Poppy/H.S

Chapter 21

I've successfully passed four hours in the car with Harry and his beloved daughter whom I have become so fond of. Even though Poppy was asleep the half of the time, the drive has passed rather quickly. During the time when Poppy was having her nap, Harry and I didn't talk much because we didn't want to wake her. However, this this allowed us to whisper any thoughts we had during the drive, usually pointing out something funny or unusual we saw.

Once Poppy has woken up, this has taken her a while to understand the fact I was in the car, too. Harry didn't tell her he was planning on asking me to come along with them in case I had other plans today, which was so kind of him. He didn't want to lead her on. However, the pleasant surprised look on her face made my day. She looked so happy. I couldn't help but notice the sparkles in her eyes as she let out a high-pitched scream of excitement when her eyes laid on me, sat at the passenger seat next to Harry.

What I found incredibly adorable was her questioning about baking. For at least half an hour, she was targeting her curious questions about baking at me. She was interested about the right way of whipping egg whites, because the last time she and Harry baked together, he couldn't whip them properly and the cake didn't taste as good, according to Poppy. Harry blushed at this revelation, trying to blame his hand mixer.

"I swear there was something wrong with the mixer or the eggs had just gone bad. The egg whites looked all grainy and shit. It's not my fault," he shakes his head, his hands firmly gripping the steering wheel.

"If the egg whites go grainy, it means they are overbeaten, Harry."

The funny thing was when Harry pretended to be offended because Poppy didn't consider his baking skills valid, even though he used to work in a bakery. As a cashier.

Poppy then directed several questions to us, wondering if we would support her if she opened her own confectionery store where she would sell different kinds of cakes and sweets. For a five year old, she has her future quite planned out. Harry couldn't stop smiling as she kept mentioning all the details about the store, and kept asking me what kind of cakes I would recommend for her to sell.

"Valentine, I think it would be the best if you worked in the confectionery store for me," she states.

"Why's that?" I wonder.

"Because you have tons of experience. In the beginning, you'd bake the cakes and I'd sell them. But once I feel confident enough about my baking skills, we could trade places," she says proudly.

"Deal."

"What about me?" Harry joins the conversation, his tone of voice slightly hurt.

"You know you can't bake, daddy," Poppy shakes her head.

"Yeah, because I can do other things. I can't be good at everything," he says in a defensive manner.

"Hey, I have an idea," I interrupt Harry, a smile creeping up my face.

"What is it, my dear colleague?" Poppy wonders.

"Daddy can be your investor. You know, before opening any kind of business, it's good to have someone who would invest in it."

"You're smart, that's exactly why I want you to work in the store with me," she praises me. "Daddy, you can be my investor."

"I'll take it," he laughs.

After discussing Poppy's future career as a baker and Harry promising to buy her a confectionery store, the three of us played a game of Would you rather, which has brought us more together, understanding each other's fears and favourite things.