Page 54 of The Thief

Jess chuckled. “A spahourwould be more realistic.”

“Hour, day, night,” I stated. “However long it is, we need to sort something out.” I reached over the table to nudge Ava. I knew she didn’t really understand the implications of what I was saying, so I was preparing her the only way I knew how. She didn’t like letting Jess out of her sight, but I wanted her to learn to trust again. They both needed their own time. “Mummy deserves a treat, doesn’t she?”

Ava nodded. “Mummy likes treats. We both do.”

“And today, this is a treat for you both. But sometimes,Mummy needs a treat on her own,” I reiterated.

Ava just hummed and went back to finishing her picture, but the seed had been planted. I could tell.

I looked at Jess, and she gave a hint of a smile then lowered her head. “Maybe,” she said under her breath.

“Definitely,” I replied.

“Can I put my picture in the competition box like the waitress said?” Ava asked, changing the subject as she sat back with a satisfied grin.

“Of course, sweetheart. Let me write your name and details on it, and we can take it up,” Jess said, taking the paper and writing on the back.

But Ava turned to stare at me, announcing, “I want Tyler to take me.”

Jess went to speak, but I said, “It’s fine,” before she could argue. “Come on, princess. Let’s put the winning picture in the box on the counter.”

I slid out of the booth and waited for Ava as she shuffled off the seat. Then she put her little hand in mine and smiled up at me, the other hand grasping her picture.

“Do you really think I’ll win?” she whispered, like she didn’t want to speak too loud and jinx it.

I wanted to say that if she didn’t, I’d burn the fucking shop down, but I just gave her a knowing look and said, “It’s the best picture I’ve seen. What’s not to love? It’s got winner written all over it.”

As we walked closer to the counter with the entry box, I made sure to look at what the first prize was—some Lego set. Keeping that in mind, I watched Ava kiss the paper, like she was kissing it good luck, then stand on her tiptoes and drop it intothe box.

“Your little girl looks just like you,” I heard some woman to the side of us say, and I just stared back at her, not sure how to respond. I didn’t like admitting she wasn’t mine.

Then I blurted out, “Thank you,” feeling a certain kind of way. Pride, maybe? I liked people thinking she was my little girl, because that’s what she felt like.

I peered down at Ava, and she just smiled back up at me as she held my hand. But she didn’t say a word.

And then, a man came to stand next to the woman and he put his hand on her elbow to pull her away. He was frowning and his eyes kept glancing from her to me.

As they walked away, I heard him mutter under his breath, “What did you say to him? You do know who that is, right?”

He wasn’t happy that his girlfriend, wife, whoever she was, had spoken to someone like me.

A thief.

A bad guy.

But I didn’t care. Because what she’d said had given me a lift. She thought Ava was mine, and nothing could ruin that for me.

Later that evening, after the security firm had gone over everything with Jess and discreetly given me the codes to access all the CCTV, we sat on the sofa together. Ava had wedged herself between us, but she was yawning her head off, fighting the tiredness.

“Why don’t you go upstairs and get into your PJs?” Jessasked her. “You’re a tired girl, Ava. You need your bed. I’ll come up and read you a story.”

But Ava blurted out, “No! I’m not tired.” As she stifled another yawn.

I gave her the side-eye and said, “Well, I’m tired. I need to leave soon. Let you both get some rest.”

“But I don’t want you to leave,” Ava moaned.

“What about...” I glanced across at Jess but decided to just go for it. “If I read you a story and then Mummy can put you to bed? How’s that for a compromise?”