Chapter 49

JOJO: My day off ended before I knew it. That morning, I intentionally woke up beside Valerie and placed her head on my lap. She nuzzled against me for a while, before she slowly opened her eyes, revealing her beautiful oval eyes. We had a short heart-to-heart talk, where she let me know all that had been going on in her young life. I couldn't help but smile. Once she was done, I made breakfast of pancakes and toast. We ate together, alone, since Mel was asleep - ahead of her later afternoon shift. After that, we got dressed and went shopping again. This time, I took her to the hair salon and got her to do her hair in whatever way she wanted. When she opted for a manicure session, I had no choice but to agree. To be frank, the girl deserved it, and much more. After the salon, we visited the shopping mall and got her a new pair of slippers, some more groceries, and every of Mel's favorite snacks we set our eyes on. My hands only stopped drawing out cash from my bag when Valerie pulled t