Chapter 45

Chapter 45

Natalie didn’t bother with pretenses, casually grabbing what appeared to be the least expensive set of car keys on the rack. By the time Nate had laced up his sneakers and bounded down the stairs, the vehicle was already purring quietly at the curb.

She thought they were being a tad over–the–top. She had assumed that the Mercedes key fob was for the most basic model they had, but she found herself behind the wheel of a sleek S–class roadster.

Driving a car worth nearly two million dollars was sure to stir up some gossip,

The reason Natalie hadn’t bought a car back home was twofold. Firstly, she hadn’t planned on sticking around for long. Secondly, it seemed a bit too showy for a twenty–something student who was still in school and supposedly abandoned by her parents to afford her ride. Given her unique circumstances, keeping a low profile was for the best.

Reid glanced at her, asking in a soft voice, “What’s up? Don’t like it?”

She met his eyes for a moment and let out a quiet sigh. No need to mention the other cars. This one was definitely the cheapest.

“It’s nothing.” she replied, sighing. With that, she hoisted Nate into the car and took off to grab some breakfast.

Watching the roadster fade into the distance, Reid turned to leave, a nagging feeling that something was off.

The gearshift on a Mercedes was on the steering column, which often took new drivers by surprise.

But Natalie had handled it like an expert.

Had Natalie driven a Mercedes before? It didn’t add up.

When Natalie and Nate stepped out, the two security guards in the booth exchanged knowing glances.

Natalie had claimed Nate was her little brother yesterday, but no one was buying it.

Annoyed, she couldn’t help but glare down at Nate, who was innocently holding on to her finger. Nate looked up, sensing her gaze, and flashed Natalie a goofy grin full of love.

“What do you want for breakfast?” she sighed. Her irritation melted away in the face of his cuteness.

“Pancakes… with maple syrup.“.Nate said after a moment of thinking, trying to articulate the words carefully.

Yesterday, Natalie had introduced him to the wonders of chocolate cookies and milkshakes,

blowing his culinary world wide opent

He had never tasted such things beforet The Howard family might lay out an array of fancy pastries every morning, but none of those breakfast items could hold a candle to the delicious chocolate cookies from yesterday!

“Sure” Natalie said and led him to a cozy little diner tucked away on a side street. They ordered two steaming hot pancakes that made Nate exclaim in delight at the aroma.

“Milkshake of banana flavor or strawberry one?” Natalie asked.

Mik… shake, Nate managed to string the words together after a struggle.

In Nate’s world, milk was milk, He had never heard milkshake before.

He tilted his head, watching the diner owner pouring the milkshake, puzzled, “Lady, can the milk Shake itself?”

Natalie nearly choked on her chuckle.

The attendant behind the counter beamed at them, “What a pretty young man and such a young and lucky mom!”

“I’m not his mother,” Natalie corrected him, her face turning red.

“Oh, my apologies. I thought there was a family resemblance…” the attendant mumbled, looking embarrassed.

Natalie paused, scrutinizing Nate more closely. Did they look alike?

Natalie hurried Nate off to preschool. After dropping him off for the third time, the teacher at the door recognized her and greeted her with a smile, “Morning, Nathan’s mom. Love your makeup today!”

These past few days. Natalie had lost count of how many times she had to explain that she was not Nate’s mother. She was starting to feel a bit helpless.

Chapter 46