Erica’s POV
I paid for the toys and we finally left the store. My stomach growled and so did the kids.
“It seems that you all are hungry. I know a great Chinese place where we can have something to
eat.”
Javier offered to take us and I was so happy that the kids didn’t say anything to him, though I
could tell that they were excited to go.
“You know that you really don’t have to, Javier. I can take the kids out to get something to eat.
We wouldn’t want to burden you any more than we already have .”
Despite how happy I was that he offered to take us out for dinner, I didn’t want to be a burden to
him. We only just met at a party and he had already followed me and the kids to the toy store.
“Nonsense. I wouldn’t mind taking you and the kids out. It would be my treat and besides, you
could share some of your architectural ideas with me over dinner. And I know a place where the
children can play a little while we talk. I doubt they would want to be bored with business
discussions.”
I turned to look at the kids and they looked back at me with puppy dog eyes, pleading to let
Javier take them to dinner so that he could take them to the play area that he talked about.
I rolled my eyes I couldn’t help but break into a smile.
“Fine. We can go there.”
The kids gave a cheer and we followed Javier to the Chinese restaurants. And just as he said,
there was a play area outside the restaurant to the right for kids to play in.
“This has to be the best Chinese place in the entire pack. Trust me; you would love the food .”
He ushered us inside and we were immediately greeted by a waiter who showed us to a table for
five.
As soon as we sat down, the waiter passed us the menu and we all began to gloss over the
options available.
“Mommy, can I have the spaghetti with shrimp? I want mine extra spicy,” said Elsa in a confident
tone.
I took the menu from her and passed it to the waiter.
“Elsa, I understand that you like spicy but I doubt that you can handle extra spicy. I’ll ask them to
make it mild enough .”
“But Mommy…”
“No. It would be very rude of you to order something and not be able to finish it.”
Finally, Elsa gave in and Ethan and Elma made their orders, as well as I and Javier.
We passed all our menus back to the waiter and he told us that our others would be ready soon.
We all sat quietly at the table and Javier and I enjoyed watching the kids fuss over their toys and
compare whose own was better than the others.
“So, who is the oldest among you three ?”
The kids fell silent and they turned to me and I gave them a subtle sign, showing that they could
answer his questions.
“I am,” said Ethan proudly. “But my sisters don’t like to accept it and they keep squabbling and
disobeying me .”
“You’re only older by a minute, Ethan. Don’t let it get into your head .”
“I am still older than you, Elsa. Maybe you should try and listen to me sometimes .”
I saw that another war was about to break out and I began to panic but Javier looked at them
with intrigue and I could tell that he admired their zeal and moxie.
They were squabbling at minimum but as soon as they caught sight of my threatening glare, the
commotion died down and they all fell silent almost instantly.
“Hey, you didn’t have to stop the show. I was just getting engrossed.”
I could tell that Javier was joking but I shot him a glare nevertheless.
“Please don’t encourage their bickering. Trust me, you wouldn’t want them to start because there
is no end to it .”
Javier smiled and smirked at me and once again, I was disarmed by his golden eyes.
“You should be proud of them, Erica. The children are strong and confident and it should be every
mother’s pride and joy that her kids can stand up for herself .”
I blushed slightly and finally, our food arrived.
The table was graced by a rich aroma
My stomach growled even louder and I suddenly realized how hungry I was.
My mouth watered as the waiter placed my plates of Chinese egg fried rice with shrimp and
sauce.
We all dug in and as soon as the food hit my palate, I fell in love immediately.
“Mmmmm. The food tastes amazing. How did you get to know about this place ?”
Javier smiled and swallowed the food that he was chewing.
“Well, let’s say that it is one of the enterprises that are under my firm .”
My eyes grew wide and I nearly choked on my peppery rice.
“You own this place ?”
“Yeah. The owner actually was my chef and I saw potential in him and decided to help him start
up his own restaurant. It’s been doing quite well for a while and he gives me a percentage,
though I told him that it wasn’t necessary. However, he does give me all my meals here for free .”
I was stunned at this revelation but the aroma of my food stole my attention away and I
continued to eat. Each spoonful made love to my mouth and I couldn’t help but swoon over the
magnificent taste.
The food finished and Javier read my mind and asked the waiter to pack some more for us to take
home.
In a jiffy, we had takeout, and after Javier spoke with the head chef in friendly tones and we all
left.
I felt so full from the dinner that I decided to settle on a bench outside the mall and allowed the
children to go to the play area while Javier and I talked.
“Thank you for this evening. I really wasn’t expecting to see you here but you really made it all
worthwhile for me and the kids.”
“Hey, it’s not a problem. I think you’re a wonderful person. And taking care of your friend’s kids
like this shows how golden-hearted and amazing you are .”
My heart beat nervously as I remembered the lie that I told him earlier.
I was brought out of my thoughts by his hand gently brushing against mine.
“Oh, I’m sorry .”
He pulled away and I flexed my fingers nervously.
A blush spread over my cheeks and I began to stutter, unsure of what to say.
“It’s…it’s fine. I just really had a good time today with you .”
I smiled at him and felt something flutter in my stomach.
“Well, I don’t think right now is the best time to discuss business ideas but I am still intrigued to
hear what other architectural designs that you have. How about you give me your number and I
can ring you up sometime? We can have a little discussion over breakfast or dinner. Call it a
business date.”
My face was flushed with color and I gave him my number.
“So, what is tomorrow like for our business date?”
I smiled politely.
“You might have to give me some time to think about it. I’ve been really swamped with work and
I might have to wait for my maid to come off her holiday so that I don’t have to leave the kids
alone .”
He smiled back at me and gave me a wink.
“Well, as long as I am in your schedule, I will be more than happy to wait.”