New Friend

3 Years Later

"Jacy sweetie, are you ready?"

The little girl in a pretty dress with a headband that looked good on her just added to the level of excitement for anyone who saw her.

"Mom, does this dress fit me?" asked Jacy as she turned around to show her the new dress that she bought with Stephanie 2 days ago.

Yes, Stephanie was still living with Cathleen and Jacqueline.

There was no reason for Stephanie not to stay with Cathleen, especially since Cathleen was much more professional and humane than Fred himself.

"Ah, why is my baby so beautiful," Cathleen praised with her eyes twinkling at her little daughter.

Jacqueline crossed her arms over her chest while pouting her lips at Cathleen.

"Mom, I'm not a baby anymore," Jacqueline said.

Cathleen forgot that Jacqueline had often told her that she didn't like it when her mother called her 'baby' because Jacqueline felt she wasn't a baby anymore.

"But Mommy still feels like Jacy is Mommy's baby," Cathleen said to her daughter as she stretched out her arms for a hug.

Jacqueline seemed to think for a moment, but soon she ran to her mother and hugged her, who was ready to welcome her.

How exciting!

That was all Cathleen could feel in the last three years. She didn't think back to how difficult her pregnancy had been or how long before that.

For her, the time after Jacqueline's arrival was the happiest, where every day she would record all of her daughter's activities.

A smile was clearly etched on Jacqueline's face.

"Mom, are we leaving now?" asked Jacy as she wrapped her arms around the neck of Cathleen who had equalized her height with Jacy.

Spontaneously Cathleen tapped her forehead lightly. She had almost forgotten that she was already running late for one of her client meetings.

Wait...

How could she meet her client in her current place? Had she returned to her home country?

Of course not!

She was still reluctant to return to her country. There was a great sense of worry she felt.

What if her ex-boyfriend found out that she had a child with him?

She was not ready!

For that reason, for the past 2 years Fred has been helping her to develop her business until now they have managed to expand their business network.

That's why she's now able to take on new clients in her current country of residence, and she even set up an official branch company 3 months ago.

"Let's go," said Cathleen who was standing up and holding out her hand waiting for her daughter to take it.

Jacy quickly grabbed her mother's hand and clasped it back.

She always liked her mom!

'Mommy you're so cool.' Jacy monologued to herself.

Their footsteps seemed to go hand in hand out of the house to Cathleen's car parked in the yard.

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For almost 35 minutes Cathleen traveled to a restaurant that became their meeting point, and this was their second appointment.

If the meeting with her client the first time was fairly serious, then it seems that for the second meeting this time looks more relaxed than before, the proof is that Cathleen casually brought her little daughter to this meeting, without telling Stephanie to look after her for a while.

None other because of the second meeting with her client this time, the client asked Cathleen to freely bring her son or daughter because the client would also bring her child.

Cathleen happily welcomed the idea. After all, the client she thought would be rigid was the opposite.

The client was like a distant relative to Cathleen, they often sent messages to each other not related to work.

"We're here, let's get off," Cathleen told her daughter who was sitting in the driver's seat.

With a twinkle in her eye, Jacy nodded her head quickly. She was looking forward to playing with a friend as Cathleen had previously told her daughter that she would have a new friend at today's meeting.

Both of them got out of Cathleen's car and stepped into one of the reserved seats there.

Several waiters were there to welcome Cathleen and her daughter.

"Reservation in the name of Cathleen," Cathleen said to one of the waiters there, which was replied to with a slow nod by the waiter, and afterward was escorted to the table that had been reserved in her name.

Jacy's eyes wandered all over the restaurant, trying to guess which table they were going to.

Cathleen gave her daughter an amused glance.

In Cathleen's eyes, her daughter was always adorable.

"What are you looking for? Why are you looking so busy, dear?" Cathleen asked Jacy in a soft-spoken tone.

Jacy just shook her head softly, while giving her mother a satisfied smile.

'Ah, looks like Mommy's going to walk over to that table.' Jacy monologue when she saw the boy whose age she believed to be a few years older than her, but she thought it was more likely that the one Cathleen said she would have 'friends' with was the boy.

"Ms. Cathleen, you finally came," said one of the women who greeted her.

"Hi," Cathleen softly greeted the client.

The two hugged each other in greeting, while the two children beside each mother looked at each other.

"Is this your daughter?" asked Sheina who was now looking at Jacy.

Cathleen answered Sheina's question and soon introduced Jacy to Sheina, and Sheina introduced her son to Cathleen and Jacy.

"This is Mark, my son," Sheina said introducing her son.

Jacy, who had been staring at the boy in front of her, now began to smile alternately at Sheina and Mark.

"Jacy," said Jacy half shyly extending her hand towards Mark who had looked awkward to be there.

Sheina's eyes looked at her son giving a gesture for him to return Jacy's handshake.

"Mark," said Mark finally starting to make his voice heard.

Jacy's smile grew into a perfect smile. She was glad that her mom hadn't lied to her about making new friends because Jacy had almost no friends. She only had the occasional neighbor over, or Stephanie, who were all adults.

'Mommy wasn't lying.' Jacy's monologue was happy.

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TBC

See you next chapter

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Seya