Page 21 of Silver Sinner

Moses wolfs it down in almost three bites and immediately gets another plate, much to Layla's delight.

That delight is shared with a triumphant yell from the cook. We eat and discuss how to move forward with the cartel until something bumps my leg under the table and a soft 'sorry' rises up from below.

Peering around, I lock eyes with a small girl sitting under the table doing her best to retrieve a blue crayon that's rolled just out of reach.

"Hello."

She stares up at me with wide eyes and smiles. "Hi."

"Is that your crayon?"

She nods, sending her twin pigtails bouncing around the top of her head. "I dropped it."

"That's alright. My friend will get it for you."

Moses is already moving before I've finished speaking and he retrieves the crayon. The little girl beams as he hands it back to her and she grabs onto my leg, using it to help herself back to her feet.

"Thank you."

"No problem," Moses smiles with uncharacteristic softness.

"Are you coloring?"

The girl nods again. "Wanna see?"

"Sure."

She vanishes down to the next booth and then returns with a booklet in hand. On the page, several zoo animals radiate off the page with very unnatural colors. "You like it?"

I take the booklet and laugh softly, admiring how neatly she's colored in her orange elephant, her pink zebra and the half-colored blue tiger. "It's very beautiful."

"Thank youuu!"

"Maddie!" Layla suddenly rushes from behind the counter and scoops the girl up into her arms. "I'm so sorry she's bothering you."

"Mommy, I wasn't!" the girl complains, clearly unhappy that she's been picked up.

"She's not a bother," I assure Layla. "Moses was helping her with her crayon and she was showing me her delightful drawings."

"I'm sorry," Layla says in a rush. "I had no choice but to bring her today and⁠—"

A sudden crash and yell from the kitchen catches Layla's attention, as does the growing crowd at the till looking to pay their bill.

"Mommy," Maddie whines, wriggling in her eagerness to return to her drawing.

"I'm sorry," Layla gasps.

"She can sit with us," Moses says suddenly, beating me to it. "We don't mind."

"Not at all," I confirm. "As long as you don't mind her being here, we'll happily keep her company."

"Are you sure?" Layla locks eyes with me and the gratefulness is clear as she sets Maddie back down. "I won't be a second."

"Take your time."

Layla kisses Maddie's head and then rushes back to the counter, heading into the kitchen to the source of the crash while Maddie hops up into the booth next to me and continues coloring her animals.

Moses and I exchange a quiet look. I can't remember the last time either of us were around children, but it comes as easily as anything else.