Page 42 of The Baby Dragon Cafe
“Remember what we agreed …” Aiden started, but Genevieve got a mischievous gleam in her eyes, one that only spelled trouble. His stomach dropped.
“And he brought adate!” Genevieve announced loudly.
The house went silent. Everyone’s focus zeroed in on Aiden—precisely what he did not want. He glared at Ginny, but she only gave him a sweet smile in response, and it was impossible to be vexed with his baby sister for long.
He ruffled her hair, messing it up on purpose, and she swatted his hand away. They walked in, getting stopped everyfive seconds by different relatives who wanted to say hi, until the waves parted to reveal Aiden’s mother, Cecilia, striding forward in a cloud of perfume.
“Aiden, darling!” she said, coming to kiss his cheek. His mother was a tall woman with dark hair pulled up into an elegant twist.
“Mum, this is Saphira,” Aiden said, introducing them. “Saphira, this is my mother, Cecilia.”
“How lovely to meet you!” Cecilia said, squeezing Saphira’s hands. She turned to Aiden. “Ginny mentioned you’d be bringing a friend, but we didn’t believe her! Aiden, sweetheart, you should have told me. We would have prepared something special for your guest!”
“Oh, that’s so kind,” Saphira said. “I’m so happy to be here. Thank you for welcoming me into your home.”
Then came Aiden’s father, Edward. Aiden shook his father’s hand. Edward was always a bit formal and withdrawn, though still loving.
“Pleased to meet you,” Saphira said, when Edward shook her hand as well.
“Do we know your family?” Cecilia asked. Aiden cringed.
“I don’t think so,” Saphira replied after a beat. “I was raised by my grandmother, and she passed away last year.”
Before Aiden could attempt to change the conversation, Emmeline came over in high heels to hug Saphira, who released a breath of relief.
“Phew, a friendly face,” Saphira whispered.
“Saphira runs the cafe,” Emmeline told Cecilia and Edward. “She was the first client I had with Inferno!”
“Oh, how wonderful!” Cecelia said, clapping her handstogether. Both of Aiden’s parents were clearly pleased by the information.
Genevieve had wandered over to the other room, but when she heard that bit of information, she rejoined them.
“Oh, Lavinia’s boss!” Genevieve said.
“Yes.” Saphira smiled warmly.
“I’ve seen your cafe, it seems lovely,” Edward added with a nod.
“Such a darling place!” Cecilia agreed. Saphira seemed pleased by the interaction, and Aiden was relieved.
They made it to the living room, where Cecilia whooshed Saphira away, introducing her to various aunts and uncles and cousins and kids. There were lots of people—lots of chaos. After a moment, Aiden swept Saphira away from his mother, whispering an apology in her ear, but Saphira shook her head, a starry-eyed look on her face.
Before she could say anything, Aiden’s younger cousin Oliver butted in, rushing over with huge eyes. While he was in his early twenties, Ollie had the face of a preteen.
“Hi, I’m Oliver,” he said, taking Saphira’s hand and kissing the back of it.
“Hi,” Saphira replied with a giggle. Aiden’s eyes narrowed into a glare. The kid was practically swooning.
“You’re here with this guy?” Oliver pointed a thumb at Aiden. Saphira looked amused, and Oliver scoffed. “He’s one of our more boring relations. If you want to have fun, stick around with me.”
Aiden was well and truly pissed off by then. Why was his cousin attempting to hit on the girl he was here with?
“Don’t you have something to do, Oliver?” Aiden gritted out.
“Not really.” He grinned. “Should we sit and chat?”
Before Aiden could reply with just exactly what Oliver should do, they were called over by Aiden’s grandfather.
