip quirks. "That's biassed."
Declan smiles at me. "How so?"
"You come in here everyday."
"I come in everyday because it's the best cup of coffee."
Oh God, my cheeks bleed with heat. There is no fucking way I'm blushing right now.
"There needs to be a lot more to discuss," I state and straighten my spine.
Declan hums. "Of course, it's not just going to happen overnight."
I flick my eyes between his dark ones and chew on my lip. "I need to think about it. Thanks for your generous offer but I really need to think about it."
"You can call me to discuss whenever you want," he nods his head.
My eyes roam that gorgeous, chiselled face. "You want a coffee?" I beckon my head to the machine.
"I thought you weren't open." The tone in his voice tells me that he's teasing.
I press my hands to the table and stand up. "Only for you."
✧
Read the rest of the book, bonus chapters and the first 15 chapters of the third book in the series over on Patreon!
www.patreon.com/dreammcatcher
Link is also in my bio!
Author's Note
Woooo Daddy Declan to the rescue🤩
What did you guys think of this chapter?👉🏼👉🏼👉🏼
I adore their subtle flirting, it's cute but neither of them know they're doing it hahah
Are you guys excited for this book? I really hope you are!🥰
Don't forget to vote and comment, it makes my day!✨
Love Savanna x
Insta: savannaroseauthor
Patreon: dreammcatcher
Tik Tok: SavannaWritess