Page 19 of Flare
“So, you’ll give Emily sanctuary, Gran?” Maggie asked.
Mrs. Swanson smiled reassuringly at Emily.“That was never in question, Maggie. We Swansons protect our own.”
Sudden tears of gratitude stung Emily’s eyes, blurring everything.“But I’m not a Swanson—” she began.
“You are now,” Mrs. Swanson said, in a voice that brooked no contradiction.“I’m so glad you came to us, Emily. Maggie told me on the phone she had offered you one of our guest cabins.You’re welcome to stay here as long as you want. And we’ll notify the authorities in the morning. You remember Mary Jacobsen, right?”
Emily nodded. It had been big news in town when Sheriff Bill Jacobsen retired and his niece was promoted to his old job.
“So, you know you can trust her. She and Gage will want to talk to you about those files you found on Andrew’s PC.” Mrs. Swanson rose to her feet.“But all that can wait until you’ve gotten some rest. You look exhausted, sweetie.”
Maggie’s dad got to his feet, too. The interview was over. Mrs. Swanson opened her arms for a hug.
“Thank you so much for everything, Mrs. Swanson,” Emily breathed, burying her face in warm, fuzzy fabric.“I didn’t know where else to go.”
“I’m glad you came here. And please call me Elle. Everyone else does.” Elle drew back and smiled.“Come have dinner with us on Sunday. The whole family will be there. I’m sure you’ll see some familiar faces.”
Behind her, Emily saw Maggie suddenly frown, as if remembering something. Then, her troubled expression vanished, replaced by a determined smile.
“C’mon, let’s get you settled in your new home,” she said.“Our guest cabins have kitchens, so you’ll probably want to drive into town tomorrow and pick up groceries and anything else you need.”
Chapter 5
The Girl He Never Got Over
Missoula, Montana
Friday, May 8
Ward was carefully aligning the first shelf of a custom-built bookcase when his phone chimed with an incoming text message.
Maggie: Emily arrived safe & sound late last night. Grandma Elle gave her sanctuary and invited her to Sunday dinner. Remember that creep Andrew Brunborn and my Date from Hell? Well, guess who Emily’s ex is?
You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me. Ward stared hard at his phone.
He—and everyone else in the clan—remembered when Grandma Elle had formally trespassed Brunborn from the Swanson clan’s land. Men shouldneverlay hands on a woman without her consent.
Ward: Emily got mixed up with Brunborn? WTF?
Maggie: Long story short—he hired her at his company. I’ll tell you the whole story when you get back. Just thought I’d give you a heads-up.
I know you’re in Missoula today and tomorrow for that custom bookcase job, but you’ll be at Grandma’s on Sunday, right?
Ward: Hell yeah, I’m gonna to be there.
He paused and wondered if he’d given“Matchmaker Maggie” too much information.Fuck. He typed a quick addendum.
Ward: I’m on kitchen cleanup duty, remember? Grandma’s gonna blow a gasket if I ghost her.
Grandma Elle had long ago instituted a lottery system in the family for Sunday dinner. Every week, she drew names to assign the various tasks. This week, it was Ward’s turn to handle the dishes.
Maggie: Me too. I got pots & pans. We’ll talk then.
In a daze, Ward picked up the next board of reclaimed century-old mahogany, then walked back to his table saw to cut the next shelf.
Emily’s back! And I’m going to see her on Sunday.
∞∞∞
