Page 16 of Flare
“Em!” Maggie bounded down the steps. She froze for an instant, her eyes widening in shock, then threw her arms around Emily, squeezing so hard Emily could barely breathe.“It’s so good to see you!”
Emily let herself relax into the hug, absorbing the solid warmth of her friend. For the first time since her frantic escape from Andrew’s house, she felt safe.
Then Maggie stepped back. She swept Emily with a look that scanned her from head to toe.“Are you okay? Your fiancé didn’t, uh, hurt you, did he?”
It took every scrap of Emily’s willpower not to fall apart right there under the concerned warmth of Maggie’s gaze.
“No, he just…” No way was Emily going to mention seeing Andrew turn into a bear.“Just scared me. And, uh, things haven’t been right between us since his awful family got involved with the wedding plans. Things weren’t really working out, even if he hadn’t blown up at me this afternoon.”
During the long drive here, Emily had realized that she’d spent the past six months—no, longer than that—trying to fit herself inside the box Andrew had built for her.
She’d been so happy to get the job at Brunborn Holdings after being laid off from her previous job. Having her rich, handsome boss treat her like she was the most beautiful, special girl in the world had made her feel like the princess in a fairy tale.
For a while, anyway.
Maggie nodded, as if she understood.“Come on inside. You must be exhausted after that long drive.”
Inside, Maggie’s house was just as beautiful as the outside.
Emily followed her friend into a grand foyer that led to a formal living room with beautiful hardwood floors and floor-to-ceiling bay windows. It was furnished with antique armchairs and sofas.
Beyond the living room, Emily spotted a large dining room with a crystal chandelier and dark green wallpaper and an enormous oval dining table covered by a lace tablecloth. Ahead of her stood a grand staircase flanked by a short hallway that led to a large cased opening and what looked like a family room with a big TV and lots of kid’s toys at the back of the house.
“Cade—that’s my husband—and D.A. are both asleep upstairs,” Maggie murmured as she led Emily into a modern kitchen with a big, stone-topped island.“I made us peppermint tea.”
“You’remarried?” Emily asked, shocked. She barely remembered to keep her voice down.“Jeez, we really have a lot to catch up on! And who’s D.A.?”
Maggie flicked on the light over the kitchen island and set out two mugs, already filled with steaming tea.“Dane Ashton. Our little boy,” she said proudly.“He’s two-and-a-half and running laps around all of us. We call him D.A. to avoid confusion with my dad.”
“Wow. Marriedanda kid! I can’t believe I missed out on so much news.” Emily picked up a mug and inhaled the minty fragrance.“This is perfect. Thank you.”
“Did you have dinner?” Maggie asked.“I could heat some barley-beef soup. Or a piece of leftover lasagna? Or how about some cookies?”
“I grabbed a hamburger and fries when I stopped for gas in Missoula,” Emily replied, settling herself on a padded stool at the island.“But I wouldn’t say no to cookies.”
“Good call,” Maggie said, opening a takeout box embossed with Cinnamon + Sugar’s teddy bear logo. She slid the box across the island to Emily.“I have snickerdoodles, peanut butter cookies, molasses cookies, and coconut macaroons. All baked this morning.”
“Oh, yum!” Emily reached for a molasses cookie.
The last of the tension knots in her gut eased under the infusion of hot tea and delicious sugary goodness.
After chewing and swallowing, she said,“I was always jealous your mom owned the best bakery in the state. What are you up to these days, besides being married and having a baby?”
Maggie grinned as she took a seat next to Emily.“I’m the boss lady now at Cinnamon + Sugar. Oh, and I joined the fire department. Keeps things interesting.”
Emily blinked.“You’re a firefighter? Cool!”
Her friend spread her hands in a self-deprecating gesture.“It’s not that exciting, usually. Mostly car accidents and medical emergencies. And training exercises. The last time we actually fought a fire was just before Christmas. It was so cool to save someone’s house, especially since Cade and my brother and uncles were there, too.”
Emily wondered what it felt to be part of a family as big and close-knit as the Swansons. The longing hit her so hard it made her eyes sting.“I’m happy for you, Mags. I really am.”
Maggie leaned over and squeezed Emily’s hand.“Ready to talk about what happened to you?”
Emily blew out her breath and debated how much to say.
“So, I got this great job as an executive assistant to the CEO at Brunborn Holdings,” she began.“It was a pretty big promotion and salary increase for me.”
Maggie nodded, but said nothing.
