The Escape

Chapter 3

JACE

When I heard the guest room door open, I set out two plates with pancakes, bacon, and syrup. I had a coffee cup for Abby, assuming she'd want some, and a small cup for Bella for whatever she wanted.

"Good morning," I said. "Did you two sleep well?"

Abby nodded. "Good morning; we did, thank you." Abby sat on one of the bar stools and tried to pry Bella off of her, but she didn't budge. "Bella honey, please let go of me so you can meet Jace and eat."

Bella still didn't budge, and I smiled, knowing that's how my niece used to be. I saw Abby glance at the pancakes and go back to her sister. "Bella, he made you Mickey Mouse pancakes." Bella's head turned at the sound of that. She saw the pancakes and hopped over to the stool next to Abby.

"Mickey Mouse!" Bella squealed. "And bacon?! Is it my birthday?"

Abby and I laughed. "It's not your birthday yet. A couple more weeks, and it will be."

Bella's smile disappeared. "Can I still eat it even though it's not my birthday?"

Wow. The child thought she couldn't eat pancakes and bacon because it wasn't her birthday. That tells you a whole lot. "Of course, you can eat them. That's why I made them for you." Bella's smile appeared again, and she looked happy at the food. Maybe the happiest she'd been in a while. I looked at Abby, who hadn't begun eating yet. "Something wrong?"

Abby looked up at me, tears in her eyes, and shook her head. "N-No," she said.

I grabbed the coffee pot and offered some to her. "Would you like some coffee?" I asked. Abby nodded, and I poured some into the mug I gave her. "What would you like, Bella? I have orange, apple, milk, and grape juice."

Bella thought for a second as if she'd never had all of those options before, which maybe she hadn't, but she should have. Since I grew up so poor, I know what it's like sometimes. Now that I own one of Florida's biggest security system companies, I give back when I see those needing help. Most people think I'm a spoiled rich man, but that's far from it. Yes, I'm rich, and yes, I have a lot of things most people wish to have. I give back because people helped me get to where I am today.

"Can I have apple juice?" Bella asked softly. I nodded and poured her some apple juice into the small cup. "Thank you." She slowly took a sip, and I glanced away from her. She probably didn't want a stranger eyeing her the entire time she ate, but I only wanted her to be happy.

The doorbell rang, and I went to answer it. I knew who it was. It was my sister, Lauren, and my niece, Rose. I'd called them before coming in to fix breakfast to have Bella occupied while I talked to Abby. There was no way I was bombarding her with what I knew in front of the child because I felt Abby might break into tears, and then Bella would be concerned and ask me to leave her alone. I knew how it all went.

"Hey, thank you for coming," I said. I hugged Lauren as I opened the door. Rose smiled and hugged my leg. She was six years old now and would be seven next year. "Man, you've gotten a little bigger since last month, haven't you?"

Rose nodded. "Mama said I grew two inches, and I'm gonna be tall like you and Grandpa!"

I chuckled. Lauren was probably right about Rose being tall. I was six foot five, and my father was six foot six. Lauren was exactly six feet, and Rose was already at my hip. She still had a long way to go, though.

"Alright, come on into the kitchen. Please meet a friend of mine. Her name is Bella. She's a little younger than you, but I think she'd like it if you played with her in the playroom."

Lauren and Rose followed me back to the kitchen, where I saw Abby cleaning up the dishes.

"Hey, you don't have to do that." I gently took one of the dishes from Abby's hand and laid it in the sink. "I have a maid that comes in and does the cleaning every other day," I whispered.