I am woken up in the middle of the night by the sound of someone crying. It takes me some time to realize I was not dreaming and that there is actually a child in my house. I tiptoe to Lily's bedroom and see her crying her eyes out and mumbling something.

"Hey, what's wrong sweetheart?" I sit close to her and take her into my arms.

"Bad dream." 

"You want to tell me about it?"

She shakes her head no. She probably doesn't remember anyway and waking up in an unknown house didn't help. I'm sure she was thinking about her mother and I want to reassure her.

"Mommy will be back soon."

"No she won't. She won't ever be back." I see her bottom lip shaking and realize my mistake. I have to think before opening my mouth...

"I'm sorry Lily. I meant your maman...she's fine, she'll be back with us tomorrow. Don't worry."

She's sobbing uncontrollably and I feel so helpless...I only made things worse. I remember how Juliette calmed her down one night and start the recorder. It seems to work as I feel Lily's little body relaxing.

"Can you stay with me tonight?"

I'm totally taken by surprise and don't know what to answer. But I see her hopeful eyes and nod. I lie under the sheets on the other side of the bed, to leave her enough space and turn off the lights. But soon I feel a warm tiny body behind my back and I turn around to face her.

"Is something wrong?"

"Can we...cuddle? maman and I do when I have a bad dream."

"Sure, come here." The answer comes out of my mouth naturally, without my overthinking it. I'm quite surprised at it, but maybe I'm improving. I hope so. It's only day 1. Almost 2.

.............................................

I wake up before Lily does and stretch. I look at her tiny body and smile hugely. If my mother could see me know, she'd probably have a heart attack. All my friends and relative know I am not a fan of kids. They remind me every time we are at a family gathering or when we are around kids. They make a joke of it. Obviously I play along, but now that I think of it, I may have stuck to the role. Why would I feel so comfortable with Lily otherwise, if I really hated kids? That thought is bothering me but I am not allowed to dwell upon it as I feel eyes on me.

"How did you sleep?" I kiss her forehead.

"I slept Ok. I'm hungry."

"Come on, let's go to the kitchen."

I take her hand in mine and lead her to the kitchen table. She sits down and stares at me expectantly.

"What would you like to eat? I have cereal, orange juice, milk."

"Bread?"

I close my eyes and exhale. Amelia you dumbass. The kid is half French and you didn't buy bread!

"I'm sorry, I don't have any bread. Pancakes ?" I appeal to her American half and thankfully she agrees.

I take everything I need from the fridge and start on the batter. There's not a lot I can cook but I know how to make pancakes.

After breakfast we get dressed and I realize I forgot something on my to-do list. Something major. I take my phone and dial Nathalie.

"Mrs Sheffield, Good morning."

"Nathalie, good morning. I know it's Saturday but I was wondering if you could do me a favour."

"Of course."

"I need you to go to a toy store and buy anything that would keep a four-year old girl busy."

I don't hear any noise on the other end of the line and wonder if we got disconnected. I look at the screen of my phone and see Nathalie is still on.

"Hello?"

"Yes, I'm here. I didn't expect that."

"I need colouring books with lots of felt pens and colouring pencils. Jigsaw puzzles. Anything you might think of. I'm sending my chauffeur to the store right away. Be quick. I'll text you my address."

An hour later Nathalie arrives with bags filled with toys. Lily's eyes sparkle in excitement when she understands it is all for her. We take the bags into the living room and spill their contents on the floor. Nathalie did wonders, she deserves a raise but I won't tell her. She looks at me questioningly and although I want to tell her it's none of her business, I owe her an explaination. 

"Lily is a friend's daughter. I'm taking care of her today."

"Seems like more than for just a day with all the things I've bought."

"Yes, it may be for longer..." I say more to myself.

"I'll get going then. Have a great weekend!"

I accompany her to the elevator doors and thank her. When I return to the living-room, Lily is sitting at the coffee table and drawing in one of the colouring books. When she sees me she runs towards me and hugs me.

"Thank you Amelia, you're the best!" I didn't excpet so much but I grin, quite pleased with myself. 

I settle down next to her and start drawing too. It's quite a soothing activity, no wonder Juliette likes it too. I start my playlist and notice a text came through while Nathalie was over. It's Lea. Juliette will be released in the afternoon. I'm happy for Lily, but I'm getting anxious. Lea still hasn't told her she's staying with me. She'll probably be furious we lied to her. She'll probably want to leave.

"Can we make a cake for maman, after lunch?"

"Hum, It's a great idea sweetheart, but I don't know any recipes."

"Don't worry, we can make a cake au yaourt."

"What is that?"

"Maman always says it's the easiest cake ever. I'll show you."

So right after lunch, I help Lily sit on top of the kitchen counter and she dictates me all the ingredients we need, enumerating them on her fingers, her face serious.

"We need flour, eggs, sugar, a plain yogurt and raising flour... and oil."

"Oil ? are you sure?"

"Yes..." She rolls her eyes at me. " To replace butter!"

Of course.

We mix all the ingredients and put the cake in the oven. Lily is the bossiest chef, she could be mistaken for my daughter. But she's amazing, she really knows how to make this cake.

"How long does it need to stay in the oven?"

"Until it's baked." Dah. The answer seems so obvious for her, she rools her eyes to me again.

We stay in the kitchen, checking on the cake, while listening to the radio. The kitchen is a mess, with flour everywhere, but somehow I don't start hyperventilating. I'm having a great time with that little girl. I didn't even think it would be possible for a kid to have such a spell on me.

After about thirty minutes, we take the cake out of the oven, and right on cue, we hear a "ding" as the elevator doors open. Lily looks at me, one eyebrow raised and I know what she's about to ask me.

"Come on, let's welcome your mother inside."

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