Always Committed To You (Book 3)

Chapter 1

"Mommy, mommy, wake up. It's time to shake up. Wake up, mommy."

"Urge yes-yes, I am up," Ella grumbled and sighed sleepily as she felt little feet bouncing on the bed she was sleeping on.

"Stop jumping on the bed, Lily. You will hurt yourself," she told her five-year-old daughter while rubbing her own sleepy eyes. She was way too sleep-deprived to match her daughter's excitement this early morning.

"Okay-Doki, mommy." Her daughter chirped excitedly.

"How can someone be so perky like you this early in the morning?" She asked her, dumbfounded.

But who is she kidding? Lilly has been an early riser since she was a toddler, just like her father.

Like father like daughter.

"Because I am an early bird." Her little girl started jumping on the bed again.

"Ugh! No more jumping, Lillian Daniella Ashfield." Her mother told her firmly. This made Lilly stop. Her mother calling her by her full name is never a good sign.

"Come on, Lilly. Let's get you ready for school," Ella said while getting up from bed. She then picked her daughter up in her arms, making her little girl squeal in delight.

"Okay, Doki, mommy."

Even though, for a five-year-old, her daughter is a smart girl, sometimes she can be quite a handful.

Whatever it is, she is her life.

For the past five years, Lily has been like her alarm clock. Just like her father, she does not fail to get up early. She is used to getting up at six every morning. Whereas Ella is concerned, she can sleep till noon, but no such luck when you have a notorious little girl jumping on your bed at six a.m. sharp every morning.

Once she brushed her teeth, she helped her daughter get ready and then went towards the kitchen. Ella thought about cooking pancakes for her little daughter. Lilly loves pancakes. She is also a sucker for sweets, but which kid doesn't like sweet food?

"Mommy, I am hungry." Lily ran downstairs towards the dining area and sat on her chair.

"And your pancakes are also ready." Ella puts the plate in front of her daughter, filled with three pancakes and maple syrup on top.

"Yay, I plovv you, Mnomy," she said with her mouth full.

"I love you too, Lily. But no talking while eating." Ella smiled. Her daughter is the sunshine of her life, twinkling stars in the darkness.

It is, however, beyond her imagination how this little girl in front of her can feed herself with three pancakes. While Lilly was digging into her pancakes, Ella took a hot shower and hastily dressed herself for work.

"Hurry up, Lily, or else we will be late for school."

After a five-minute drive, they both reached their destination.

"So here we are, Lily. I might be late today, so Cory Grams will pick you up. Be a good girl, and don't harass her."

"I won't, mommy. I will be a delightful girl," she giggled.

"I am sure you will be, honey. Have a good day." Ella kissed both her cheeks.

"You too, mommy." Lily pecked her mother's cheek and ran into her school as Ella waved goodbye to her daughter.

While Ella was driving to work, Daniel was sitting in a coffee shop with his best friend, trying to examine everything around him.

"Dude, didn't I tell you that we would get the best coffee here?" Daniel's best friend, Timothy, told him.

"Sure, Tim. Whatever you say." He mentally rolled his eyes as he looked around the café, 'The Brunch.'

He sure has heard a lot about this cafe. It has created quite a goodwill, and he is curious to form an opinion for himself about the place.

It has been quite a while since he took time out of work and truly enjoyed a place. Even though the very reason for his presence in this café is for the work itself, he could not resist giving in to the serenity of the aroma spread all around him.

After a few moments of silence, gazing around him, subtly glancing at the customers, and enjoying the ambiance, Timothy asked his best friend. "So, what do you think about this place?"

"Much better than I thought. It just has this unexplainable aura around it that makes you enjoy it," he said with complete honesty.

"Good thing we agreed to visit here. If everything falls through, this deal with Mr. Nelson will be great for us and our business," Timothy said to his friend.

Daniel thought for a while and answered, "Yes, Tim. This place holds a lot of potential, and if expanded properly, it could do wonders. It would not only help us, but it would also help Mr. Nelson expand his business. It is a win-win situation for all of us."

He meant what he said. 'The Brunch' is unique in its own way. It is more or less a cafe, which has allotted one section to books proudly sitting on the shelves. However, the majority of the space is occupied with couches and chairs with matching tables where the customers can sit to either do their work or enjoy their coffee and food.

Everything was well coordinated here. From the décor to the arrangement of the furniture, even the colors of the walls were neither too bright nor too dull. It was the perfect shade of pastel. The soft music in the background was the icing on the cake, which added soul to this café. It was lively, yet peace was maintained.

Overall, this place is pretty wonderful. It gives a comfortable and pleasant feeling. But minor changes here and there and a bit of expansion would open new doors for not only the customers but even for the owner.

"I really pray that things work out with Mr. Nelson. This place is really something, and it could easily generate a good profit with some modification and expansion," Timothy voiced out his thoughts to Daniel.

"Yes, hopefully. I will call and inform him about our arrival. As it stands, we have a meeting with him tomorrow, so we have got enough time in our hands to plan everything meticulously." Daniel was quite optimistic about the present meeting.

They both drank their coffee peacefully. There was a constant flow of customers coming in and going out. Even at half past nine in the morning, this place is pretty full. This must be the go-to place for a lot of locals here.

But suddenly, Daniel's train of thought was disturbed, and his attention diverted to the entrance of the café after he heard the soft ring of a bell. He glanced towards the door of the cafe, where he faintly saw an average-height woman rushing inside. He was not able to see her face, as there were people around her.

She pushed past the crowd and ran behind the counter in haste. His best guess was that she was late for her work. But there was something about her that made his eyes follow her around like a magnet. There was something truly familiar about her, but he did not wish to let his thoughts go in that direction. Yet he could not help but put in an effort to put a clear face on that body. Just when he was about to get a glimpse of her face, his friend butted in.

"Dude, we should get going, or else we will be late for our check-in."

Daniel nodded and reluctantly got up and left with his friend. He really did wish to see her face. It has been a long time since he felt a desire to know someone of the opposite gender. It might be his mind playing games, but he wanted to confirm his gut feelings, at the same time, he was afraid of the revelation.

Anyhow, his primary focus was to prepare for his meeting with Mr. Nelson for the deal to pull through.