Page 52 of Flare
He heard Maggie walking up to the house well before the doorbell rang. The sound startled Emily, who didn’t have his supernaturally sharp hearing.
Ward glanced at the microwave clock. 7:58. His cousin was early, as usual.
“That’s Maggie,” he said, rising from his chair.“I’ll get it.”
He walked to the front door, opening it to find his cousin standing on the porch, a cardboard tray with three coffee cups in one hand and a small paper bag that smelled of freshly baked cinnamon rolls in the other.
“Morning, Eddie!” Maggie chirped. Like Emily, she’d pulled her hair into a neat ponytail, and she wore the same purple festival t-shirt beneath a light jacket.“I brought you guys breakfast. Where’s Emily?”
“In the kitchen,” Ward replied, following his energetic cousin.“And you didn’t need to bring anything. I made breakfast for us.”
Maggie stopped and turned to stare at him, eyebrows raised.“You cooked? Like, actualfoodand not just coffee and cereal?”
Ward rolled his eyes.
“He made blueberry pancakes, and they’re fabulous,” Emily called from the kitchen.
Ward grinned, warmth shooting through his chest at her words.
“Well, well,” Maggie grinned.“Wonders never cease.”
They entered the kitchen to find Emily clearing the table. She looked up with a smile.“Morning, Maggie.”
“Hey, you,” Maggie said warmly.“Ready for the festival madness? I brought provisions for the road, but I see Eddie’s gone all domestic on us.”
She set down the coffee tray and bag on the dining table and shot Ward a knowing look that made him want to growl at her.
“I couldn’t possibly eat another bite,” Emily said, carrying plates to the sink.“But I’m always up for more coffee.”
Ward moved to take the dishes from her.“I’ve got this. You two should get going. I know you two have a lot of set up work before the ravening hordes descend.”
“Are you sure? I can help clean up—”
“Absolutely not,” Ward insisted.
Emily’s smile turned shy.“Okay. Thank you again.”
Maggie looked between them with undisguised interest, her hazel eyes—so similar to Ward’s own—twinkling with amusement.“Ready to go, then? We’ve got pastries to sell and crowds to feed.”
Emily nodded and went to get her purse from the guest room. When she was out of earshot, Maggie turned to Ward with raised eyebrows.
“Spill it, Eddie. What happened last night?”
“Nothing happened,” Ward murmured, running water over the dishes.“She’s staying in my guest room.”
“Uh-huh,” Maggie said skeptically.“You cooked her a full breakfast, and you’re looking at her like she hung the moon.”
Ward shot his cousin a warning glare.“Drop it, Mags.”
Maggie held up her hands in mock surrender.“Fine, fine. But just so you know, Grandma Elle’s calling an emergency family meeting this morning. Video call at 8:30.”
Ward frowned.“Did Andrew do something else?”
“No, but everyone needs to be briefed on the situation.” Maggie’s expression turned serious.“That jerk crossed a line, Eddie. Coming onto our territory, terrorizing Emily…”
Ward’s hands tightened on the edge of the sink.“I know.”
“I’ll keep an eye on her today,” Maggie promised, her voice softening.“Violet knows what happened. Between the two of us, we’ll keep Emily safe.”
