Page 47 of Ruthless Serenade

"Hello," I say to her, breaking the awkward silence. "Are you okay?"

She simply nods, her big blue eyes locked onto mine.

"What’s your name?" I ask, having no clue where this is going. How do you talk to a six-year-old strange child anyway?

"Sharon," she whispers.

"That’s a beautiful name," I reply.

I receive another charming, gap-toothed smile. "Whose dad are you?" she asks.

"No one’s," I clarify. "I’m just a visitor. I came to listen to your stories."

"Did you listen to mine?"

"I did," I confirm, leaning back slightly. "You did well, Sharon. That little fox, Finn, was very brave."

Sharon’s face lights up. "You remembered his name!"

"Sure thing, kiddo," I grin.

Sharon changes the subject. "I almost didn’t make it here today," she says.

"Why is that?" I inquire, and I’m genuinely curious. I’m really starting to like this kid.

"I was afraid. But my mom told me I’m the best storyteller she knows."

"Your mom seems very wise," I comment. "Where is she now?"

"She’s at work," Sharon responds with a sigh. "She’s also telling a story, and we're a team."

I don’t know what that means, but I nod. "So, Sharon, who did you come to this event with?" I inquire.

"Tania," Sharon replies, pointing towards her young nanny nearby, chatting animatedly with Mrs. West.

I hesitate for a moment before giving in to my curiosity. "And your dad?"

"I don’t have a dad," Sharon states matter-of-factly, still smiling brightly. "Mommy says he’s watching over us from heaven." She speaks of this as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Blyad.

I immediately know what that means, and I swear, my fucking heart aches for this girl. "I bet your dad is very proud of you right now, Sharon."

Sharon beams at me. "You think so?"

"That’s right, kiddo." I nod, surprised at how much my words mean to her. "Want to know a secret?"

She nods eagerly.

"When I was your age, I used to be scared of talking in front of people, too. You know what helped me?"

Her big blue eyes widen like saucers. "What?" she asks.

"I imagined that everyone in the audience was a friendly forest animal. Just like in your story."

Sharon giggles, the sound warming something inside me that’s gone cold a long time ago. "That’s silly!"

"Maybe." I grin. "Give it a try next time, see if it works."

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