Suo Angelo

five

CLARISSA PULLED IN FRONT of the picturesque little cafe. It was decent sized, but had this enigmatic presence. Each and every person who came across it instantly fell in love. It was no surprise that it had captivated Genevieve either. Ever since her grandfather had taken her there for her sixth birthday, she had always loved it. Now that the lovely couple who owned it, Mary and Jason, finally had a little baby to call their own, Genevieve offered to babysit. Young and adorably Harvey absolutely adored Genevieve anyways.

"Are you sure you don't want me to come in?" Clarissa questioned as she left on the ignition. She didn't bother turning off the car, knowing fully well that Genevieve would just bottle her emotion up. That's what she always had done; it usually ended with her crying alone or waiting for it all to bubble over. Clarissa and Genevieve's grandfather hated watching her like that, so they always encouraged her to share her feelings. "You know I can stay if you want."

Genevieve sent her best friend a reassuring smile. It was small, but managed to reach her eyes. No matter what had happened, at least Clarissa knew that Genevieve would soon bounce back. Her defense mechanism was to simply run, hide, and possibly cry in the shadows. But, she always turned back into the ball of frenzied sunshine sooner or later. "I'm fine, I promise." She unbuckled her seat belt and exited the car with her bag slung over her shoulder. "See you tomorrow?"

Clarissa grinned and reached to ruffle her friend's hair. "Of course, Evie. Call me if you need me." Genevieve watched in silence as she drove away. Dust picked up with the spinning tires, but Genevieve paid no extra attention to that. She simply spun around with a wide smile and skipped into the small cafe.

The small bell chimed above her head. Behind the glass counter, Mary's head snapped up to greet the customer. Once she saw it was Genevieve she released an excited giggle before running out to greet the young girl with a hug. Genevieve let out a squeal once Mary wrapped her strong arms around her. Even though Mary was a relatively short woman, she still managed to hold over Genevieve. "It's so nice to see you again, darling!"

Genevieve pulled away with a large grin and lightly rosy cheeks. "It's only been a day or so, Mary!" She giggled adorably as Mary held onto her petite frame. It was comical to passerby, watching their interaction. Both were easily excitable, although one was much more childlike than the other. "Where's Harvey? I missed my little angel!" Genevieve peered around Mary's shoulder, searching for the chubby little monster.

Mary scoffed mockingly before lightly slapping the young girl's arm. "He's all you really care about, I see." She stuck her nose up in the air and huffed, feigning hurt and annoyance with this 'revelation.' In all honesty, the woman knew how much Genevieve cared for everyone, even her and her husband. Not just little Harvey.

"You can't forget the pastries!" Genevieve grinned mischievously, well, as mischievously as the innocent girl could. Mary let out a boisterous laugh before dragging her to her designated table in the corner of the cafe. It was nice and quiet there: with the book shelves lining the walls beside her and a beautiful view through the window. It was also a great place to watch over an overly enthusiastic and charismatic little terror named Harvey.

"He's in the back with Jason, he demanded that he help make the lemon squares today." Mary sighed while rolling her eyes. "That demon refused to watch when he knew that he could win her over further if he helped make them." Genevieve chuckled softly at the thought of the young boy stumbling around the kitchen, attempting to make lemon squares. It was known around the cafe that Harvey had the young girl wrapped around his finger and the other way around.

At the sound of his mother and Genevieve, Harvey sprinted out of the kitchen as fast as his little legs could take him. "Evie!" His voice was a high pitched shriek as he threw himself into her awaiting arms. Nuzzling his curly head of hair into her shoulder, he rambled on about how much he had missed her. The tot began reciting his day animatedly before beckoning his father over to show Genevieve the plate of lemon squares he had helped make. "Look at deez, Evie!" He squealed as her pushed one towards her face. "I made dis my by self!"