Chapter 5 Dinosaur Pancakes

• Mia learned two things on her first morning at Black Mansion.
• First, five-year-olds could wake up with enough energy to power a small city.
• Second, Adrian Black apparently believed breakfast should taste like punishment.
• At seven sharp, Mia walked into the kitchen and found Mrs. Sterling arranging breakfast on the long dining table. Everything looked perfect. Oatmeal without sugar. Berries measured into a small glass bowl. Boiled eggs. Green juice. A plate of sliced avocado.
• Mia stared at it.
• “Is this breakfast?”
• Mrs. Sterling glanced at her. “For Lily.”
• “Does she actually eat it?”
• “No.”
• Mia looked at the untouched plate.
• “That explains why it looks so sad.”
• Mrs. Sterling's mouth twitched.
• “The meal plan was created by Mr. Black's nutritionist. Organic ingredients only. No processed sugar. No fried food. No artificial colors. No pastries.”
• “No fun,” Mia added.
• Mrs. Sterling gave her a warning look.
• “Mr. Black is very particular.”
• “I noticed.”
• Before Mrs. Sterling could respond, small footsteps sounded in the hallway and Lily appeared.
• Her hair was still messy from sleep, and she dragged her stuffed rabbit behind her.
• “Good morning,” Mia said brightly.
• Lily climbed into her chair without answering.
• Mia placed the bowl of oatmeal in front of her.
• Lily stared at it, then she pushed it away.
• Mrs. Sterling sighed.
• “Lily.”
• The little girl shook her head.
• “You need to eat.”
• Another shake.
• Mia pulled out the chair beside her.
• “Okay. What do you want?”
• Lily shrugged.
• “Pancakes?”
• Nothing.
• “Waffles?”
• Nothing.
• “Toast?”
• Lily looked at her.
• Mia leaned closer.
• “Chocolate cake?”
• Lily's eyes widened for half a second.
• Mrs. Sterling nearly dropped the spoon in her hand.
• “Absolutely not.”
• Mia raised both hands.
• “I was joking.”
• Mrs. Sterling gave her a look that suggested she wasn't convinced.
• Mia looked at Lily.
• “Okay, no chocolate cake. But pancakes are still an option.”
• Lily shook her head.
• “Why not?”
• Lily pointed at the oatmeal.
• Mia understood.
• She hated breakfast.
• Mia glanced at the clock, then at the ingredients, then at Lily.
• An idea appeared and she stood up
• “Mrs. Sterling, where are the eggs?”
• “In the refrigerator.”
• “And flour?”
• “Pantry.”
• “Milk?”
• “Refrigerator.”
• Mia smiled.
• Mrs. Sterling narrowed her eyes.
• “What are you planning?”
• “Breakfast.”
• “You have been here less than twenty-four hours.”
• “I know.”
• “You are already planning to ignore Mr. Black's meal plan.”
• “I wouldn't call it ignoring.”
• “What would you call it?”
• “Improving.”
• Mrs. Sterling stared at her.
• Mia grinned and opened the refrigerator.
• Twenty minutes later, the kitchen smelled completely different.
• Warm, Sweet and Comforting.
• Mia poured batter into a hot pan, carefully shaping it into a long body, tiny legs, and a ridiculous tail.
• She flipped it and it held.
• Mia smiled.
• “Perfect.”
• Lily had moved from the dining room to the kitchen doorway.
• She watched silently.
• Mia turned around.
• “Want to see something?”
• Lily stepped closer.
• Mia placed the pancake on a plate.
• “Meet Rex.”
• Lily stared. It was unmistakably a dinosaur.
• Not a perfect dinosaur, but close enough.
• Mia added two blueberries for eyes.
• Lily's lips lifted.
• “That's right,” Mia said. “Rex is a pancake dinosaur.”
• Lily touched one blueberry.
• Mia made a dramatic voice.
• “Roar!”
• Lily giggled.
• Mia made Rex roar again. This time Lily laughed.
• Mrs. Sterling watched from across the kitchen.
• She looked almost shocked.
• “Would you like one?” Mia asked Lily.
• Lily nodded.
• Mia placed the plate in front of her.
• “Careful. Rex is dangerous.”
• Lily picked up a piece and took a bite.
• Mia held her breath.
• Lily chewed, then took another bite, then another.
• Within minutes, she was eating faster.
• Mia sat beside her.
• “Slow down, dinosaur hunter.”
• Lily giggled and kept eating.
• Mrs. Sterling looked at the empty oatmeal bowl, then at Lily, then back at Mia.
• “She hasn't eaten like that in…”
• She stopped.
• Mia looked at her.
• “In how long?”
• Mrs. Sterling's voice softened.
• “A year.”
• Mia's smile faded.
• “A whole year?”
• Mrs. Sterling nodded.
• “She eats enough to keep everyone from panicking. But never a full plate.”
• Mia looked at Lily.
• The girl was happily attacking the dinosaur's tail.
• Something warm settled in Mia's chest. She hadn't done anything extraordinary. She'd just made breakfast fun.
• Then a voice came from the doorway.
• “What is that?”
• Mia froze.
• It was Adrian.
• He stood there in a dark suit, one hand holding his phone. His eyes moved from the plate to Lily, then to Mia.
• Mia slowly stood.
• “Breakfast.”
• “I can see that.”
• “Then we're making progress.”
• His expression hardened.
• “What happened to the meal plan?”
• Mia glanced at Lily.
• “She didn't want it.”
• “So you changed it?”
• “I adapted it.”
• “You were given instructions.”
• “And I was given a child who hadn't eaten.”
• Adrian's jaw tightened.
• “Her nutrition is not your decision.”
• “I agree.”
• “Then why did you ignore the plan?”
• “Because your plan wasn't working.”
• Silence. Mrs. Sterling looked between them. Adrian's eyes narrowed.
• “You've been here one day.”
• “Less than one day.”
• “And you're already contradicting me.”
• “I didn't contradict you. I fed your daughter.”
• Adrian looked at Lily. She was still eating. He stared at the plate. Every pancake had been shaped differently.
• A dinosaur, a star, a crooked heart.
• Lily reached for another. Adrian's expression changed for the briefest moment, then the wall returned.
• “Mrs. Sterling.”
• “Yes, sir?”
• “Who approved this?”
• Mia raised a hand.
• “I did.”
• He looked at her.
• “You were supposed to follow the meal plan.”
• “I know.”
• “Then you have a problem with instructions.”
• “No. I have a problem with watching a hungry child push food around a plate.”
• Adrian's eyes sharpened. Mia expected him to fire her.
• Instead, he looked at Lily again.
• She was smiling, and eating a full plate.
• Adrian said nothing. He turned and walked away. Mia watched him disappear. Mrs. Sterling exhaled.
• “You are either very brave or very foolish.”
• Mia sat down.
• “Probably both.”
• Lily held up the last piece of pancake.
• “Rex.”
• Mia smiled.
• “Finish him.”
• Lily did.
• Across the mansion, Adrian stepped into his private office and closed the door. He dropped his phone on the desk.
• His security system showed the kitchen camera feed on one of the monitors.
• He pressed play.
• There was Mia laughing, Lily laughing and eating, Lily asking silently for another piece.
• Adrian watched the recording twice, then a third time.
• He had spent a year changing meal plans, hiring specialists, consulting doctors, and asking everyone around him to find a way to make Lily eat properly.
• Nothing had worked. But Mia had ignored his instructions and somehow succeeded before breakfast was even over.
• He should have been furious.
• He was actually furious, but beneath the anger was something else.
• It was relief.
• Adrian leaned back in his chair. His eyes remained fixed on the screen.
• He didn't know whether he wanted to fire Mia Harper for breaking his rules… or walk into the kitchen and thank her.
• He picked up the phone and called his assistant.
• “Cancel the nutritionist's afternoon meeting.”
• There was a pause.
• “Why?”
• Adrian looked at the monitor again.
• “Because I want the meal plan reviewed.”
• Another pause.
• “And the nanny?”
• His fingers tightened around the phone.
• “What about her?”
• “Should we prepare her termination papers?”
• Adrian's gaze returned to the screen.
• Mia was wiping syrup from Lily's cheek while Lily laughed at something she had said.
• He should have answered immediately.
• Instead, he remained silent.
• “Sir?”
• Adrian finally spoke.
• “Not yet.”
• He ended the call.
• The word stayed in the room longer than it should have, then Lily looked directly toward the camera and smiled.
• Adrian went completely still.
• For two years, he'd almost forgotten what that smile looked like.
• He stared at the screen.
• And for the first time, Adrian wondered if hiring Mia had been the biggest mistake he'd ever made—or the first thing he'd gotten right.